Not that I want to get dragged down into a long drawn out blog post about why I'm making the choice to leave Etsy so I have included some funny gifs as we go along...enjoy!

SMELL YOU LATER

 

 

Reason 1

Not so HANDMADE anymore. There are so many other items that are not handmade. The "maker" is also not as transparent about them not being handmade. 

Buyer beware. Do your homework! 

Reason 2

Higher fees, for me personally. I can create my own website, get some sweet deals on apps and don't have to get charged a bunch of exchange fees. 

Math. It works. Or in this case, isn't working on Etsy's behalf.

 

via GIPHY

 

Reason 3

NEW. Taking my money when it is most convenient for them rather than allowing me to pay my bill within a date range of time like a normal business.

This just happened with the "new, easier payment system" they just launched...for themselves. If you are a maker that it works for, all the power to you. Enjoy.

For my biz, where a few of my items are made-to-order, when the first order of the month is a handmade order, and they pull all the shop fees from that first order leaving me with $16 on a near $50 order, it sucked balls.

 

via Gfycat

 

Reason 4

Continually shifting priorities on where they want to land their hooks in makers for extra $$$, first shipping, then ads, then listings with free shipping get better SEO.

It feel like having Etsy push handmade to got big is a race to the bottom of the sellers' pile (enter Ebay, Amazon) and I don't think my handmade business fits with that grouping.

 

via GIPHY

 

I want to talk directly to you about the item you want me to create. I make it by my hand. I know this isn't every business, and not where every business will want to end its journey.

So take your changes to go big if you want to with Etsy, but pushing sellers really hard behind the scenes and making them pay up for all of it is really challenging especially when it used to be a place where you could get some traction to grow your little biz is disheartening to see. 

Reason 5

THEY CONTROL IT ALL. and i don't.

via GIPHY

 

LOOKING BACK...

I'm one of the lucky maker's who did start out on Etsy to test some waters and found a little audience for my goods like 5 years ago.

First Etsy item shots...some mug rugs and sunglasses cases, slick eh?

 

About 6 months later I also started my own blog.

Then maybe a year or so later from that transitioned to a Shopify store alongside my Etsy shop and started to pare down my Etsy as things started to get weird with them (after they became publicly traded).

I can certainly say it isn't easy as a little one-woman biz to do it all! And having a background specifically in sale and marketing, website maintenance and design have been HUGELY helpful to me being able to string these things together for myself, I know.

But we are all becoming more tech savvy and generally have the ability to order all kinds of things off the internet...

Should you buy from Etsy?

Now I'm not saying don't shop on Etsy, but beware that the higher prices you may be asked to pay by small businesses are because of the weird protocols, fees, monthly changes that Etsy keeps changing up. 

Beware the really cheap prices you see on Etsy may also be because the items may NOT be handmade.

Remember buyer beware! 

Times They are a Changing

Just because a maker isn't on Etsy doesn't mean he or she isn't creating just for you!

We all almost shop online now and the world is at most of our fingertips.

Sometimes your needs can be met by your neighbor who smiths jewelry, your coworker's wife who welds light fixtures or your local handyman you didn't know could make the best cinnamon buns!

They may have amazing websites and all you had to do was Google or attend a local show or market!

Don't have cash to support the artist you love? Following them on their social channels, sharing their art with others and reviewing items you may have purchased is also super helpful! You can help others hear about their awesome little biz! 

Go Global

Of course, if you have particular and niche needs, like a custom stamp of your dog, 3d printed glasses for your fabric doll or handmade watercolor paints you may have to widen your search.

And in less than a second, you can probably, without even using Etsy, find a wonderful maker somewhere on this bright blue globe that would be happy to satisfy your needs.

I've shipped many items internationally and love putting a pin in my map on my wall to see just how far things I make can reach around the globe (Secretly hoping to take over the world, as The Brain would more than fully endorse.)

JOIN US

You can find me on my own website fulltime, shop real life items at A Muse N Games in Winnipeg or Pembina Valley Pharmacy in Altona.

I also post local sales I will be attending on my FB page.

See new items I'm making on my Instagram pages for geeky and gory goods @StellarEvolutionDesigns or dedicated to the art of ball jointed dolls @StellarBJDaccessories.

I hope to see you out in the universe! And if you do wish to do some shopping this weekend and have made it alllllll the way down to the very end of this article, I thought I would leave this little reward for you cause you are the best!