Here is the Article!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Here is the Article!

The article about Etsy we are featured in is up now at CNN money!

74 Comments:

handwritingonthewall said...: Although my eyes wore out before the end of the article, I think the author is on to something....like the truth. I hope all those new sellers can support etsy's move to the new state of the art digs in DUMBO. You did know etsy was moving on up, didn't you?
Looking forward to my own copy.; July 6, 2009 at 4:41 PM
keep on bitching! said...: Love how Kalin says that Etsy isn't up to his standards!; July 6, 2009 at 4:44 PM
The Righteous One said...: It was only a matter of time before the "Etsy rocks" press became "here is the truth behind Etsy" press. Etsy is just one venue of many - and currently (and still) their customer service sucks.

Like a gawky elephant that can't see the mice it's squashing.; July 6, 2009 at 4:47 PM
keep on bitching! said...: Thank you, Angelica!; July 6, 2009 at 4:54 PM
Anonymous said...: A very informative read. Thank you EB for the heads up!; July 6, 2009 at 5:00 PM
stylesmith said...: I could literally cry after reading that article. It completely confirms my suspicions. Well I'd hardly call them suspicions after everything I've witnessed of late.

Is anyone else calling conspiracy that Etsy is down right now? Trying to stop a revolution via the fora?!

P.S Etsy you owe me $30. I just lost a sale because of your 'maintenance'; July 6, 2009 at 5:27 PM
foxaz said...: so etsy's down for maintenance.

Guess I'll go get me a lottery ticket.; July 6, 2009 at 5:48 PM
simple said...: More mild than damning, really. Good advertising for ArtFire though!; July 6, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Christina said...: This article might not be unbelievably shocking, but it's a start on letting the truth come out.; July 6, 2009 at 7:02 PM
ArmandoJavier said...: read the article, not surprised, have to admire Rob for raising all that capitol. off to check out artfire now!; July 6, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Unknown said...: i'm already on artfire!; July 6, 2009 at 7:16 PM
beicreations said...: Thanks for putting this up. It pretty much confirms all my suspicions over what's been going on lately. Don't 'out' any of the other bitches, I've heard they've been booting people from the site - stores, buying privileges and all - and then who would bring us the much needed insite!; July 6, 2009 at 8:11 PM
PaintedBullShop.com said...: I hope that this article is not the end of the line...as far as any "Etsy Criticism" is concerned.

I think that there is more to be said, I hope that EB keeps up the cause...

Dig deeper bitches and may the "force" be with you....

-PaintedBull; July 6, 2009 at 8:33 PM
The Sneaky One said...: Bei, don't worry about me :D I've been prepared for this since I've come out to FSB to be the face of EB.

I think all of us know what lies ahead. Its a witch hunt. I don't mind playing possum.; July 6, 2009 at 8:47 PM
kibbles said...: Etsy's boner...exposed.; July 6, 2009 at 9:01 PM
chicken, you betcha said...: Congratulations, Bitches! How exciting to get that kind of press! Hope your numbers here skyrocket.

The article just skimmed the surface, as one would expect (who but us would be interested in all the nasty details?), but seemed to hit some of the big issues--except SEO and like debacles.

I already have my ArtFire account, just need some time to set it up...; July 6, 2009 at 9:04 PM
The Sneaky One said...: chicken, I tried to get the SEO stuff in there, but the interview had already been "put to bed" by the time that came out. Made me sad to not have that boner included.; July 6, 2009 at 9:05 PM
The Righteous One said...: yes, we discussed the anonymity issue and supported Angelica's decision to put herself out there to ensure the voice we've established was heard, offering support should Etsy decide to pull the normal bs on her.

She's done something for all of us. We've gotta keep a few of us anon still in order to ensure Etsy can't hide.

We're not going anywhere as long as Etsy keeps screwing up.; July 6, 2009 at 9:38 PM
zander said...: thank you for outing E. putting it out there in the real world, great article.; July 6, 2009 at 9:52 PM
creativeneurosis said...: the picture of Kalin in front of the swimmys is HILARIOUS to me on so many levels...; July 6, 2009 at 10:10 PM
life-during-wartime said...: Bravo Bitches! And many thanks for posting a copy for us out in the hinterlands to read.

