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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 21, 2016 13:35:31 GMT -5
Hi RTH'ers. As some of you may know, Etsy was started for the handmade artists. It has gotten away from that... far away from that. This petition merely asks to create a juried section for handmade artisan goods to highlight and promote handmade on Etsy. Please consider signing this in support of all the wonderful handmade artists struggling to be seen on Etsy among all the factory made goods and cheap goods. Thanks, Change.org is sponsoring the petition. www.change.org/p/etsy-petition-for-etsy-artists-colony |
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djaxon
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2015
Posts: 159 
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Post by djaxon on Feb 21, 2016 13:55:03 GMT -5
Signed - good idea.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Feb 21, 2016 14:06:27 GMT -5
Signed
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 21, 2016 14:09:32 GMT -5
Thanks guys!
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Feb 21, 2016 14:11:15 GMT -5
signed
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Post by radio on Feb 21, 2016 14:19:28 GMT -5
Signed, and a note attached in the comments section:
Etsy has gotten away from it's roots and has lost a great amount of sellers who truly hand make the items.
I have not sold on Etsy, and will not as long as cheap Chinese made junk bought and resold is preferred above true handcrafted items.
I have been a Silversmith for over 20 years and have a small shop in Branson Missouri. I sell only the items made by myself on site with a focus on traditional Navajo Sterling and Tuquoise pieces.
A juried section for hand made pieces would be of great interest to me.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 15:42:29 GMT -5
Signed, and a note attached in the comments section: Etsy has gotten away from it's roots and has lost a great amount of sellers who truly hand make the items. I have not sold on Etsy, and will not as long as cheap Chinese made junk bought and resold is preferred above true handcrafted items. I have been a Silversmith for over 20 years and have a small shop in Branson Missouri. I sell only the items made by myself on site with a focus on traditional Navajo Sterling and Tuquoise pieces. A juried section for hand made pieces would be of great interest to me. Petition requires certification I own an etsy store. I support your cause in spirit, although the limitation of a 'small group of artists' may very exclude from benefit most of the people that sign. |
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Post by radio on Feb 21, 2016 15:59:21 GMT -5
Signed, and a note attached in the comments section: Etsy has gotten away from it's roots and has lost a great amount of sellers who truly hand make the items. I have not sold on Etsy, and will not as long as cheap Chinese made junk bought and resold is preferred above true handcrafted items. I have been a Silversmith for over 20 years and have a small shop in Branson Missouri. I sell only the items made by myself on site with a focus on traditional Navajo Sterling and Tuquoise pieces. A juried section for hand made pieces would be of great interest to me. Petition requires certification I own an etsy store. I support your cause in spirit, although the limitation of a 'small group of artists' may very exclude from benefit most of the people that sign. The word "if" led me to not interpret it that way. By signing this petition, I verify, if I am signing as the owner of an Etsy store, that my shop contains my original art created by hand and listed at a fair retail price (not wholesale or discounted). |
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genesisgems
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2016
Posts: 10
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Post by genesisgems on Feb 21, 2016 16:18:08 GMT -5
As a member the Aspiring Metalsmiths team on Etsy, I signed this awhile ago. I do however have one problem with it; the word "juried". Who gets to decide what shops will be worthy of being in there? And what happens to the thousands of Etsy shop owners who make totally handmade items but don't make the cut?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Feb 21, 2016 16:24:20 GMT -5
Good luck. Will sign and hope it flies.1) Imported stuff is deeply rooted and hard to prove. 2) Unknowing purchasers easy to deceive(or don't care).
Been that way for several years(full of not hand mades). Very too much irritated with the situation.
Started selling heavy items to foil imports. Temporarily anyway.
minimal prerequisites:
Include photos of your wares around your tools and shop.
Photos of raw materials.
Photo of GPS location.
English print in photo backgrounds. Title of shop, labeled drawers, etc.
Proper use of words in descriptions detailing their origin within reason.
SAY it is home made hand made. SAY it is not imported/machine made.
Flexible with your designs. I had to design new fire pits and build them fast this week because of the other (worse) problem. COPYCATS
And the darn COPYCATS copy you and then substitute imported materials and beat you on price. And lots of buyers don't care....
You have to be fast on your feet on Etsy and come up with miracle ideas and reap profit from them before the COPYCATS attack you.
