Etsy's Platform Keeps Getting Worse-- Let's Talk About it

[@Tfwcrochet]

If you’re an Etsy seller share your shop so we can all support each other!

[@selinamargetts6720]

@@Tfwcrochet the link to her shop is in the description section 😊

[@Tfwcrochet]

@ this is my comment just trying to get others to share their shops as well 😅

[@Haunted_Echo]

I’m a crochet pattern designer and work really hard on my patterns, I’m hoping that the revenue I make will eventually help financially support me and my 3 gremlins while I’m studying healthcare at uni. But so far, Etsy has taken 2/3 of every sale I’ve made. My shop is HauntedEchoCreations

[@selinamargetts6720]

@Haunted_Echo 2/3's? That's insane! Do you have a pattern tester?

[@Haunted_Echo]

@@selinamargetts6720 I have a few pattern testers. Each pattern I have published has been tested by between 5-10 testers to ensure easy readability etc. I worked really hard on each of them

[@camryb6925]

as a buyer on etsy, it’s disheartening to see so many dropshippers and ai that i have to wade through just to find the gems of actual handmade goods by small businesses or individuals. i do my best to support artists and sellers but i believe etsy has a responsibility to their actual sellers to drop the dropshippers and ai and actually support their original concept of handmade and human.

[@Tfwcrochet]

100% It feels like Etsy used to value us but not anymore 😓

[@CodexPotter]

More scrolling = more ads = more money. It's really sad. I actually use Instagram more now and find crafters that way.

[@rachaelt3294]

As a seller and buyer I use to struggle to buy when I saw stuff from temu on there listed as handmade. The ones that I have seen are still listed as handmade. I was dissapointed to see that temu was also making soaps. I thought I was safe but I saw them on there when looking for bags to wrap stuff in. Since they changed the algorithm my sales are so slow. I'm worried and hoping to stretch out to other platforms. I just have to figure out how to keep track of my stock.

[@NiaLaLa_V]

Dropshipping and AI are methods and tools used by humans who are just trying to feed our families like every other artist.

[@elentari15]

Yeah, I used to love to buy handdrawn digital coloring books, but since approx. 2 years ago, most of it is AI now. It's very disheartening to search for new artists, because it's just a flood of AI images. So I pretty much just stick to the few artists that I have been following there for many years now. I also searched for a few hair forks/sticks and it took such a long time before I found something that you couldn't also find the exact same thing on Aliexpress. The amount of shops that sells those as "handmade" is really depressing.

[@rditty11]

The top jewelry vendor still said handmade up until last year, despite the fact that they had over 2.5 million sales. It makes me so mad to see all these dropshippers and scammers get "Star Seller", despite quite literally being against Etsy guidelines. Also, all the AI tshirts! The tshirt sellers are outta control.

[@wordswithatwist]

Tell me about it. My wife makes handmade jewelry, and even if I try to find her shop by putting in the name, nowhere to be seen in the search. I am planning on hosting her own site. I am tired of the dropship junk.

[@Rj-27]

​@@wordswithatwist Go ahead! I love handcrafted things! ❤

[@nharber9837]

I do sell tshirts, but not AI ones. I do all my own designs and the sublimation and screen printing myself, and my shirts are just one of many different items I sell with that design. The AI bros are the worst. They want to act like their prompts that spit out these disjointed images with atrocious anatomy are on an equal level with actual art skills (or skills in anything really). Technology was supposed to help with work and drudgery, not soak up all the creative work that people actually want to do. So I’m probably going back to my own site, since Etsy is perfectly fine with the AI and Ali-express bs. The investors don’t care about that, so I’m going to be shocked if it gets fixed. I hope someone takes over Etsy’s spot in the market soon.

[@johannageisel5390]

It probably IS handmade, but from a small army of sweatshop labourers.

[@Mskatie1357]

Is it Kaitlyn minimalism?

[@teysa.k]

I hate all the AI items! I read a story of a woman who commissioned a rather expensive painting of her dead dog, which she framed to display, only to realize later that it was made with AI. The seller faked the painting process. She only realized when a friend she recommended that seller for her to get a painting of her late cat, and that cat looked nothing like the reference photos. They are not only taking the sales from actual artists but also deceiving people.

[@Tfwcrochet]

100% I saw that on Reddit while doing research for this video. People think it’s harmless but it’s really not.

[@stickyfox]

It sounds like she didn't commission a painting though. She googled "pet memorial painting" and clicked on the best-looking ad. And got fleeced, which is sad. "Commissioning an artist" means you seek out an artist whose work you value. Any vet in her town could have recommended 2-3 local artists who would have done a great job.

[@dibelgelo]

She didn't have a problem with it being a print though? Rather than an actual painting? Because that's how most people could tell the difference :)

[@Tfwcrochet]

@@stickyfox I mean sure that’s true but Etsy used to be a really good place to find artists but now you have to weed through the fake artists to find the real ones. That’s what sucks.

[@elentari15]

Just yesterday I saw a video where the youtuber talked about how good AI's text to video has become in faking progress painting videos. It was extremely scary, if you don't paint or draw yourself, you wouldn't think twice about it being fake.

[@Violets.and.Heather]

My biggest frustration with Etsy lately: I'm a pattern designer. Etsy is full of shops that have purchased patterns from real designers, that then turn around and upload them into their shops for their own profit. I found 4 of those shops in a half hour of browsing Etsy. One I found had HUNDREDS of patterns they had pirated. Pattern theft is out of control and Etsy isn't helping!

[@Tfwcrochet]

Ughhh that’s so discouraging!!

[@raquelfantoni2812]

When it’s a real pattern! Bought a cheap sewing pattern when I was starting out and it didn’t quite work. Figured it was just me being a beginner and not being skilled. Now that I’ve sewed a lot more, in hindsight I can say it was just a bad pattern, which makes me strongly suspect AI.

[@elentari15]

@@raquelfantoni2812 The art space on etsy has been flooded with AI so badly within the last ca. 2 years, that it now takes hours and a very trained, scrutinising eye to filter out AI stuff. I draw digitally as a hobby, and whether it's digital linearts/coloring books, patterns or brushes, it's become such a chore to look for human made ones. Most of it is AI garbage nowadays, even a seller whose work I loved, has started to mix AI into their work. At least they're transparent about it, and write the percentage of AI used, but it still makes me sad.

[@PeacefulAutistic]

Or you get Etsy sellers who find free designs online and put them in their shop. Like damn. They’re too cheap to at least buy a damn thing first.