It was mentioned in the Etsy forum that the cover dubbed Etsy 'hippie' as opposed to 'hipster'. I dunno, maybe they are correct and the real hipsters have moved on from pretending to save the planet by embellishing every imaginable surface into a scrapbook page, hanging a faux 'stache on it, and then force feeding it a cupcake. Is it possible that Etsy is no longer cool?; July 6, 2009 at 11:18 PM
Chrhistine Rogers said...: So I have an Etsy shop too and frankly I've been getting pissed for a while and just stumbled across your lovely blog today ladies - hats off! What is your consensus just have an independent shop or join artfire etc? Just wondering b/c I am efing sick of Etsy I don't want to give them one more dime. My shop is about a year old... jewelry (shocking yes?) and I've done okay, 180 sales so far. Thanks for any advice and I'll be a regular reader from now on... going to go read old posts now! ps, I was bitching about 2-3 weeks ago in the etsy forum about repeats on the front page and TWO of my threads got shut down by the admin. That's REALLY when I'd had it! :-); July 7, 2009 at 12:47 AM
Nic said...: Very interesting article indeed. No surprises really, but good to see this published.; July 7, 2009 at 2:19 AM
Anwhere but etsy said...: I have read at least a half dozen times in the past couple months that hipsters are the most - choose one: hated, detested, reviled, all of the above - people in NYC these days.

I live in Ohio; if we're reading that in flyover country, it's old news! Etsy's narcissistic navel-gazing, utter lack of self-awareness and unwillingness to adopt a more professional business model will be their undoing.

Throwpillowdecor -- they are holding a pillow over your face and pressing down hard. NO ONE searches on insertnamehere.etsy.com! If they did, THEY WOULDN'T NEED GOOGLE!!! Etsy has lost sight of who the vast majority of the handcraft/art buying public is. It is middle+ aged women who might remember the name of your store and that you are on etsy, but aren't quite tech-savvy enough to think in terms of of the entire URL. So they search on what? Oh yeah, throwpillowdecor etsy, or even throw pillow decor etsy.

I think etsy's biggest problem (aside from their seeming inability and unwillingness to communicate in a timely and professional manner with their customers, the sellers), is that they have for far too long allowed their "public" face to be that of the admins, and poorly chosen ones at that. The vast majority of them come across as smarmy, elitist, and arrogant. Can you think of any more universally reviled characteristics than those?

I loved etsy so much when they first came out, and for a short time, I loved being a seller, but the handwriting quickly appeared on the wall and I moved on. They were just too irritating to deal with.

I suspect for every one of your commentariat who has commented that they've moved on to 1000markets or artfire or back to eBay or any other venue, there are hundreds if not thousands more who, like me, have simply faded away. There are just too many other venues eager for the business and who treat their customers - the SELLERS - well and professionally.

Even as a buyer, for the one thing I buy the most, I've moved on to Ravelry and eBay. There is rampant and unchecked abuse of tagging on etsy, and they keep changing the way search results are returned; it's simply too irritating of a buying experience.

Even global behemoth eBay keeps an iron grip on what they term key word spamming (tag abuse in etsy-speak); they've "gotten it" that if you make the experience too irritating for buyers, they'll find somewhere else to buy. Etsy can only survive on seller fees so long as sellers are selling.

Congrats on the Forbes shout-out! You've worked hard for it. So sad that it had to come to that, because etsy had great potential in the beginning. But these things need to be said, and you are well commended for being the one to say them.; July 7, 2009 at 7:38 AM
The Funny One said...: Etsy cool got tossed out a very long time ago when they all went to gobbledegook biz writing skool and learned to serve up a bunch of nothing in 50 repetitive sentences followed by 5 "Yeah! So great! Love this!" Admin comments per useless announcement. At this point, no one can get a straight answer from Etsy because the older and bigger the site gets, the less they know. (But Etsy is ALWAYS right!)

Just imagine what Etsy's got planned for screwing up holiday 2009!?! "I'm dreaming of a white-beige, a bit of yellow here and there christmas!" If you are one of the tens of thousands of stores who are ignored by Etsy, got blown off of GA because of Etsy's constant mishandling of the SEO (which continues to this day) and you don't make anything beige or white ------ get yourself to another site quick! And take your customers with you!

