tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post9204347665132764156..comments2023-05-31T07:37:38.948-04:00Comments on Etsy Bitch: From the Auxiliary Guild: "What happens when a CEO can’t let go"The Cranky Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08492132798002763761noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-20066862381269009982010-04-30T17:56:12.778-04:002010-04-30T17:56:12.778-04:00Wow. I'm really pissed off about this, but not...Wow. I'm really pissed off about this, but not surprised. I've been on Etsy since January and feel like relisting is akin to playing the slot machines in the casino. Put your quarter in and hope you'll make some money. Just keep putting those quarters in...<br /><br />Then in the last month, views just died. From the beginning, it seemed kind of weird that I was working my tail off for every sale and doing my own production and shipping, while paying Etsy a fee for nothing. It all makes sense now. I'm starting to look into setting up my own website with paypal capability. Why not? I'm doing all the work on my own anyway.Karinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15545905514526303909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-12449925937203282572010-04-21T17:16:33.576-04:002010-04-21T17:16:33.576-04:00All of this seems eerily similar to what's bee...All of this seems eerily similar to what's been happening on eBay during the past few years. Over there, they tinkered with search endlessly, inserted themselves deeper and deeper into transactions, and generally made it harder and harder for sellers to do business. Page views and sell-through are way down and sellers are leaving in droves. I see hints of the same now on Etsy. About the only good thing is that alternative venues like Atomic Mall (my personal favorite), Bonanzle, Amazon, Ruby Lane, and eBid have gained more traffic while eBay loses it. eBay has done the same kind mis-targeted focus on "fixing" things. Instead of working on the nuts and bolts to make it faster and easier for sellers to list items and actually make sales, they focus on the bells & whistles to the exclusion of the parts that actually need the attention (like fraud prevention, shopping carts, easier checkout, etc.) And when was the last time you saw an eBay ad? It's sad, since Etsy has such promise...Violettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-45102683611218424942010-04-21T10:51:44.874-04:002010-04-21T10:51:44.874-04:00What's putting a smile on my face for real? Wa...What's putting a smile on my face for real? Watching PD's blog dry up. <br /><br />I guess she's gonna hafta fnd a whole new group to rabidly rave and rant about. WHich, give her propensity to make things up to suit her, should be pretty easy.<br /><br />So for that, Etsy, I thank you.silverliningnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-31923783827305644412010-04-21T10:48:11.098-04:002010-04-21T10:48:11.098-04:00I decided E and I were thorugh a few weeks ago. I ...I decided E and I were thorugh a few weeks ago. I didn't want to be the girl who is always complaining about her BF and never breaks up with him. <br /><br />There were things I could tolerate when views were good, but no views, no sales and my toleration lever drops dramatically. <br /><br />I'm also very concerned about Mr. Wilson's commentary in regard to Etsy's future. And I'm just really disgusted in general.<br /><br />So I got my own site, I'll let my listings expire and that's it. Etsy won't miss me, but I sure feel better having finally cut the damn cord.<br /><br />I think Etsy as we wanted it to be, that is over. Something big is on the horizon. And I don't think it's something I want to be part of anymore. I mean, they dont' even advertise, fcol. <br /><br />I think one day you just realise that they ain't ever gonna listen and for everyone who lives there's another dewy eyed suckers lining up to take thier place.goathttp://goatmountainarts.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-89636758519549903142010-04-16T21:06:36.493-04:002010-04-16T21:06:36.493-04:00Oh no---I think I'm one of those suckers...I&#...Oh no---I think I'm one of those suckers...I'm not even officially open and I've just lost all my enthusiasm. I've been sewing some really great, unique stuff all winter. Maybe I'm too gullible, but anyone have any advice for me at this point?ooopsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-33277984653046409512010-04-16T20:23:40.032-04:002010-04-16T20:23:40.032-04:00HeyMichelle says:
Hi,
