Wessex Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Because if you say something on their forums, the thread gets immediately closed, your shop gets closed and they take a kidney, LOL. So anyway, decided a few weeks ago to try out Etsy (also Artfire, but very little traffic there). Have heard that it was going downhill a bit, but wanted to try it anyway. So just put a few items on, no promoting or anything so was not expecting anything. Was planning to do a large push this week and list a couple hundred items, but am having second thoughts. Seems like Etsy is definately losing its purpose. Of course they say no reselling, but there are LOTS of people reselling, including whole shops that are nothing but dropshipping site for OBI and other wholesalers. Which again is a no-no. Went on a spree of reporting items that violated the TOS, but not a single item has been removed by the Admin. It seems they are turning a blind eye to resellers and are going for the money. It appears to me it is going to turn into another Ebay (Chinese wholesalers and US resellers) before too long. Also in the forums there are lots of people asking Admin about it, and are getting TOTALLY IGNORED. So is it just me, or is Etsy not a good place to go for new sellers. I imagine if you already have a following you are going to be OK. And of course it will take ALOT of time, work and promoting to get noticed. There are so many sellers competing there. So that is my little rant, sorry it rattles around a bit. Anyone else think Etsy is going to renounce it's proven "handmade, vintage, supplies only" route in search of the mighty dollar?Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I hope they don't but I wouldn't be surprised if they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I just got through reading a whole bunch of stuff on their forums, and I must admit I am a bit taken aback. It seems like they run the site like a dictatorship. What they say is the "word" and you better not disagree with them. To me, it appears they have set up their own little "regime", with the people who pay their salaries as the minions, LOL. I am afraid to even post anything in case they decide to send the Etsy Police my way. OK, I am blowing it a little out of proportion, but really, it does not feel like a place I want to be. And yes, I am a newbie there, so have little experience with them. But there are posters actually begging Admin to step in and offer some answers and they are no where to be found. Except when they are closing threads for no real reason. Sorry if I offend any longtime Etsy'ers, just offer ing my (unsolicited) opinion. But of course, I still listed a few new items tonight, LOL...Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzyK Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I do pretty well on Etsy with my hair accessories. I stay away from the forums. I don't like them at all. I used to go to their chat rooms a lot and met a lot of great people there. I just don't have time for that now.If you only have a few items in your shop, people tend to stay away.I am debating with the wax melts/tarts to just open a "real website" or stay with Etsy for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EccoLights Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Being around on Etsy for over a year now I can honestly say that it's not the place it once was....and for you old timers on Etsy, I'm sure you would say that even louder then I did.Same as SuzyK there, we used to be very active in the forums and chat (even got some sales that way) but since the switchover to "Teams" in the forums, it's just pointless. Seems admin doesn't do a thing about anything unless its going to get them sued. As for the resellers over there, they are a dime a dozen anymore....I have seen admin shut shops down to only have that same person reopen under a new name...There is one shop I know of that resells OBI's warmers and packages them with their rock crystals and to Etsy admin, that's handmade...what a joke! We have over 300 items up over there and used to run up a bill over $100 a month...here lately tho I won't renew unless it sold and as for listing new... Well, still debating that one. Really have been focusing on our site and think we might just go that route... That $100 a month could get some decent advertising for our OWN site and not go into Etsy's fat pockets! Ok, Im done venting =) Good topic Wessex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzyK Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I think Admin is constantly shutting down reseller shops, like you said, they're a dime a dozen. There's also so many copyrighted items on there. My monthly bill is high enough to pay for a website for a whole year or more. I am still making a good profit though. I like that a lot of people shop there and I don't have to do the maintenance work.I may not be able to afford it with this business though. My profit margin will be much smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin146 Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I do pretty well with my bottlecap creations. But yes it seems like etsy is turning there back and allowing resellers to list there. I just wish I could find another craft site to sell on. Artfire doesn't get