JoanHunterHandmade on Artfire!

Friday, November 5, 2010

How To Leave Your Abuser Safely...

If you are quietly preparing to leave Etsy, here is a basic action plan...

- Find a safe place to go:
Choose a new venue, or several.  There are many to choose from.  We have a list of alternative venues on this blog.  Once you have a safe place to go, it's time to get ready to make your move.

- Get your ticket:
Find your USER ID # - Etsy is trying to hide it.  See previous posts on how to find and save your user ID # so that you can smuggle your listings out of there using the Importers on other sites.  Then import your listings.  You will need to edit all titles and tweak descriptions if you want to get picked up by google.  If you have any questions about this, please ask.

- Pack your valuables:
Copy your feedback.  Copy all of your feedback and paste it into a document.  You can refer to it and display it on your new venue.  This will help you get established, and one more way to make "starting over" easier.  Take screen shots if you feel you need to.

- Take the kids:  
Be sure to go through your convos, sold items, etc. and retrieve the information you need to get in touch with your customers.  You an also find customer emails in your paypal history.  Remember- Etsy can and does read convos, so be careful what you say when you use the service.  Once you have the relevant information, you can let your customers know where to find you.

- Tie up loose ends:
Take care of any outstanding orders or shipments.  Save any information in your sold orders or invoices you want or need such as photos, descriptions, whatever.  Print a copy of your Etsy bill and keep it with you.  This is especially important if you want to try and get your money back.  Grab screen shots.

By  now you should have your affairs in order and you are ready to leave and start again.  These steps will minimize the damaging effects of moving venues.  You don't have to take the abuse anymore!  You deserve better!  If you need anything, we are here to support you.  Good luck!

6 comments:

  1. Great post -- thanks, Joan! Some stuff I hadn't thought about, so I'm really grateful for the step-by-step advice. xoxoxoxox

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  2. Love it!! And don't forget to copy info on your own PURCHASES! When I got locked out so did all my purchase info. I had suppliers info there as well as items still in transit. Thank goodness I keep everything in my own PC or I would have been so lost!

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  3. Great point, Wooly Bumblebee! I actually wouldn't have thought of the purchases info.

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  4. I am one of the people who took screenshots of feedback. I can still put what i want into a text document, but I like having the screenshot documentation.

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  5. Is it considered spamming to send my past customers a single email to let them know about my change in venue?

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  6. Something else to be considered......
    I couldn't figure out why a google search of my name kept pulling up etsy, etsy, etsy even though my shop has been empty for weeks. Etsy "hijacks" searches. I have tried to go back and find any and all links to Etsy and get rid of them. Unfortunately, this also included my last task, which was to go to Etsy and delete all of the treasuries I had created. Once I did this, my views at ArtFire immediately increased significantly.

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