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A few months ago we were approached by a writer working up a story about Etsy. They had been looking at the Etsy and somethings weren't adding up. They looked around some more and found us - and didn't find us so far off the mark. We agreed on many many things!
That writer was with Fortune Small Business Magazine. And that article is now out on newsstands (sorry, not online right now, should be in a week or so over on CNN Money as FSB runs it's content there online). We were holding off saying anything till it was actually out online, but the first review came in (in form of a comment on the last post) and we are busting out to share!
Just found out about this blog from the very funny IMHO article about Etsy in the latest issue of Fortune Small Business. The article is called "Can an anti-corporate website survive commercial success?" -- I'm sure y'all know about it... anyway the people who run Etsy appear to me to be, in a word, priggish, and exactly the type of folk who deserve and anti-website. Keep it up.
That's a GREAT review! Run out and get your copies! We are! If you get a copy please tell us what you think!
10 Comments:
What's most interesting about Etsy is that it manages (used loosely) to ignore its sellers in their very own forums, pretend that #etsyfail tweets don't matter, and that EB, various blogs, and other online chatter DON'T MATTER. Etsy hasn't been listening for so long that they can't punch their way out of the mess they made of SEO, which is worse than it was 2 weeks ago.
Originally conceived as a "community of sellers", Etsy has turned into one big bureacracy that hires a lot of people, throws titles at them, and their site announced "function" disappears into a big deep hole. It's not a community of sellers, it's an Etsy machine that feeds on itself, and lumbers along like a 2-ton monster throwing handmade and the seller underneath it's bulldozer attitude that they know what's right--their community can go to hell.
Etsy is the most anti-small (really big box) business going, and the more it goes, the more it messes up with whole basis of pride and value in the handmade product. They've perfected that "don't listen, don't tell" don't know much of anything attitude that is, like, so 1970's. Trendy? Nope. Behind the times? They don't think so, but they are so last century.
I am really looking forward to reading this FSB article...
Thanks EB.
-PaintedBull
I was able to read the full-text article by logging into ProQuest. If your local library system has PrQuest, you can log in for free with the use of your library card. It was a good article, providing history I hadn't known about plus a cautionary perspective. I'm glad that Etsybitch was prominently featured!
I'm a new seller who, until recently, was pretty determined not to start a cottage industry. I decided to start one through Etsy because it turned out that there was a demand for the items I made. I have been getting sales thanks to the social network I had in place years before I started my shop, but I am not happy with the current SEO. I've opened an Artfire account but haven't posted anything in it yet. I know Artfire is in Beta, and there are many bugs, but I am intrigued that Artfire submits items to GoogleBase automatically instead of the rigamarole that Etsy requires (and doesn't appear to work based upon their directions).
HA! What I don't like about Etsy is the eliteism. Can't be on the front page unless you look like them. Ha! I hope etsy gets it's due.
Art Fire on the other hand is more of a community and everyone is treated well.
Too Cool! I'm off to read.
YOU GUYS ROCK... thank you for taking this freaking ridiculous out of the forum and into the public eye!
I have an Etsy and ArtFire shop and have been contemplating closing my Etsy shop. I've always preferred the look to my ArtFire studio over the Etsy one. After reading this, I am now convinced to shut it down! I do not want my items that were made with love to be associated with a site like that!! Maybe if they ever do change, I'll go back. But it doesn't look so likely! Thank you for such a GREAT blog to follow! You've inspired me to be a bit more 'real' on my own! Thank you!
Fabulous article. I'm disappointed that the writer didn't research 1000 Markets.com, a site that I think is FAR superior to Etsy and that I hope gives it a serious run for its money!
I closed my Etsy shop. My work is unique, and I refuse to let my shop get swept into their branding dustpan.
The beauty of handmade artisan work is that it isn't branded, generic, and all cream, beige and teal.
Etsy is selling their own brand of cheap kitchen-sweatshop handmade, but trying to claim it's a marketplace of unique individual skilled artisans.
The reality is, there are some unique individual skilled artisans there, and they are being thrown under the Etsy branding bus.
Such a shame. It could've been something great. Instead, it has cheapened consumer knowledge and expectation of artisan skill (and pricing).
I do thank Etsy, though, for having taught me some great lessons in how Not to run a web business.
I am on artfire and I love the community, the shops are in beta, but I have not had one mishap or any problems with my shop! It is amazing, and the google submission is great! I get so many views from google.
I am on etsy and I hate it! But the forums are peretty interesting if your not the one being attacked!
The very last time I had any views on etsy was when i made a big deal about the treatment I recieve, only drama gets hit's on etsy!
I think everyone who has opened an artifre account and have not "done much" with it, need to post your work and see the difference a real community makes!
Etsy is like the county jail, you feel like you've done something wrong and they treat you like you've done something wrong!
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