QYDJ & Other Etsy Myths

MYTH #1: QYDJ

Only applies to shops making/selling stuff in the distinct Etsy style, working ‘round the clock, and secretly employing lots of "santa’s helpers." An obvious and rather worn out, boring ploy to get more sellers to make & list Etsy-brandable (and usually low-priced) products. You have to be in it (lock, stock & barrel) to win it!

MYTH #2: SHOWCASES WILL GET YOU SALES

Etsy’s added so many Showcases and sub-sub-sub-subcategory Showcases that most shoppers don’t look & don’t care. Hidden in remote corners of the site or obliterated by competing Etsy-controlled promos, they're the biggest cash cow on Etsy, at sellers’ expense. We refer you to the hundreds of forums posts on sellers’ own experiences saying they're not worth the money. In fact, this is akin to opening your window and throwing out a wad of $5 bills with nothing to show for it. Total seller rip-off.

MYTH #3: FRONT PAGE TREASURIES ARE CURATED BY SELLERS

For the last 12 months, more than 50% (at least) of the FPT's are picked by the same Etsy Admins who also pick the FS, GG’s, Finds, and write all the blog posts about a small selection of stores on the site. Rumor is that Etsy also edits the seller-picked-FPT’s that do get to the Front Page. Still wonder why everything looks the same?

MYTH #4: SENDING AN EMAIL TO SUPPORT@Etsy WILL GET YOU THE INFO YOU NEED WHEN YOU NEED IT

A real shot in the dark. Not only does your email go into Etsy cyberspace, you never know who will answer it, when they’ll answer it, and if they actually read your email request to begin with. Caution: Many responses, if at all, will be cut and pasted from Etsy’s list of "take it or leave it" formula answers. (Double Warning: Not the same thing as email to you from content@etsy making (too often false) accusations about violations in your store, hmph, try getting those straightened out before the brick wall descends without notice.) Sometimes, Etsy just likes hassling sellers, it’s fun! Brings out the best in their personalities!

MYTH #5 YOU CAN GET THE HELP YOU NEED IN THE FORUMS

Try finding facts and real help in the forums, we’ll see you after 3 weeks while you look for it. A real hotbed of misinformation, blatant seller-self-promotion, and way too many damn sections that have nothing to do with selling. Avoid the Bug Reports at all costs, because Etsy does too. Go ahead and avoid the forums altogether since "mutes" are contagious (as well as vindictive and ridiculous). Caution: reading the Admin Announcements, aka Edicts, may be hazardous to your health -they’ll send you to read a 20 page blog post (with branded-promo pix!) - avoid them like the plague!

MYTH #6: THE SITE FOR ALL THINGS HANDMADE

Well, we all know what happened to THAT starting in earnest 12 months ago, when the branding frenzy began, turning Etsy into a site for all things in the distinct Etsy style, screw the sellers. Enter at your own peril, shoppers and sellers alike. Remember who’s raking in the dough (and turns a deaf ear to seller complaints with a lock and mute) while you work your asses off with so little in return. Happy holidays with no sales on Etsy! The site that makes it impossible for most sellers to sell!

MYTH #7 ETSY IS JUST A VENUE

Yes, that's what it says in the Terms of Use, but we all know it isn't true. If admin likes you, you'll be promoted left and right; if you aren't completely agreeable, you'll find your fees taken and shop brick walled. Don't try asking questions about SEO, don't worry about mistagging and flagging, and don't try rectifying shopping cart issues or nonpayments...you'll just end up on their blacklist. They're not a venue, they're a popularity contest.

From the Bitches Auxiliary: Quit Your Day Job for Welfare

Just want to put in my $.02 about this Quit feature. I wish it were gone-- it's so depressing and misleading. The Quitter now is a woman who has sold 818 pieces-- and they are nice, by the way-- but by my estimated calculations, if her average sale price is $50, she has sold a little over $40,000 worth since Sept. 2007. That is gross, not net. How can someone quit their day job for a job that pays them much less than $20 grand a year and has zero benefits? People who take these profiles seriously will be setting their course for the poor house, and retarding them from truly being independant. She would qualify for social services with that income.