While there are some things...HeyMichelle says:<br />Hi,<br /><br />While there are some things in this thread that qualify as good discussion, there are quite a few posts that I find unacceptable. The purpose of these forums is to foster a discussion between members of the community and admins. Constructive criticism is fine and even useful, however the tone that I have seen used by some over the past several months is unacceptable. Please keep posts respectful, or do not post at all. Thank you.<br />Posted at 10:16 am, April 1 2010 EST - Report this post<br /><br />(Hi! Slap me, oooh that feels SO GOOD! Tell me I am a bad girl. Where are those spurs??)HiMichellenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-52978500232249086392010-04-16T15:46:11.276-04:002010-04-16T15:46:11.276-04:00I agree that Rob Kalin coming back is a really bad...I agree that Rob Kalin coming back is a really bad sign, and much of this is on point.<br /><br />And, agreed with EtsyBitch Reader above... The idea that Google gives a flying hoot about 'dopple' is a bit unrealistic, though. The internet is a hell f a lot bigger than that. How exactly is he challenging them, again? With analytics? There are already 20 different GA-like analytics platforms out there. If you have a good one, no, Google won't artificially penalize your other sites in search rankings. They'll buy you, like they did feedburner (or Urchin, aka google analytics).<br /><br />Etsy doesn't know what they're are doing, STILL, and every single thing they roll out misses the point... still. It's weird but they are just as incompetent, clueless, sheltered and arrogant as they were in 2007.Melvin Pineapplenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-81819815154553780032010-04-16T08:48:00.888-04:002010-04-16T08:48:00.888-04:00But I just don't understand why? I realize tha...But I just don't understand why? I realize that etsy is still making money off of the listing fees but they'd make so much more if they actually helped sellers make sales. So why are they doing this, are etsy admin really this stupid or is there some diabolical plan for the future of etsy that includes forcing a lot of their original sellers away in disgust?confusednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-32309699587233711952010-04-15T08:23:08.975-04:002010-04-15T08:23:08.975-04:00The recent avalanche of "announcements" ...The recent avalanche of "announcements" about SEO and URL tweaks reminds me that Etsy is all about Etsy slapping its brand name on all the products listed on their site without paying for them up front. <br />No matter what Etsy does next week, they've already branded products they don't own, and charged the owner a fee for slapping their brand name on your work. <br />Your listing may (or most likely may not) show up on a google search, but the word "Etsy" precedes your biz and product name and you paid Etsy to do it.The Funny Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545537988530733607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-22930568060310440102010-04-14T17:12:04.953-04:002010-04-14T17:12:04.953-04:00Is this etsy-first-in-your-listing-name shit an SS...Is this etsy-first-in-your-listing-name shit an SSDD from last summer??????<br />A sucker is born ever minute, so they don't have to wait a year to screw the pooch the same old way: it will be news to the suckers. The sucker turnover is what gets EtsyCo it's $$.AgainOrStillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-36330350360315036002010-04-14T14:51:34.374-04:002010-04-14T14:51:34.374-04:00All I can say is, if you haven't already, wean...All I can say is, if you haven't already, wean yourself off the Etsy Tit.<br /><br />Far too many are way too dependent on Etsy. When someone comes to the forums because of an Etsy problem and begs and pleads for an answer or a fix because they won't be able to pay bills or eat, it's either hyperbole or even scarier, it's the truth.<br /><br />There is no guarantee that Etsy will be here tomorrow, next week or next year. All it would take is someone on the board to convince the others that Etsy is just not worth the effort and *poof* goodbye Etsy. And it's not whether or not any particular scenario is feasible, it's that no one knows what the future holds. What will some of you do then? Do you have a backup plan? <br /><br />The Etsy tit is drying up. Some of you may still be eeking out a little sustenance, but don't let it fool you into thinking you won't ever have to learn to feed yourself.WindysDesignshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11763465841442652702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-86675564840735602332010-04-14T13:25:52.495-04:002010-04-14T13:25:52.495-04:00SEO is one of those things that I just read and my...SEO is one of those things that I just read and my eyes glaze over.<br /><br />I know how to title my descriptions with keywords.<br />I know how to write my descriptions with keywords.<br />I know how to tag my items for the correct categories & with keywords.<br /><br />The other half of SEO is page coding, and that's what etsy controls. I have no say over that unless I cease to list period.<br /><br />Lisajune, RobWhite, or any other generic etsy employee / forum moderator cannot actually provide any substantive explanations on the matter. Only engineering employees are (theoretically) capable of doing that.<br /><br />So, until the rest of my items show up in google or they change the page code — really all I can do is throw up my hands and arrange wholesale orders & drastically reduce my prices for the wholesale orders — which my contacts know that I will.<br /><br />It's funny that I can sell things to people who own actual stores who have utterly no problem selling my items (and I am not a supply seller, I'm an illustrator for fuck's sake)... and yet my items are lost on etsy.<br /><br />Every time I think I'm going to throw in the towel — I get a wholesale order...SKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-10850642649712866442010-04-13T18:39:07.986-04:002010-04-13T18:39:07.986-04:00Wow, wow, and WOW!!!
