Rob Kalin SCARES me

So, I have a Livejournal in addition to this Blogger account.  That is my very personal and limited journal whereas this one is more public.  On Blogger, I follow a number of other blogs for various reasons. Makes for excellent reading material throughout my day. At any rate, one of them I follow is called Etsy Bitch.


Etsy Bitch was founded on the principle that they wanted to help change Etsy by pointing out what needed to be fixed. This mission has changed... considerably... especially given that Etsy is turning into a complete and total MONSTER. But I digress. What I want to talk about briefly is something I saw in a few recent posts on this blog.

Apparently, Inc. magazine did an interview with the CEO and founder of Etsy recently and the article hit news stands and the internet yesterday. I became curious about what the man behind the monster had to say, so I went on over to the website and read the article.

WOW. That was the one word I came back to repeatedly. From reading this article, it became clear that the journalist was having a hard time trying to report exactly what was going on. To his credit, the journalist did try to stick to the point of just reporting the facts and quotes from the person in question... and just by doing that the truth about this nut was revealed. He's freakin' scary.

If you are interested.... here are the links.

www.inc.com/magazine/20110401/can-rob-kalin-scale-etsy.html#



And here's Etsy Bitch if you are looking for some more although snarky info.

http://etsybitch.blogspot.com/



Seriously..... SO glad I ditched out of Etsy while I could and am now happily instated at Artfire. Whew!

An addition to the Coralgate scandal

I would like to put up some links, should you, my intelligent readers, care to investigate this "scandal" further and draw your own opinions and conclusions from it.  I am linking to articles about coral bans, preservation, mining methods, blogs about Etsy, actual forum threads on Etsy and other bits and pieces I think you may find interesting in furthering your interest on the matter.
I am not saying "You should read this right now because I said"... just providing further information should you so choose.

I am also going to once again put up my personal opinion on the matter.
I WILL NOT BE BUYING ANYTHING USING THE ETSY SITE EVER AGAIN.
I would like to encourage others to do the same, since I believe and have for some time that they treat they handmade artisans like crap.  But, you be the judge on this one.  I know my ruling for myself.
Here are the links.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/27/coral-ban-hurts-italian-craftsmen.html
An article about a coral ban and how it is effecting local business.
http://blog.auctionbytes.com/cgi-bin/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2010/10/1287376895.html
An article someone did online about the outrage over this Etsy Storque blog.
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6658582
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6658218
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6659297
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6659498
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6660749
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6658291
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6657695
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6659467
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6657333
A variety of threads from the Etsy forums on the topic.... some more about being angry for being silenced and some about why the article upset them.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/declaring-coral-too-precious-to-wear-10844/
The actual Storque blog post that started the whole thing.
http://www.jckonline.com/2010/09/28/jck-asks-temple-st-clair
A feature article about the blog poster on another site.  People have been blasting her in the comments section.  I'm not condoning nor condemning this behavior.  My personal belief is it was Etsy's stupid mistake and not hers. 
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4967473_how-moonstones-mined.html#ixzz132rseUKz
This one was posted in one of the angry comments on the above blog in response to her featured sketch of moonstone earrings.  I found it an interesting read for the sake of learning about where my supplies come from.
http://etsybitch.blogspot.com/
One of my favorite blogs for all issues with Etsy.  Just a smattering of how angry Etsy has made its handmade artisans.
http://www.coral.org/node/127
A great site that talks about coral, its endangerment, environmental causes and reason why it is being harvested.  If you really want to take a stand on the issue of coral preservation, this is an excellent resource.

That is all dear readers.  I leave you to daw your own opinions and conclusions.  Any comments on this you wish to leave would be greatly appreciated.  Add to the dialogue.  Agree to disagree and things will go well.