This comment was not composed carefully enough for publication, but it needs to be said again and again. Poor, simple, naive little girls should NOT be propagandized into buying the idea that they can support themselves this way. It's disingenuous for them to believe it, but so many young and inexperienced girls will believe it-- just at the time when they should be out making the decisions that will make them successful and able to pay their own bills. Cinderella much?

Well Aux member, we feel that your final comment was composed perfectly for publication. The sooner that young and/or naive Etsy sellers understand that the entire "Quit Your Day Job" series is a load of hot steaming horseshit, the better. Get real with your dreams people.

From the Bitches Auxiliary: Don't Quit Your Day Job!

Etsy likes to try and sell us a dream: quit your day job and make a living selling your craft on Etsy. But for many of us living with our parents while collecting unemployment doesn't exactly qualify as making a living. One of our readers wrote a terrific counterpoint to the typical Etsy QYDJ interview, enjoy.

In rebuttle to Etsy’s “Quit Your Day Job” Series, I felt the need to offer the other side. The story of a girl who busts her ass every day to make a few sales, learned the hard way to diversify venues, and treaded water until she made it “to the black”. I’m not “living my dreams”. I haven’t quit my job. But I’m growing my business, both on and off Etsy.

What more do you want from a girl, some pliers and some beads?



When you first started selling on Etsy did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?

I never had the delusion that ONE Venue would be the bulk of my business income. It’s just NOT possible, nor is it intelligent, to expect a single venue to account for all of your income.
I sell through consignment at local retail stores, and I wholesale to larger stores with more buying power. I sell directly to customers, and I vend at the local Flea Market circuit during the summer. Direct Sales and Etsy accounts for the majority of my income in the winter months, when the town I live in basically “dries up”. To make the amount on Etsy that I would make though the other venues requires much more work and expense, unfortunately.


How long were you selling on Etsy before taking the plunge into selling full time?

I don’t think I will EVER sell full time. I’m too cautious of a person. I need a back up plan, and a back up to THAT back up plan.
I work as a waitress part time. I love waitressing. It allows me to observe the public and understand the spending habits of the local economy. If folks are going out to eat more, you can bet they’re also be spending more in other places, and I increase my stock at the local stores that sell my work. Art and Crafts are NOT essentials; they’re what I refer to as “up-sells”, like appetizers and desserts in a restaurant. As a waitress, it’s my job to convince the customer that they want those onion rings and that piece of pie.


What was the deciding factor resulting in your pursuing Etsy as your full time job?

I used to work at 2 different restaurants for a total of 40-50 hours per week. One was, and still is, a great job, and the other, a soul sucking corporate nightmare. However, I am thankful to the soul sucking job, I made some wonderful gal pals there, who were the very reason I began exploring jewelry making again.
Had my coworkers not bought my first years worth of earrings and helped me cover my shift to do a few craft shows, I wouldn’t have gotten the guts to quit that corporate nightmare and really focus on taking that hobby of “makin’ some earrings to use up some beads” to the next level.


Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time before taking the plunge?

I took it so very slow. I already had an eBay account, so I peppered my auctions with a few of my handmade items.
When I realized this could actually become something profitable, I spoke with my accountant and he helped me set up my business.


What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's your best marketing tip?

Hell, I don’t know! Without some real stats, I have no idea what brings traffic to my Etsy shop. In the other venues, I think business cards are the best. I don’t have many “nice” cards, I use mostly VistaPrint Template cheapies. But I go though up to 1000 of them a month, and I know most of them end up in the trash can, so I won’t spend a fortune on them.
Word of mouth, business cards, and fliers are my best marketing plans. Some call it Guerilla marketing. I prefer thinking of it as simple business fiscal responsibility. The less I spend on ads and marketing, the more I can spend on beads and wire.
[Also] save some money, Take some business classes or read some good business books, get a legitimate business license, get some insurance, and take the plunge. Stay the hell away from credit cards and loans if you can help it. Don’t allow your “dream” to overshadow the reality of a situation. If you’re hemorrhaging money and not bringing anything in, quit doing whatever the hell you’re doing and get your head above water again.