The only lingering argument for staying on Etsy has been the traffic - but since Etsy took that away, there's absolutely no reason to stay and no reason to keep promoting the site for free. And the very sad fact is, Etsy can't wait for you to leave. They forgot about you a long time ago........; July 7, 2009 at 8:23 AM
justbitchy said...: When etsy changed the item titles it changed a massive amount of information.

When massive amounts of information on a website is changed, search engines have to reindex the site to incorporate the changes.

Google's reindexing is ongoing, but it does take time.

Individual results will vary day to day. Google changes page rank and page rank parameters from time to time. No one has any control over Google.

Etsy's changes were a bad choice and may have made etsy content look like a massive amount of repetitive stuff. Google doesn't like repetitive or what may appear to be duplicate content. Google strives to offer unique content.

It is going to take time for etsy search engine results to settle down.

I have seen very strange results these past 3 weeks. I suspect the strange results I'm seeing will change and change again over time.

Etsy screwed up. It's going to take time for the search engines to decide what to do with etsy content. The only thing you can do is wait.

Having your own website and/or other selling places is one way to mitigate problems.; July 7, 2009 at 9:42 AM
The Funny One said...: justbitchy brings up some valid points - it will take time to sort out the mess Etsy has made of SEO - but that also means it's a good bet they will miss the holiday retail peak weeks.

So, Etsy's paid employees totally screw the traffic flow, and think the sellers miss the real message? If Etsy can't be trusted to manage the search technology, how can any seller trust that Etsy isn't going to screw up payments to sellers for products sold?

Oh, there's something going on at Etsy alright ---- it just has nothing to do with sellers or the handmade product. It's Etsy with 70 employees who STILL don't give a shit about how their contstant mistakes keep crapping on the ability of their sellers to SELL ANYTHING AT ALL.; July 7, 2009 at 10:47 AM
Owl on the Sill (Steph) said...: Interesting article (and blog). I just emailed Artfire and asked them if I can have my account back - after deleting it last month. Yes, I was a little hasty and definitely blinded by the shininess of Etsy, but I'm looking forward to giving Artfire another try.; July 7, 2009 at 10:48 AM
justbitchy said...: Some knucklehead got that thread shut down by running their own agenda.

I can't stand when people get threads with massive amounts of good information shut down because they can't put their own egos aside.

Anti-etsy people who behave as badly and cheerleading cupcake eaters in the inverse are all the same.

By getting threads shut down you fuck up the flow and block good information. I hope they are happy. It now gives etsy license to shut down further threads that discuss the article.

Nice work....not.

Has anyone asked RobWhite if the thread can be restarted?; July 7, 2009 at 10:57 AM
New Reader ... love the blog said...: Whoa... Just found your blog via StyleSmith's post. Great work over here!! Adding you to my google/reader right now.

I hadn't heard about the Fortune Small Business article... thanks for the heads up. Is it too much to hope that this may bring about much needed changes to Etsy?; July 7, 2009 at 11:20 AM
Wolf said...: After Etsy's SEO/meta title fiasco, I switched my Artfire account from buyer to seller.

Right now, it's small, but after I get back from vacation, it'll be everything that WAS in my Etsy shop.

I spent 3 yrs on Etsy. The first 2.5 were reasonably good, sales wise. Lately, it's been dead, nmo sales, little views, it's ridiculous.

I'm tired of throwing away good money on something that no longer works. So I guess it's time to move on.; July 7, 2009 at 11:46 AM
pillows suck said...: Enough with the pillow drama. It's been spammed everywhere and did just what you wanted, got your shop to the top having people try and figure out what was wrong after you were told over and over, nothing was.; July 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM
GMA said...: I'm loving the making up the rules as we go along that Rob does so well. Need to close a thread? make something up?

Who cares that it's not anywhere in the TOU or well, anywhere.

The we have the other Rob with the fierce back pedaling.

That thread alone show more about Etsy than any article.; July 7, 2009 at 12:19 PM
mizdarlin said...: In Fora today-Kalin pseudo-commented twice today re this little article-as usual, even if you read his 'musings' several times trying to figure out what it was that he was trying to make a point about-really, he said nothing! RK would make a great politician-he always gets the photo op, and never is moderated, and tho' everyone from 'back in the day' says he's swell, he never actually says anything-nuttin', zipola..; July 7, 2009 at 1:47 PM
ZenCreations said...: Could someone please post a link to the closed thread with Rob's comments?; July 7, 2009 at 2:08 PM
Old Hippie Bitch said...: Our FSB just arrived in the mail. Yeah, the Hippie instead of Hipster on the cover is unfortunate. And Maria Thomas looks like a kindergarten teacher. The photo is hilarious juxtaposed with the caption, "All Grown Up."

