Can You Buy Lolita Fashion on Etsy?

[@originalkingdomhearts]

I'm a seamstress. I've been sewing for over 13 years of experience. You have no idea about many times I get people who call me a scammer for not making them a custom prom dress for under $30

[@Alexsparkles420]

I feel you. This is why I no longer do costume commissions. People wanted full on Cinderella dresses with corset and crinoline for 80-100 dollars...

[@originalkingdomhearts]

@@Alexsparkles420 that's insane. Like are people this oblivious.? I am doing the 2021 snow miku cosplay for myself and the materials alone cosplay like over 200

[@noodlepoodle3582]

I’ve been sewing for a total of about 2 days now and the fact that people are actually like this astounds me. Like... do people think you can whip out a dress overnight with magic or something?

[@originalkingdomhearts]

@@noodlepoodle3582 yes, sadly that is what they think . Especially for art. Think think we snap our fingers and it draws itself.

[@taydrabrookshire347]

Do they realize WHY a well made dress would be expensive?? Time and effort!

[@Lytah84]

As an add on for the Dollbe shop to make it very clear , she not only does custom sizing, she makes sizes up to 6x. This is so important because it's so difficult to find plus size Lolita fashion. There are some of us who will never be able to wear brands like AP because it's just not feasibly possible. People of all sizes should have Lolita fashion available to them. I have always been a size where in earlier years I thought Lolita fashion would always be inaccessible for me but thankfully that has changed in the last few years.

[@koinijikoimizu]

All too often people will say 'Oh just get MTO' or custom size and they're not really aware of how freaking anxiety-riddled that can be. Some MTO or custom order has higher fees involved or the pattern is scaled poorly to result in a nightmare fit even if you've given all of your measurements. Sometimes it's just nice to buy something that's available like everyone else can. I have 4 Dollbe dresses and plan to get more later this year. I hope she gets nothing but success from this spotlight given that it's expensive to make things in the US vs Poland like Lady Sloth.

[@Dollbeinc]

Thank you so much for featuring my Dollbe shop Lor. It always makes me so glad to make everyone's dress myself. I really ought to send one your way soon. It's been almost 6 years, and I've gotten a lot better at sewing since then.

[@endlessinsomnia4662]

I was literally looking at your shop yesterday, how funny.

[@shponglechunch]

So cool!! You are awesome 😌😌🤗🤗

[@Hellakiddie]

I dream of ordering from your shop one day!

[@kirashida4035]

Lor is so sweet. Even in gothic she manages to make those sweet poses look fabulous 🥰

[@anao9662]

A good trick I learned when shopping online to tell if a seller is shady is to look at the models. If their faces are crop out, that’s not their models and that means not their products. Shady sellers do this so they can avoid being copyrighted by the original owners/models. Just a little red flag for anyone to look out for when online shopping!

[@overlyobsessiveeyes499]

thanks 😊

[@nevergonnagiveyouup9866]

this is totally true

[@Queenieeo]

As an artist I gotta say I really appreciate you spreading information about Etsy/ how hurtful and rude it is to haggle with artists. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

I didn't know people actually haggled on there. That's really sad. :( I feel really bad for the people who put so much love and work into their creations, just to have some ungrateful people try and haggle. A lot of artists can struggle financially and selling their items is how they get most of their income. I always have a lot of appreciation for people who can create items from scratch and how much work goes into everything.

[@jenOutpost]

As someone who used to sell on etsy (and I stress USED TO) I appreciate your rundown on the site, it is very accurate and they pushed out a lot of small-scale artists with all their cruddy fee grubbing and all the reselling they cant seem to get a grip on

[@cartoondeathnoises8756]

Do you still sell somewhere else? 👉👈🥺

[@kittykat490]

I have the strongest mixed feelings about etsy and, over the years, it's been so sad to see the platform go from a legitimately cool artist marketplace, to honestly one of the most creator-UNfriendly storefront hosts out there... it's always a struggle because, exactly as you say, etsy is really convenient and heavily used by the masses and a great way to get known, but yeah it treats the creators that use it like shit. But yeah etsy is definitely great to find lots of really legit accessory makers!!!!!! Dresses a little harder hehe

[@lilyoftheveil666]

Yeah Etsy pivoted hard after they became popular

[@recon441]

I'm really sad to hear that ☹️

[@Toxickitty10]

I didn't even know In the starlite reopened. I bought my first lolita skirt from them. Back in the 2010s they were one of the few companies to offer plus size friendly pieces and petticoats. I'm happy to see that they are still around.

