Thursday, May 14, 2009

Opinions of Ups and Downs of Etsy plus some giveaways

First I'm going to show off these wonderful giveaways, it's hard to resist a good giveaway, after all.

But scroll down to see Opinions of Ups and Downs of Etsy!


Audrey's Giveaway Blog is hosting a great giveaway for this amazing necklace!
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Kim's Country Cottage is hosting a Grand Opening Giveaway for this beautiful Romantic Rosebuds Afghan until June 15th on her blog. Created with soft white yarn and adorned with mauve rosebuds and frosty green leaves, this afghan is the perfect size for a single, twin size bed, or as an adornment for your favorite chair.
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What do YOU like most about Etsy and what bugs you the most?

I have been curious about this.. There is just so much diversity and contrasting opinions about Etsy. I'm you've noticed this if you hang out in the forums much.

So, I've been doing my own research to find this answer.

And here is what I got..

The #1 thing that Etsians like most is the overall community.
There are so many helpful and friendly people on Etsy, it really is a great place to be. I'm proud to be a member of this community, and delighted this was #1 on the 'like list'.

The #1 thing that bugs Etsians is just how many people get into the forums to whine.

Everyone understands that *you* need to let off some steam, but is this really the place to do it? It's unprofessional and makes you seem tempermental and erratic. Next time you think about coming to the forums to gripe, take a break from your computer and calm down first.
Return to the forums and turn your complaint into an unbiased constructive discussion about your problem. You'll get it all worked out much quicker if you have your wits about you.

Far less snarkiness.


Here are some positive quotes regarding 'Likes'..

"I love the community, the clean and attractive design of the site, the quick-loading pages, the creative and friendly copy written by admin on the site, the very reasonable fees."

"I love the sense of community - join a street team - it's a lot of fun!"

"I love Etsy! I started out selling on eBay and still do actually, but I'm leaning more and more to Etsy mainly because of the community, friendly feel and because it is SO much cheaper than eBay!"

"I love Etsy because I know whatever I'm purchasing had actual time, passion and heart put into making it. And that I'm supporting someone else out there who loves to be creative and share that end product of their imagination with others. "

"I love the sense of community and how generous and free people are with their words of wisdom and advice."

"I love the treasury options, and having the opportunity for a seller's treasuries to make it to the FP is pretty neat. I also love how our listings are set up w/the 5 pic opt & our own featured section."

"I love being able to find unique gifts for my friends and family. There is really a limitless ocean of possibilities on here."

"I love etsy for all the wonderful creations people make. The items on here are so unique--it just makes me feel great when I find something adorable and beautiful. "

Here are some quotes regarding 'dislikes' on Etsy..

" I don't like what goes on with front page choices although it does seem to be changing a bit. I also am anxiously awaiting the implementation of being able to organize items in my shop without relisting. "

"I wish we could arrange our items. "

"I like the forums but know-it-alls bug me and rude people bug me...its not that hard to be nice!"

"I don't like the way some shops get much more attention by admins then others. "

"What I don't like---the way alot of people are marketing --or "marketing" their shops. Too much spam on twitter,etc. Everyone wants sales fast and now...it takes time to build a business."

"the search for items and mistagging really bugs me though "

"I don't like the fact that we can't arrange the items in our shop without going through the relisting process. "

"I'm sick of people whining about low views, bad economy, Etsy doesn't do enough for them, blah blah blah."

"It really bugs me when threads are closed for senseless reasons. "

What is your like and dislike or Etsy?

11 comments:

  1. Wow, I agree with everything. I have loved Etsy since I discovered it last year and think that they do plenty for us for the small amount of money we have to pay to list items. I don't feel like I have a right to be on the front page and I don't think it really results in tons of sales anyway, though the one time I was on the FP my item sold! To tell you the truth when I log in I pop directly into my shop and don't see the FP anyway.

    If I want a good, non Etsy related laugh I go into the forums under ETC and read some of those posts. I really try to avoid the "snarkiness" that comes with some subjects.

    Great post!

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  2. You've pretty much nailed it with this post! Etsy is such a diverse community and everyone likes/dislikes something different, but overall the entire community is wonderfully helpful and friendly!

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  3. What a great post! I like Etsy and have no issues with it really. Lowell and Son's comment about inexpensive listing fees is a good one. I don't feel I have anything to complain about and I'm more than happy with the service at 20c a pop per item! I think many sellers expect far too much. Or maybe I'm simply one of those types with low expectations ;D

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  4. First - thanks so much for posting my give away!!
    Second - I agree with all the views above, well all the reasons people like etsy. The community as a rule is very friendly and helpful.
    I'm not quite sure why people want to arrange the items in their shops - isn't that what the sections are for?
    I don't like whining either, and tend to stay away from those posts. (unless it's mine of course LOL)

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  5. What a great post! I absolutely agree with all the opinions. Especially, I love Etsy community. Helpful, supportive and inspiring! GO Etsy!!!

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  6. I love lots of things about Etsy and even though I have found many cool people, I did avoid the forums for quite awhile after initially liking them because it seemed like there was sometimes a lot of drama because people were overly sensitive about something trivial. But, I think every online forum has its share of that.

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  7. I agree with pretty much everything here. I love the community and how much I have learned from other forum members. I've gotten more attention for all the things I do, occasional sales (way more than before Etsy), and LOTS of inspiration looking at the wonderful creative stuff everyone else does.

    Can't think of too many dislikes. Except in terms of the number of sales I thought it would generate, I don't have many unmet expectations.

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  8. Great post and idea! I love Etsy, though I too wish I could arrange my items and would love it if there was a way to run sales without manually changing all my items.

    Oh, and check back to my blog, LillyShay - I was unclear, but it IS good to work out in the morning when you have asthma! I clarified the post so that was more clear. ;-)

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  9. I agree, I have found for the most part a sense of community and a willingness to help each other.

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  10. I couldn't agree more about the whines that come out on the forums. I recently tried the complaint free challenge and I found that dropping the complaining from your life allows you to come to a solution to what your problem is much faster than a big long complaint which will at best get you a lot of sympathetic noises with one or two helpful solutions here and there from people who are seeing past the complaint.

    The Etsy comunity is so amazing and supportive I've said this before, but had I started with another handmade site I may have given up by now.

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  11. Just read your comment on my blog! You don't need a lot of info to get into something do you!? LOL

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