Lately I've been having some mixed feelings about Etsy, clearly things have changed. As a shop-owner: changed lay out, decreasing views and sales, and for me the whole community part of the website seems to have disappeared. But also as a shopper: the lay out of the frontpage (which often gave me cool suggestions of things I didn't know I was looking for), but also more and more sellers that clearly sell items that aren't made by them, are not antique, or aren't craft supplies. I come across the same stuff that is also being offered at websites as AliExpress, but also shopowners that claim to sell handmade, but are items that I also sell in my brick and mortar shop, that are made by another person. Well, with that being said, there still are makers that design and/or make their own items. These are some of the things that stood out for me the last couple of weeks. Are you a buyer or seller on Etsy? Any shops I should know about?
Ostrich ring dish
No o'clock enamel pin
Ridiculously cute pencils
A Kris Jenner card
Tiny cat ring
Such great finds. Those pencils are so cute.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.henatayeb.blogspot.com
I normally write with a fineliner, but for these pencils I would make an exception :-)
DeleteAs you know, I'm a seller, too. I guess it was inevitable that Etsy would change but I think they're making a mistake by allowing so much non-handmade/vintage into the mix, since that was what made them unique. Glad to see you finding some cute items that really deserve to be there!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard work nowadays to find something for and original at Etsy, hope they will make some changes, but I'm afraid that will never happen. Too bad for the people who do offer items that take love to design and make, that people go other places to shop.
DeleteWhen I first encountered Etsy many years ago, the site gave me the impression that it's a home for small yet promising entrepreneurs. In particular, those who produce everything handmade. Others see the goods sold to be expensive. I understood the sentiments, but I also considered the welfare of the sellers. They are not mass producing their items. They don't experience economies of scale, unlike big time manufacturers.
ReplyDeleteOver time, Etsy also become a real life Pinterest. Everyone was getting inspiration and ideas from creative sellers. Instead of getting inspired though, I think the easy access became an opportunity to replicate some products. After some time, I must agree that I saw similar products sold at a cheaper price from Ali Express and other shopping sites.. mostly based from a country... I refuse to mention ;)
Other than replicating, I later discovered how Etsy was invaded by non-handmade products already. Sure enough, I saw similar items from different sellers. I once tried to communicate with some of them... how come their items are also sold by another seller? The response I received: they source out from different suppliers??? So there's more behind everything.
From the side of the consumers, having more sellers is good. It gives them options. But for the honest, creative yet promising entrepreneurs.... this gives them more challenges. Other than product development, the business side of competition is another burden to deal with.
I must admit that Etsy sometimes doubled as a sort of Pinterest for me... At least it was an inspirational place back then! And the same items from different sellers.... Some people don't even take the time to make their own photos of the items, they are literally the same as what's offered at Ali. You are right about the price, but I'd happily pay a bit more to support an artist.
DeleteThat Kris Jenner card is too fab:D And that's kinda sad to see Etsy go that direction. I just read in Vogue Knitting magazine that there's a new site like Etsy geared more towards knitters. I totally get it now why that site was created.
ReplyDeleteI'm both curious about the website and Vogue Knitting! Is it a once a year thing, or do they make those each month? I am quite jealous at people who have knitting skills!
DeleteI miss the community spirit on Etsy! I liked it better when they still had the collage on the front page - that way I always discovered unique independent crafters. I guess even for Etsy it is all about profit. These days I sell my handmade items on my own website :)
ReplyDeleteHope they will change it back, but I am afraid that will not happen.
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