An insightful, honest, and ...Wow, wow, and WOW!!!<br /> <br />An insightful, honest, and validating article. Everything I have felt about Etsy is stated in this article. Those of us in the forum trenches feel this and we also see that Rokali doesn't give a shit.<br /> <br />I have stopped renewing. I haven't listed, renewed or re-listed (no sales so can't relist) since March 23. My sales and views have been in the toilet since January 2010 and getting worse every day.<br /> <br />I'm focusing my efforts on other venues and my own website. If I am going to have to work so hard tweeting, slapping my face, and blogging to get sales, then I'm going to do it and point my efforts toward my own website not a sinking ship.<br /> <br />Rokali needs to realize that life is a two-way street. You cannot continue to take without giving.<br /> <br />Sellers need to wake up and smell the coffee - and that coffee is not Google Caffeine.<br /> <br />Thanks for printing this. I finally feel validated.<br /> <br />Sincerely,<br /> <br />No Longer an Etsy FanStopHandingMeCrapnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-5076925669601109252010-04-13T18:11:28.544-04:002010-04-13T18:11:28.544-04:00Google is not mad that Rob is "trying" t...Google is not mad that Rob is "trying" to out google google.<br /><br />Rob is NOT the only guy/company out there trying to out do google and google is not going to cut people/companies from search just because of that.<br /><br />If you search on google, you will often find results that link to yahoo and even bing... BING!<br /><br />Bing being Microsoft's google wanna be and yet it shows up on google. Google are not that childish and I think they have bigger fish to fry as far as competition goes.<br /><br />What seems is that Etsy changed SEO to make sure the word ETSY is on every single listing on Etsy so in google terms, making it spam.<br />And google does not like spam!<br /><br />http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6186413&page=1<br /><br />http://considerations.ning.com/forum/topics/urgent-if-your-etsy-shop-has?xg_source=activity<br /><br />I think better reseach and less conspiracy theories from the OP and Etsybitch would inform the readers better.<br /><br />But some good points WAS made by the OP I had to say!<br /><br />I refuse to sell or buy on Etsy. I closed my account in early 2009 and I will never go back.EtsyBitch Readernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-22128422323235380152010-04-13T12:46:44.111-04:002010-04-13T12:46:44.111-04:00Watched the youtube video, never saw any one as Fr...Watched the youtube video, never saw any one as Fred Wilson in that video. Said Rob originally left because he couldn't handle issues about it running as a business with other workers, employees wanted to keep it as it was and Rob couldn't say no to them.<br /><br />Fred looked so nervous and hand twisting when he said he thought Rob would work out but never said why Rob was a good choice. <br /><br />They still seem to want to be a buddies hanging together. Duh- it is a big business and there is nothing wrong with that.<br /><br />They get their listing fees. I've Etsians saw Af with monthly flat has less interest in getting sales because it already has your money. But Etsy urges you to pay it over and over, they're getting their fees, why bother? <b>They're </b> making money, why should they care if you get sales?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-51443779474730934412010-04-13T11:06:15.838-04:002010-04-13T11:06:15.838-04:00Windys,
I too can only hope that behind the scene...Windys,<br /><br />I too can only hope that behind the scenes the bulk of the engineering staff is busy at work on V3 which will be scalable and have the features that have been promised for the past few years. <br /><br />Hope doesn't pay the bills though so I'll be working elsewhere for now.tired etsiannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-77337666522190702132010-04-13T08:43:11.282-04:002010-04-13T08:43:11.282-04:00While an interesting post, it is reactionary and t...While an interesting post, it is reactionary and the author does not really understand anything that is going on behind the scenes.<br /><br />I think what Windy's Designs post implied is more the point. What will etsy become? Caterina Fake and Fred Wilson know how to run companies. Etsy is not run like the firms they manage.<br /><br />The etsy of the present will not be the etsy of the future. What people in the forums decry as resellers, for the most part, will be the new core of etsy. Designed by few, produced by many. That model will not only be encouraged, but profitable.<br /><br />Etsy is not sustainble simply as handmade wth some supplies and vintage. There will always be an illusion of community, but it will grow into a giant force to be reckoned with. No little start up like Art Fire or Zibbet will touch it.<br /><br />And just like the March weather report yesterday Etsy continues to grow. It's really just too bad if your shop is left in the dust. This is business.