JoanHunterHandmade on Artfire!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Seeking Asylum

Good Evening, Refugees!

Today I briefly activated my listings on Etsy so that I could import my stock to Artfire and to Zibbet .  Both imports were quick and painless, taking me less than five minutes, though I should warn you that Artfire's importer is only available to "pro" level accounts.  The going rate is only $9.95 per month right now, and if you lock in, your rate will never increase.  I have signed up for a pro account and I am impressed with all of the wondrous functioning tools at my disposal.

I also would like to report that I got an email from Etsy's @support address today to notify me that my shop announcement has been removed by Admin, and not to post it again.  My shop announcement said more or less that in solidarity with my fellow jewelry makers I was moving my business as a result of the coral article.  Etsy's support team has yet to respond to my second email asking that the coral article be corrected or taken down, but they acted swiftly to reprimand me for my shop announcement, so I know that someone is still awake over there.

There was also a bit of "push back" on the AF forums regarding the sudden onslaught of Etsy refugees coming there to talk about their negative experiences, mostly triggered by some sock-puppet drama, and though the posts were too generally worded to make a distinction between those of us seeking asylum and deranged people coming over to create drama that started over at E, many, many AF users were quick to let me know that we ARE most welcome there, and offer their support in finding our way around the site.

Now that I have experienced how easy and painless it is to move my shop, I am stunned that I was so afraid to do it.  The questionable practice of relisting is a non-issue in these new venues, and I'm already seeing familiar faces on these sites.  I realize that many people feel that they can not leave behind their Etsy shops for various reasons, but I have taken the plunge, and I feel much, much more comfortable, and highly motivated to get back to work building my business in a place where I am not treated with utter disdain.

The fact is, Etsy is not going to get its much-needed wake-up call if we continue stick around and enable their maltreatment of users.  For those of you who have chosen to keep a presence on Etsy, I respect your decision, and understand the difficulties involved. Just don't expect to see any change in behavior on their part, because you will only be hurt and disappointed.  There ARE alternatives out there... and good ones, at that.

So how are all of my 'fugees doing?  Keep us updated on where you are moving, and how it is going!

11 comments:

  1. I'm glad to see you guys coming over!

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  2. Muted but not silent MaureenOctober 25, 2010 at 9:03 PM

    Keepin really really busy finding my way around and recovering. So far so good!

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  3. Thanks Laura!! I know we all appreciate it!!

    Maureen, I'm so glad to hear that you are still moving forward. I'm very proud to have you along on this journey!

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  4. Hey Joan...it's starting to feel like we're releasing the frustrated, helpless mode already. What a difference! And with your little R&R center here we have no worries about meeting good friends we made in the epic thread. Thanks a mushy bunch. Just love you darlin'!

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  5. I'm not in a position to make anything and haven't any interest in selling just at the moment but am thinking that at such time as I am then I will be exploring some new pastures.

    To date the reason people have been reluctant, besides a fear of change, is that other sites aren't as big or well known but as more are driven to try them and tell their customers other sites will grow and that will no longer be an issue. Indeed its possible that one of them will take over as the biggest, best arts and craft selling venue eventually if Etsy continues to lurch from catastrophy to disaster at the rate they seem to currently.

    Good luck to you all wherever you put down new roots.

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  6. Just checking in! Moving through "the stages" with all of you. I have to thank you again, Joan. Without your blogs, I'm not sure I would have been able to do it. I talked on the phone with my dad last night, and when he asked, "So, how's the jewelry biz?" I started to try to explain, but to someone on the "outside"...well, they just can't relate.

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  7. My already closed shop was moved to Artfire prior to all of this. I got tired of the merry-go-round of goofy non-tools, and being told I am lazy by what I really beleive are Etsy held accounts, or people that are so enchanted by it as to be actually blind to any fault. I saw lwss visibilty at a higher cost (renewing) and less tools then other sites have.
    Do yourselves a favor if the venue does not work for your work -move.

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  8. I'm on Zibbet and AF :) Loving the freedom!

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  9. I just started on Etsy 3 months ago and I already see what your talking about. I pay $7 for "Showcase" which does nothing. I just "hope" that my item pops up on the front page, no gaurantees there for my $7! Then the 20 cent listing and renewal fees to keep my items at the top is really adding up! I started thinking there has to be a better way!!

    Long story short, think about all the showcases and listing fees they get. They HAVE to be making MILLIONS! They just HAVE to be! So where the hell is all that money going???? They don't advertise their site, as far as I know of. I've never heard of Etsy before 3 months ago. They don't do improvments to make things swifter...
    Who's pocket are we filling here??
    Not ours!

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  10. Wow, Joan, I cannot believe they removed your shop announcement! If they do things that harm their sellers (customers), they ought to expect major blowback like that.

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  11. Welcome! said...
    I just started on Etsy 3 months ago and I already see what your talking about. I pay $7 for "Showcase" which does nothing. I just "hope" that my item pops up on the front page, no gaurantees there for my $7! Then the 20 cent listing and renewal fees to keep my items at the top is really adding up! I started thinking there has to be a better way!!

    Long story short, think about all the showcases and listing fees they get. They HAVE to be making MILLIONS! They just HAVE to be! So where the hell is all that money going???? They don't advertise their site, as far as I know of. I've never heard of Etsy before 3 months ago. They don't do improvments to make things swifter...
    Who's pocket are we filling here??
    Not ours!
    ________________________________

    yup, I hear you on that, Welcome. It's not very professional for a selling venue. People keep saying Etsy has more traffic. And as a site, I guess it does, for now... but at least on artfire you have traffic from google and other outside sites, instead of just the snake that eats its own tail, like on Etsy.

    Maybe things were different when Etsy was smaller, and it was easier to be seen, even through "re-listing", but now with all the bajillions of items, esp. in jewelry... it's like worse than being a needle in a haystack...

    My feelings about the site *really* changed when admin was like "shut up and go away, we don't want to talk to you, and we are not GOING to talk to you." That was not professional, and it was not nice. I paid them SO MUCH money... and I feel like they mocked and patronized me when I had a legitimate, respectfully-worded concern that I contacted them about. I'm only 27, but even I know how to treat a customer. And they're running a multi-million dollar operation! I don't see a future for me with that site.

    Thank you all for your comments! I invite you to comment again anytime!!

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