[@gillian9010]

This is what’s been keeping me from making patterns to sell.. it seems like a pretty simple way to earn extra money but also so easy to get your work stolen / misused :(

[@WormFunk]

This is why I've started seeing if I can find an etsy shop's social media, or if they have their own website they host, makes it easier to tell if they're a true handmade business or not

[@quonit37]

I've tried looking to make my own website, but the problem is I can't sell from my own website without spending a LOT of money which I just don't have!

[@sdmcdaniel2255]

I wish I could afford my own website, but I can't, not until I start selling some of the things I've made. But I just don't get the traffic on etsy, I've never sold a thing with them. That's why I'm moving to Michaels Marketplace after the first of the year.

[@soulstealer1667]

Ecwid

[@slothisasin8240]

​@@quonit37 Maybe you can just have social media linked somewhere on the etsy site? That way customers can go to your social media to see your process and then back on etsy to buy?

[@culturecrashAL]

@@quonit37 Honestly, considering the ever-increasing cut Etsy takes via order fees, payment fees, processing fees, listing fees, % of this, % of that ... if your total expenses on Etsy are around $40-50 per month? You can absolutely afford to make your own site. I think a managed WordPress e-commerce site is currently around $30 per month on GoDaddy, and SquareSpace is probably similar? You'd still have fees from PayPal and/or credit card processing, and of course you'd have to spend a lot of time on social media etc promoting your site ... but you kinda have to do that these days with Etsy anyway, since there's no other way to get your work in front of eyeballs with all the mass-produced crap it's competing with. :/

[@saintbrenna]

It's nice to hear that sellers are just as upset with Etsy's new direction as buyers. Great video!

[@Tfwcrochet]

We are all in this together 😬

[@Art-ifishl_Intelligence]

Spot on. Etsy shut me down in April, nothing trademarked or copyrighted, everything was created by me, and the shop was about 4 years old, not a new shop. I appealed multiple times, even went after them using BBB, nothing, I was even able to get a hold of a live person via live chat and all she told me was I should have received initial email from Etsy explaining things, when all that email did was list a bunch of reasons why my shop might have been terminated, and to my knowledge none of those reasons applied to me, the way Etsy does this shop termination spree is so screwed up..

[@_HanaPanda]

The way I see it is, if you're not using AI, not selling Chinese mass-produced shit, or even drop shipping.. you aren't making enough money for etsy to give a stuff about you. And that in itself is the reason I won't buy from etsy anymore. 😢

[@Art-ifishl_Intelligence]

@@_HanaPanda I have to agree!!

[@suzettesundae7903]

Mine was due to their ID verification system (or lack thereof) I'm absolutely lost. Depended on my shop for 100% of my income

[@Art-ifishl_Intelligence]

@@suzettesundae7903 Omg, that's horrible. Etsy has ruined so many people's lives. But again, this is a hard learned lesson that we should NEVER put all our eggs in one basket, however good that basket promises to be..

[@suzettesundae7903]

@Art-ifishl_Intelligence oh, I agree 100%! Total lesson learned! I just never had time to diversify - was working 8-12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week, just to keep up with the Etsy shop. My bad for "choosing" a business that actually requires diligence and hard work performed by a human, rather than a pod business or something. It's so sad. Thanks for commenting. If feels better to know I'm not alone, and I'm seen

[@ajqueen31]

Yes, I tried "supporting small businesses" with handmade/personalized gifts last year and a necklace supposedly from Illinois actually came late because it was stuck in Germany by way of Istanbul! I was pissed that the shop misled by saying they're a local shop in the USA, but not really.

[@dddraconisss]

I tried buying jewellery on Etsy. Then checked AliExpress and found same rings for the prices 20 TIMES CHEAPER. This is crazy. Rings were sold as handmade items for 20€ each and on Ali they were barely 1€. Just crazy

[@rel4998]

This has happened to me! An armor shop advertised as from the UK was actually shipping from India and the seller tried to message me that I needed to send him money to get it "un-stuck" in Italy!

[@cassinipanini]

I noticed a lot of washi tape shops now say "Sourced by" instead of made by, so i think Etsy is doubling down on the dropshipping and trying to cage it in this "hand sourced" language

[@dollarstorevodka]

unfortunately if you wanna find the good handmade stuff you got to find them organically through sites like twitter & instagram in my experience

[@Yesica1993]

Wow, this is all very concerning! I only use Etsy a few times a year, for birthday gifts. I liked giving people handmade things. (Even if by other people, since I don't know how to make anything.) But I also noticed each time that things looked different, seemed to have a lot more bigger sellers than the usual "small business", etc. But this is the first time time learning all this information. How depressing!

[@clairegetscrafty]

I actually stopped buying from etsy because of all the AI images being used to sell GARBAGE "patterns". Now if I see a pattern I like, I will track down the creator's social media and buy it off ANY other platform.

[@honestitis]

Amazon, eBay, Etsy. They all go the same way. It’s sad because the internet was once a great equalizer for people living outside big cities. Now it’s all overflowing with scammers. Quality things are needles in the haystack of garbage.

[@Art-ifishl_Intelligence]

Yes, Amazon is another screwed up platform, I guess all big corporations are just one big mafia, ripping off people.

[@anonz975]

Difference is Amazon and Ebay don't cancel your order for "unspecified reasons" 3 minutes after it is placed. It has happened to me 4 out of 5 times on etsy so I stopped using them entirely. Ebay in particular holds their vendor's feet to the fire.

[@goblinjaskiniowy9083]

This. I grew up in a remote area (of a remote country, lol) and without the access to internet, I would not develop into the person I am now. It was so easy to fin unique things, interesting resources, dive down countless research rabbit holes... And now? It's fake news, fake people, fake goods. And anything of value is behind the paywall (I'm not against charging for your work, of course, but even interesting science articles, produced by people paid by gov, are published for profit).

[@applesocks89]

Don’t throw eBay in the mix when it’s your duty as a buyer to research the seller. eBay is full of millions of real life people and they are one of the only online businesses left with a fully human-based customer service team, very little robots or automated processes. You can call eBay and get any problem you encounter on eBay solved. If you just blindly buy something without researching what you’re buying then the blame shifts back to the buyer. Buyers bite the bait, it’s their choice to make the purchase. The bait is wrong in the first place, yes, but eBay is more than 50% full of real life people, selling real life items, where it’s more of a online thrift store with the remaining percentage being of a retail side, with stock photos and possibly shipping from Shenzhen.

[@honestitis]

Problem is you have to spend so much time scrolling through 5 million pieces of junk before you find anything of value. When I buy online these days, I buy directly from websites of small businesses. I don’t want to support these big companies that have allowed this to be the status quo.