<br /><br />By the way, the admins who tell you to put handmade in your tags or how to fix your SEO...they are placeholders for the new etsy. They have no clue what is in store.<br /><br />Wether you like the way things are run or not, the board is a talented bunch and etsy will be a mega corporation, soon. You will not hear from Rob is a folksy way again.watchand waitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-50243499209802393022010-04-13T08:00:03.722-04:002010-04-13T08:00:03.722-04:00Unless we all try to start a class action lawsuit ...Unless we all try to start a class action lawsuit against etsy to show that they have highhandedly ruined the term "handmade" for generations to come, well, we have no one to blame but ourselves. <br /><br />Money = power and etsy has all the power. Take away their $$$. No power.<br /><br />All I can do is not get their e-mails, not renew, not promote etsy. When my "real" community (not some watered down community of 2 million sellers) ask me about etsy, I tell them they are the devil. Evil geniuses. The tag line of 'all things handmade' doesn't exist anymore. No one seems to notice. <br /><br />Doc Martins and old wooden spoons have replaced handmade on the front page. Room for more... Room for more crap.sillygirlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-7064208328899240072010-04-12T23:31:02.379-04:002010-04-12T23:31:02.379-04:00Isn't it Fred Wilson who preaches the "ma...Isn't it Fred Wilson who preaches the "make Etsy into a farmer's market-kind-of-social-gathering-place" that launched Rokali's return to Etsy because he intially agreed to preach this particular naive view of ecommerce while continuing to blatantly ignore sellers for 5+years?The Funny Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545537988530733607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-67685200814052830782010-04-12T23:16:35.873-04:002010-04-12T23:16:35.873-04:00"Violette" totally hits my frustration w..."Violette" totally hits my frustration with Etsy overall, to the T!<br /><br />Joke of a forum platform, Seller Tools that will never materialize. And laughable priorities placed on things like "widening the site."<br /><br />When a website's community tells you that deleting a forum post causes hours of lag on the site, you have to connect your face to the desk.<br /><br />Etsy might just be the living example of how "kool kid" caffiene(CEOs) can stunt growth.GAGging.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-6726396138237284682010-04-12T22:41:01.143-04:002010-04-12T22:41:01.143-04:00Excellent post. The minute I heard Rokali was retu...Excellent post. The minute I heard Rokali was returning, I got a stomach-ache. I had feeling that something awful was going to happen...and it did, not long after he showed up. I believe that your Dopple theory might be correct. <br /><br />A kid who happens to have a great idea which happens to work is not qualified to run a huge company like Etsy. Nothing against Rob, but he was simply at the right place, with the right people at the right time and realized an opportunity that others may have passed by. That's all to his credit, but he really needs to step down and give a CEO carte blanch to professionalize the place. <br /><br />I don't feel honesty from Rokali now is going to make a difference. It's too little, too late. Many of us who are good solid sellers have ceased to believe him. <br /><br />Rob did say he plans on going public next year, so all he has to do is nurse Etsy along, keep up the happy talk to the cupcakes, keep shucking and jiving the media, and eventually he will have an IPO with all kinds of suckahs lined up to invest. <br /><br />With this scenario in mind, I sincerely doubt that much of anything we complain about will change.Unhappyincupcakelandnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-72541617420725155942010-04-12T18:59:15.401-04:002010-04-12T18:59:15.401-04:00Ah, legacy code. I know it well. As a software dev...Ah, legacy code. I know it well. As a software developer, I've seen many systems that evolved from poorly designed individual components that end up hacked and manipulated into giant hairballs of code that don't play well with other code. That comes from a lack of thought and design in the beginning -- something that is eschewed by many of the new software development methodologies, like extreme programming and agile design. Even if you use these methods (and they can be used, if managed properly), you still need to design with a big picture view so that all your pieces integrate with each other and can scale gracefully. It sounds like the staff is made up of "cool kids" who hop on these new coding fads and focus on the pretty and flashy bits, paying no attention to the "boring" details of system design, QA, documentation, maintainability, or load testing. It's just bad design, (like a lot of the weird crap that shows up on the front page :-)Violettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-41904046503370956062010-04-12T16:00:41.171-04:002010-04-12T16:00:41.171-04:00Very interesting perspective proposed.