Etsy is a tough market.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2016 17:08:13 GMT -5
Good luck. Will sign and hope it flies.1) Imported stuff is deeply rooted and hard to prove. 2) Unknowing purchasers easy to deceive(or don't care). Been that way for several years(full of not hand mades). Very too much irritated with the situation. Started selling heavy items to foil imports. Temporarily anyway. minimal prerequisites: Include photos of your wares around your tools and shop. Photos of raw materials. Photo of GPS location. English print in photo backgrounds. Title of shop, labeled drawers, etc. Proper use of words in descriptions detailing their origin within reason. SAY it is home made hand made. SAY it is not imported/machine made. Flexible with your designs. I had to design new fire pits and build them fast this week because of the other (worse) problem. COPYCATS And the darn COPYCATS copy you and then substitute imported materials and beat you on price. And lots of buyers don't care.... You have to be fast on your feet on Etsy and come up with miracle ideas and reap profit from them before the COPYCATS attack you. Etsy is a tough market. Uou also have to stay diligent and be constantly observing your marketplace for these issues. Nice work. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 21, 2016 17:20:41 GMT -5
We have an etsy shop we haven't used for anything but purchases for years. Unfortunately the logical progression is going to be for someone with savvy to start a new artisans only sales site for the former etsy users to move on to. Once they taste money and go corporate it's all over.
Remember when ebay was truly a "community"? They don't even resemble their roots today.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Feb 21, 2016 17:33:04 GMT -5
Unfortunately the logical progression is going to be for someone with savvy to start a new artisans only sales site for the former etsy users to move on to. Once they taste money and go corporate it's all over. Unfortunately the "saavy" is coming from Amazon. services.amazon.com/handmade/handmade.htmI too signed but I'm also worried about the word "juried." I was refused entry into Amazon Handmade which made zero sense to me. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 21, 2016 17:53:48 GMT -5
A few others have tried to take up the reins and I don't even remember their names. I don't know how well amazon will do. A friend of mine who makes bank on etsy was turned down on amazon, too. I haven't been impressed by what they have accepted, at least not the last time I looked.
I'm not worried about the juried part. I don't even care if I ever get accepted. The point is to bring in a little focus on handmade again. It can't be a bad thing. Actually, I think the biggest part of juried would be to make sure the things are truly handmade and not Chinese factory knock offs. (How can we compete with slave labor?)
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Feb 21, 2016 17:58:43 GMT -5
Fire pits has not yet been polluted yet @shotgunner. And it is a small sector as opposed to jewelry and a 100 other highly competitive categories.
And yes, I have to keep my eye out for COPYCATS and price bashers.
Aliexpress has duplicate fire pits of every one I make LOL. People that come here are here to buy a great pit and pump up local artisans. I give them as good a visit as I know.
They seem to get a buzz off feeding the local guy and should be treated accordingly. And are thanked accordingly.
Got a new startup that I just recognized. He paid me a visit about 1.5 years ago and acted suspicious; I smelled him, a young guy. He was snooping.
He is directly attacking me with price cuts and 'competitive with me' focus.
My best attack is three more designs/size waiting to ambush him. Unfolding each design as he gets geared up for the last one.
He may put me down, never know. Been playing this Etsy game for a good while. This boy has no originality whatsoever. Will probably give him a tough go.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Feb 21, 2016 18:01:24 GMT -5
We have an etsy shop we haven't used for anything but purchases for years. Unfortunately the logical progression is going to be for someone with savvy to start a new artisans only sales site for the former etsy users to move on to. Once they taste money and go corporate it's all over. Remember when ebay was truly a "community"? They don't even resemble their roots today. Well put. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Feb 21, 2016 18:43:14 GMT -5
a source of advertising that surprised me recently is actually amazing. And lowest of maintenance.
Not a Facebook page, but local Facebook groups.
If you live in town A, and town B is 10 miles away and town C is 15, look to see if these towns have Facebook groups organized.
Three towns near me and joined and posted for sale a month ago on one of the towns and got ravaged with comments, likes, inquiries and sales.
Group size was 16,000. Hate to say, it is the higher income city of the three. But those folks have disposable income.
A lot of them know each other and a case of the Smith's and the Jone's is created.
My Facebook page is dead as a doornail. Lot of people looking for immediate satisfaction and want to see your goods or insist you deliver on these groups.