[@emileeberg8212]

I don’t even think their filters are working correctly anymore. Just a few days ago I did an Etsy search and specifically put filter on items from US. It kept showing me listings from India.. I finally gave up as it took so much time to click on every listing to see if it was in the us or not

[@Ksc56]

100%! I used to order a lot of my plants from Etsy and it’s really important to me to only order from my own state to make sure my plants don’t die during shipping and also my state has strict regulations about plant importing so don’t want to worry about that. Now it’s impossible to find stores only out of my state. It sucks but does motivate me to find local nurseries to order from directly 🤷‍♀️

[@stuffinsthegreat]

Yeah no, I stopped buying from Etsy a couple years ago because their search really started going downhill. I totally understand why sellers are still using the platform but, as a buyer, I closed my account 2-ish years ago and have never looked back. It really sucks but I could not take it anymore. Sad to see it's still getting worse

[@GrizzyLemming]

Absolutely. I'm pretty certain screwed up filters are a deliberate tactic to get you to spend more because you have to look at more products. I've noticed it in several other places I shop, especially my online groceries order - yes that's you Asda, shame on them for being so greedy.

[@thieleaf_the_shelf_dragon]

their youtube ads drive me crazy at the moment, all about "made by *real* humans!" which is.. wild given all the drop shipping and ai stuff. its so disheartening i used to love buying things there

[@Tfwcrochet]

They’re partnering with influencers and celebrities too which always makes me uncomfy.

[@maritthostenson1804]

The irony of getting one of those ads before this video... 😂

[@munafruit]

this has actually been boiling my blood

[@Goldie-Ro]

In addition to everything else, Etsy needs to calm tf down with the pop-up modals. Every time I go to the site I have to close a giant modal yelling at me to turn on notifications. i can't browse without modals popping up to warn me that an item I favorited is on sale or low stock, or 50 people have it in their carts, or whatever. I just now put a watercolor pan in my cart, went back to the same shop to see if the seller had any other pigments I might like, and immediately a modal popped up telling me, "REMEMBER YOU HAVE THIS IN YOUR CART!" Yeah, no shit. I put it in there three seconds ago. Maybe if I had a concussion this might be helpful. It is so annoying and off-putting!

[@Tfwcrochet]

I hate how much they badger you to leave a review. As a seller I know reviews are important but I don’t want my buyers thinking I’m the one being annoying about it.

[@Pipkiablo]

@@Tfwcrochet Especially for crochet patterns. I literally just downloaded the pattern, I cannot crochet an intricate Crafty Intentions dragon in five seconds, and giving a review on a pattern I haven't even made yet seems dishonest.

[@Aimee-May]

IPO. Be wary of any company when it hits IPO/public trading. The usual timeframe is 5-7 years (or less) before they complete their about-face and start SHOWING that they value shareholders above anyone else (employees, partners, customers, etc). I've consulted with many startups through IPO phase and EVERY SINGLE ONE was completely ruined in that timeframe (or less). Etsy's IPO was 2015, IMHO they started being more shareholder-centric in 2019, after they launched their "stockholder engagement program" in 2018.

[@theplushfrog]

In the USA, a publicly traded company HAS to choose the decision that would make their shareholders money. I found out recently that shareholders can hold a company liable if they do something that hurts their shares--which is just WILD. I cottoned on awhile ago that once a company goes public, all their morals are out the window, but learning that its legally enforced just makes it pathetic. Never trust a publicly traded company.

[@HighCountryHigh]

Saw it when CafePress went public in early 2010s.

[@Sl15555]

EXACTLY!!! they turn on their customers trying to maximize profits.

[@jfs983]

I personally think that small independent artists should be allowed to sell things like enamel pins or acrylic charms made through third- party manufacturers so long as they're made using THEIR OWN ARTWORK AND DESIGNS.

[@silveritea]

Or if those items are incorporated into an item the person has made.

[@DisabledDoll]

That’s not drop shipping. That’s always been done on Etsy

[@suzettesundae7903]

Have any sellers started a class action lawsuit yet? Their lousy ethics, lack of customer service... This was NOT what any of us signed up for!

[@hschwartz9277]

I'm a buyer. I wish, like social platforms, there was a way to block a user (seller) so that when I search for an item that seller does not show up ever again. I come across so many chinese made garbage sellers & would love to just block them from my search feeds

[@thepanda9782]

literally, if we had an option to say "not interested in this seller" we could create mass lists via reddit or something where people have vetted suspicious (and obvious dropshippers+AI scammers) and at least reduce the problem. Would direct traffic towards real sellers and likely increase sales again. I love Etsy but I don't shop there as often as I would if it didn't have this problem, like why would I pay hand-made prices for Temu/Shein garbage?

[@BarKeegan]

Saw an ad in the cinema recently for Etsy, showing off authentic handmade goods; they’re pretty hard to find on Etsy from what I gather. Really living off that early brand reputation

[@DustyHoney]

Etsy is not a new website, it’s been around for a long time but it’s been getting a lot worse in the last few years.

[@marshmallowalgae4995]

I like buying pattern books from etsy and ive noticed lately people are buying the books that are worth $15 full of 30+ patterns and turning around to scan each pattern and sell them for almost as much as the book itself, for ONE pattern! It just so unfair how people are so hungry for money they stoop so low and ruin platforms like this

[@FelishAccomplished]

Yes! The ai thing is super ridiculous. Someone on the sewing subreddit posted about a pattern they bought where they realized the "final product" for the pattern was ai generated and didn't match the pattern. They asked or a refund and the person selling the pattern claimed it was "still a good pattern" but didn't test it??? And couldn't be bothered to take pictures of it??? How in the world can you claim it's good??

[@Tfwcrochet]

That’s so bizarre to me that people would think this is okay.

[@TrishhMakes]

Its happening A LOT also with crochet. Its a mess

[@jougjimmadome]

​@@TrishhMakes uggghhhh the ai crochet patterns are a plague

[@MarideMari82]

People buying this miss a few brain cells. Get educated, problem solved. Scammers have been around since forever

[@kristyns1640]

@@MarideMari82 to some extent that's a little true but it's simply something that shouldn't even be allowed to exist on the platform. I don't feel right always blaming someone as just being ignorant when some AI can look really decent and you aren't expecting to see that people even thought to make fake patterns with AI on the website that is meant to be largely real people and real work. The website genuinely is horrifically managed.

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

I have bought a few digital items on etsy, 3d models, and I love how it says like "there are only 12 left in stock!", like a digital item is going to run out of copies, and a bunch of people supposedly have that obscure item in their carts. It really feels like a scam site.

[@naughtscrossstitches]

Because etsy requires you to put a number on a digital item even though it is essentially infinite. I laugh every time I put 999 on my digital items. Because that is the most I can list according to etsy.

[@MajestyHammond]

This irritates me so much - like when I found a “homemade” ring… and then found an identical listing both for the exact same price, both maddening and confusing.