I'm no...Very interesting perspective proposed.<br /><br />I'm not so sure that Rob's return will be the demise of Etsy. As astute as some of the observations made and the progression based on the conjectures, I think the whole scenario goes a lot deeper than that.<br /><br />Awhile back I recall reading a tech blog article about RK's return to the helm at Etsy and in it, it was mentioned that Fred Wilson had 'decisively' removed Kalin from the CEO position previously. It didn't go into detail, but it left me feeling that it was the board, or Fred Wilson, to be exact, that decided that Kalin was no longer an asset to the growth and prosperity of the company, likely because of his attachment to Etsy as described in this OP.<br /><br />I then went on to discover a few things, and as I was clicking and searching and reading, I lost a few of the pages to provide as proof, but it appears that the exit of Chris and Haim was due to dissention between them and Kalin. I will try to go back and find the links to back up my statements in a future post.<br /><br />Anyway, I then happened upon this article: http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2008/08/the-human-piece.html from Fred Wilson's blog regarding whether or not a founding CEO should leave or stay and the part particular board members play in 'forcing' that decision. He gives examples, including Etsy, that I find interesting to ponder.<br /><br />I also happened upon a youtube interview with Fred Wilson discussing Kalin's return as CEO of Etsy and in it a passing mention of something I believe harbors a much larger scenario than the statement appears. He mentions Etsy as a place to buy handmade, supplies and vintage, but he also mentions that there is 'room for more'. Not a direct quote, but if you listen to it and pick up on it, it sounds to me like handmade may just not be the focus it once was and that a distinct and profound change is coming over the next few years.<br /><br />All of this to say, that while I believe the short term views of this blog post could most certainly happen, I am of the belief that the 'behind the scenes' actions of certain board members may have a plan none of us can foresee.<br /><br />I wouldn't be surprised if that many engineers (what is it, 70?) are really actually working on a totally new Etsy while a handful are just trying to keep the current site going, adding patches and bandaids and gratuitous features as they can to keep people coming back and hoping for more.<br /><br />Of course, I can't back up my feelings with any more proof than the author of this blog post can back up hers, however, the presence of venture capitalists and especially one who is so involved as Fred Wilson, I just don't see them investing this much time and energy into Etsy just to let it fall apart.<br /><br />Ok, rather than have a separate post for links, I'll just backtrack my search and give you links that I read that I drew my conclusions from.<br /><br />http://www.excitingcommerce.com/2008/08/social-commerce.html<br /><br />http://blog.verbela.com/2010/02/fred-wilson-blows-the-social-commerce-horn/<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FM66PgLbBQWindysDesignshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11763465841442652702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-48355591191430125652010-04-12T15:58:57.396-04:002010-04-12T15:58:57.396-04:00Etsy is broken, but I also think there's a new...Etsy is broken, but I also think there's a new level of negativity on the site from the front page to the forum threads since Rokali returned. <br /><br />A biz whose profits are based almost entirely on listing fees has always meant that selling isn't nearly as important.<br /><br />Etsy can flog their 50-100 favorite stores year after year and eat caviar on what they take in on listing fees, so why bother making the effort to improve the site or spend some money on advertising?<br /><br />The list of broken parts is too long, but the motivation to change or improve won't be found at Etsy. They're making too much money to care.<br /><br />If it burns itself out, which is a distinct possibility, the only legacy they'll leave behind is what NOT to do when setting up a marketplace platform for handmade.<br /><br />Making everything "personal" was their first huge mistake, and a biz run on personalities ran out of steam somewhere mid-2008.The Funny Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03545537988530733607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-286747608538901945.post-27733831091021755402010-04-12T15:47:30.395-04:002010-04-12T15:47:30.395-04:00An excellent summation of the "brokenness&quo...An excellent summation of the "brokenness" of Etsy. Very insightful and informative. <br /><br />Maybe should be sent to the reporter at WSJ as an anonymous "Here's what is really happening at Etsy" email.<br /><br />I've been on Etsy since early '06 and still keep hoping it will grow up, and catch up to the rest of the web community, but I'm pretty certain that it's not going to happen. <br /><br />Instead of all the temporary bandaides, they should shut down the site for a week or two, get rid of all the old original outdated crap, and simply start fresh with a new data base minus the patches. <br /><br />I'm not a computer savvy person, so I don't know if that would be feasible, but common sense (which is an unknown quality in Brooklyn) says it's the only way to do it right.Fed Up With Foolsnoreply@blogger.com