the traffic etsy does sad but true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 I put a few items on Artfire the same day I started listing on Etsy, and they have gotten only about 10% of the hits as on Etsy. Just no traffic, but at least I set up a merchant account on Amazon for Artfire, so I have that now. I have been searching through Etsy for a few hours, and my fingers are sore from reporting resellers, LOL. I am an ass! Maybe I should sell supplies there, the price people are getting for palm and soy wax is pretty good. Oh, and in case you all did not know this...palm wax comes from Palm trees (not the nut (kernal), the tree) that are grown and harvested in the US. Wow!!! Yes, feeling grumpy, LOL. Think I should take a pain pill and go to bed. But am busy pouring tarts and clamshells. Not for any orders, just feel like pouring something, LOL. Damn I'm bored...Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I do well on Etsy and other than a few issues that I have always had, I do not notice much change in anything. I do think that they should concentrate more on helping out sellers. Some updated features sure would be a plus. Instead they change things that do not need changing. I also stay off of the forums. I am sure that there are plenty of nice people there, but I do not have the time. I have to say that I got very turned off when I reported blatant pornography on their site and they did not remove it. Just because a microscopic black dot is covering part of an anatomy, it does not make it appropriate to list. I am no prude and some of their "artistic photos" are flat out porn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I shut my Etsy down a couple of months ago. Artfire is a much better venue imho, if you follow their guides for keywords to build your SEO you will get sales, it is set up differently than Etsy, it isn't re listing that gets you noticed it is your keywords. It takes work to get the listings up to snuff, but once you are done you are good forever, you can lists multiples, direct people to off site sales, promote your other venues. They have some great guides to help you out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 I just have not had any time to play on Artfire and only a little time to play on Etsy. Finally started a Facebook page today, I am so not into online selling. I much prefer the face-to-face way of doing business, but have to make the leap sometime. I just find it funny that the atmosphere on Etsy is like the old Soviet Union. Don't rock the boat, stay under the radar, and the Admins (little Nazi's) won't pull some arbitrary crap on you or your shop. I truly think the Etsy powers are treating it as their own little kingdom. I am definately staying away from the forums! I did find lots of "hate Etsy" sites and blogs, LOL. Seems they have really burned ALOT of bridges. But it is relatively cheap to post items, as long as you don't have to keep relisting. I will figure it out sooner or later.Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 It is interesting Kitn that you do better on ArtFire. I sell on ArtFire and Etsy. Etsy is a far better venue for me. I do like ArtFire and have always followed their guidelines. I get decent business on ArtFire, but not great. I guess what works for one person does not always work for another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 I joined Etsy in late 2007 selling jewelry... opened my soap and candle shop on there in 2009. It is absolutely not the same site it was. You are 100% right admin does NOTHING about resellers unless they have solid proof, even then likely nothing is done. The FEATURED SELLER is a reseller, and simply removed the items. She was buying items off save-on-crafts.com and just selling them for 4x the price. And shes now the FEATURED SELLER.etsybitch.cometsy call outpressure on etsy ... all sites that fully document things like this.. and admins non-response. I had a friend email admin asking to be syndicated (so her items show up in google search) they said 'sure thing!' and syndicated her that day. I did the same and I was told that wasnt possible. I SAW HER EMAIL.. they did it for her... its bullshit. That said, I do not like artfire. There is very little traffic, the site is, imo, tacky and cheap looking... and my customers have just plain said they prefer etsy over artfire. So I dont go in etsy forums anymore, I avoid the cupcakes (what we who've been around awhile call the sellers that are ALWAYS on the forums putting down newbies, kissing admins ass, and denying there is anything wrong) and I just mind my own shop. As long as I'm making sales I'll keep it, but I dont count on etsy to do anything but be a venue.. I 100% believe they wont get rid of resellers because it makes them money so why would they? I have reported hundreds of shops and items.. most are still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 I was in some type of Treasury thing tonight and got "pounced". Had no idea what that was, had to look it up. Lots of interesting things on Etsy! I was checking my Google Analytics tonight and had alot of page views coming from google, so apparently I am getting the hang of the SEO thing. I also had ALOT of pageviews coming from Craftserver, which is weird, as I just added my