Etsy success story not all that: cheap imported goods marked up = "success"

[pamjoyful]

19. Reselling on Etsy is common and very profitable for the clever and able!

I remember when the Etsy site first started. They began with people that really made things hoping to sell their wares. My grandmother was making quilts by hand and I made baby blankets for a hobby. There are a lot of artists in the world that are very dedicated to their crafts, and many of them are just getting by, but happy with what they are doing. I never thought the site would go anywhere trying to help artists make a living. Since most artists make one item at a time, they cannot really make enough items to get to the point of really making a good living, even if they are going craft shows on the weekends. Everybody likes a good success story, but it is also annoying when you know that people are not doing what they say they are doing. The ThreeBirdNest could not possibly be making or even designing all the stuff they sell. You have to ask yourself what kind of skill combined with what kind of luck would allow such an project.

A few years ago there was some company promoted by Etsy that was making painted wooden furniture in Indonesia. That was in the news. Etsy in fact protects sellers like this and uses it to exploit the common desire of people that want to create, get acknowledged, and make money doing what they like. I don't want this to be another "lets beat up etsy" link, but its not easy to ignore and be happy about reading this stuff. A normal average buyer can look through pages and pages of ETSY offerings and see that very little is made by the people selling it. Now etsy claims that people have to prove they are making what they say they make. But what you actually see is people standing by a machine with a ring in their hand, or holding material to make a dress. This proves nothing. And the stories people write are often very contrived.

There are a few available sites that document the truth about what is going on with Etsy. Such as Callin' Out on Etsy, RUSEtsy (This much-deserved call out will soon be swept aside by Etsy), Etsy Bitch - Biting The Hand That Feeds Us, RESELLONETSY, and even Etsy itself has tried to do damage control over all the complaints it has been getting. People in fact just got tired of trying to clean up Etsy. Half of the sites that allow people to offer opinions and call out resellers have had no activity since 2012. Etsy in fact has the ability to silence most of these sites!

You also see a lot of people complaining about workers in 3rd world countries, like Thailand, or Indonesia, where many skilled and non-skilled workers are working for food and a tent to sleep in. Who is really making out? Big business? The fact is that if people realized they just spent $125 on a brand name shirt that was made and labeled in Cambodia, but they bought it at a department store, but it cost $1 to make, they would probably rethink their shopping stratagy. Etsy is full of this kind of thing.

Check out Tribaystyle on Etsy. They sell 1000s of earrings handmade in Bali. The average cost per pair of earrings is $1.50 to $4 and they get up to $35 for a pair of earrings they didn't make. Trybalstyle is in fact a corporation owned by a man in Ohio who makes even more money selling at music shows across the USA. They have been on Etsy for years selling $200,000 a year just on Etsy. This was before Etsy changed their rules. How about people making stainless steel on Etsy. Do you know what kind of money and machines it takes to make stainless steel products? How about Thaisaket on Etsy, a site that sells Korean style jeans (Baggy Yoga pants costing $5 - $8 wholesale) one after another, who also own CottonCulture and a host of other stores. They are all under different names, different credit cards, different computers, and even different cameras. Read their stories and you will see how ridiculous they are. Like this story from Thaisaket. Read the sroty about what one Thai girl claims she does and is in contol of almost everything? (Check the English, could she even have written that story?) This is common on Etsy, and the stories are fantastic! This story is laughable. And they are laughting all the way to the bank. If you read the feedbacks, you will see they sell poor quality items and get away with it!

"It all started as a child. My Mom always was either sewing or making something. I naturally developed a serious interest following her around when I was a little girl. As I got old enough she began to teach me all she knew. I later moved on to working in a large Thai company sewing as a job learning all the types of machines used and the tricks to everything. Wanting more I began studies in fashion, and design. I knew right away this was what I wanted. I then went on to complete studies earning a certificate. After finishing I started my business. I have been sewing and making clothes for 20 years now. I then heard about online selling and was convinced to try it. Finding Etsy was an amazing thing for me. I found that others can love and purchase my clothes easily. What fun! I soon realized I would need help, and turned to my family as most of the women sew, and even some of the men also. My Aunt Jok and I began the planning and finally she came on board. She and I work together to produce the clothes now and her husband Precha helps out when we are real busy. This has blossomed into a complete family business. Even my two boys help out making envelopes ready. My childhood best friend Apple does our modeling as needed. I have learned to take, and edit photo's, and all computer work is also in my hands. I am the main packaging person as I want to QC and look after all our customer orders personally. As for our styles they are a blend of traditional Thai with a very modern flair. I want to create comfortable yet affordable things that anyone can easily have. We specialize in large to plus size as this is really an area where comfort and style are needed in my feeling.. I am constantly looking everywhere at fashion and always quick to try something new if I feel it goes well with our line. Join us on our clothing adventure and journey to fashion with flair! Should you have any clothing need please do let us know. I will try to answer as fast as I can. Thanks so much for reading our story and we hope to see you soon."

Of course there is the reality that if you told the people the truth, Etsy would not be able to rake in the money that they do, along with their protected, high profile vendors. Since Etsy and similar companies could care less about what their vendors are selling you, it is your responsibility to police your own shopping experience. And you might want to exercise the word "NO" more frequently during your shopping sprees.