[@VocalFox]

Dropshipping on Etsy is giving MLMs at craft shows/fairs. It’s just gross.

[@Tfwcrochet]

Agree. I have a video about that same experience at a craft fair.

[@VocalFox]

@@Tfwcrochet ohh, I’ll have to find that video and give it a watch! I enjoy craft content as well as anti-MLM content, so it’s always interesting when those two worlds collide. Sucks you had to deal with that situation at all though.

[@Tfwcrochet]

@ me too! I only mention it briefly in that video. It was mostly just about my bad experience overall. Now I know though MLMs at a market means I need to back out

[@eretlippand9965]

Well my experience as a buyer is this: last time I searched for earrings my daughter had seen on Etsy, they were 30€. I went on Amazon, the exact same earrings, with the exact same pictures were 9€. I went on Aliexpress. The exact same earrings with the same pictures were 3€. And this happens every time. With the tiara, the wristwatch, the bracelet...everything. I wont buy on Etsy anything, because I don't trust anyone on there anymore. Sorry.

[@L83467]

same here! sometimes it makes me frustruated when people say that they have to shop on amazon, because they cant afford to shop anywhere else, as if amazon is not just expensive aliexpress

[@wanbon]

I actually got a petticoat from a dropshipper on etsy, and I know it was a dropshipper because they sent me the EXACT same petticoat I got from amazon I was trying to replace. I left the person a bad review, and they had the GALL to DM me and basically offered to refund me to give them a better review. I refused obviously, but the fact they know all they have to do is play the algorithm is disheartening to know finding actual craftsmen is that much harder. If you see it, say it - call out dropshippers everytime, they don't deserve easy marks.

[@crazyibel]

I would've taken the money (up front) and added to the review instead of replacing it. like this, "edit; after my original review this company reached out and offerd me a refund in exchange for a better review. since I want to be honest with my reviews I want to add that I'm very thankful the company reached out and showed they know what they're doing. I would absolutely recommend this seller if you want to avoid purchasing from chinese webshops but still want the exact items and quality. they also asked me to give them 5 stars, so here they are ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ " this way I technically complied with their demands to get the refund and still show what kind of company they are. (I didn't change the star rating but I did give them 5 stars as promised)

[@madelegg]

Its worth noting that etsy sent out an email last year (I think) that didn't just condemn the use of AI in listings, but they straight up endorse it. They're not trying to fix this; I think Etsy looks exactly like the bigwigs want it to.

[@snekysneks]

I struggle with this sometimes too, but I believe you switched up condone and condemn.

[@slothisasin8240]

They probably make more money letting people scam others, but I hope it's temporary.

[@Arizona_Death_Trip]

I’m a stained glass artist who makes HANDmade (not just homemade 😜) stained glass art items. I just opened my first Etsy shop almost two months ago. Etsy made me pay a $29 “start-up fee” on top of the 20 cents per listing. I have made zero sales, and have gotten zero views from Etsy’s ads. According to my Etsy stats, all 33 of the views I’ve gotten are due to MY own advertising and linking through my social media accounts, zero from Etsy. I know I’ve only been on the platform for two months, but so far it’s looking like Etsy just scammed me out of $29, and I’m already ready to cancel my account and go elsewhere. I’m just not sure where, yet.

[@deltasaves]

I hope you cancelled. Its not worth it.

[@Arizona_Death_Trip]

@@deltasaves I have two months left on my listings. If I don’t sell at least one item by the time they expire, I don’t think I’m gonna renew them. 🙁

[@jennteal5265]

I've purchased a couple really pricy hand made stained glass items (Around $400 worth) from an artist that I found via IG. I think there's a LOT of stained glass artists on IG and I follow several of them. I haven't even thought to look at Etsy for it.

[@anonymouse9833]

@@Arizona_Death_Trip make sure you take the listings down before you close up shop (if that's what you choose to do). I figured they'd all come down when I closed my shop, but Etsy kept charging me listing fees for months after with no communication that they were doing so. I finally had to dispute the charges with my bank

[@asmrtpop2676]

I honestly think if you can find a way to film you like that tiktok is better for advertising art right now. I find plant and art sellers there now easily.

[@dismalpeanut]

I had the same experience selling on etsy. Towards the end I would spend hours scouring pages and reporting obviously drop shipped items and there was almost never any response from etsy. When I got a few items taken down for copyright claims it finally made sense. They don't care about sellers. They care about their shareholders. I tried making my own website but driving your own traffic is a monumental task. This year I tried going to in person markets for the first time and while it is a lot more work, I realized that I was missing the human interaction bit. It was really special to see in real time how happy my items made people. If etsy ever manages to fix their issues I'll be back, but that's not likely. It's such a shame.

[@johannageisel5390]

I think all you little artists should band together and open your own platform, organized as a cooperative. Like Nebula does it for video/film makers.

[@AuroKintro]

@@johannageisel5390 That sounds like a good idea! I remember something similar happened with tarot readers and they made their own website called Moonlight. It's upsetting as a buyer having to wade through all of the AI and scammers. I just want quality goods, is that so hard to ask the internet to provide nowadays?

[@aictopus]

I bought some "handmade" earrings earlier this year and realized later it was a drop shipped item. I just felt real crummy about it because I was essentially scammed. That's when I truly realized how bad it has gotten on etsy.

[@Frau.P]

Many jewellery is reselled from China 😢 you should search the picture in Taobao and google, if you find it on other pages, the risk is high it's not handmade

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

It sure was handmade by someone in a sweatshop in China...

[@veryberry39]

This is how I feel craft fairs in general have gone. My mom and I used to go to one when I was younger that was ALL homemade stuff. At this point, it's largely MLMs and people just treating it like a yard sale. Other craft fairs I see suffer from the same problem. Too many folks want cheap...and I get it, I can't afford handcrafted stuff, unfortunately. But a lot of people will turn around and try finding that same sort of thing on Temu or Shein or alliexpress or wherever they can get it cheaper, and over time that's really hurting the craft business. :\

[@jennteal5265]

OMG freaking MLMs. I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it. I can still find lovely artists at these fairs but it's the _minority_ within the fair and it's so disheartening.

[@dollarstorevodka]

This garbage has infected flea markets too

[@lalathebenificent1335]

Yes, it's becoming harder and harder to find "your customer".

[@Lauraetcetera]

“Keep commerce human” is the most laughable slogan for them at this point. Have your heard of go imagine? They only serve US for now but it’s looking like a great alternative if people are looking doe handmade crafts.

[@Tfwcrochet]

I need to look more into them! I only recently heard of them.

[@theshunnedBandersnatch]

Ooo I'll check Go Imagine out--thanks for the rec!

