EB Gift Guides for the Holidays!

Come take a look at these great shops across the interwebz! Many have great deals going on with their stores!

http://www.auntifranni.artfire.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/divapixie

http://www.artfire.com/users/AbsintheDragonfly Free shipping on every order, and 10% off orders over $25, 15% off orders over $50 and 20% off orders over $100

http://www.goblinsmarket.artfire.com/

http://shinyadornments.artfire.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/rosesandhello

http://www.olivebungalow.com/

http://zibbet.com/baronessbijoutery

http://www.cloudandlolly.com/ We'd love to be part of your free holiday promo. We'd like to offer EtsyBitch fans 25% off anything in our shop
until December 31, 2010. (use code:ILUVETSYBITCH when checking out)

http://www.artfire.com/users/GencysExit

http://countryheartsoap.artfire.com/

http://www.pinkflamingoswizzlestick.com/

http://www.shop.simonewalsh.com/ enter the code bitchin10 to receive a 15% discount on orders

http://jessicadoyle.com/2010/01/28/etsy-feels-like-an-addiction/ (Mention to her that you are an EB reader to see if she has any specials for you)

http://everyprettything.etsy.com/

http://www.bandbjewelrycreations.com/ 50% off sale on select item

http://picklevalentinevintagebeads.artfire.com/ will do a coupon code in your honor for 15% off any order over $20.00. The coupon code is ETSYBITCH and I am putting it on right now. All a buyer has to do is type it in at checkout.
20% off everything at my vintage bead and jewelry supply shop at ArtFire.

http://www.artfire.com/users/lovegrant

http://www.yogigray.artfire.com/

http://artfire.com/users/NewMoonDesigns

http://www.livngoodjewelry.com/

http://isisarts.artfire.com/

http://www.artfire.com/users/StarryDreams free shipping in my Artfire shop on Black Friday till Cyber Monday

http://www.artfire.com/users/introvertedpainting enter BLKFRIDAY it gives another 10% off on top of my already 10% off sale on all paintings

http://EclecticOddities.artfire.com
Free shipping in my studios until Dec.15th

http://AtticClosetVintage.artfire.com
Free shipping in my studios until Dec.15th

http://www.artfire.com/users/atelierbeads I have both a coupon AND free shipping. SPECIAL SAVINGS: All my Stock Up for Santa items will ship free between now and November 30th. And as a special extra, if you spend more than US $59.95, you'll qualify for a coupon for a special little discount. I want to do everything possible to make your holiday shopping easy and fun.

http://www.soapcrone.com/ Free shipping, right now through Dec. 15

15% off sale http://www.artfire.com/users/tuttibelle

Free shipping if EB is mentioned http://www.zibbet.com/tuttibelle

Free shipping if EB is mentioned - see "about page" http://tuttibelle.shoply.com/

Free shipping both days.Belle Butters http://www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab

http://www.artfire.com/users/divapixie 15% off sale in my studio for the holiday shopping season

http://smallhandsphotos.artfire.com I will have all items 30% off, with free shipping to the United State

http://www.WhimsicalBlissStudios.com 25% off site wide - FedEx Ground shipping is free

http://nightskyjewelry.artfire.com/ Free Domestic and Canadian shipping, and $2 International Shipping 11/26-11/29

http://www.Lucys-Pretty-Posies.com or http://www.LucysPrettyPosies.artfire.com 50% OFF Grand Opening Sale

http://www.zibbet.com/allaboutthebuttons 15% OFF sale

http://www.overthetop.etsy.com
http://www.overthetopoverstock.etsy.com ETSY - 10% Black Friday Sale - must use coupon code BLACKFRIDAYDISCOUNT to get it, one day only, 11/26/10

http://www.artfire.com/users/OvertheTop ARTFIRE - 10% off 11/26/10-11/28/10 - coupon code widget at shop

http://www.zibbet.com/NiftyKnits 10% OFF

http://zibbet.com/christianmarie 20% OFF all merchandise. Its already marked down for you!

http://www.emilyclairecreations.com
Use Coupon Code 15PERCENTOFF your total order

http://www.WeaverbirdBeads.artfire.com Five
days only: Thanksgiving Day 25 November through Cyber Monday 29
November. Free shipping. Use Coupon Code HOLIDAYSAVINGS

http://www.zibbet.com/DantesSpirit 25% OFF until Monday 11/29

http://www.artfire.com/users/forgottenbeauty 20% OFF and Free Shipping

http://www.artfire.com/users/nisseworks - Free shipping w/coupon code 'freeship10', good on pouches, wallets, small pouches & change purses. Offer good only in US & Canada
http://www.cargoh.com/store/nisseworks - 15% off all stock
http://nisseworks.com/shop - All calendars $5 each

http://gilliauna.artfire.com/ Black Friday through Cyber Monday we’re offering 20% off to anyone who uses the coupon code BLACKFRIFB

http://www.fusionmuse.com 50% off all items in the web site until 24th Dec. Coupon code BlackFriday

free shipping to the US and Canada on all dolls in my artfire shop: http://www.artfire.com/users/SugarAndSpice

http://www.artfire.com/users/zajanatural 25% off any order of $25 or more with coupon code Deals2010. Sale ends tomorrow night!

http://www.artfire.com/users/thebeersoapcompany 25% off any order of $25 or more with coupon code Deals2010. Sale ends tomorrow night!

Reminder - Sales guide Black Friday weekend sales..

As a reminder - get your sales to us for the Black Friday weekend/Cyber Monday sales. Doesn't matter where you sell, just get them to us!

etsybiatch at gmail dot com

Coupon Codes on Etsy? Wait....it’s another 5% “Test”!