[@datesims]

i feel like if i saw a $5 print at a con i'd try to haggle them upwards, like, please at least take $10 you worked hard on this please

[@jewel3364]

Aww that’s so thoughtful

[@jaboi7709]

Or pay the 5 dollars and leave a big tip

[@yukismith4518]

Same I have the same feeling too. Especial if it is original and not the fandom that they put a lot of heart and soul into.

[@anna84259]

@@yukismith4518 what's the difference between fandom prints and original prints tho Or I don't understand something?

[@ixlovexrain]

@@anna84259 as an artist I find it easier and quicker to work with characters that already exist, because creating new one takes more time, so I'd charge less for fan art than for original art.

[@Kammakitty]

I organized my first high tea meet as my first ever lolita event (I was so nervous to meet the LA community but it was so fun !!) and Dollbe came. She’s so sweet and her work is amazing to see in person!

[@annablue2799]

I'm sorry but I wanna wear the spider on my head with a black gothic coord.

[@Tenko72]

I want to see this gothic coord. C:

[@Celessence]

As an etsy artist, I thank you for educating people on haggling with artists. When I first started, I had a group of coworkers berating me for selling print-on-demand t-shirts online for 25 bucks. I apologetically explained why it has to be 25 bucks, and they continued to scold away. Now I just tell people if they don't like my price, don't look and don't buy.

[@bunnymactavish2415]

I bought some wrist cuffs from peacockalorum and honestly, I’m going to buy many, many more.

[@QUEENOBSCURE]

I love them

[@rebeccasmith3065]

Almost all my wrist cuffs are from there 😊

[@MissLovebat]

I manage to find my head accessories on Etsy (wigs, headpieces, etc.) and I've almost always had good results.

[@leawitzeck8011]

I love to see you wearing gothic Lolita, it suits you so well! And I will check your IG for different coordinates with that dress! It would be very interesting to see Holly coordinate it as well (maybe even for a video where each of you creates a coord with the same dress? That would be so cool!) And the dress you bought is like 160€, for a handmade Lolita dress, this is amazing! Thank you so much for the greats content, love from Germany

[@morganjenkins2662]

In the Starlite was a shop I used to LOVE back in the day when I was new, young, and super scared to dip my toe in the fashion. Their wonderland skirt in sax was one of my dream main pieces. I messaged her recently to ask if she would be willing to make it again all these years later as a custom piece, and she said when her shop reopens she is going to start selling it again

[@AmarettoRawr]

I bought a lot of their stuff over 10 years ago and they were sorely missed when they shut down the first time.

[@morganjenkins2662]

@@AmarettoRawr She said she is going to start making tons of things again, so I am really excited! I missed out back in the day.

[@spinclock]

I still have my In the Starlite petticoat! I honestly thought they were gone for good.

[@Shan.1470]

Yes! Thank you! Do not haggle artists at cons!! If you don’t want to pay full price for art at a con, wait until the last day and many artists will mark down their prices so they don’t need to haul their merchandise home again. If they don’t lower their prices or have a sale, don’t ask them to. Pay full price or leave them alone.

[@Itisabush]

“I have thicc muscular legs” Damn Lor, okay I see you lowkey flexing on us lmaoo

[@_captainmagic]

Heck yes you can, I just bought the dress you modeled at the end omagosh you have the best timing. I can't wait to get my dress!!

[@ViolentAurora]

I love dollbe! She'll make any size, so I dont have to worry about a 96cm bust and cry because it's a gorgeous dress and I'm too big lol

[@susannaeverheart383]

Honestly im so glad you're on youtube because you add a certain amount of video production quality to the whole of lolita fashion genre and are so imformative while not being boring or feeling repetitive! Please always make youtube videos!!!

[@LovelyLor]

Thank you so much! I put a lot of work into my videos and I'm really hard on myself so I really needed to hear this and I greatly appreciate your recognition.

[@vdemarzo2375]

I got custom sized very simple Lolita JSK for $70 and it was really nice! The dress itself was simple, but when dressed up with accessories/blouses it was awesome! Honestly a great buy and I would buy more from them.

