There was a op-ed floating around online a few weeks ago dissing Etsy sellers as delusional housewives wanting to get-rich-quick. I thought I had bookmarked the article, but now I can’t find.
The gist of the ridiculous point being made was that the webmasters behind Etsy are scamming poor, stupid women into thinking they can make any kind of a substantial income selling handmade wares online.
Well, Etsy sellers? DO you feel scammed? DO you envision riches beyond your wildest dreams? I highly doubt that most do.
Most use Etsy as a supplement to other aspects of their businesses — art shows, wholesale, antique mall booths for the vintique sellers, brick and mortar shops, what have you, or list on Etsy to supplement their family income while working from home and caring for their young children.
In addition to the wild assumptions being made about the intellect and expectations of Etsy sellers, I took offense at the article-that-I-can’t-find for another reason, too. That of a six-figure+ business being the only barometer of success. The logic goes that if a business doesn’t generate truckloads of cash, what’s the point?
Boy oh boy, if that doesn’t sound like current Wall Street thinking, I don’t know what does. It’s the reason mom and pop’s have felt so neglected while big box stores run bulldozers down Main Streets not only in America but across the globe.
To that writer whose article-I-still-can’t-find I say this: there is dignity in providing quality handmade and in a craft well done, whether with needle and thread or nails and hammer; and truly, our economies need to move away from a mega-corp winner take all system and return to a network of Indiepreneurs creating product and services for their neighbors. It’s a far healthier economy when the dough gets spread around.
So, here’s to Etsy sellers big and small.
Related Articles:
- Etsy Tips Out of all the current venues online from which to...
- Embracing Etsy: Etsy’s Handbook, Storque, and Forums I’m sure I won’t make many friends with this post,...
- Embracing Etsy: Getting Started In preparing to launch an Etsy shop, I hope I’ve...
- Understanding Etsy Does this sound familiar? You’ve visited Etsy.com and while...
- Etsy 101 I am quickly approaching my one-year anniversary on Etsy...
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Let ‘em have it! Please find that article; I’d love to read it. My favorite point you make is that the only barometer of success is a 6-figure income. BAH! Even losing money can be satisfying. Now I’ve just got to get that etsy shop up and running….. I SWEAR, I’m working on it
Having started an Etsy shop this week, I do not feel I am at the hands of scammers at all. What they do is provide a very clean interface to a great shopping experience, and another great tool for my teddy bears to get adopted by loving collectors. I do not see anything wrong in that, especially since the prices are fair.
Too funny! Etsy is awesome and as much as I would like more sales it’s not Etsy that makes or breaks me, it’s me and what I do to advertise my online business. Just like you said, it’s a supplemental way do business and another way for me to get my name out there.
Your post made me obsessed to find the article–is this it?
http://www.doublex.com/section/work/etsycom-peddles-false-feminist-fantasy?page=1,0
That would be the one, G. Thanks!
I blew steam out of my ears at the “female Ghetto” line. Evidently anything that is female dominated is horribly bad. Arrgh.