Brava Bitches! Hooray! It's heartening to see mainstream media notice the emperor wears no clothes. I'm anxious to see where this might lead...; July 7, 2009 at 2:11 PM
Tula said...: The fact that Etsy is venture-backed is enough explanation. "Angel" investors are not in it for good feelings. They want to make money, period. They're going to do whatever they can to get a return on their investment. Etsy doesn't care about the seller. It only cares about the money it can make from them and any new sellers it can bring in.

It's funny, but this is the same thing as eBay. They're a business who wants to make money and anyone who thinks of them as something else is going to be sadly disappointed.; July 7, 2009 at 2:32 PM
wristeroni said...: You simply ROCK, Angelica (as do the other "bitches"!) So glad that someone in the press is finally noticing.

Too funny that Prince Henry is posed in front of the Swimmy-Gate Fishies! I love his "TigerBeat Star" look . . . I can see all of the Cupcakes taping this photo to their bedroom walls LOL

As to his "quietly removing himself from the payroll . . . I'm sure he gets a stipend for being on the board. AND SO TYPICALLY ETSY FAIL = there is something terribly wrong when a board member says that the company isn't up to his standards. PR FAIL for the WIN!

The background of Maria's photo should be changed to "It's ALL about us"; July 7, 2009 at 3:45 PM
BitchyCupcake said...: In Fora today-Kalin pseudo-commented twice today re this little article-as usual, even if you read his 'musings' several times trying to figure out what it was that he was trying to make a point about-really, he said nothing! RK would make a great politician-he always gets the photo op, and never is moderated, and tho' everyone from 'back in the day' says he's swell, he never actually says anything-nuttin', zipola..
_________
I don't know if putting him on the defensive accomplishes anything and constant criticism will probably just get you muted and/or booted. Just an fyi.; July 7, 2009 at 4:53 PM
The Sneaky One said...: Oh BitchyCupcake, like we don't know what happens when you put Kalin on the defensive.. *eyeroll*; July 7, 2009 at 5:47 PM
All Wired Up TOO said...: Watching the etsy thread go from bad to WORSE $19.95

Watching RK back peddle like a mofo $119.95

Telling the Bitches what could get them muted or booted..PRICELESS!

LMAO!
Viva La Art Fire!; July 7, 2009 at 7:26 PM
justbitchy said...: I do not believe for one minute the Kalin was misquoted.

And his posts remain obtuse and nonsensical.

Get to the point man.

I'm quite certain he got all smarmy with the interviewer and felt comfy and spoke his mind and now regrets it.

Own it, don't backpedal.

I so tired of all the tap dancing.; July 7, 2009 at 8:41 PM
waitingforthefall said...: In Fora today-Kalin pseudo-commented twice today re this little article-as usual, even if you read his 'musings' several times trying to figure out what it was that he was trying to make a point about-really, he said nothing! RK would make a great politician-he always gets the photo op, and never is moderated, and tho' everyone from 'back in the day' says he's swell, he never actually says anything-nuttin', zipola..

Haha, you think he says nothing? Here's what I got...
1. The internet is ever changing so if you think Etsy will one day be perfect you're dreaming.
2. Things come back to haunt you on the internet. So if you are stupid enough to put your name to EB, one day you'll regret it.

Your rantings could very well lose you potential jobs even 30 years in the future or be used in court as evidence of your bad character. Think it won't happen to you? Think again it happens ALL the time.

I say keep bitchin away.; July 8, 2009 at 11:23 AM
Eveline said...: Rob says it wasn't a direct quote:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6209539&page=44#post-40190616

Now, I don't know why, but I have trouble believing him....; July 8, 2009 at 2:30 PM
The Funny One said...: Thanks for the link Evaline, it was a trip back to catholic grade school class with Sister Mary Elephant...."Now, Claaaaaaaaaas!"

Now we know where the snooty attitude has its roots. In that case, write your own reviews yourself! Oh you do that already in 345,987 blog posts per week! Ooops.

Now we also know why the whole place is falling apart because the ruler across the knuckles went out of style, oh, say, 40 years ago.