[@Chuca504]

The sim burglar sound at 1:53 will haunt me for as long as I live

[@RiverChaos]

Glitter Tale is a lot more active on Instagram and Facebook than they are on Etsy lately. I'm still waiting on my JSK from them, but they are absolute sweethearts when answering messages and questions.

[@Lea-bw9wj]

A thought. Take some of the bad Lolita dresses you've bought in the past and reconstruct them into a nice dress

[@MizBelle]

Ahhh I just ordered those sweet Mildred socks recently, I’m so glad to see a review of them. I also have thick calves so I’m really excited to hear they will fit me! Also now I want that dress ahhhh

[@mermaliade6631]

I think you could find a few items, as well as accessories on there that would be perfectly acceptable. You just have to really look at what you're buying.

[@TheMikhail13]

That "Are You Afraid of the Dark" got me lololol

[@marionhills8031]

etsy is where i “found” my love for lolita and jfashion and even though its pretty expensive to buy from I love window shopping on there lol

[@stepahead5944]

Thanks for pointing out the saturation of Taobao 淘宝/Aliexpress items on Etsy. I'm familiar enough with the sites to recognize those products. The type of photo, as you mentioned, is a great way of recognizing them. It's incredibly frustrating because those stores will use the same tags, such as "handmade", when they don't apply. It makes it really hard to find the indie brands and artists that we're actually looking for.

[@blackfeathercrafts]

I have people haggle at me at craft fairs over seed bead necklaces I make by hand (some daisy chain ones done right will take 4 hours to make). I was selling them for $3.00 each. THAT WAS TOO MUCH you know!! Ive had the same said about wood carvings on my etsy shop. People need to realize these things take time. There’s a lot involved in making a lot of hand crafts. Sewing is probably the biggest!!

[@ceilingbattles]

At the beginning of the video I already loved the dress/co-ord you were wearing, it looks so comfy. I really love the versatility of plain or unpatterned dresses!

[@AmarettoRawr]

So glad to see In The Starlight. In The Starlight was an OG American brand who did custom sizing. One of the plus size lolita holy grails. I remember rushing home Friday evenings to try to get one of their weekly releases from their website. Most of my original things were from them. IIRC, they shut down shop around 2010 because one of the people running it was starting school. When they first popped back up on Etsy they only had some bloomers.

[@apyrrhus0]

not the “daddy’s girl” choker🖐🏻😭

[@bethhyland2485]

I am so glad you mentioned Sweet Mildred. I literally clicked this video so I could comment and suggest that shop. I love that shop soooo much.

[@kuurbis]

Legit just bought that dress and a headpiece from Sweet Mildred. Thanks for the rec! I always love supporting small artists when I can.

[@Leanimal]

Great tip about searching for brands outside of Etsy. I use Etsy to find custom fabrics for my dresses and then buy them cheaper directly from the seller.

[@nekoyinyang]

Ive bought a dress and a skirt from Clock Monster on etsy and I'm really happy with them. They offer custom sizing as well

[@kc6513]

Reason why thus series is doing really good is cause ITS A FREAKING ENTERTAINING SERIES! BEING RISKY AND DOING DUMB THINGS ARE FREAKING ENTERTAINING!!! YOUR AMAZING!

[@_spider_cider_]

I hunted for some shops that have bittersweet Lolita dresses and your content has helped me be able to weed out places!

[@jello1016]

“Unusual places” where you find lost socks?

[@bridgetcooney5085]

My ONLY Lolita skirt and petticoat come from In the Starlight. Bought back in 2007. That brings back memories....

[@AutismCatto]

I thought the dress was from Clockmonster for a minute because they have a very similar dress on their Etsy shop but it's short-sleeved and the hem is very drapey. Honestly, it's absolutely gorgeous.

[@ViTheFairy]

So far my only lolita dress was from Gloomth on Etsy. It costed me $200 but totally worth it, since hardly anyone ever combines my favorite colors, lavender and black. After my order I found her website which is a little cheaper, so next time I'm going through there.