Too little too late? Too little, too half-assed? In typical Etsy fashion, they roll out a fucked up widget just before the Holidays. Obviously, they don't remember moving out of Beta two years ago and the fuckery that happened with that

Etsy rolled out COUPON CODES (gasp!) to 5% of shops in this Announcement:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6688113

and in that unique Etsy-Way, what did Etsy not do? THINK IT THROUGH!

Sellers were quick to point out the obvious flaws in this thread:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6688476

... including one big huge Coupon Code must — to be able to set up a "ONE USE PER CUSTOMER" option. Or to include at least 2 basic options for setting Coupon Code amounts by either percentage-off and/or dollars-off.

This was Etsy’s response in the thread:

Each coupon code you create will be reusable by anyone for as long as the code itself is active. You may want to create one or a few coupons for seasonal/holiday specials for anyone, and then another few separate coupons for individual buyers whom you'd like to reward with an occasional discount. We will take your suggestions and the suggestions of others about this feature as we work to improve it.

Hey ho! It looks like Etsy forgot to check out its competition and see they way they’ve set up Coupon Codes that sellers find easy and quick to use------but it’s probably the same old same old at Etsy with the recent list of half-assed, never-tested rollouts, they never think it through like any seller would! They never take the perspective of the seller! They never think about the bottom line benefits to the seller!

Too little, too late? Too half-assed, too sloppy and too damn fail.


ADDED: In Three lightening phases of 15% 50% and 100% all sellers should now bave too0litle/toolate coupons codes that compete with no one but Fail.

What's happened to the Keep Shopping button, and why you should care.

Some sellers may have seen this recent thread (started Friday November 12) which asks the question, "What happened to the Keep Shopping button?". If you haven't seen it, you might want to know what it's all about, because it's morally certain that Etsy hasn't communicated with you directly about the issues it covers.

With the two part rollout of the new checkout system at Etsy, half the buyers will see the old checkout, which had a handy "Keep Shopping" button. This button sent the buyer back into the seller's shop after adding an item to the shopping cart. Half will see the new, improved checkout, which doesn't offer an easy way to get back. Apparently Etsy removed the "keep shopping" button to make the page more visually streamlined.

The OP of the above thread describes it this way:

After I added something to my cart to buy, you used to be able to continue shopping, or you could check out right away. Now there is no option to continue shopping. The sellers name is a link, but a new buyer who isn't used to etsy wouldn't know how to get back to your shop if they wanted another item. Instead there is a big Pay now button.

What this means is that buyers using the new checkout without the "Keep Shopping" button may have problems figuring out how to get back to the store they were just shopping in. When they do figure it out, they have been purchasing (and paying for) items individually. This means that shipping discounts are not calculated, and sellers are later having to make PayPal refunds to their buyers for the discrepancy. And, of course, the sellers have to pay their Paypal percentages on those miscalculated shipping charges.

Just imagine what this is like for supply shops.

When the buyers don't figure it out, they just don't buy multiple items from the same shop, at least not without a lot of help.

SteampunkSupply says, in the above thread:

Over the weekend in my jewelry shop a terrific lady wanted to buy four necklaces for her grandchildren for Christmas. It took nearly twenty emails back and forth before we got it completed, and I just couldn't figure out what was going on. I just couldn't figure out why she kept checking out after only one item. Now I know, it was the "new and improved" checkout. Oh, and I had to manually refund shipping on each and every one too. Thanks etsy.

And, as usual, Etsy has introduced these changes as seasonal gift shopping goes into high gear.

In the same thread, aosleather says:

Etsy, this blatant disregard of the sellers who have put their faith in you to work in their interests is unfathomable. Testing, changing and mucking with things may seem harmless to you... "if we break it we can fix it" sort of thing, perhaps?
But everything you screw up can potentially wreak havoc in the livelihoods of the artisans and other merchants that have entrusted their beloved shop spaces to your stewardship. and to do this in the busiest shopping season of the year? WTF?

And what does Etsy have to say? On page 3 of the above thread, Admin lisajune offers a typically helpful canned response which seems to come from some sort of alien planet where sellers are not reporting that they're losing money and customers:

lisajune says:
Thanks for all of your feedback on this!

We are testing the impact of removing the 'keep shopping' button from the cart. It's really great to hear how you have used it in the past.

This, predictably, got many responses, along the lines of "Are you kidding? What did you think the impact of removing the 'keep shopping' button would be? It makes it harder for buyers to keep shopping from my store!" "I'm losing business!" "You're idiots!"

My own favourite response to this was from ThePlayfulNeedle, who said "Testing the impact"? Is that Etsycorp for 'We screwed up and you know it, but we don't really give a damn!'?"

There was a second thread started on Saturday, November 13, which asked for a more satisfactory Etsy Admin response. OP BeachCoveJewelry said:

I think we as sellers deserve an explanation as to why there is no longer a keep shopping button. You did not even warn us that a change was coming. It has made it increasingly difficult to buy from stores and for customers to buy from our stores. It is a pain to get back to someones store to buy a second item. I can only imagine how this is affecting supply stores.

TooSoonOld wrote:

The forums are overflowing with complaints about the new checkout, changes to profiles, changes to the search function, pleas for site stability during this important holiday season, and requests for functionality that seem to have fallen on deaf ears for years. It's like a house with a beautiful facade, but a leaking roof, rusty plumbing, wires that are shorting out, a crumbling foundation and mold in the basement.