Would you walk us through what a typical workday might entail being your own boss?

I get up everyday at 4:30. I feed the cats and start up one of the computers I do my best to do all the things listed here http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5321194
If I’m home for the day, I check Etsy for renewal dates, and keep what seems to be “fresh” still in my shop by renewing. If it’s gone “stale” I remove it from Etsy rotation and put it into “stock” “consignment” or “show” inventory.
I like to visit the etc section of Etsy forum for stress relief, and now, the EtsyBitch forum. I usually keep it open all day if I don’t have any orders to make.
I usually have SOMETHING to mail each day, be it a direct sale, an Etsy order, or a trade, so I go to town after 10AM. I check the mail, drop my packages in the drop box, and if there’s a place to park, I check on my retail consignment location every week or so.
Then I stop at the Library, thrift shop and farmers stand. You never know what you’ll find.
If the mood strikes me, I make some things after I get home. Lots of times I find vintage costume jewelry to dismantle at the thrift, or a book on a technique I want to try at the library. It sparks my creativity to “play” with things. Some days I don’t feel like playing. I don’t sweat it, because other days, I make 20 pieces, which makes up for a few “dry spells”


What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?

Like I said, I doubt I will ever quit my part time job. The biggest reason is taxes. Waitresses get very small paychecks as it is, since we make just a couple of dollars an hour. I have my employer take extra withholding out of my paycheck, since I don’t “depend” on it.
What this does it gives me a surplus of income tax paid come tax time, so rather than paying in on my business income come April, the WORST time for both waitresses and craft sales, I have a zero balance, or sometimes, even a small refund.
I do enjoy working 30 hours a week rather than 40 or 50. I feel much less emotional and physical stress, but it’s hard to be more dependent on yourself for income. When my work hours get cut back to 15 or 18 hours a week, I start obsessively checking my voice mail and e-mail hoping for orders to fill in the gaps. Thank goodness I learned (the hard way) that extra money should be stashed away for the leaner times.


How's it going so far? Are you supporting yourself?

Well, the business is no longer dependent on my personal income, which it was when it began. I’ve yet to take an owners draw, but the business still “owes” from my personal savings to get started.
I might take an owner’s draw or two if things get really lean work wise and sales are good, but we’ll see what happens. I like the idea of the business and personal money being separate, but of course the goal is for the business to support me personally.


What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?

I hope by next summer to have my [startup monedy] back into my personal savings. I’d like to have some more weekly shows on my summer lineup.
I’d like to make some wholesale contacts in those cities based on some leads I’ve been given.
My husband and I plan to purchase my mothers house, which is zoned commercial/residential. The House has the perfect studio space in the basement, as well as a great space for a small retail shop, which is my ultimate goal, to have a retail store of my own.
I don’t want to “get rich” doing this. I want to get by, pay my bills on time, and keep out of debt. That, to me is success; Living comfortably doing something you enjoy more often than something you hate. For most people their job is how they pay for doing the things they love. I’d like to make the “job” time as minimal as I can, and the “doing the things I love” at maximum.


Is there anything else you'd like to share?

This business started without Etsy, and though it has given me an “easy” online venue, it will probably never be primarily Etsy. I adore the friends I’ve made on Etsy, and by watching the, for lack of better words, failures and mistakes of others, I’ve learned what NOT to do.
Etsy grew almost too fast, the founders didn’t seem to have a plan for the “what ifs”. I have a plan for the what ifs, the whens, and then some, plus, a backup plan for all those plans. It makes me feel safe.
If it all falls apart, there’s always a restaurant in need of a good waitress.

Keep Your Day Job - A Farce...Or Not

When you first started selling on Etsy, did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?

It started as a hobby, a way to support my crafting habit, but then I saw Etsy as a stepping-stone, a way to work towards running my own business. The community was so encouraging in that regard and every where I turned I was told that that’s what I should aspire to.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

Oh, I don’t have time to create things anymore. I spend all my time on the Etsy forums in promotions. I also relist 35 times a day, but I can’t tell if it’s helping my views.