If you live near a large city there may be 20 groups for each jurisdiction a fairly short distance away.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 0:20:18 GMT -5
Fire pits has not yet been polluted yet @shotgunner. And it is a small sector as opposed to jewelry and a 100 other highly competitive categories. And yes, I have to keep my eye out for COPYCATS and price bashers. Aliexpress has duplicate fire pits of every one I make LOL. People that come here are here to buy a great pit and pump up local artisans. I give them as good a visit as I know. They seem to get a buzz off feeding the local guy and should be treated accordingly. And are thanked accordingly. Got a new startup that I just recognized. He paid me a visit about 1.5 years ago and acted suspicious; I smelled him, a young guy. He was snooping. He is directly attacking me with price cuts and 'competitive with me' focus. My best attack is three more designs/size waiting to ambush him. Unfolding each design as he gets geared up for the last one. He may put me down, never know. Been playing this Etsy game for a good while. This boy has no originality whatsoever. Will probably give him a tough go. Company story, youmust write a compelling company story. The Price family artisans business story. This must be part of your pitch. Big part. Products dont sell, value sells. Define all the parts of your firepits that bring value. All the characteristics. List all these values and sell those. Paint pictures of warm knees on a cold spring night while sharing non-herbal libations with your friends, family and other loved ones. Let them visualize the scenes where your firepits have real value. Once they have heard why they should buy from YOU and then why they should buy YOUR PRODUCT it is time to close. You may be doing this already, every listing must (and I really mean MUST) have a call to action. Tell the to click and spend. Dont ask. Tell. Of course, details answering all common questions must be included. I know you do that already. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Feb 22, 2016 0:42:19 GMT -5
Fire pits has not yet been polluted yet @shotgunner. And it is a small sector as opposed to jewelry and a 100 other highly competitive categories. And yes, I have to keep my eye out for COPYCATS and price bashers. Aliexpress has duplicate fire pits of every one I make LOL. People that come here are here to buy a great pit and pump up local artisans. I give them as good a visit as I know. They seem to get a buzz off feeding the local guy and should be treated accordingly. And are thanked accordingly. Got a new startup that I just recognized. He paid me a visit about 1.5 years ago and acted suspicious; I smelled him, a young guy. He was snooping. He is directly attacking me with price cuts and 'competitive with me' focus. My best attack is three more designs/size waiting to ambush him. Unfolding each design as he gets geared up for the last one. He may put me down, never know. Been playing this Etsy game for a good while. This boy has no originality whatsoever. Will probably give him a tough go. Company story, youmust write a compelling company story. The Price family artisans business story. This must be part of your pitch. Big part. Products dont sell, value sells. Define all the parts of your firepits that bring value. All the characteristics. List all these values and sell those. Paint pictures of warm knees on a cold spring night while sharing non-herbal libations with your friends, family and other loved ones. Let them visualize the scenes where your firepits have real value. Once they have heard why they should buy from YOU and then why they should buy YOUR PRODUCT it is time to close. You may be doing this already, every listing must (and I really mean MUST) have a call to action. Tell the to click and spend. Dont ask. Tell. Of course, details answering all common questions must be included. I know you do that already. Most sales are at the house, found me on Etsy(shop title has word Atlanta in it). 6 million Atlantans helps ha. They do see the picture when they visit. They send friends a lot of the time after they visit. We are close to Atlanta but live in the only undeveloped quadrant. So they enjoy 'the trip to the farm' atmosphere. I enjoy the socializing, they know they are welcome, buy or not. Always mention to bring the kids. Do need to work on the listings in the ways you mention. Listing should generate a desirable atmosphere as you describe. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2016 1:00:11 GMT -5
Company story, youmust write a compelling company story. The Price family artisans business story. This must be part of your pitch. Big part. Products dont sell, value sells. Define all the parts of your firepits that bring value. All the characteristics. List all these values and sell those. Paint pictures of warm knees on a cold spring night while sharing non-herbal libations with your friends, family and other loved ones. Let them visualize the scenes where your firepits have real value. Once they have heard why they should buy from YOU and then why they should buy YOUR PRODUCT it is time to close. You may be doing this already, every listing must (and I really mean MUST) have a call to action. Tell the to click and spend. Dont ask. Tell. Of course, details answering all common questions must be included. I know you do that already. Most sales are at the house, found me on Etsy(shop title has word Atlanta in it). 6 million Atlantans helps ha. They do see the picture when they visit. They send friends a lot of the time after they visit. We are close to Atlanta but live in the only undeveloped quadrant. So they enjoy 'the trip to the farm' atmosphere. I enjoy the socializing, they know they are welcome, buy or not. Always mention to bring the kids. Do need to work on the listings in the ways you mention. Listing should generate a desirable atmosphere as you describe. Listing makes the sale. When they visit, purchase choice made. Otherwise, they wouldn't make the drive. Better written ads will make more appointments. I'm happy to help if you see value in it. |
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