Etsy and the "Coralgate scandal"

Alright, I've kind of been avoiding this blog entry since I didn't really want to bring more attention to the site I left behind.  I've seen more trouble on there than is worth mentioning and spent more money on their fees than anywhere else.  I left for many reasons and I'm very glad I left before all of this transpired.  That being said, I have finally decided that perhaps I DO need to write this blog entry.
*takes a deep breath*
Let me begin with why I left Etsy in the first place.  I was a member of the Etsy community for I'd say about 4 years.  In that 4 years I had experienced marginal success.  My jewelry sold alright... though the sales seemed to come in spurts.  My costume orders were high from mid-September to mid-October but often times I found that I could not always keep up with customers demands and eventually stopped taking custom orders there. 
One particularily low day, I realized how much of my actual profit had been going to Etsy over the years.  I also stopped to realize that I had not sold an item in any shop for almost 9 months straight.  And I realized what drives the Etsy machine was relisting and charging fees.  At that point, I decided I was done with them.  The jewelry market there was swamped and I just didn't have the money to keep up with the "big Etsy fish" anymore.
I was told about Artfire by a friend I had met on Etsy.  I've been there ever since and have nothing listed in any of my Etsy shops.  I have shopped there a little bit since.  That will stop.  From now on, if there's an artist I like and want to purchase things from ad they are only on Etsy, I will kindly convo them and ask them to email me privately to arrange the sale.  Etsy will get no more of my money.
Now, onto the "coralgate scandal".  First off, I want to go on the record as saying this is my OPINION on what has transpired and what I think of it all.  So, before you all blast me for it.... keep in mind I am entitled to my opinions and this is in fact my blog.  So, while you don't have to agree with me, posting comments blasting me for not believing the same thing you do... well it's just tactless and rude.  That being said, I do not believe any of my readers would do such a thing.  You all seem like civilized people who can agree to disagree with me without getting personal.
I don't want to rehash the entire situation in detail so... the short version.
Etsy has a blog calles the Storque.  They invited a guest jewelry designer to write a blog to be featured on the Storque.  The blog she wrote was about coral as being an endangered species and how she believes we should all boycott coral beads and jewelry made from it etc.  People on Etsy got all upset because Etsy did not put a disclaimer on this blog post stating they do not necessarily hold the same beliefs and the poster.  There are all kinds of things wrong with what Etsy has done and caused with this blog post.  So, as I display pictures from Etsy artisan shops that display coral, I'll dissect the pieces of this scandal and give my opinion on them. 
Point 1: Etsy should not have posted this opinionated blog entry without a disclaimer unless they share the viewpoint of the poster.  It has been pointed out by numerous Etsy sellers since this whole scandal errupted.  Even large newspaper and broadcast mediums put up disclaimers when they featured or interview someone with an opinion on a controversial issue.  Heck, telvision stations put up disclaimers before infomercials on late night television for crying out loud!  This is standard practice and for good reason.  And it's not a difficult thing to do nor would it cost them any more or less money that it did to put up the blog entry.  Common sense people!
Point 2: If Etsy did/does in fact agree with the poster view point, they should have banned coral from the site prior to the entry being posted.  I don't mind if a gourp of individuals wants to take a stand or support a cause they believe in.  But don't do it half-assed and just because you heard someone tell you a little piece of the truth about the issue.  If you want to take a stand on an issue, do the research yourself and decide if it aligns with you and your beliefs before jumping on someone's band wagon.  Activists and even just regular everday schmos will in fact selectively edit the facts in order to get more people to follow their cause.  Look into it before joining.  Then, make your decisions accordingly.  Be an intelligent adult about it.

 

Point 3: By not doing either of the above points, Etsy has essentially alienated their sellers.  They are allowing a featured artist to essentially tell all the readers to boycott products made from coral which in turn makes the actual sellers on Etsy who do sell and use coral look like environment moronic monsters.  This is what has everyone on Etsy pissed.  It's costing them sales and thus is going to drive business away from Etsy.  Kind of shooting themselves in the foot aren't they?  Since it's the artists on Etsy that have created the name, recognition as well as generated all that revenue.  The revenue that pays the Etsy administration's salaries.  Hmmmmmmm....

Point 4: While Etsy has acknowledged that it has upset it's artists and has attempted a half-assed apology stating that the above point was not their intention, they have done NOTHING to atone for it.  The blog post is STILL there.  Perhaps the deepest cut of all.  They will not acknowledge they made a mistake.  They will not do anything to defend what they did nor are they doing anything to fix it.  I guess it would be one thing if they had taken a stand and said "No, we have nothing wrong and here's why" but they haven't even done that.  They just acknowledge they've made people angry and then move on as if nothing has/was/is happening.  Wow.  Salt in wound there eh?