How long were you selling on Etsy before deciding to switch over to Etsy full time?

It wasn’t a conscious decision. I found myself needing to renew items, respond to emails, and track the status of my items constantly throughout the day. With customers waking me at 9am because they couldn’t tell if they had paid for their purchase, even after I had worked all night and gone to bed at 6am*, it was a necessity rather than a choice. I even have a friend helping me answer emails and ship and it’s not enough*.

What made you decide to keep your day job?

I have to pay my Etsy bill somehow. Unfortunately, constantly checking my email at work gets me into trouble.

How have you promoted and marketed your Etsy business?

I spend about 4 hours in the promotions section bumping my own thread, but it’s better to bump others’ threads. It looks less greedy. I also set my alarm for an hour before the treasuries open up so I can get one of them or when ad space spots are going to become available. Littering business cards where people will find them has actually worked out better than any of these techniques, though. So now I spend several hours a day dropping them from random places. The $4,700 in listing fees* I spent last year can hire a plane and I get a larger audience by dispersing them over the county.

Can you walk us through what a typical workday might entail?

Sure. I put on the coffee, turn on the computer, and check my email. I then sacrifice a walmart smiley in effigy to the Etsy Gods. Before going to work, I check to make sure what’s going out that day is ready for the mail carrier. I go to work for 8 hours, come home, and get orders ready to go out the next day. After comparing the Etsy and paypal addresses on every order* that came through I send a convo thanking the customers. Once a week I have to make time to call my credit card company to make sure Etsy hasn’t double charged my fees.

What goals have you set for the next few months and year?

To set up my own website with a shopping cart that’s fully integrated with Paypal*. I figure it’s a step up, and cheaper, than my current situation.

Do you foresee quitting your day job anytime in the future?

No, I’ve already had to sell my cat’s toys as supplies, take out a second mortgage, and take on a second job as a phone sex operator to pay my listing fees and advertising costs.

Any other thoughts?
The biggest problem I face with Etsy is that people think that because I'm the individual artist I will bend my policies, or prices. They see people that will do work for between 1-5 dollars an hour. So when you charge a mark-up on supplies, and charge labor rates above slave labor, people take offense.


Thanks to a Bitches Aux for the last quote, which, unlike Etsy's Day Job series, is not bullshit.
*Inspired by true events, unfortunately.

Etsy says “Quit Your Day Job”

Really? There are now six articles in the Storque promoting the idea that people can make a living on Etsy with that title. Really?

These are mainly interviews with sellers that have been able to quit their day job by selling on Etsy. They are the success stories, if you will. Though there is an opt-in Etsy Success newsletter, they choose to spend man-hours writing Storque articles on the matter, too. Well, they’re mainly just formatted interviews.

Let me focus on the idea being sold – that Etsy can change your life. That Etsy has been responsible for the businesses that have ‘made it’. That Etsy deserves a little praise and faith on our part. Nevermind the countless hours of promotion a seller has to do to 'make it'. Nevermind the fact that most sellers that 'made it' can also make it on eBay or at local craft fairs or brick and mortar shops (depending on their particular trade/items) because of their own talent. Nevermind the fact that many sellers who ‘make it’ (talented or no) are heavily promoted and put forth by Etsy themselves, which results in more exposure and sales. With 100,000+ shops, it is impossible for a good number of them to be promoted to the extent the others have been and actually make a living selling on Etsy.

With a revenue stream based on renewals and relistings and high item retention (over 700,000 new listings in May but only 449,000 sales, which are sold from a pool of all previous month’s listings which also have that terrible balance of nearly 1:2), it is statistically impossible that the dream they are selling can come true for more than a handful of people. And those spots have already been filled, most likely in Etsy’s second burgeoning year before the marketplace became saturated and the economy tanked.

Now, let’s revisit the theme – that it is possible to make a living selling handmade. Should I note that the majority of top sellers on Etsy are supply shops. Oh, and according to the article the latest interviewee still has a day job to bring in a consistent paycheck. And, according to a self-proclamation on the forum, another in that sextet had to take a break because of the demanding pressures…assumingly of working without help.

Be able to quit your day job my ass.