[@baobei9231]

yea etsy took like 1/4 of the money that I received from sellig my items. from 16€ originally, only about 12€ remained? and I even had to deduct the payed shipping fee additionally. it's awful. I barely got back the material costs with that revenue bc they charge like 5 different fees PER product PER sale. it's insane

[@flagerdevil]

Thanks for talking about Etsy. didn't know they had cranked up the fees. And never really thought about searching for the sellers elsewhere!

[@annasullivan2564]

I get overwhelmed trying to navigate shops for lolita as a beginner, so thank you for showing some shops to look at! This was a lot of fun !

[@uniquelyholden]

Such a beautiful dress! Love that gothic style. In awe of everything else in Sweet Mildred's shop, too!

[@coronarosada9794]

Thank you so much for showcasing my shop! :)

[@beththegreen]

I feel places like Etsy would be good for finding really beautiful original accessories and maybe even find a customisable order to match a tricky print or colour !

[@iluvharrydraco]

I was looking for a good gothic dress and my roommate just bought this for me as a gift and I am CRYING Thank you so much Lor!!

[@LovelyLor]

OH MY GOSH THAT'S SO SWEET

[@iluvharrydraco]

@@LovelyLor RIGHT!! I can't believe how lucky I am, he is too sweet and has always been supportive of my lolita obsession. 💕💕💕 I have been searching for a really nice but plain gothic dress to use for both lolita and ritual garb so I can't even express how thankful I am that you led me to this dress! I mean it, thank you so much!

[@diva.t.williams]

I've met and bought from Sweet Mildred many times over the years. She's almost always in the Artists Alley at Anime Boston. I've been using her pieces as part of my more elaborate gothic outfits for a long time. She's so sweet and lovely, and her work is beautiful and excellent quality. My favorite headband from her has a real skull on it! Her shop on etsy is on hiatus, but hopefully she'll be back soon. Now that I'm staring to do actual lolita coords, I want to finally buy one of her dresses.

[@ichigoangel75]

I feel like a lot of stuff tagged "lolita" on etsy and other sites are more like casual lolita, like what you'd wear when you don't have the energy for a full coord but still want the vibe of a full outfit

[@jamiepollard7857]

I know I asked you before but can you please put subtitles under the parts where you speed up your Voice? It is really difficult to process what you're saying and the automatic subtitles don't work so well on those parts. Especially when you simultaneously put a different commentary on screen. 😭

[@ally-fm9wg]

Jamie Pollard try heading into settings and slowing down the playback speed :)

[@nipponhakkyou]

I have the same dress!!! I have an underskirt that I wear with it since the lining is a bit short for me and my petti. SweetMildred has absolutely gorgeous stuff (I have two of her dresses). This is a great video!

[@mewRasuberii]

oh my gosh i had NO idea in the starlite still existed!! i remember browsing their website all the time back in like 2007, i gotta finally buy something from them once they open up again

[@sailoreuropa2574]

I have 5 dollbe dresses (I got most of these from sales she does frequently in case someone was interested in buying from her but might be out of your price range atm) she is AMAZING to work with! Her dresses are just as beautiful in person and fit beautifully! I highly recommend her to anyone who can afford her dresses especially bigger girls like myself. She really makes it so that everyone can participate in Lolita fashion.

[@zedachan4606]

Your stellar review of SweetMildred's work inspired me to take the plunge and make my first purchase from her store! I was torn on which length I would prefer for the Georgette dress, Knee or Tea, but ultimately I decided that when I have the money to spend outside of donations to needful causes in this time of crisis, I'm going to go with the Tea length dress because it looks SO versatile and comfortable in this video! I also just wanted to thank you for always being so earnest and frank in all that you do. Thank you, Lor, for being a lovely human being, and please take care of yourself! ♥

[@Tenko72]

Thanks for making this. I'm always looking for more good Etsy shops. I've had good experiences with JoyAmaranthine, FanPlusFriend, ichigoblack, and KMKdesignsllc. I like that Dollbe actually uses plus sized models and not just mannequins or a smaller model, while saying it comes in plus sizes.

[@hopefullycosplay]

Just popping in to confirm that In The Starlite has wonderful, high-quality petticoats. I absolutely love mine. It's huge & floofy, giving that 2-petti look without that double waistband squeeze. (Y'all know what I'm talking about)

[@laurarogers7560]

The sailor dress looked so cute

[@recon441]

I'm so glad you love Sweet Mildred 😍 I've been dying to buy from her for years. I personally love Eat Me Ink Me and Coruscate Unique on Etsy. I have made multiple purchases from them and even bought my wedding dress from the latter 🥰 10/10 would recommend checking them out!