There are several other points that many Etsians are arguing, all of which I see as completely and totally valid.  I do not feel I need to discuss any more of them in great detail because really... I think it's pretty clear here that Etsy screwed up and won't admit it.  While I have previously stated I have nothing listed on Etsy now nor will I ever again for completely different reasons, I would not like to state for the record.... I WILL NOT BE BUYING ANYTHING OFF OF THE ETSY SITE EVER AGAIN.  If I want something from a artist over there, I will contact the artist directing to arrange the sale.  I will NOT allow any of my hard earned money to the Etsy admin.  I WILL continue to support the artists if they are willing to work with me OFF ETSY.

So, there you have it.  Feel free to comment, add, whatever.  Remember, this is my opinion and I felt it necessary to express it.

Thinking about selling online? Part 1~ The Cons

I know that more and more artists, crafters and hobbyists alike join the online community everyday.  They have heard stories of people who have been able to give up their day jobs and concentrate just on their art by selling online.  They have heard how their hobby could make them extra cash and help pad their bank accounts.  They have more and more handcrafted items in their house taking up space and need to unload them somewhere.
Whatever their or your reasons, online selling has it's pros and cons.  Like all things, you only get out of it what you put into it.  For the sake of our sanity... let's do this in a list style and only elaborate on points that need it.
I'd like to start with the Cons first.
1.) The online market may be saturated.
I find this one very difficult to overcome myself.  I am jewelry designer and creator.  The more I sell online, the more I realize just how MANY jewelry atists are selling their things online just like me.  And there are some amazingly talented artists among them.  It can be very discouraging.
2.) Your shop can get lost in a sea of other online shops.
This is directly related to con number 1 in many ways.  If the market for your product is saturated it means that your items and shop can get lost.  Customers often find themselves overwhelmed when they search for items.  They can be just loaded with possible matches to their search criteria and it's a LOT to look through.
3.) There may not BE a market for your items.
A good friend of mine has always said "There has to be a place for macaroni angels".  She was referring to the sudden shift of her church's holiday craft bazzarr towards be a much more upscale artist market.  She insisted that there still needed to be a place for creations like macaroni angels made by children and others.  She right but, the online market may not be that place.  There are some items that just are marketed towards a smaller margin of consumers and therefore, selling online can become a tough thing. 
4.) The economy does effect consumer spending, even online.
Let's face it, the economy impacts everything.  If consumers are financially strapped for cash, they are more likely to spend their money on less expensive necessities and not on handcrafted artistically made items.  This can either help or hinder your shop.  Me personally, I sell jewelry.  People with little money are more likely to spend it on groceries and gas than on the items in my shop.  After all, you can't eat jewelry... or at least I wouldn't recommend it.
5.) You often times need to spend money on your online shop in order to make money.
Another con that is closely related to the economy.  I have found more often than not, in order to successfully grow your onlins shop you need to invest money into it.  I am talking about membership or listing fees on sites such as Artfire or Etsy, ordering the necessary supplies for your work, advertising slots on websites or blogs, even new camera equipment to take decent eye catching photos of your products.  It can all add up.  And if you don't have the initial money to invest in those things, it can seem like your shop just isn't being seen.

I want to pause here and let you, the readers, chew this over and comment.  I plan to do the Pros list in the next blog entry.

Etsy vs. Artfire continued

There are a zillion threads on both the Etsy and Artfire forums about this topic.  I read them every so often and sort of see if there are any new ideas or arguments one way or another.  I know my opinion and how it applies to my shop and this is what I believe is the essential part of my decisions.  However, every once in a while there is a good argument or piece of wisdom picked up from reading the ranting and ravings of my fellow artisans.
Today, a newcomer to Artfire made some astute observations.  This person has only been there a short while... and their words really did kind of hit home with me.  This person isn't just ranting or raving but making rational observations.  I asked and they have granted me permission to repost portions of their post here.
"I joined Artfire about a week ago.(Around the time the new logo hit the front page)
I have a few observations about this place I thought might be interesting to some.
I first looked at this site about a week ago even though I had heard of it well before.
I didn`t come sooner because Artfire had a reputation of being invisible to buyers.
No traffic, no hits, no views, no sales.
I came here last week because the buzz about Artfire on the Etsy forums had grown to a fever pitch and I simply had to see what the hell everyone was going on about.
(Remember that, word of mouth is your best friend)
I signed up immediately for a free account and started testing the waters."

I want to stop here a moment to point out how this person discovered Artfire through Etsy.... exactly the opposite of what Etsy wants.  I find this painfully ironic.