There appear to be many talented, hardworking individuals in the organization. I've read in the tech journals about the extraordinary accomplishments of the IT staff. And the marketing people must be geniuses to have built such a positive reputation for Etsy in the media, while sweeping the structural shortcomings under the rug. Finally, my hat is off to the poor forum admins and customer service staff who must bear the brunt of the fallout, and I hereby apologize for my own admin-baiting. :)

The unaddressed issues of 'Coralgate' are a bad omen. Public contempt for the business' customers, a lack of communication (on the structural problems, as well as the Coralgate issues), and the appearance of a total disconnect between Etsy's public profile and its actual agenda, as demonstrated by its actions, do not bode well for the long-term health of Etsy.

It's time for upper management to stop treating the company like a personal playground for themselves and their chums, and either run Etsy like a business or divest themselves before they cause any more harm. And if the objective is to 'Facebook' Etsy, the sellers here deserve to be told, so they can make their own business decisions.

On Nov. 14, on page 15 of the second thread, lisajune replies:

lisajune says:

An update for all who are concerned, I do believe we'll be replacing the link to 'keep shopping' from the shopping cart in the coming week.

Apologies for any consternation, you'll be able to return immediately to shopping from the shopping cart again soon.

On page 16 of this second thread, SanDesign copied this quote from lisajune, from another thread (not specifically cited):

lisajune said:

Long story short, this was simply a minor test done to help us understand how we can design the site to maximize transaction experience. We will -- barring unforeseen circumstances -- be replacing the 'keep shopping' link to the shopping cart in the coming week.

And, finally, later in the first thread (Nov. 15 - page 93) HarrysGirls says:

Just had a "live" chat with "Sebastien". He said "This is part of our transition of the new checkout process" and "We are working on this particular issue and should be able to restore it this week". Unfortunately I neglected to ask why any sort of announcement isn't made regarding this or no admin person has taken part in the forum. When one does respond their words will certainly be chosen very carefully.

So, to sum up, Etsy decided to make serious changes in their checkout just before Christmas. As far as Etsy is concerned, removing the "keep shopping" button was just "simply a minor test done to help us understand how we can design the site to maximize transaction experience." They didn't communicate this with sellers ahead of time and they didn't communicate with sellers when it rolled out. They then apologize for the "consternation" they caused and say they'll put things back the way they were.

I've been at Etsy a long time now, and I've seen this happen again and again: Etsy makes major, badly-tested (even seemingly untested) site changes just as holiday shopping is kicking into high gear without communicating with its customers, the sellers. This causes "consternation" among Etsians, apparently Etsy-ese for "those damned sellers are bitching again about something".

And again and again, there's a total lack of acknowledgment from Etsy Admin that Etsians are upset because Etsy's lack of professionalism is interfering with sellers' ability to run their businesses and earn a living.

There's a great moment in this Xtranormal video, Handmade Headquarters (sent to us via a member of the Auxiliary) when the red-headed Etsy boss on the left explains to the newly-hired Etsy Admin on the right that "Now and then we shake up the ant-farm and watch 'em go nuts. It's pretty sweet".

This is another shaken-ant-farm moment, I think.

Aaaand ... Etsy announces that the new checkout now has a 'keep shopping' button.

*headdesk*

Appendix:

(There are also reports that sellers who do manage to sell multi item orders through the new checkout are getting incorrectly-totalled emails from Etsy -- see this thread.)

How to get Etsy to notice you

Want to make Etsy take notice that you're pissed? We've sorted through the various suggestions in the comments, and have a few of our own, to come up with a list of things you can do to get Etsy to notice you, well the lack of you anyway.


1. Unfollow them on Twitter


2. Use the Twitter hastag #etsyfail or #etsysucks whenever you complain about them on Twitter


3. Unfriend/unlike them on Facebook


4. Stop promoting them! Promote another venue (particularly your shop or a venue you enjoy as a buyer) or your own website (if you're still on Etsy you can have your own domain URL redirect to your Etsy shop until you're able to find a better venue - we know you're nervous about losing sales) Maybe they'll finally splurge on advertising.


5. Comment on news/business pieces about Etsy in a way that is less than sugary - be honest and open about your negative experience there as a seller

6. Boycott renewing, listing, and relisting - you aren't selling anything there anyway, might as well keep the extra change for yourself!

7. Help others transition - offer your story about how you chose a new venue, setup your website, broke the forum habit, or learned SEO and other necessary evils of selling online.

How to leave Etsy

For sellers

1. Setup on a better venue.

2. Just walk away.

Results: a lot less stress, more time to actually make things

Etsy is only powerful because you give it the power of numbers. The more people who walk away, the less power they will have. They don't deserve to be the face of handmade. Give that power to a venue that treats you and your business right!

Start taking away their power by not renewing, listing new items, or relisting. Effectively go on strike!

For buyers

• Start searching other handmade venues for items before searching on Etsy.
• Purchase through your favorite handmade sellers other shops before resorting to their Etsy shop. You can ask them if they're on other venues, or look at their blogs or website for other shop widgets.

Customer Service The Etsy Way

With service like this, why would Etsy sellers ever go on strike?!

Cast:
Seller (S)calling for urgent help
Phone Autobot (PA)the robo-phone voice

S: Ok, here’s that damn customer service number
*picks up phone dials 1-800-ETSYCORP*

ring ring ring

S: “Etsy? I have a customer with a $3,000 order and she can’t get the shopping cart to work, hello? What?