When the whole world's a Swimmy, then no one talks back! That's how you get away with no customer service for the entire life of the site!; July 8, 2009 at 2:47 PM
GMA said...: Ah, but then Rob says (after realising there are people who talked to the reporter in the thread
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6209539&page=67; July 8, 2009 at 3:09 PM
life-during-wartime said...: waitingforthefall said...
Your rantings could very well lose you potential jobs even 30 years in the future or be used in court as evidence of your bad character. Think it won't happen to you? Think again it happens ALL the time.
--------------------------------
So if Etsy is clueless about customer service (the sellers are Etsy's customers), and some of Etsy's customers get together to air their complaints in public because emails and the Etsy forums don't result in anything but squatola, this is evidence of 'bad character'? I think not. Businesses stand or fall based on customer satisfaction. Every day, all over the globe, people are passing along positive or negative comments about merchants, professionals, and service providers of all kinds. And, yup, not every comment is the objective unvarnished truth -- same as communications on any other subject. This is how a marketplace works.; July 8, 2009 at 4:11 PM
The Sneaky One said...: Waitingforthefall, HAHAHAHAHAHA.. Do you actually think I'll work another corporate job where that matters? :D

Its all in who you know, baby.; July 8, 2009 at 6:56 PM
morgansilk said...: Oops. What do you think they will do to me now???; July 8, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Rana said...: Congrats on the article!

One bit of advice for those of you joining us in the move elsewhere - if you want to put an announcement on your Etsy shop telling your buyers that you've opened up another shop on another site, be very careful after that, especially if you comment here. In particular, do NOT let your shop on Etsy go completely empty - this will give them grounds to ban you from Etsy and delete your shop there.

They won't give you a warning, either.; July 8, 2009 at 9:37 PM
PaintedBullShop.com said...: To MorganSilk....

"What do you see oracle?"

I see Etsy doing the same thing to you, as they did to VeryBigJen.

-PaintedBull; July 8, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Janice said...: Congradulations on the article bitches, and more power to you!

The notion that "craft" means "kindergarden klutsy-cute" or "lacking in skill, technique or professionalism" is maddening. "Craft" traditionally meant something that required skilled labor gained over much experience - that one became a master of (blacksmithing, pottery, wheelwright, etc). The description of crafters in the article - and etsy's evidence attitude toward crafters - sets my teeth on edge (yes there are plenty of people making cutesy items with little or no actual skill, but that neglects the people who work very hard at what they do, be it silversmithing, lampwork beads, knitting, soapmaking, etc, and do it with skill, much labor and pride.)

And since when did the inability to play the drums have ANYTHING to do with crafting? It's corporate pandering at it's worst.; July 9, 2009 at 8:22 AM
Eveline said...: Isn't it a very basic rule to ask a reporter if you can see an article before it is printed? I've been in the papers many times due to my work with/for people with eating disorders, and I have always-always checked to see if there were no mistakes and misquotes etc... Why didn't Rob do the same, knowing that this would be picked up by Etsians and Etsy bitches?; July 9, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Jen Segrest (verybigjen) said...: I've talked to MANY reporters while running my IKEA website to get one locally. (worked! You can see the PAGES of people I've talked to here: http://flatpackohio.com/category/ohikea-in-the-news/)

Most recently I spoke about IKEA to Real Simple, the article is scheduled for the future, though I'm not sure when.

I can though say from experience from being being in every thing from national magazines to local papers that you NEVER EVER see the article before it's out. I'll likely only find out when it hits the streets I get a comment on the website. That's just how it works.

Magazines tended more to use fact checkers, but not always. Business Week did. But Cincinnati Magazine didn't. It never happened with newspapers. The most common double after interview double checking that happened was the spelling of my name, where I live, my age most times.

They also more and more will usually talk to you over speakerphone, typing as you talk and and record the audio it for reference later. If they do it in person, they almost always have a little digital recorder.

But I tell you one thing after a few interviews you learn to have you talking points, your funny quotes and saying up ready to go. You have your script. They just want sound bites. IF you say it they might use it.