"About a half hour after I signed up for the free account I signed up for a pro account because I was simply amazed at the selling tools I could get access to.
For selling abilities, sellers tools, and search function this place blows Etsy away.
I`ve never really put much effort into selling on Etsy simply because it looked like whatever effort I expended would be neutralized by Etsy admin.
I have since imported my entire Etsy inventory here and this place will be my focus.
I`m going to put everything in this basket.
The search sucked(I believe purposely).
Policy was made on a whim and changed just as soon as that whim changed.
Sellers needs were always ignored.
Admin statements were constantly contradicted by other admin statements.
I had no idea what I should do as a seller in some situations simply because admin had no idea what their policy was."

Another good stopping point.  I myself have learned through online selling sites that if your shop's policies are not crystal clear, you get more trouble than it's worth.  Policy is IMPORTANT in any business.  And after reading this comment on the forum today, I realized that all that time I had spent maintaining a shop on Etsy, I had never once looked for a site policy.  Perhaps I should have.  When I moved to Artfire, the policy was right up front and simple enough to follow easily.

"It slowly dawned on me that Etsy had no interest in my or any other sellers success."

What a horrible realization to come to.  And yet this was the bottom line that made me empty out my shops on Etsy as well.  I maintain an account over there only to shop with... and even that is sparse.  I shop on Artfire 9 times out of 10 and only go to Etsy as a last resort now.  Sad but true.
This person goes on to point out flaws in Etsy that most already have known, seen or heard about.  But this last part I'll share is what made me want to blog this information.

"Artfire, this place looks great, the tools rock, the community is golden,the fees are a fantasy come true. The problem with this place is the first thing I mentioned in this post.
It still has a reputation for low exposure."

This is where my fellow Artfire artisans and I need to focus our attention.  Artfire already gives me the best exposure on the web I've ever had.  The fact that we can be found by the google machine is awesome.... but we need to focus more on getting Artfire's name out there in the public.
So let's get to it!  This blog of mine is my first step in that direction.

I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY!

That's right folk!  I'm hosting a giveaway for another artist: Jon Fine!  I've featured Jon's work previously on my blog as well.  He's asked If I would host a giveaway promotion for him on my blog and I said I'd be most happy to. 
Jon makes wonderful woodwork creations.  He is 55 and currently lives and creates in south New Jersey.  His creations are truly wonders to the eyes.  He makes a little of everything from coat hangers to door frame decorations, picture frames to clocks.  And this month, he has been gracious enough to donate not one, not two but THREE items for a giveaway to you, my loyal readers!

Here's how it works: each time you do one of the following things you will be given "chances", meaning your name will go in my "hat".  To make certain that I am fair in drawing a name from the hat, I will have my dear BF do so and will make sure to take pictures.  That way you will all know it was fairly drawn.

Ways to enter

Leave a comment on this blog~ 1 entry

Follow this blog~ 1 entry

Follow Jon's blog~ 2 entries (http://finewoodcrafts.blogspot.com/)

Become a follower of Jon's blog~ 2 entries

Become a fan on Jon's Facebook~ 1 entry (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fine-crafts/103696063001695?Created)

Follow Jon on Twitter~ 1 entry (http://twitter.com/JonPSU77)

Tweet about this giveaway~ 2 entries

Make a purchase from either of Jon's shops~ 5 entries

(http://twitter.com/JonPSU77 , http://www.artfire.com/users/JonFine)

Please notify me either in your comments on this blog or by email (divapixie25@gmail.com)  proof that you have done one or more of these things for entries.  Links to your tweets, purchases, comments etc. will be enough proof. 

And NOW.... the fabulous gifts!  One prize will be awarded each week for the next 3 weeks.  The prize for this week's giveaway is..... a wonderful wine bottle and glass holder!

This prize will be given away on September 7th, a week from today!  Now, get out there and enter!  Free stuff.... you just can not go wrong.

E vs. AF View comparison 3-30-10

I haven't checked in on my Etsy vs. Artfire view comparison experiment lately.... let's check it out.
Garnet and Amethyst necklace
Etsy~ 32
Artfire~ 86
Carnelian pendant
Etsy~ 28
Artfire~ 62

E vs. Artfire experiment Comparison 3-25-10 3:30pm

OK. I have bumped both threads now and still have not made any sales. Checking in with the view comparisons on the two previous pieces and looking at the third just to see if the "promotion" I am running has in fact increased traffic.