PA: I’m sorry, but the number you have reached is not in service at this time. To repeat this message, Press 1

Seller: Oh shit *presses 1*

PA: I’m sorry, but did I say that number is not in service? I mean, gee, I’ve been doing a lot of research since you’re the 19,532 caller who’s dialed 1-800-ETSYCORP today and that number doesn’t seem to be in our directory. Are you sure they printed the right number? To repeat this message, Press 1

S: What? Hello! Is there anyone there? Can I talk to a real human please? Hey! I need some help! Human, give me a human!
*presses 0* BEEP
*presses 9* BEEP
Shit on a shingle *presses 1*

PA: I’m sorry but you are calling a number that seems to have never existed. Did you want Esty Customer Service? I’ve been doing a lot of research since you started hitting 0 and 9 on your phone to talk to a human being, but there is no Etsy Customer Service. In fact there never has been an Etsy Customer Service. Do you have another number you can try? To repeat this message Press 1.

S: Hello? Can you hear me? What? But this phone number is right on page 468,942 of the Etsy Seller Handbook! It took me 3 days to find it! Are you telling me that no one can help me help my customer finish up her $3,000 order in my Etsy Store? Hello? Give me a human being to talk to, hello? human?
*presses 0* BEEP! *presses 9* BEEP! Oh crap *presses 1*

PA: I’m sorry, it appears that Etsy has no Customer Service nor did they ever have Customer Service, and I don’t know where you got this phone number from lady, but get a grip on yourself! To not repeat this message, would you just hang up your phone? *Click*

S: Aauuuurrrrrrgh, SHIT shit shit shit shit!

To avoid this, choose a different venue! Zibbet customer service, Dawanda feedback, and iCraft use problem-specific ticket systems, Artfire customer service has a toll-free phone number, even Shoply has a phone number you can call!!

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Our time to stand up has never been more clear. Seller dissatisfaction has never been higher, and Etsy has never listened less then now.

Handmade existed before Etsy, it will be there after. While other venues get it and offer the service, features and tools Etsy doesn't. Etsy don't understand that it's sellers are more than a handful of dimes, they are ETSY'S CUSTOMER. And Customers have a right to ask for improvements, and question. They don't understand that silencing the "dissenters" only breeds more dissent and leads you to others asking more questions they don't want asked or have to answer.

Join us - our dear fallen, neglected, and righteously pissed off Etsians - for a strike and make them Etsy feel our wrath where it matters: the balance sheet.

ETSY SELLERS STRIKE!!!
STARTING: TONIGHT NOV 5 at 12Midnight
ENDING: MONDAY NOV 8 at 12Noon
(all times Eastern US)

1: Put your stores into Vacation Mode.

2: Say WHY you are ON STRIKE at the top of your store announcement.

3: NO LISTING!

4: NO RELISTING or RENEWING!

5: NO BUYING!

6: NO MERCY!


Feel Free to use this banner - or make your own! (click it to get it full size)




(Ye, we know this is a bad time of year for this, so doing it before it gets any further into the Xmas season is better. We need to hit while the iron is hot, as it were.)

Uhm....

Well...

Hrmmm...

Joan Speaks Out

Hello!

We have another recently banned seller from CoralGate to tell her tale.

My name is JoanHunterHandmade, and I have been permanently banned from Etsy.

I opened my shop on Etsy in late March of this year at the age of twenty-six. Like many, I had stars in my eyes, and was hoping to sell my handmade crafts. I made 134 sales in the six months my shop was active there, and I had 100% positive feedback from 197 people. My success on the site was not due to anything Etsy Corp did to help my individual business, it was due to my own considerable efforts, my excellent customer service, my well-made products, and the other members of the community who helped me learn the ropes. In fact, it was rather DESPITE several obstacles Etsy presented to my business that I achieved what I had, (perhaps not much compared to some, but not too shabby compared to many). I really enjoyed chatting with other craft and micro-business enthusiasts on Etsy, shopping for unique items in handmade and vintage, and promoting the cause of buying handmade.

It was just after the six month marker that I started to become even vaguely aware of the truly disturbing side of Etsy Corp. I always found their renewal system to be highly questionable. It often felt like playing a slot machine. Sometimes renewing (just to be seen for heaven’s sake) would bring in sales, sometimes it would not, but it always added up to hefty fees. Most of my items fell into the jewelry category, which had millions of items listed, and sellers were renewing constantly to stay in the searches. (Now with Etsy’s recent changes to pagination, this will be even harder). But before I knew much about Etsy alternatives, I had already printed my business cards with my Etsy web address, and I was afraid to start investing my time, energy, and money in another location after dumping so much into my Etsy shop. I did create free accounts on two other venues, but only listed a few things and didn't pay much attention to them, so naturally didn't get a lot of attention back. I used this "evidence" to further reenforce my rationalizations for staying on Etsy. All of that changed one day in October when I learned about a piece published in Etsy's own blog, the Storque.

When I saw this article, I had spent every waking hour for the better part of my year doing everything within my power to sell my handmade jewelry and accessories on Etsy. For the sellers reading this, you know what that entails. We do all of our own promotion, many, like me, do their own product photography, shop design, descriptions, pricing, policies, packaging, shipping, advertising, treasuries, networking, blogging, tweeting, facebook-ing, and so much more, not to mention actually MAKING our products. We wear so many hats in our line of work! It’s not as easy as crocheting a pot holder and then slapping some photos up on a website for 20 cents and a small commission fee. A LOT of work goes into it, and a lot of money, too, and without the benefit of the many useful tools other sites offer their sellers. The least Etsy can do, as our selling venue, to whom we collectively pay BIG money, is stay out of our way in our quest to make our businesses succeed. And in one, glorious move, they did an astonishing job of sabotaging the very businesses that have been behind their success all along. All on the behalf of a woman whose jewelry is made in factories and sold at Target! A big brand-name whose cynical attempt at “green-washing” her company’s image to people she, or her PR agent, probably perceived as “all those unwashed hippies” who actually hand-make their items and sell them on Etsy, cast a pall of “irresponsibility” on sellers of all kinds of coral varieties. Etsy took our money to sell those coral items, and then torpedoed the chances of us getting a return on that investment. The lack of consideration on that point alone should have been grounds enough to leave. But it is hard to hoist anchor when your business, your baby, is just starting to pick up steam, as mine was. However, at that point, I realized that the boat was sinking. I wrote the following to “support” after efforts in the forums proved as productive as banging my head against a brick wall.