Etsy shop address today. So how were people here going to my shop there as it has nothing to do with my name here? Weird stuff. Now I have to figure out how to get my Facebook page running to get hits from there. And all that while I try to keep up with my retail accounts here in "real" life, LOL. I agree that Artfire looks cheap. Barely getting any views there. And I have to really start adding items to my Etsy account...maybe I should just stick with what I know. As far as the resellers, I have reported whole sites that are basically OBI clones and nothing gets done. Admin are a bunch of idiots and asses, IMO. Etsy will soon turn into Ebay redux and the real crafters will move on. But as long as the Etsy people are making money, they do not care. Frickin idiots. Really want to head up north and start smacking them around and asking what their malfunction is. Crap, getting grumpy again, LOL. Sorry for the rants, too little sleep, too much FO fumes... But at least I have my first Etsy sale. I thought it would take longer to make that 5 bucks, LOL. Of course have done absolutely NOTHING to promote my shop, mainly it is for local people from around here to go look at stuff not carried in my retail accounts.Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellywax Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 Well their recent featured wood creator/items has the wooden scoops we all buy that come from china ...the ones we use for bath salts...I noticed a lot of that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 yep exactly... im sick of them rewarding the cheaters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbs Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I gave up on Etsy after 6 months and not one sale. Lots of posting, reposting, bought a couple of featured listings, participated in the forums, got into treasuries, jumped in and out of circles lol, got a bunch of views, and nothing -- not *1* sale. My prices were low and I always got complimented on my photos (good camera, nice angles, great looking product). Time and money wasted, for me anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 Has anyone checked out the new listing? You cannot sell anything that is not handmade. The listing form now asks if you made the item, someone in your shop, or another company or person. I had to remove 3 things from my shop because they are bath accessories. They sell well and I am sad about having to remove them, but if this cleans up Etsy, it is a good thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted May 29, 2011 Author Share Posted May 29, 2011 It is very easy to just put in it is handmade. Don't see the reasoning behind it, other than the few people who are listing resale items and honestly do not know they can't do it. I am going to give Etsy a few months to see what happens. I am getting a few views, and alot of people have been adding my items to their favorites, treasuries and a few added me as a fovorite site. I do not expect anything to come from it, but there is always hope, LOL. I just wanted to try Etsy, as I do well with wholesale, private labeling and local shops. Just wanted to say I did it. But it still boggles my mind that the Etsy Admin people treat the site as their own little kingdom! I mean really, how do they have the balls to do that!?! I feel alot of contempt for their Admin, but still have to see how sales go. Just a sell out, I guess, LOL.Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuminousBoutique Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 yeah its not going to change anything, people will still cheat the system and post non handmade items as handmade.. non vintage as vintage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin146 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 yeah its not going to change anything, people will still cheat the system and post non handmade items as handmade.. non vintage as vintage...Yup I have to agree. Things will still be the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) I guess you are right that there still will be some cheaters. On another note, the new listing form is a total PITA!!! I like the format, but it is really not much quicker than the old one where we had to go page to page. I constantly have to click if I made the item, the category, etc... I am wondering if this is because it is new and I am relisting items for the first time on the new form. Edited June 1, 2011 by Noodle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wessex Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 If you are relisting for the first time, you have to click all that BS. Once it is done you should not have to do it again. I do alot of copy and change on my listings, so it is usually really quick. It is like the 1 page listing page on Artfire.Cheers,Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Yes, that is what I figured. It would be a one time thing relisting with the new format and all the BS that goes with it. I like the new one page format for Etsy. ArtFire has its own issues. The selling form will often clear when there is an error in submission. It is a real nuisance. You have to start all over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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