So there was an Etsy online townhall yesterday. I was not able to join it because I was at my grounds keeping job. It turned out it was mostly about Etsy announcing it's new guidelines for handmade. Wow.
I am glad I sell vintage.
I think they are "relaxing" or "loosening" the definity simply to allow resellers on the site because they generate so much revenue. And, from what I have read on the forums, and my experience selling vintage, is that since the search and Browse are set up to favor "relisted" sold items, then with the resellers make high volumes of sales because their items are so inexpensive/lowest priced/cheap, then they are mostly on the front pages of search. And the cycle continues.
While genuine handmade items that are made by individuals at higher costs are pushed further back in searches and on Browse.
Here is USA Today article:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/01/etsy-sellers-handmade/2901649/
The Etsy forums are FILLED with Etsy handmade sellers:
https://www.etsy.com/teams/18091/new-guidelines/discuss
I have done very well on there for all my 33 months. Especially the past 13 months. Although I have lost thousands of views each month every month this year. I have been lucky to make steady sales. Due mostly to selling tea cups. I plan on continuing to sell there. Through next year. Unless I have a dramatic drop-off in sales this christmas season.
And I can understand why the handmade sellers are so upset. Etsy has been going for the money with their changes. And it is not close to what its original intent was. \
But I am still happy at this point and am looking forward to see if I can continue to grow my shop in the coming months and possibly years.
Now off to the post office for me.
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