Another blogger alerted me to this article on Etsy and I just had to laugh and roll my eyes a bit. Cheating buy buying one non-handmade item? Sorry folks but I am not going to wear a hairshirt and flog myself for buying some people items from Amazon. Some people may not want or need something that can be purchased online. Handmade or not most people don't want socks for Christmas (except for me if they are super cool stripy knee highs).
One of the gifts we bought a friend was a book, am I supposed to think that buying a book was somehow something I should feel bad about? Please!
I didn't set foot in a mall the entire shopping season and that is good enough for me! (and I plan on staying away as long as possible)
I signed up for it and then quickly soured on it and removed the banner from my blog. I don't like pledges in general and this one is no different. I didn't sign up for the November blogging daily event nor did I sign up for 365 baby on Flickr even though I pretty much take a picture of blee daily. I don't pledge blind allegiance to my country why would I make a pledge to a company*? Especially from a site that makes a lot of money from things that aren't handmade. A site that makes selling original one of a kind items harder and harder and mass produced items easier to sell**. I love buying handmade and don't feel like I need to take part in some so called "handmade lifestyle" or promote places like Etsy for free. I mean the whole thing is rather self-serving for Etsy.
*I am aware that it wasn't just about Etsy, but realistically they were the major player in the whole thing.
* Despite this I am happy with my sales overall, it is enough for me to be happy and not get overwhelmed but the truth is the site caters to those that can easily relist inexpensive items like reproduction prints and commercial supplies. This goes against not only the pledge but the "Your Place to Buy All Things Handmade" slogan.
10 comments:
work it out, girl :)
somehow i don't feel like too much of a jerk because my daughter wanted a nintendo DS game from santa. nice attempt at post holiday shopping guilt etsy! it didn't work, and i have nothing to "confess". please.
well said, lady.
:)
Not only did I buy my friend a book, but I *gasp* got my sister a subscription to National Geographic for Kids. She doesn't read much and likes animals so I am thinking this might encourage her to read more.
This is just taking buying handmade too far. Guilt tripping people now if they didn't do it 100%?
A problem I see is that Etsy seems to think of themselves as something more than a business. Something of a higher calling. But at the end of the day they are a business and their motives are self-serving just like ours are.
Encourage my sister to read or buy her handmade clothes or toys even though she already has way too much of both?
*headdesk*
Seriously thanks for the post Christmas guiltrip Etsy.
I hear ya'. I bought my little buddy a subscription to National Geographic and he loves it and I am sure you sister will too. It is a very thoughtful gift!
A.MEN
If someone wants to come hand cut my vegetables instead of my buying a mandoline then more power to 'em!
but I don't see that happening. ;)
Ha! Funny. I bought most of my xmas online/handmade, but I didn't balk at buying books (someone wrote it, right?), and I think one t-shirt on ebay. Not too bad all things considered. ;->
And it was sooo nice not to have to go to the mall at all!
Ellen
I agree. Somethings just aren't realistic to buy handmade. A friend of mine wanted a rice cooker, so I bought one. I pledged that I would buy handmade, not buy 100% nothing but handmade. Some of my gifts came from Etsy. Some did not. And that is ok. :)
Ha Ha, I still hand cut the veggies while the mandolin sits on the counter...why? Because I can't figure out how to use the thing without mangling and wasting half the veggies! :^}
I sure appreciate your information about the problems of selling on Etsy. I had considered it when I started having to compete with ebay stores and paying extra for visibility (I couldn't even get my art to show up when I did an ebay search of my Name!). Now I see the same problems are in the Etsy page so I'm not sure it would be any more equitable to try and sell through them...sigh...I guess I'll just get a job...`:^{
Don't let me discourage you so much, that is not my intent. It does take a lot of work, more and more I think but I still think it is worth it. And much better than ebay. I got frustrated with that place very quickly.
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