[@stuffinsthegreat]

As a buyer, I'm definitely always checking websites like these out (closed my Etsy account 2-ish years ago). I'll add it to the list for this year's Christmas shopping!

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

Checking it out now ^-^

[@kathykeeperofcrafts]

Same with Pinterest. Too much commercial Amazon, Temu etc listings. Everytime a free pattern is offered you have to sign up with your email.Several times I've had to deal with other sites sending me info from one. And a couple times I can't get inscribed from those added on sites I didn't directly sign up for .

[@zapisanekartki3845]

Pro tip: create the new e-mail for spam (without adding your real name there) and then if you need to sign up somewhere use this one. I'm doing it for years, and it's great to divide the emails I really want to receive and all the garbage because someone sold my data

[@TheVeggiekat]

I used to do all my Christmas shopping on Etsy, Felt more thoughtful but last two Christmases I got so much Amazon crap from sellers who said things were handmade. Worst part the things I got were not nearly as nice as their pictures

[@whitefilly8802]

I sell on Etsy and have had products removed by them for small/weird reason (such as; A lotion I make and named "Cashmere"... they removed it saying I was claiming my lotion had Cashmere wool in it... uhhhhhhhhhh what?) I'm getting really tired of being there. It's like you're sitting around, biting your nails waiting for the next sniper shot to hit. If they are overrun with temu and aliexpress problems, why are they wasting time on me and my ACTUAL handmade products? Crazy.

[@MaskedReviews]

I wouldn't have been able to resist asking: How do you know it doesn't?

[@rocketbilly]

Absolutely insane they do that, but they let people sell dangerous diet tea and dangerous cancer "curing" salves. I've reported so many snake oil sellers but nah, they take down legitimate shops instead :v

[@tallulahraccoon3832]

The word "Cashmere" is a protected term like "Champagner". You are indeed NOT allowed to use it if your product does not contain real Cashmere. Its called "false advertising" and no, you are not safe just bc it's lotion and ppl "should know" there is no textile Fibre in lotions. Bc that is not the point. Can't call any stackable chip Pringles, can't call every sparkling wine Champagner, can't call something Cashmere, if it does not actually consists of Cashmere. It's a thing but you don't know that bc you are not a real business owner. You are just a privat person selling stuff on the internet and thinks they can do however they please. There are rules and laws for a reason that real business owners go to uni or business school for, you know? If you would sell via your own website, someone could have just sued you for illegally using the term "Cashmere" and thus doing false advertising. Something like that always happens when layman think "it's not that hard". Yes, being a real business owner is hard bc you actually have to know stuff. You are like a child with a lemonade stand infront of their home who is angry that he can't call his selfmade orange limo "Fanta".

[@rocketbilly]

@@tallulahraccoon3832 I work with fabrics/textiles, and you aren't quite entirely right, otherwise you couldn't use Cashmere at all to describe scents. I have a lotion that is Vanilla Cashmere for example. Cashmere Woods is another. It's not protected like Fanta is, as its protected by the WPLA in the US, but not as a trademark. Also, most importantly in regards to this, cashmere more often than not comes in a fiber blend unless you're willing to pay out the wazoo for the cost. The only thing you have to do is add another word to it, but this isn't the case with ETSY in particular, as I did look into this after the fact. Etsy started flagging listings that use it no matter WHAT the context is instead of actually tackling the problem they have with sellers who are lying about the cashmere content of their products. It took down a ton of stuff from peoples shops, anywhere from lotions, to candles, to people who were accurately listing the contents of the fiber they use. Don't act like an ass, your post is needlessly rude.

[@MaskedReviews]

@@tallulahraccoon3832 although you have a good point about protected/copyrighted terms, this person IS a real business owner. Get off your high horse. Times have changed. Yes, they could have been sued for using the word Cashmere incorrectly. The rest of your message is high handed garbage. A business degree would have helped them avoid this, but isn't a requirement for starting a business.

[@bluecat2741]

I loved to buy from Etsy. So many unique things and I didn't mind that some were more expensive. And know you have to browse for hours through Chinese crap to find something from a real artist. 😢

[@Pipkiablo]

Their algorithm is just straight garbage. I could put in an oddly specific search and only like 2% of my results are even moderately close to what I'm looking for. Everything else is dropshipped garbage and items that are only vaguely similar to what I'm looking for.

[@barneylaurance1865]

Etsy is a public company traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The shareholders almost certainly don't care enough about valuing handmade items and supporting sellers to ever prioritise that over maximising profits, (whether short term or long term) and are presumably going to vote in board members who will prioritise making the value of their shares and/or dividends go up. So the question is if the shareholders don't value it does anyone else have enough influence to make Etsy do more to promote hand made goods. I don't know the answer.

[@fernandafuentes6858]

I was looking for crochet patterns the other day and I saw a seller who only sold AI patterns (at a normal pattern price), all the reviews were negative, I reported it and guess what happened? nothing

[@Tfwcrochet]

I saw a shop similar to this but reporting does nothing

[@WeirdSnakeGal]

Sadly there probably are thousands of them already 😞

[@michellepiazza7698]

I really hope that Goimagine takes off because Etsy needs competition!

[@Tfwcrochet]

True! I really need to look into them more.

[@OfMiceAndDestiny]

I'm plan on launching my handmade business next year on goimagine. I'm just looking to make some supplemental income so I don't mind the wait on sales. I really just want them to do well. Especially since they have some features I think would be so beneficial and amazing if the site continues to grow and there is more traffic to the site.

[@vacafuega]

Didn't know this was a thing, checking out now!

[@sdmcdaniel2255]

what's Goimagine?

[@fariahcriss5696]

Ooooh I've never heard of that one! I'll have to check it out, I've been looking for somewhere to go since Etsy started going downhill

[@chelseaf.3352]

Felt awful when I saw the SHEIN tag on the 90$ "handmade wool knit" sweater my mom bought me for christmas a while back :( she really thought she was supporting a small artist! I hope all these disgusting dropshippers feel ashamed of themselves!!

[@viziroth]

agree with so much of this. I hand make my items and etsy mistakenly took them down as a drop shipping product. yet there's hundreds of actual drop shippers that get no push back. it's ridiculous.

[@Tfwcrochet]

@@viziroth it’s maddening!!!

[@blinkingbat7447]

In my teens I dreamed of buying cute stuff of off Etsy one day, it was just too expensive for me at that age. Now I'm an adult and I don't even bother, I don't want to risk splurging only to realize later on it was a dropship item

[@TheBeadShopGirl]

I had an Etsy shop back around 2008. I only made a handful of sales, but it was a completely different space back then; more like a virtual craft fair. I don’t even shop on Etsy any more because it’s too hard to sift through all the dollar store garbage. It’s a shame.