[@kaleyovo7057]

I remember I started watching you when I was 11 and now I'm in college and I'm going to start my lolita journey soon 💕🥺 youre so inspiring

[@MissShembre]

As a seller on Etsy myself, you are accurate in that prices did have to increase (the fees are like 13% once you add up all the things they you charge for, as multiple micro transactions, AND if you make over 10k in 12 months, they will automatically enroll you into their ad program, and you get charged 15% on every sale you made through one of their offsite ads.) I also worry when I hear how some people are sketched out by Etsy. I've bought and sold on Etsy since 2012 and I've had about a 1 in 15 ratio of bad/mediocre shop experiences, and my usual complaint is sellers marking an item as "shipped" when it's still just sitting at their house for over a week in pre-transit. I've also heard that people get sketched out by the star system (which, you leave all 5 stars to be polite, 4 stars means you're usually in the 'I don't leave 5 stars' club or it arrived late or buyer thought it would be bigger/smaller, but you're still polite, and 3-1 means it broke in transit, you never received it/got refunded, or the reviewer is actually an unreasonable person and never contacted the shop owner so the situation could be fixed amicably.) I'd like to hear more from people about how they find Etsy to be sketchy. As for the resellers, it's been a thing for the last 6 or so years. When I first started, it wasn't allowed period, but then Etsy got a new CEO and now they kinda turn a blind eye to it. Manufacturers are allowed on the site. Also the onsite ads scattered within search are very very often not accurate, it sucks. I usually find the best stuff from other accounts' favorite sections.

[@katbabydoll1321]

That blouse is so beautiful!

[@flamebloom4659]

Lor is out here giving so many lolita creators a voice and it's amazing!

[@meganmcarthur899]

I bought a sweetmildred dress at a con and it has squirrels all over it and I love it. I also bought a porcelain chicken pendant necklace from her.

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

Personally, I've gotten some amazing things off etsy, including lolita accessories. :D I ordered some shoes from glittertalelolita, but they won't be arriving until after this whole situation has stabilised. I can't wait for it to be over, because I saw the shoes and adore them. I currently have no lolita shoes or socks, due to the beer virus. But hopefully when things get a little better, they'll deliver. I understand their decision not to ship the items yet. It's a good shop! I got a couple of other items from other shops, like a cute headbow, a cute bunny bag and a doughnut necklace. P.S. You look lovely as always! Really digging this darker look you have going on in the video! The whole coord is beautiful and your makeup is on point!

[@Mongopuppy]

Thank you for addressing reselling!! It's pretty hard to find non fast fashion resellers as someone into alternative fashion and lifestyle. I use Etsy as my main shopping site as I avoid fast fashion as much as possible and love supporting small businesses. It's super frustrating to see the sheer amount of resellers on Esty, even searching specific terms and setting the filter to handmade only I will still see resell stuff :( Considering the fact that Etsy's taxes are so high for sellers and they are really lax on resellers I'm pretty upset with them, more people need to call them out!

[@perryfunnyvideos]

Seeing that you uploaded a new video always makes my day! Thank you for putting so much work and thought into making your videos, and for all the content you've created despite the difficulties that the pandemic has created.

[@aidenBpositive]

Omg I always have seen you in pinks and pastels, you always look super cute, but THIS OUTFIT!!! GORGEOUS!!!

[@SebastianSeanCrow]

0:31 the amazon video actually led to me looking for Nameless Poem on Lace Market and I got it earlier this year, so these can be kinda helpful

[@psyduck98]

Thank you for making this video!! I was actually looking at buying something from glitter tale but was really unsure if there was any reputable lolita brands on Etsy, so this is really informative!

[@nancychay7049]

I'm going to go and favorite all of those Etsy shops now!!! 😁 Btw you look really cute in gothic Lolita!! 💖

[@LovelyLor]

thank you so much!

[@missmeg4199]

That dress looks awfully familiar. Stares at book dress in my closet. Is that Sweet Mildred? Goes and checks comments. Yep, that's Sweet Mildred! She is so sweet and kind! She is really the one who convinced me to try on my first lolita dress and I love it! I have two of her dresses and a skirt and they are all wonderful.

