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Damn it if that Etsy Bill doesn’t show up in my Inbox at 1 minute before midnight at the end of the month!
So, dear Etsy, here’s MY Monthly Bill For Labor and Services!
1. Paying for ads outside Etsy to drive buyers to my store ON Etsy = $100
2. Blogging and twittering to get SOMEONE TO LOOK AT MY STUFF on Etsy (@$25 per hour) = $350. All labor is billed at $25 per hour below:
3. Relisting, relisting, relisting, just to get on the front page for 3 seconds = $210.20
4. Trying to find factual information I need immediately in the TOU’s, Dorque, or by posting 32 questions in the Forums = $50
5. Spending 2 hours in the Bugs Section looking for urgent answers to all the problems I’m having with the site every week = $50
6. Spending hours looking to see if, by some chance, I may have a product in 750 Etsy-picked promotions for their favorite items all over the site = $100
7. Fretting over why I used to get lots of sales on Etsy but can’t even get people to look at my stuff because my products aren’t "Etsy-Approved" and under $15.
8. Making an actual sale on Etsy AND getting paid = NOT WORTH THE EFFORT.
April Seller Bill for Marketing and Labor = $860.20, due by midnight on April 2nd, Cashier’s Check Only, and send by Express Mail.
I’m waiting for the truck to pull up to my front door.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Hey Etsy, Here's MY Bill for April!
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14 Comments:
It really is depressing.
I'm sorry, but monetary compensation is not the Etsy way. We'll give you lots of kudos and a high-five on our front page, but we like to keep our money in the family, if you know what I mean.
And I hate to inform you, but Etc does not give monetary compensation either, but we would truly like to thank you for your wonderful blog and the enlightenment you bring to all.
http://etcwtf.blogspot.com/2009/05/happy-etc-day.html
Happy Etc Day!!!!
Its really kinda sad that the 2 hours you spent writing this article, you could have been trying to make sales. If you need help in making sales, convo me on etsy and I can help, instead of bitching about everything. Pathetic.
Dennis - as their customers, we're paying attention and ranting about this anyway. Why not let others know they're not alone and maybe bring a few things to public attention?
You're the pathetic one for commenting on a blog simply to promote yourself as a guru.
Business ethics aside, it took 4 minutes to write the bitch. But it took 4 years to figure out that a site that allows lots of questionable "products" to be manufactured out of thin air with the Etsy logo on it sure looks like Etsy is promoting self-help pamphlets, Etsy-logoed spreadsheets and an odd assortment of Etsy evangelists whose main goal is to make money by telling everyone else what to do.
On top of employees with stores on the site, including management, that just adds to that Swimmy smell that gets a little smellier each time a new guru pops up and monopolizes the forums with their formulas for success. Which is what? Be as lax and unethical, sloppy, and out of touch with reality as Etsy? Or just "borrow" someone else's idea and put a price tag on it?
Dennis, please stop posting comments advertising yourself, we won't let them through. This blog is about the problems with Etsy, let's stick to the topic.
Sorry but if you're selling on Etsy you are RUNNING A BUSINESS. That involves having overhead expenses, that's just the way it works. Go look up what your expenses would be if Etsy didn't exist, if you had to do everything yourself or hire a web designer to do it. I can guarantee it would be more than your Etsy bill. Don't even try to look into what the rent for some hole in the wall shop space would be. If you aren't making sales, well in my opinion there's only one person to blame for that and it's not Etsy.
Noadi said...
Sorry but if you're selling on Etsy you are RUNNING A BUSINESS. That involves having overhead expenses, that's just the way it works. Go look up what your expenses would be if Etsy didn't exist, if you had to do everything yourself or hire a web designer to do it. I can guarantee it would be more than your Etsy bill. Don't even try to look into what the rent for some hole in the wall shop space would be. If you aren't making sales, well in my opinion there's only one person to blame for that and it's not Etsy.
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Actually I have my own site and it is far cheaper than what I would pay on Etsy.
I can list as many products as I want with any quantity and as many photos as I want. Each product can have as many or few choices as I want such as size, quantities and upgrades.