Garnet and Amethyst

Etsy~ 26 Artfire~ 79



Carnelian pendant

Etsy~ 24 Artfire~ 48



Vintage rhinestone and briolette pendant

Etsy~ 8 Artfire~ 36 today, exactly the same as yesterday.

Hmmmmm.....

Experiment update 3-24-10 12:39pm

So, I have posted about the special I am running in both my shops on my Facebook page. I put links for both shops in the status post. This evening I plan to Twitter both shops equally with the special as well.
Let's see how the views are stacking up.
Garnet and Amethyst piece
Artfire~ 75 Etsy~ 26

Carnelian pendant
Artfire~ 46 Etsy~ 22

I also added one more piece to my Etsy shop that is also listed in my Artfire shop. I am just doing this to offer a little more variety to the experiment and see if adding a new piece and then offering a special would increase it's views.
On Artfire, its been listed since March 9th and has 36 views. I listed it on Etsy yesterday and it has 6 views so far.
Let's continue to see how this goes.
I need to add my Etsy shop to my Google Analytics today too.... just to see how they compare.

Upping the anti on the experiment

OK... I've started my promotion of both my Etsy shop and my Artfire studio by offering a free gift. I will be offering a free pair of matching earrings for every pendant and necklace purchase made in either of my shops. On Artfire this is clearly marked in my studio by lovely little "free gift" banners on each listing picture. In my Etsy shop it is placed up in my shop announcement. I have started a forum thread for the specials in the Contests and Promotions section on Artfire and in the Promotions section on Etsy. Let's see how it goes.
I'll try to bump the threads in each forum area at least once a day.
I will be posting any sales resulting from these specials as well as continuing to post my view comparisons.
Here we go!

E vs. AF View Comparison 3-23-10 4:43pm

Etsy~ 24
Artfire~ 73

Etsy~ 21


Artfire~ 45


I rest my case. Etsy may be in the public eye more but it certainly does not show in the views. Artfire has better SEO and it shows.
Now, I plan to take this to the next level. Promotion. Will promoting both sites equally make a difference in the data? Hmmmmm.... let's find out. ;)

E vs. AF View comparison 3-22-10 12:30pm

Etsy ~23 Artfire~ 69

Etsy~ 20 Artfire~ 41

E vs. AF Views 3-18-10 8:28am

Garnet and Amethyst
Artfire ~ 40
Etsy~ 16

Carnelian cabachon
Artfire~ 15
Etsy~ 14

Interesting results.... wonder what would happen if I started promoting both sites with my Facebook and Twitter? Hmmmmm.... next week I will add that twist to the experiment.

E vs. AF comparison 3-15-10 4:10pm

Etsy~ 11 Artfire~ 14

Etsy~12 Artfire~33

E vs. AF Comparison 3-13-10

Artfire ~12


Etsy~ 10




Artfire~31
Etsy~10

Comparison so far.... 3-12-10 1:30pm

Thus far....

Artfire~24

Etsy~8

Artfire ~4

Etsy~5

Hmmmmmm.... so far so good....

View comparison 3-12-10

OK.... Garnet and Amethyst piece
Artfire~ restarting at 0 views
Etsy~ since I just listed it over there 1 view

Carnelian copper wrapped pendant
Artfire~ restarting at 0 views
Etsy~ since I listed it over there 1 view

Let's wait and see how the views grow.

Etsy vs. Artfire

OK... so on the Artfire forums lately I've seen a lot of posts about how people like Artfire better but aren't making enough sales to close down their Etsy shops and how Etsy just gets more exposure and is better known than Artfire etc. Well, even though I had closed my Etsy shop because I hadn't sold anything on there in 6 months, it got me to thinking. Is it really true? I am skeptical for many reasons but the biggest one is that the handmade jewelry market is super saturated so where I list is a moot point. However, reading all these posts and opinions and debates really got me to thinking about it.

So, I have decided to do a little experiment. I have re-opened my shop on Etsy with only a small amount of items (2 right now but I'll up it to 5 over the next couple of days) and I am going to see if a) I make a sale and/or b) my views on Etsy really surpass my views on Artfire. I am glad I kept my handle over there so re-opening is simple. I am capping it at 5 items since that will only cost me $1 in listings.

I'll keep you informed of any developments and how the views stack up thus far. The pictures are the two pieces I have listed today.