I totally believe he said it. They are really good about getting your quotes right. They might sometimes be awkwardly placed out of context, but they are always WHAT you said.; July 9, 2009 at 12:04 PM
heather said...: Rob did say that...if you watch this:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1125919467?bctid=1544553091

it's clear that what's going on at etsy now is not what he envisioned etsy to be. He says at the beginning of that that he doesn't want a specific brand "look"...and that's what etsy has become; it's "branding" itself with it's look, and it's not being shy about it.

Rob said it, now he's trying to backpedal.; July 9, 2009 at 1:34 PM
The Funny One said...: Jen you have some valid points, but belaboring the point (more than once) in forum posts bashing the reporter while lecturing readers about his own opinions is just more of that Etsy me me me attitude that pollutes the whole place. It's not a business about handmade, it's a personal exercise in personal promotion, and personal decisions are behind every step Etsy takes, from top to bottom. Just spend 15 minutes reading the post-before-the-lock. It's all about Etsy having a hissy fit. Childish and non-businesslike, it's their hallmark.

Janice brings up the larger issue for many sellers who bemoan the Etsy focus and fixation on "crafty-nifty-cheapo-crafts" because it's done a lot more damage to handmade, the artisan, and the handmade community than anyone can articulate. This damage will last a lot longer than Etsy, even if Etsy continues on its merry way of twisting what was once a "site for all things handmade" into a cardboard display in the front of every Walmart "Discontinued Products" aisle.

It's a dangerous thing for the long-lived reputation of the artisan, the handmade product, and the ability of artisans to sell their quality products at a decent price. The current economy is making all this happen a lot faster and Etsy has already taken over the driver's seat.; July 9, 2009 at 2:02 PM
handwritingonthewall said...: It's odd to have Rob sit on etsy's board and then come to the forums to say the "site wasn't living up to his standards"

It's not just odd, it's outrageous.; July 9, 2009 at 3:24 PM
JenJen said...: Angelica, kudos to you for putting yourself out there! Bravo! That was a very brave thing to do.

Kudos to all of the Bitches, for telling it like it is, too!

Good article. I hope it will enlighten readers--namely sellers who are still drinking the Kool-Aid and eating the cupcakes--to what is going on at Etsy, so that others can get out before they burn out.

I'm happy to say that my Artfire studio is all but completely set up, and I'm preparing to shut down one of my Etsy stores, and I couldnt' be happier.

Doesn't matter that I'm not making sales on AF yet--I'm investing in a company that I feel has integrity.

Etsy has screwed up too many times, been super-arrogant, and is simply doing nothing to demonstrate that they are a company worth anything. I find them childish, and their customer service is abyssmal.

It's a shame, because I used to really love Etsy--the site, that is. It could be a great site...but really, it's not.

Thanks again for all of your great work, Bitches!

(I used to post here as "notacupcake," but now I don't give a toss about being anonymous!); July 9, 2009 at 4:25 PM
life-during-wartime said...: The Funny One said...
Janice brings up the larger issue for many sellers who bemoan the Etsy focus and fixation on "crafty-nifty-cheapo-crafts" because it's done a lot more damage to handmade, the artisan, and the handmade community than anyone can articulate. This damage will last a lot longer than Etsy, even if Etsy continues on its merry way of twisting what was once a "site for all things handmade" into a cardboard display in the front of every Walmart "Discontinued Products" aisle.
--------------------------------
I hope the lasting negative impact will be restricted to the Etsy site and the myriad spin-off 'handmade' shops springing up across the country with Etsy connections of some degree.

Etsy's been devolving for years into the image it has now. In my view, Etsy is now the place where someone (hand?)making a WTF by gluing a piece of glassware to a piece of pottery should open a shop. This says something about Etsy, but IMO nothing about the art/craft of making glassware or pottery.; July 9, 2009 at 6:12 PM
justbitchy said...: After giving Rob's posts more thought...

I find it ironic that a guy who admitted with apparent pride to stealing college classes with a fake ID telling people to be careful what they post in online forums.

Hey! Rob! Nitwit!

You admitted to theft of service in more than one national publication.

How's the stereo business? Are used cars next? How about insurance?
hahahahahaha; July 9, 2009 at 7:22 PM
haveyouseenthis? said...: have you seen this article?
http://www.doublex.com/section/work/etsycom-peddles-false-feminist-fantasy?page=1,0; July 9, 2009 at 7:33 PM
justbitchy said...: The doublex.com article is one of the best recaps of the etsy lie and one of the best explanations of how etsy uses sellers.