“Dear Etsy Support Team,
I am writing in protest of the decision to keep Temple St. Clair Carr's advertisement on the Storque. TSC is NOT a handmade, vintage or supply seller. She is a big, brand-name jewelry manufacturer who has maligned 99% of the Etsy jewelry community through her post on coral, which, by the way, contains no distinctions between types of coral when calling on shoppers to sign a pledge NOT TO BUY items using coral. Not only was this "article" not vetted, it apparently was not fact-checked either, as she casts erroneous disparagement upon the ethics of using coral as a material in jewelry making.

Coral used in jewelry CAN and IS farmed. That is a fact. The article clearly makes a false statement in that regard, as well as several other misrepresentative facts. Small-time jewelry making is not a major cause of coral depletion on this planet. If this were a newspaper, or any respectable journalistic publication, the responsible thing to do would be to write a retraction or correction of the misstated information presented. I realize Ms. St. Clair is a guest writer, but it is Etsy's blog, and Etsy is responsible for the content within it. In this case, content that sabotages Etsy businesses, while simultaneously linking to a competing off-etsy business venture.

I find this article to be not only inaccurate, but financially destructive to my business with the Etsy Corp, and I formally request that it be immediately removed from the website. I also find Etsy Corp's willingness to throw its loyal sellers and clients to the proverbial dogs, and its refusal to appropriately address our concernsto be nothing short of reprehensible conduct on behalf of the company and its representatives.
Thank you.”

After several DAYS I got this response:
“Hey there,
Thanks so much for emailing, we appreciate your opinion and consideration. I'm going to refer to Juliet's (our editorial director)
thoughts and response to this issue: {insert a copy-paste of Juliet’s announcement here}”

In other words “LA LA LA WE STILL DON’T HEAR YOU!” This was also the response of forum admin who again and again closed all threads in the
forums discussing the issue. At this point I was outraged, but wrote a fairly restrained reply. “Eva, thanks very much for your response.

Yes, I have read Juliet's input on the situation several times now. I realize that a decision has been made to change the Storque's editorial policies and standards, and while I appreciate that as a very basic step to "correct" the problem, I do not feel it goes far enough. Not only is the article, and the link to the pledge still active on Etsy's blog, but no retraction nor correction has been placed within that article, an article which misrepresents the facts to an extreme degree. If you don't want to take my word for it, I suggest reading and passing on this article by Newsweek, a highly espected professional publication. The article can be found here: http://www.newsweek.com...

Furthermore, I have picked up on the fact that Etsy's decision to address its clients who are still concerned with this matter stops at reiterating the inadequate announcement made by Julietgo. And while I sympathize with her situation, and hope that the buck is not being passed to rest on her shoulders alone, I respectfully request more of a dialogue from the company with its sellers in regard to this issue. For me, the damage has been done, as I have closed down my shop, as several other slighted sellers are doing, and whether I do business with Etsy ever again hinges on whether my fellow sellers and I receive an appropriately proportionate response from the company about our questions and concerns. thanks again”

I never received a response to that email. Now, how would it go over with one of my customers, if I sent them a C.O.D. after I had agreed to pay for shipping, and when they contacted me about it, I said “I wont do it next time!” but did not refund her the money? And then what if I just copied and pasted my initial reply over and over again when she followed up with me? What would my feedback look like then?

By this time sellers who wanted to talk about the coral issue on the forums had been shunted into a single thread in the “ideas” section-quarantined, sequestered, shunned, and mostly forgotten. When anyone tried to start a new thread, admin just closed it down and copy-pasted the same response or some variation thereof, referring us to Juliet’s announcement, an announcement none of the sellers could reply to, or ask questions about, or criticize, or have a dialogue with Admin about. This was simply unacceptable to me. I felt like Etsy’s actions and words bespoke an attitude that sellers were just beneath contempt. Just a bunch of whiners or crazy people ranting on a street corner, rather than the root of their company’s success, customers with legitimate questions and concerns, people whose livelihoods were at stake, and up until a recent surge of venture capital, the sole source of Etsy’s revenue. By now, realizing how little Etsy thought of me, my business, and my fellow sellers, I moved my shop. I posted the following announcement: “In solidarity with my fellow jewelry makers I will be moving my business off Etsy in response to the Storque article promoting mass-produced, brand-name jewelry to be sold at Target stores, and slanderous misinformation being spread by An off-Etsy company which maligns the business practices of Ethical Etsy artisans. Fight for handmade!!”

Of course, Etsy wasted no time in removing that announcement and sending me an email about it, though they STILL have not responded to my questions, nor provided me with even a basic level of decent customer service. It seems they only respond to sellers when it is time to point the finger, spank, reprimand, or put them in a time-out I perceived immediately the need for a safe place for sellers to gather outside of Etsy, a place for the traumatized, disenchanted, stomped on, and used. I called it The Etsy Refugee Society (http://etsyrefugeesociety.blogspot.com/).