[@silverlagomorpha3177]

I got off Etsy. I was getting drowned in searches by items that were faster to make and lower priced. They were items that could be remade and remade so they could become best sellers and sellers could sell more items. I’m in a local consignment shop now.

[@Desaundrea]

Thank you for this video. You were spot on. The masses can’t be wrong if we are all saying the same thing 🤷🏽‍♀️ As a buyer/Seller on Etsy I feel that comment five days ago cemented that they no longer care about handmade OR homemade. They only care about their profit margins. I like this kind of video, so keep it up 👍🏽👏🏽

[@Tfwcrochet]

Thank you so much 😭 I get nervous making critical videos since I like to keep things light and positive over here but I just felt the need to say something so I’m glad you appreciated it ❤️

[@crystallineautumn]

I started my first Etsy shop around the time that the site first launched. I started a second Etsy shop around 2012 to rebrand. I have watched how the company has change since its beginning. As both a seller and buyer, to see what has become of the platform is so beyond disheartening. As a buyer, it’s barely even worth trying to use the site anymore due to how unrelated the search results that they return to you are, how much mass produced junk is on there to have to sort through, and how much AI crap that I don’t want to support on there now. It’s rare to be able to find actual handmade and artist created work. It’s become barely worth the effort to even try to find what I want on there anymore. I have heard of Go Imagine, but they haven’t seemed to gain much traction yet. I wish there were alternatives to Etsy that actually supported handmade and artists.

[@AmandahLynn]

There are ai generated sewing patterns. I cut the fabric out in what the directions said was my size and it the left half of the front was bigger than my entire front. I won't buy pdf sewing patterns anymore on Etsy unless it's an already established brand/seller that I bought from before. I stopped selling on Etsy because too many people wanted custom items but wanted them shipped in ready-made time.

[@Tfwcrochet]

Uuuugh I hate that every niche has AI patterns.

[@AnnReHome]

I started in 2008, I quit in 2022. The lack of seller support and communication from Etsy was my #1. Worst support ever.

[@Nooneknows-d1m]

Greed is the root of all evils. It leads to people doing horrible things to each other.

[@foxbuns]

the entire etsy subreddit is inundated with hundreds of people who think they can AI generate some *mockups* of generic words onto ugly gray sweatshirts and have them dropshipped, with each one asking "why is nobody buying from my shop?" 🤫

[@beckycarlson1957]

I don’t really shop Etsy anymore just because of this. If ore people stopped buying, maybe a new, better pattern can come from this. Etsy is ruining themselves.

[@Kyttii]

I literally closed down my store of 12 years because of almost everything listed. The fees became unbearable, we lost the PayPal pay feature and I couldn’t keep up with dropshippers.

[@Trish_Carmichael]

I was looking for stickers on Etsy and it was filled with AI cr*p! I refuse to call that art. As an artist, it's insulting.

[@triciaknox7824]

What’s sad is that they would likely make more money supporting their sellers than trying to manipulate/control them. If they stopped spending their money on their dumb social media, and on actual customer aerobics, it would be money better spent. Though Etsy is still a giant in this field, enough people are getting fed up that I have no doubts a new competitor will arrive for sellers to move over to if they don’t turn things around.

[@JP-ve7or]

1:30 LOL when they were a new company, Etsy's posts were like, "We only sell HANDMADE because we don't believe in SLAVE LABOR from overseas!" My god how they've changed that tune.

[@kristyw89]

Ai is ruining everything. It's impossible to find coloring books and coloring pages anymore that aren't ai trash

[@lesleydehaan-kj8sq]

I stopped selling on Etsy maybe a year ago when the last of my items sold; I didn’t leave or delete my listings, I’m just not listing anymore. Any time I get someone interested in when I’m restocking, I tell them that I’m not a drop shipper so can no longer compete on Etsy and have left the site. It seems a lot of buys don’t understand what’s happening as they’re a casual user. I’m more than happy to fill them in.

[@NikkiVelazquez]

I've been on Etsy since 2012 also. It was my full time job for a few years. It's the reasons you cited that caused me to decide to let all my remaining listings expire. The last straw was their AI bot taking down one of my listings claiming it's not handmade. Oh, the irony! It's an embroidered felt flamingo mask, something I've sold many of on Etsy for several years along with other animal masks. And of course they did it the month before Halloween. I deleted the rest of the mask listings and gave my inventory away. Then they had the balls to send me a survey which is "confidential." I'm sure no human read that either. Keeping commerce human requires that a human being available to support your human sellers!

[@kerricaine]

A problem ive had as an etsy seller is making it a drop shipper platform changes peoples expectations. I made embroidered patches, my own designs on an old home machine. They weren't slways flawless. Sometimes a loose thread would be missed, or shipping would take longer because i couldn't get into the city to go to a post office. I couldn't handle the complaints from people asking why an item hadn't been shipped out by the next day, because it hadn't been physically made yet. I made things to order snd people were just assuming i was some chinese factory shop.

[@mountainjune]

I do have a few Etsy sellers that I still buy from, that have been on there forever so I'm confident what I'm getting is handmade, but whenever i try a new seller, it's hit or miss as to if it's handmade or from another country drop shipped. So I don't branch out much on Etsy. You even have to watch where you get crochet patterns, cause some of them are garbage as they have been generated by AI. Etsy still sells handmade, but you have to have found them before Etsy turned greedy. There's no telling just how long those reputable sellers will remain though. I used to sell on Etsy, but... now it's too much work for less than minimum wage, because my listings get buried.

[@lisabrown8889]

Two things - I was going to open a store on Etsy but when researching was able only to find negative feedback . The other, last year I wanted to purchase gifts from artists for my family - I purchased four "sculptures" - only ONE was clearly not manufactured nonsense. One even shipped from Russia even though the listing said the artist was in SC. And these items were NOT cheap. I will never buy from Etsy again. Nor will I be listing my product. Such a shame - it was such a fabulous idea.

[@deltasaves]

My mom had a similar issues of some items she thought were from Texas, but they came from somewhere in the Middle East. She was so upset when she check the tracking number and it was somewhere in Europe. Then the seller said my mom had no right to be upset and was nasty in the emails. The platform is slowly dying by 1000 cuts

[@LynsAlteredArts]

When people or a company say a product is handmade I always say handmade by a small child in China.

[@asfaltsflickan]

Another issue that’s really been bugging me is Etsy trying to micromanage the sellers. Constantly trying to change the way we manage our shops either through “helpful suggestions” or by punishing us for not doing it the way they want. I got a reserve on my payment account for not always using tracked shipping, because it’s very expensive in my country. I’ve been selling for ten years, had consistent 5 star feedback and zero cases against me. Less than five packages have been lost during those ten years, and I’ve refunded those orders immediately. When I then had to almost double my shipping costs to comply and get the reserve lifted, I got popups basically saying “we recommend against raising shipping this much” mf YOU MADE ME. It was the last straw, my shop is empty now and I’ll be closing it as soon as my last orders have been delivered.