[@Gensys0]

The dress you are wearing looks very comfortable. I am in no shape or form a lolita but I love black, simplistic and boxy shapes on my body. I wonder if I could pull it off,too, the dress that is. Thank you for the video

[@alyxena2145]

Amazing! Can't wait for your glitzy wonderland and accessory videos! I'm desperately searching for a trusted vendor for berets to pair with my coords

[@mermaliade6631]

Thank you for telling us about sweet Mildred it is a gorgeous shop! I think I might get something from here to even the dresses are very reasonably priced.

[@yekamarie]

Lol, the sound effects in this video are so nostalgic.

[@HerbalHag]

That dress looks SUPERB on you!

[@HerbalHag]

Also I can totally see you styling it in a gothic nautical theme with a cute vest over top

[@stinelund3729]

you look so beautiful in this video! ahhh your make up is so pretty!!

[@sydney2942]

Just finished Tyler’s vid. Now I’m here. Quickest clicks

[@koikat6638]

Etsy is largely for the accessories that you can find. One of my favorite Indie Brand (dollbe) is on Etsy as well, so that's always nice, even if they are as expensive as a new brand piece.

[@wintrygarden]

I love love LOVE this blush look on you!!!

[@wc7705]

Love the mood of this outfit+background

[@allisonnicole1659]

I love buying accessories on Etsy and I eventually want to work with someone who makes dresses. However since most things are handmade and small business it’s completely understandable that they’re out of my price range right now. But accessories and wrist cuffs and headpieces are so nice to get off of Etsy!

[@ahalalovely8226]

I really like MagicTeaPartyDesigns their dresses and skirts are lovely! I haven't been able to buy unfortunately though.

[@evieisamarshmallow]

magic tea party is actually a taobao brand that also has an etsy shop which is pretty cool, and i think they have more things available elsewhere so if you like them it might b worth looking into! they’re super cute and you can sometimes find their stuff pretty cheaply second hand if you keep an eye out - i found one of their jsks for £10 the other day!

[@phylliszirfas9377]

Your makeup is truly magnificent!

[@kawaiibread]

I've been considering trying to buy gothic lolita on etsy for the past few months so it was nice to see you made this video! Also your outfit looks amazing, I seriously need that dress now. :0

[@onlylaboum]

this video was actually very informative to me and gave me ideas of what articles / Etsy policies to look up, because I'm doing my Master thesis on Etsy and similar issues with resellers and high fees have popped up. so i'll definitely look into the pages you showed on the screen!

[@milesmoore7605]

That necklace is so pretty 😍

[@kitchensinkchronicles3272]

you can get good accessories on etsy! the wristcuffs in particular are cute

[@kandiedkiwi]

I got the pleasure of going to a little pop up shop in the Bay Area and sweet Mildred had some pieces there and I got the white version of those socks!! I have super long legs and they fit perfectly right under my knee I love them, I feel so cute wearing them haha. I want the black ones now 👀👀

[@alyssarussell6298]

Lor!!! Your outfit!!!! Oh my goodness I love it; you look absolutely beautiful!!!! :D 💙💙

[@littlelavendeer]

This was the cutest dang video Lor 🖤😭

[@m4rj0rine]

(8:51) HOLD UP. When I looked down I had to pause the video to make sure I wasn't seeing things. My name is also Mara, and I didnt expect to see someone with the same name as me (which is a fairly uncommon name) AND the same interest as me. I'm very surprised that it's even spelled like mine too lol.

[@butterbun7033]

That whole no-reselling shtick is obviously not enforced at all. Every single time I go on etsy and search for something (usually jewery) there's always DOZENS of duplicate listings of the same exact item by different sellers. Sometimes even using the exact same display picture which is just...horrible. I feel so sorry for the original creators of those pieces because there's absolutely no way to find the REAL creator in all that mess

[@JJ-qp3yf]

for anyone wondering u can get lolita accessories from etsy it'll be way harder to find dresses though ( from my experience )

[@twyliteana]

Agreed on the look for website suggestion, etsy charges so much fees per listing that most likely you'll find more items and maybe better prices if you look up their websites