I had discovered suddenly, and much to my horror, that underneath their touchy-feely “hey there” exterior, Etsy is run like a third-world dictatorship, where pronouncements are handed down from on high without the input or responses from sellers, where people are silenced, or just disappear, where courtiers receive favor from the powers-that-be often at the expense of the “peasants”, where there is a pervasive cultural demand for cult-like adherence to Etsy and all of its decisions- right or wrong. Once you close your shop there, and voice disgust, and stop spouting the party line, you become an outsider who is told to shut up and go away by adherents to the holy shrine of mustaches, foxes, cowls and owls. Many recklessly label pissed-off ex-sellers as simply bitter failures who have no one but themselves to blame. That certainly wasn’t the case for me, and my shop. It is a mind-blowing experience to go from being an Etsy cheer-leader to being treated like a malignant tumor after you have a problem with the company.

Weeks ago, I made the decision to seek refuge elsewhere, so my affairs were more or less in order when they finally swung the axe. My favorite part of their email, informing me that my account had been deactivated and I had been permanently banned, was this: “...our business relationship must now come to a close.” Well, since our “business relationship” consisted of me paying THEM money to stomp on my business, my dignity, my friends, and provide me with the shittiest customer service I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime. So yes, it must now come to a close, by all means.

Later that day they closed down the only thread on the forums in which people were “allowed” to voice their displeasure about all aspects of the coral article. Just like with so many of Etsy’s mismanaged and disgraceful business escapades, this one has been officially swept under the rug. Meanwhile, I am happy and enjoying my first sales in my new home on Artfire along with many of my favorite current and former Etsy sellers. Their camaraderie, dedication, sense of humor, kindness, empathy, brains, and strength of character are the most precious and valuable aspect of my time on Etsy, and I long for a day when we can ALL be free from Etsy’s iron-fisted douche-baggery and corporate fuckery.

So that’s my tale. I thank Etsy Bitch for giving me the opportunity to share it, and for demanding justice for all in Etsyland- the not-so-happy kingdom.

Signed,
JoanHunterHandmade

WoolyBumblebee Speaks Out

We have an e-mail WoolyBumblebee has sent us, detailing what she went through before she was brickwalled, and why she was brickwalled. We are posting it, in its entirety with her permission.

HeyEB!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explain, in detail, to the whole EB community about this whole disgusting ordeal of me being booted off Etsy permanently.

OK, where to begin?! Man, this is going to be long, but I'll try to be as clear as possible about the whole thing, LOL!

It began a few months ago when I had been very vocal in the forums about some issue... I mean, lets face it, Etsy screws up so much lately it's hard to remember what I was bitching about, but anyhow, I was bitching on the forums about something that pissed me off. Sorry if I was vocal in the forums and pissing off some of the cupcakes there, but I care deeply about ALL handmade sellers and the ability for us ALL to run our businesses properly on a supposed "handmade" site that "supposedly" cares about the integrity of the artists there.
Ok, so after my bitching in the forums about what ever it was, they muted me and blocked my account. This was the FIRST time it ever happened in all my selling years on Etsy since 2007. They didn't close my shops, but they blocked me from having any access to my items, shop, and the forums.

The reason for that first closure was that apparently I had an "undisclosed account" from 2008 which broke the odd TOUs about having multiple accounts on Etsy (I still don't get why we have to disclose buyer accounts, but I digress).

The account that was in question was so old I had forgotten it even existed. I mean, lets be honest, 2 years later and I was supposed to remember a random account that I had opened for buying purposes only? Come on! I can't even remember where I put my fucking car keys most days. So I told them to close that useless account and PLEASE re-open access to my other active ones. This whole mess took 3 days of aggravation to settle, and many lost sales, (I sold on average 5-6 items daily in one of my shops). So they did finally close that account, but no apology for their HORRIBLE customer service or the fact that I lost about $75.00 in sales over that time period.

See, when you contact customer support via "chat", it's not an actual "chat", it's a holding pen where your message gets held in queue for the person handling your case. If that person is not there, then tough shit! You have to wait hours, days, or possibly longer. It's a shit system that does not help anyone who has an URGENT issue that needs attention right away. These are our bloody BUSINESSES! Not someone calling to inquire when the next shipment of plush moustaches are going to be available.

After all that had been settled I knew I was on their dreaded black list. I knew they'd be watching me, and I even knew they were monitoring my convos. YES! They do that on there. They will even go into your account if they feel like it. Believe me, I have proof of that when they logged into my shop recently and deleted my announcement. But I'll explain that later.

So, a few months went by with me tiptoeing around not wanting to upset the great Etsy Gods. But of course Etsy just can't seem to keep it's own shit together and fucked up big time AGAIN by allowing everyone's personal names to be shown in the treasuries. It was a damned disaster! I was pissed beyond belief, as were TONS of other sellers. And we all had a right to be pissed! Our personal info, which we entrusted to Etsy to be kept private, was made public for the whole world to see. They broke their own precious TOUs big time! bigger than any account holder could have that's for sure!

So along with my fellow sellers I was ranting in the forums once again. I guess that's where the Etsy police began to monitor me again.

Then Etsy went and did another epic fuck up and posted an article about the evils of coral. It was written by a NON-ETSY SELLER who mass produces her crap and had nothing to do with the handmade movement. Etsy even linked to her off-Etsy shop! Way to drive sellers out of our venue. By linking off site many of us sellers were completely outraged and decided to link outside our own shops in protest and to see if we could get away with it, since Etsy obviously was not that bothered by it if they were doing it right?! But that was when I learned Etsy will actually go INTO your own personal shop and remove the offending messages. They went into mine and deleted the whole thing, then sent me a warning AFTER they violated my shop privacy and went in and did it. Is it so hard to just ask me to remove it myself? I mean, how the hell do I know they weren't in there poking around in my other personal stuff like convos etc...