[@spledydid7590]

Thank you for the video! The situation of stealing copyright (or copyrighting someone's work that hasn't been copyrighted) reminds me a lot of what happens in the music industry. It happened to Michelle Branch, JoJo, and Taylor Swift losing legal control over their music and therefore their voice if they aren't allowed to produce after signing. It's taking the hard work of real people with no or few resources and taking from them the work/demand for that creation. It happens apparently too, to people who produce art even on KZbin and it gets copyrighted and then strikes by randos.

[@Provokatze23]

My last experience was that a seller tried to sell personalized temu items for 3x the price. I now look twice to make sure it’s really the quality which i want from etsy vendors. I love to support really creative sellers :)

[@_Sapph_]

Its so hard being a buyer on etsy, ever since covid and moving out into a small town I try so hard to support small businesses. Every gift I buy for someone i try to get from a small business. But as others have said you have to wade through an ocean of dropshipped/stolen/AI crap! I feel like a forensic photographer trying to figure out if what I'm seeing is ACTUALLY handmade. I've been scammed a couple of times on Etsy and they did nothing! It's so frustrating

[@KnottyBearCrochet]

I couldn't agree more! I'm a new seller on Etsy so I don't have the history but even in my short time on the platform I can see the changes. It's really unfortunate! Hopefully something changes soon. Great video :).

[@Tfwcrochet]

I really want to have hope that things could turn around. Only time will tell.

[@Soundsliketara]

A few months ago I was looking into setting up a shop and decided not to because of the $15 sign up fee. They charge listing fees and take a percentage of each sale so asking for $15 up front is just a blatant money grab

[@ThatLoudCockatoo]

As a buyer, i don't go to Etsy anymore. I dont want to buy from a drop-shipper or reseller, and i don't want to have to vet every shop i look at.

[@SandyJoeKarpetz]

I used to sell vintage on Etsy in 2009-2011ish and I don’t even recognize the site anymore. On the customer side of things, their search feature is truly such a nightmare trying to navigate. Even when I use filter toggles. I can’t imagine how hard it must be as a seller to have your items even seen by potential buyers. 😢

[@3v1l73ddy]

As a buyer the biggest problem I have is that I don't know of any Etsy alternatives

[@deevnn]

Etsy did close to three billion dollars last year...Etsy got greedy and will pay for it. Can't tell you how many people I know who have dropped their Amazon prime and no longer do business with them and I am one of them.

[@the_mighty_merrick]

as an artist selling my work on etsy it is SO disappointing to see their stance on ai generated art. i just don't understand how they can claim to want to support artists and their work and then turn around and allow people to sell something that actively harms them. without exploiting and stealing the work of an real human artist ai generated art would not even exist, and it's obviously not hand or homemade if it was generated by a computer 😭

[@evie2411]

I *hate* their searching. I stopped buying as much because I literally can't even find what I want. It's inundated with irrelevant ads. Etsy, if I sort my items by price, why not sort your ads by price too? Then I at least would be seeing something I can actually buy with my budget!

[@QueenP13]

This video popped up on my home page, and I am so glad I clicked on it. I've been thinking about starting an Etsy shop to sell some of random crafts I make but I have only heard really bad stuff about it recently. Your video gave me a good idea of the current state of the platform in an objective but fully informative way. Thanks!

[@rofa6086]

Im sad about etsy not allowing adult products anymore, im glad i found so many good products and shops that i kept in mind. But now all that is gone. I can belive that for some people it was the entire business. Where can they now go when all their customers cant find their products anymore

[@vixendoe]

IMHO, Etsy put the nail in their coffin when they banned adult products. It might not die today, or next week, or even next year, but completely driving off a large portion of the people that helped make your platform never ends well for anyone, regardless of your thoughts on the products themselves.

[@jackpijjin4088]

Every website is terrified of adult content now, since they know parents don't watch their kids and let them go everywhere and see everything. It's bullshit.

[@Rurike]

Think im realizing my experience has been better than average on etsy due to looking for more niche items for cosplay things, though even ive noticed the growing number of ai advertised items. Also a lot of weird sellers claiming to do spells for you for thousands of dollars which is just an outright scam

[@SophiaAnimates]

Super good watch! I sell art and animation commissions on the platform and I can't express ENOUGH how harmful AI imagery has been to the community. I find it ironic that Etsy tries to promote themselves as "handmade" but does very little for the overwhelming amount of AI generated slop on their platform 🙄

[@G.G.8GG]

I have had an ETSY shop for a few years, which is basically sitting dormant, though it has listings. As I have gotten more into my senior years I find I am less and less willing to contort to match every new twist and turn ETSY puts out. I admire those on KZbin videos who still say: here's how to comply and still make it work! But when I examine all that I have to ask if pleasing ETSY is what I want my life to be all about. I am willing to work hard, study trends, learn consistently but I am not honestly willing to do that to make ETSY richer with a waning chance and higher risk for my own sales. I do need to make money, so now I'm considering what my other options are. There's an overall message in the fact that so many are bailing. If ETSY wants to be the pricey TEMU, so be it.

[@leonettab7479]

I was going to be a seller on Etsy for hand knit shawls, accessories, and even garments. I looked at other shops in the same category, selling allegedly handmade goods and the prices they were charging would not even have covered my material costs. There’s absolutely no way that somebody made a sweater and could make money on it while charging $30 unless it was fast fashion crap.

[@Infotainment-z7f]

I think it's time for many small businesses to join together and start a new platform, creator owned :S Because this is not working for both sellers and buyers.

[@danisarmi30]

I recently saw drama on the doll community of etsy taking off listings of people that make patterns for 18 inch dolls, like American Girl dolls, because mattel told etsy they were violating copyright because the Jess mold (the face of the doll) was detected on their photos. They got a copyright claim by having the clothes made with the pattern modeled by the dolls they were made to be put on. Which means mattel ran an ai seach and told etsy the use of their doll for something unrelated was copyright infringement, and then the ebay bots took down the pattern listings. American girl doesn't even sell historical clothes anymore, the existence of those patterns lose them no sales whatsoever. It's ridiculous

[@williehornung]

you can’t even filter search results for “handmade” anymore, so there’s no way to filter out all the drop shipping stores and aliexpress listings 😞

[@amberlightrunner4696]

I just ran into this. I ordered a crocheted outfit for my cousin's baby shower that was supposed to come from michigan, and it didnt shownup for so long. When I asked for an update ornteacking number because the one I got didn't work, The "lady" that it looked like it was being made by assured me it was coming and that she had just been sick, and then weeks later it showed up with shipping tags from several other countries. 😢 Just kind of spoiled it.

