Etsy: the new handmade

I saw this on Facebook this morning and thought it was really interesting. It is very thought provoking look into Etsy's new policies, which I am sure you have heard about because the handmade community has been very vocal about these changes - some don't think they are a big deal, others think it skews the entire perspective of handmade.

Take a look at this Etsy Treasury curated by Judit of Glassimo. Leave a comment with your thoughts about it and how you think it effects buyers and sellers on Etsy.

The new "handmade"

6 comments:

  1. To me, it just goes against what they stood for. Seeing so many of the same items by different sellers does not come across as handmade. Now it just makes consumers search harder for true crafters. When I buy handmade, I like buying directly from the crafter. It gives me a more personal experience and I appreciate the item more.

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  2. Yeah, more like "Handmade in China by slaves." There should be a branch of Etsy that is for HANDMADE BY A SINGLE ARTISAN ONLY. (Or team of a few people in a design house.) If a jeweler made that particular necklace from beads they crafted themselves, designed and assembled themselves, that would be an exquisite $250 necklace, not a plastic piece of junk jewelry.

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  3. I have to say that from my experience, Etsy hasn't stood for anything but lining their own pocket with gold for some time. They are just going a step further now. Might as well sell on ebay. No, the fees got out of hand on ebay and that's where everyone migrated from. Etsy started out great, but got that greed thing going quite a few years ago.

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  4. It makes it hard to shop for unique items. I normally go to Etsy these days to shop only if I'm looking for customized pieces where I can connect and communicate with the seller on a personal level or I find geeky items that I know are handmade by an individual/indie seller. Otherwise, I would just rather shop at local boutiques to support local artists/makers, which is a bit unfair to artists and makers outside of my area that have quality work and I just haven't found them yet online.

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  5. That treasury hurts my heart while it speaks volumes. If you want to look like everyone else -- shop mass market. Etsy started out as the place to get unique handmade items -- I wish it still were. I think the new policies really are hurting the little guy.

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  6. I thought Etsy was a place to find unique handmade items.....

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