So, back to the TOU breaking article they put in the Storque. Of course, this spurred pure outrage by many! We banded together to point out the obvious, again, to Etsy.

Etsy decided to close any and all threads that even mentioned or hinted at the word "coral", and then corralled us all into one thread that is still up and going now. The plan was to hide us in "ideas" and keep us as out of sight as possible in the hopes that we'd get tired of the issue and move on. Thing is, we didn't, and the thread is still going after breaking the 10,000 post mark in it.

So I once again mouthed off! Can you blame me? Years of Etsy not listening to it's sellers (customers), lousy half-assed customer service, fixing things that don't need fixing and ignoring the things that do need fixing, breaking their own TOUs, and so much more... There is only so much I could take. I didn't need to be kicked in the ass by them anymore to realize they didn't give a shit about any of us sellers.

I went and opened all new shops on Artfire and Zibbet, and put my shops into vacation mode on Etsy. I was so pissed! I refused to give them any more of my business if this was how they were going to treat their sellers. And believe me, I was not the only one who shut up shop and moved all my items off to another venue. Many did the same in pure protest!

And then Etsy fucked up again 2 more times! OMG!!! I think they are going for some sort of new record or something over there. It's unbelievable!

The first dumb ass thing was they decided to fuck with our personal profile pages by truncating our personal blurbs and adding our favorites and treasuries to the page. This was a DISASTER! By doing that they were again showing how little we mattered and were again trying to lead people out of our own shops by allowing click-able links to other shops via our favorites and treasuries.

Many deleted their treasuries and had to privatize their favorites. It was another mad dash to fix our shops again and protect what little we had left. And of course I was livid! I lashed out again in the forums. Can you blame me? I was slowly being pushed over the edge, as were many many others.

The second fuck up was deciding to screw with pagination. They reduced search results to a max of 50,000 results allowed to be returned in any given category. While that may not seem like a big deal to some, that actually meant many who were paying to be seen on Etsy were now being hidden from sight. That was obviously bull shit because if someone PAYS for a service they should be entitled to it, and Etsy was not holding up to their end of the contract. You pay to list your items on a site and to have the ability for those items to be seen, no matter how far back they are in the searches. Etsy was now eliminating that and in the process taking fees for services not rendered.

So all this epic fucking up on Etsy's part was giving me a headache and burning ulcers! I am not the type of person to take crap and smile gratefully. I had been a PAYING customer on Etsy since 2007 with over 5000 sales in total! I deserved to have my voice heard! As did, and do, many others!!

So for weeks I supported those who forged on for a better Etsy! I wanted some accountability from Etsy! I wanted them to realize I was not going to lie down and take it anymore. And many others were doing the same.

We got called all kinds of things from the "cupcakes" on Etsy who thought we were being stupid. Many seem to think Etsy can do no wrong... Well I am proof that this is complete bull shit! There is a dark side to Etsy and when you land on it be prepared!

Etsy is going down the drain! Rob Kalin, Etsy's founder wants to make Etsy into a social networking site like Facebook. What the heck that means is yet to be seen. Many changes are coming, and it's scary to think what those changes might be. I started a thread on that issue before I was banned from Etsy if you want to read the article by Rob Kalin on where Etsy is headed.

So ya, I Tweeted and yelled! I was pissed! I love handmade things and the community of handmade artists! I love being part of something so down-to-earth and creative, it's a big part of who I am, and the part of me I am most proud of. It's a fire that keeps me moving forward and happy. I used to really love Etsy in the early years. But they shattered the one thing I used to love, and for that I can't forgive them.

So after all this mess, after all my supporting handmade, artists, sellers, and trying to make Etsy realize we deserve better they finally dropped the hammer and banned me! I was expecting it to happen eventually. I know Etsy doesn't like to hear the truth and can't stand having to apologize for anything. If you are familiar with Etsy's history you already know that to be true.

The big issue I have with being banned was they did it. Those ass holes didn't have the decency to at least give me some kind of warning, which would have been the MATURE and PROFESSIONAL thing to do. I would have had time to contact my customers and tell them I would no longer be available on Etsy and where they could contact me. I know for a FACT that Etsy can just block your selling and forum privileges because that is what they did to me the first time, so doing that for 24 hours BEFORE shutting everything down completely would have been the RIGHT thing to do!

Instead, I was left to look like I had shut up shop and run in the eyes of my customers. Nice! Etsy is trying to make me look like a scammer or something. How underhanded and disgusting! But thankfully I keep all my e-mails and can contact those I need to. Thankfully I can tell them to read this and see what really happened.

About 5 hours after Etsy slammed the door on me they finally sent an e-mail. Thanks for sending it so quickly Etsy (insert flaming sarcasm here).

This is a copy of their bull shit e-mail that I thought everyone should read, as well as my reply to them. I have hi-lighted some ironic and hilarious info in it:

--------------

Hello,

We have deeply appreciated your interest in Etsy and its Community. You have been an important customer. At this time, however, Etsy has elected to revoke your account privileges permanently. We do not make such decisions without great consideration, but recent policy violations committed by one or more of your accounts has brought us to the conclusion that our business relationship must now come to a close.