[@LovesDarkness]

The thing really grinding my gears about Etsy right now.... Is the amount of people who are ripping movies and shows that are on dvd, then turning around and burning it to CD and selling it on Etsy. Do you have any idea how many illegal bootlegs of TV shows and anime I've found and reported on Etsy? Tell me how that's handmade? And honestly why is Etsy allowing the sale of illegal bootlegs? Anyway... Gonna be opening a shop soon. Just working a bunch on various crochet items to have as inventory lol Also as an artist... One thing i love to do to screw with the AI users is take their art and repaint it myself and claim it.... Because anything created with AI is ineligible for copyright or trademark and they can't do anything about it because it was created with AI 🤣

[@batty-bites3185]

wait that's just straight up illegal how are they getting away with allowing people to do that lol

[@GreenMonkeyToaster]

It's not just "ali express" grade things. I bought a silver pendant that I thought was you know handmade and self designed only to end up seeing the same design from other shops. Idk if that's one manufacturer running several storefronts. I ended up buying a handmade axe for like 700 USD and that design also showed up in other shops. I used to love browsing and shopping on etsy but now that you can't really trust the items at any price points, I won't be buying from there as often anymore

[@TheCraftyAutistic]

It's so ridiculous that a company that talks about hand made products isn't willing to do work by hand to make it's own platform better.

[@hatchmaster_5745]

I remember when etsy went from being synonymous with nice, hand made products, to cheap mass produced garbage

[@MsAcpaul]

thankyou for your video. I am considering starting an Etsy shop for some extra cash. Now I seriously wondering it it is worth it. This video breaks my heart to watch a marketplace made for the right reasons end up like this.

[@TheNMDavis]

I've been considering opening an Etsy shop next year, but I'm concerned about all the bad things I'm hearing about them. I may just stick with word-of-mouth and social media to sell my things. Not as much money, but also not as much trouble.

[@Tfwcrochet]

Despite all the rough things I have still had a mostly positive experience on Etsy. But that’s up to you if you want to avoid it altogether. I get it!

[@selinamargetts6720]

I've been thinking about partnering with someone who can design for a shop. I can make items. I can't design lol

[@nikkirhombus0fterror615]

I'm in the same boat as you wondering what to do!

[@prairielooms]

Maybe try goimagine?

[@stuffinsthegreat]

As a buyer, I don't shop from Etsy anymore and haven't for ~2 years. I buy from ebay, Poshmark, or creator/shop's own websites only. Or in-person craft fairs etc--my last handcrafted jewelry was actually a purchase from a local pride event, for example

[@ghost_lad08]

Thank you for not talking about twitter

[@Tfwcrochet]

@@ghost_lad08 I can’t stand that place. Scares me lol

[@richardjones8236]

You mention that the fees are high but the traffic Etsy generates is worth it. I don't think so. As a seller, I don't get any exposure to all that traffic unless Etsy's algorithm allows it. I won't get into specifics, but while I had my shop, I would go days with no traffic. At the same time, shops with very similar items would be making good sales. Etsy wants their sellers to bring fresh new products as well as drive their own traffic. All the time saying how much they support us. Their hypocrisy is outrageous. I went through all the same problems with customer support you mentioned. Whenever I did get an answer, it was usually, "Go read the rules."

[@Tfwcrochet]

I said “in theory they should be worth it” unfortunately in practice that’s not always the case. 😞

[@Resellersruineverything]

As a buyer I absolutely hate Etsy now. I used to get recommended the most random and ridiculous art (that's how I wanted it) and now it's like: Tumbler, tumbler, simple gold necklace, simple gold necklace, AI, simple gold necklace. THE SIMPLE GOLD NECKLACE MARKET IS FULL. IT'S PACKED. IT'S DONE. WE HAVE ENOUGH SIMPLE GOLD NECKLACES. I want my weird freaky sexy Mothman art prints back! Where are they??

[@IrisLilys]

I always loved browsing etsy but it's become so demoralising when I lterally canr trust a single listing to be legit made by a small business or individual without researching the seller, reverse image searching the product, and discerning if the reviews are fake

[@jessicaliew4735]

So appreciate that you promoted another creator rather than just reiterating what has already been done. Always great to see creators supporting each other.

[@Tfwcrochet]

I already love Luke Kono’s content so I was happy to find he had done an Etsy video. Always happy to link other creators. ☺️

[@Waterenthusiast888]

Even as a buyer/user, I can't even help sellers out by reporting blatantly AI sellers/items. Their report page is almost invisible and very convoluted to use & fill out. You also can only report the item, not the seller, so even if your report goes through they're probably only gonna remove the one item you reported.

[@viviandibrell849]

I signed onto Etsy in January of this year. So far I have only made 10 sales. I thought things would pick up this month, but they are more dead than usual. I can’t believe that I am not getting more sales for Christmas. I am extremely disappointed in Etsy. I have been told by Etsy that I’m doing everything right so what the heck is going on? I sell my items locally and have no problem. I am seriously thinking of closing my shop in January. But I have bought all these shipping supplies and a printer for labels and a scale, and I have invested in all these things and I hate to lose my investment and then what do I do with all this stuff? 🥺🤬

[@kosaciecsyberyjski]

Honestly it may be best to advertise your work on straight up Facebook, because sadly websites meant for selling your work are going down the drain in general :( it's easier to get sales when you can choose who sees your stuff

[@AnnafromHungarylvNW]

Make your own website if you can. I'd much rather buy from that.

[@thepanda9782]

A lot of people are advertising their work through youtube shorts too! you can add a link-tree on your profile to your other social media, and that way people know you actually hand-make your items. After a while of consistent posting, you will get more traffic. I've seen lots of small sellers here advertise that way, and if you need to jump-ship off Etsy and just sell privately or through your own website, it's easier to direct traffic accordingly.

[@goodwifeweaver]

I'm kind of surprised someone hasn't created a site modeled on the original intent of Etsy that prohibits all this stuff. Seems like there's a huge market for it. Wish I was a coder. I used to shop on Etsy far more often when I didn't have to wade through 8 million dropshipped low-quality things. They even get dumped into "vintage," so you can't get away from them. Hate it.

[@LadyRed_]

Etsy has such an AI problem, especially in the animal department. My neish is Orcas and I can confidently say that 75% of listing's are either Clipart or AI generated. It's sad

[@chattychatotchannel]

Same! Mine is cockatiels and the stuff there looks NOTHING like cockatiels