A seller just posted in the forums that they paid etsy upwards of 15K in two years.

People like that are not business people. That's just fucked up.

Why the fuck would you pay so much money to etsy for nothing?!?! Their shopping cart sucks, you have to do your own advertising and it's ridiculous to pay that much when you can have your own shopping cart for under $100 per month with dozens of useful tools that etsy will clearly never provide.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!

It's crazy, plain and simple.

Etsy is one of the most amazing scams I've ever seen. It's cult-like and it drives me crazy.; July 9, 2009 at 11:32 PM
life-during-wartime said...: haveyouseenthis, the doublex article about Etsy is very significant. Especially where Adam Brown sez that Etsy has no idea why the community is so overwhelmingly female.

Uh, nobody is that stoopid. Etsy is plastered with virtual signs plainly visible to anyone who bothers to take a look: NO BOYS ALLOWED! GO AWAY, DUDES!

I dunno if there is any way to change the situation without driving out a huge percentage of the existing community members, buyers and sellers. On the other hand, might be the best thing that could happen to Etsy...; July 10, 2009 at 2:01 PM
Libber said...: Have to say it:
Same reason the teaching profession in the public schools is also overwhelmingly female.
You think things have changed, but they haven't that much. Women are still prey. And Etsy knows it.; July 10, 2009 at 9:16 PM
beanbun said...: Damned if I can't get away from Wal-Mart. I quit working for the evil corporation to go back to school and run my Etsy store full time. But no, they have to go invade that too....; July 11, 2009 at 3:25 AM
TizzyDizzy said...: I am new to esty, the first thing that put me off selling on there was that fact that they wanted my credit card details upfront, even before I have started. For some reason I found that worrying.

I think esty has had time to evolve and it is currently very slick looking. I really liked the global locator search.

I haven't had time to play with Artfire yet, but on first impression, I have to say that it looks more amateurish compared to esty.; July 11, 2009 at 6:30 AM
The Disgruntled One said...: I miss so much being offline. This was a great article. The very best part were the photographs. I love the snarky caption above Maria in front of the kindergarten art: "All Grown Up". Says it all.

And thanks, Sneaky, for being the face of this site. I think it surprised quite a few people.; July 11, 2009 at 1:07 PM
lilliesjewellery said...: hi ive just read the eye opener article above (although i say eye opener i think we all knew it) ive started two threads on the forums, one in business topics and the other in critiques, giving the link to the article and telling everyone to read it.
What can happen? they can boot me off...so what.; July 11, 2009 at 7:37 PM
Jen said...: Terrific article. Interesting that Etsy has slammed shut forum threads discussing it.

They can either ignore/deny the criticism, or see it as opening the door to possibilities for improving.

Thanks for posting it, EB!; July 13, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Sarah said...: This is the most realistic thing I've read about etsy in quite some time.

How much accurate bad press do they have to get in order to correct the destructive path they're on?; July 14, 2009 at 1:24 AM
Rtisan said...: At least this time they didn't set up the interview themselves: they have looked just as bad in the intentional PR stuff they seem to be so proud of.
Their attempts at PR have been ever so sophomoric in the past; a real embarrassment. Like it's Hip to be Square or something-- maybe they like it; who knows what goes on in the minds of these people.
That CBS Sunday Morning thing was Awful-- I remember not wanting anyone to know I was affiliated with Etsy after that came out.
Hand made artisans? They don't seem to know what that means; they sure don't highlight them.

Anybody can silkscreen a bike at obtuse angles on a tshirt or necktie: you can teach people in a sheltered workshop to do that kind of thing.; July 14, 2009 at 4:50 AM
Stacy said...: It's up now on CNNMoney: The Etsy Wars; July 14, 2009 at 2:07 PM
PaintedBullShop.com said...: Okay, am I missing something.

On that CNN article site...Why is the apple chick the only one who got a direct link to her etsy shop?

What about MorganSilk or that Sneaky Bitch herself, Angelica aka Desert Maiden Bathworks?

-PaintedBull; July 14, 2009 at 11:11 PM
SnowWhite said...: JJ-- maybe because Morgan & Jess Bruder discussed her concern about repercussions, and wanted a little cover. Their discussion may have been quite extensive, and she didn't know what would/would not make it to the article.
Or maybe not.; July 15, 2009 at 9:50 AM

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