Policy violation:

- Redirecting to off-Etsy venues

- Multiple undisclosed accounts

- Multiple accounts closed for unresolved non-delivery complaints

- Replacing removed text in Public Profile

Your selling privileges will be suspended effective immediately. We ask that you or an agent acting on your behalf do not create new accounts on Etsy without prior express permission from Etsy Administration. We also ask that you close any and all active Etsy accounts. Accounts created or used without permission will be terminated without warning. The following accounts have been closed:

WBknits
WoolyBumblebee
seweasypatterns

Already closed accounts will remain closed. This letter should not be construed as a waiver of any rights by Etsy, Inc.

Best,
Brittany
Etsy's Support Team
http://help.etsy.com
--------------

Aww, aren't they so sweet! They even said that I was an "important customer" and "best" at the end of the e-mail so I won't feel so betrayed! UGH! And you can even see they admit they will shut things "without warning". Nice eh?! So be aware all who read this!

Here is my RESPONSE. I must warn, I was really mad when I wrote it so please excuse so much profanity in one place, LOL!!

Also, just so there is no confusion and everyone knows the history from the previous E-mail that Etsy sent:

The NDR's mentioned in their e-mail were by a customer who did not understand the fact that I was selling PDF patterns and not the finished items. She filed multiple NDRs and was a complete pain in the ass! I had refunded her and tried to communicate to no avail. That is what the NDRs are referring to here.

The "TOU breaking" they refer to was because after Etsy blatantly broke it's own TOUs by linking off site to another seller in the Coral article many of us decided what was good for the goose was good for the gander, and many of us linked off site in protest. We knew eventually Etsy would tell us not to. But we are bad like that sometimes ;P LOL!!

And the "undisclosed account" they speak of, well I already stated I had one brought up by Etsy which resulted in my account being suspended months ago. That issue was already taken care of and the account deleted, so they are just bringing up old crap that was already dealt with as an excuse to get rid of me.

Ok, so here is my response:
--------------

Bull crap! I have no more NDR's as they were all taken care of previously months ago by Jessica on your staff. I did NOT REPLACE ANY TOU BREAKING LINKS in my announcement after you advised me the first time so that is complete BULLSHIT. And NONE OF MY ACCOUNTS were never UNDISCLOSED! All my shops were CLEARLY linked to each other! Hell, that's how you were able to shut them all down so fucking fast!

All of what you have listed below is crap and you know it! The only reason you did this was because I have been vocal in the forums and you have been DYING to get rid of me! Good riddance! Like I need your constant bull shit! I have new shops on other BETTER venues where sellers are respected! If you at Etsy are so fucking concerned with TOU breaking maybe try looking in the mirror! Your all a bunch of two-faced ass holes! I am taking all my customers with me and will spread the word anywhere I can about how much I hate Etsy and how you are all a bunch dicks!
----------

So, there you have it! The whole sad story!

I really wish that I could have at least said goodbye to all my great friends on Etsy. Those that yelled with me over the years. Those that fought for what they believed in and stood up for what was right. And those that never ever gave up. I'll even miss the cupcakes that always gave me a good laugh ;)

Please, if you've learned nothing else from my journey, just make sure that you always have back-ups of all your e-mails, convos, sales, and shop info! You just never know what can happen in the future.

I hope some of what I have gone through has helped some realize Etsy is not all cupcakes, rainbows, and owls in cowls! As a newbie I thought Etsy could do nothing wrong. But as time went on my eyes opened, and I saw, and learned, a lot more than I realized was actually going on.

I am not one to blindly sell on any venue, and I don't think anyone else should either. Always research and dig for information about the place you sell on on a regular basis. It's amazing what information is out there waiting on the web for people to read.

Rob Kalin has made no effort to hide where he is planning on taking Etsy, and researching things like that will help you stay informed and able to make your own decisions about where YOU want to take YOUR business in the future. Don't ever join a venue to sell on and think it can never do wrong. Remember, every venue is ultimately a business looking out for its own bottom line, not yours. You need to do that for yourself, and staying educated and informed is the best way to do that.

To all of you left on Etsy, I send my support and hugs! I will still be lurking in the skies of Etsy and supporting you all in spirit, even if I can't access the site anymore to post my support along side you. I hope everyone succeeds on what ever path they choose to venture forth on, be it Etsy or any other venue.

Just remember that no matter where you are, you should always fight for what's right! Without fighting for change nothing will get better. If you don't demand for better you'll never get it. Remember, people will only treat you as good as you allow them to. And you all deserve to be treated with respect and common courteousy.

Each and every artist and crafter on Etsy deserves have the handmade movement supported, because that is what Etsy was supposed to be about. And it's what brought us all together there in the first place. Everyone deserves respect, communication, and accountability. It's not much to ask for, but apparently Etsy sees these things as of little value.

Bottom line, it's about integrity! Something Etsy has lost and, I fear, will not be getting back any time soon. But at least I know I tried the best I could, and I can leave Etsy with my head held high and a smile on my face!

WoolyBumblebee

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I now sell all my items on:
www.woolybumblbee.com
http://www.artfire.com/users/WBKnits

http://www.zibbet.com/TheWoolyBumblebee

Some banners to tell etsy to kiss your ass!

Closed up shop? Or tried to and Etsy hasn't gotten around to shutting you down yet? Feel free to use one of these to tell them why!



Manifesto

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Mad as hell and I'm out of here

See my profile to find me

Find me on ArtFire

Find me on Zibbet

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EB Holiday Promos Week 1

Good morning everyone!

Here is week 1 of the Holiday Promos, for ArtFire sellers. If you dont have an artfire shop, please dont worry, we will feature you next week. Also, if you are planning Holiday sales, please let us know what they will be by e-mailing us at etsybiatch at gmail dot com. We will feature those sales on Black Friday through Cyber Monday. This widget does not represent everyone in the collection. Please click through to see all of the great artisans!