I can issue discount coupons and gift certificates. I have full inventory control so I can sell multiples and one of a kind items. I can print packing slips. It has full integration with Quickbooks. I have bulk upload of products. I can run sales on individual products, whole categories or put my whole inventory on sale.
My site is fully integrated with 15 different payment types including my merchant account, Paypal and Google Checkout. No inventory is removed from my store unless the payment goes through.
If I sold my same volume on Etsy I would pay them hundreds per month. I now pay a flat $50 per month.
I get 5,000-6,000 unique visitors every month. I only buy a very small budget of Adwords to generate that traffic. I have full stats and built in newsletters and a forum.
I can charge flat rate shipping or use a shipping calculator.
So in response Noadi, sorry, you are dead wrong.
If you are running a small, but especially a medium or high volume business on Etsy you are getting screwed.
I am not trying to be annoying or obnoxious, so please don't misunderstand me, but I am wondering why the admins on this site don't reveal their identity in their profiles.
Obviously you are not against calling out individual admin or Etsy people on their bullshit and you often blame your lack of sales on Etsy. If you truly believe that Etsy's bias policies and unfair treatment of sellers is the reason for your lack of sales, why not reveal what your shop is so people can give you feedback and see the hard work you have been doing?
By reading this entry alone, it is impossible for me to feel anything but anger at how Etsy is treating you, but I don't have both sides of the picture and if you are SO sure that Etsy is the root of all your problems you shouldn't be afraid to show us your shop.
Again, please don't mistake these comments as bashing your site. It is just hard for me personally to take your "bitching" seriously if I don't know anything about your products or store.
Tell Me More said...
Again, please don't mistake these comments as bashing your site. It is just hard for me personally to take your "bitching" seriously if I don't know anything about your products or store.
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How long have you been selling on etsy?
It takes about 6 months or a year to get the full effect of your personal etsy screwing.
You'll know at that point what this is all about.
*snort*
Noadi, I have my own website, and not only is my monthly overhead much lower now, but I am getting roughly 3 to 5 times as many sales now as I ever did on Etsy. Even after I deduct all of my advertising expenses, web hosting etc. I am WAY ahead. If you just want a place to show off your hobbies, then that's fine, but I would NEVER recommend Etsy to anyone who was serious about running a business.
The only thing I don't understand, is why people continue to put up with the way Etsy treats their customers. It baffles me, it truly does.
Tell me more, we're anonymous because Etsy doesn't take kindly to criticism. People have had their stores brickwalled for less. Some people rely on Etsy to supplement their income, which is sad, but true. That doesn't mean Etsy has a right to shit on them.
What we make doesn't matter, because the problems with Etsy affect all of its users - from the crappy customer service (hah! what customer service?!) to the lack of communication, from the billing snafus that happen almost every month (and cost people money!) to the incredible lack of professionalism among admin.
We're anonymous because we have to be. As it is, those who are hinted at being members of this blog are attacked and ridiculed on the Etsy forums, and are on the admin blacklist (the mythic list of hate that Rokali likely keeps down his pants).
Some of us have left Etsy, but that doesn't change the fact that we know business and we still buy at the site (friends and good products shouldn't be punished for the venue's stupidity). Other's have spent too much time and energy on their Etsy shop when Etsy meant something to toss it away, and it takes time to completely shift to another venue (that's why promoting your own site right off the bat is extremely important). For those who are still entwined in the frontlines, naming themselves would be suicide.
Etsy has a loyal following of sheep shaped cupcakes, their mouths frothing with icing, just waiting to pounce on any naysayers. This flock rotates out every few months when the Kool aid wears off, unless Etsy offers them free promotion - then they turn tail and guzzle the gallon for the free exposure and praise. Can't really blame them though, you gotta do what's best for your business - even if it's a deal with the devil. What one says in public isn't always what they're thinking.
So we offer a place for others to let off steam and see that they are not alone in their frustrations - that we see and we're watching - and by god, if Etsy fucks up they're not going to get away with it again!
Bannings, mutings, shop closures, promoting mistagged items, favoritism, unprofessional behavior, rude conduct - these are just the tip of it all. Etsy doesn't give a shit about handmade, not anymore.
DO you know that Danielle almost never blogs and instead only uses Twitter?
this post is hilarious, and made me feel so much less alone!!
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