Not sure what your experience is with Etsy, not sure I even care but there comes a time when even a saint like me must vent, you see Etsy has gone bats*it crazy.
This marketplace they call Etsy is a visible gross display of a lack of professionalism, systematically run by a bunch of ninny's (mostly whiny women)
A daily regimen at Etsy consists of suspending perfectly good shops with no logical reason given that hold excellent feedback.
Meanwhile shops posting crud that's mass produced and made in China are overlooked and freely allowed to sell throughout the platform.
I'm sure Etsy doesn't even know what products are antique or vintage, where most of these petty arguments come from in the first place while suspending perfectly good accounts in question.
They won't dare take the time to investigate claims from other sellers who click the panic button and report your shop for whatever reason.
Maybe they don't like your shop or maybe they just don't like YOU and click away they go, causing your account to be suspended without reason for months because "nobody expects the spanish inquisition" until you confess to being a bad witch and devil worshiper just to keep your shop open, all so you can continue to be treated like a worthless sinner. Isn't that wonderful?
There are a few Etsy employees who are shop owners or sellers that sit in wait jealously trying to eliminate competition by terminating the accounts of their
competitors without warrant.
All they have to do is click that blasted "report this item to Etsy" button and Etsy responds by automatically suspending your shop without valid proof.
Etsy has been notified about this outrage numerous times but no action taken.
Of course you'll have to pay listing fees again to relist your products, fault of yours or not and NO it's not fair but they don't care what you think and why would you think they would?
You lose time, customer trust, customers, sales/money, your temper and sanity.
Bow to them you must because you need to make a living, you need to keep
your shop open by any means necessary and so you compromise your
liberties for security only to find out later that you have none.
You can continue to bow down to Etsy if you like but I WON'T BEND.
You see, I don't play games or negotiate with terrorist so when I saw this gross display of whack ass behavior, I simply decided to bitch slap Etsy in the face by deleting my account.
There are other marketplaces to sell and a new online shop is in the works.
I believe every seller should have their own shop, this way they have more control, instead of being dependent on a ninny to offer you a very small piece of the pie in which you will have to bend over and take it up the arse whenever they have an issue with you, changing their game, policy and/or rules.
Try getting a real person to speak to over the telephone.
WHAT TELEPHONE? there is no phone number, there is no customer service department, only some 'integrity' department run by a bunch of deaf eared grannies lacking any integrity.
Word is Etsy may or may not respond when you painstakingly take the time
to file a complaint against them via the Better Business Bureau.
Why
don't you head over there to see the many complaints against them and
wonder why Etsy is NOT BBB accredited.
Yet they have the friggin nerve to terrorize sellers, shut down your shop without valid reason, seize your sellers fees without any hope for a refund, all while claiming that you are incapable of running a legitimate business but look who the real tyrannical hypocrite is needing a business course in customer service.
Etsy is like talking to a brick wall in which you would have better luck dropping your pants and watching both your butt cheeks speak in front of the mirror.
Just think what Etsy could have been if they treated their accounts like individuals instead of peasants.
Try them out if you like as every online experience may of course differ but unfortunately my experience with Etsy = chaos, strife & utter disgust.
And so the question arises how to defeat the Ego! If the power stays only in the seeing, the sense of person will begin to lose power. The power remains solely in the presence and the presence is neutral.
When creating a new website to showcase your works of art, where do you start, how much is this gonna cost and who can help make this task easier?
I strongly believe every online seller should have their own e-Commerce website.
Luckily I've found a list to help you since I myself was busy looking to build an e-Commerce site of my own (still in progress)
Shopify leads the way in creating a quick website that functions rather nicely and still is a powerful e-Commerce website solution that allows
you to sell online by providing everything you need to create an online
store.
BigCartel is still up there on the list and still is a great simple shopping cart for clothing and tee designers, bands, record labels, jewelry makers, crafters, and other artists.
LightCMS came to my attention just recently making it easy for anyone to create an elegant website and online store.
Squarespace also provides everything you need to create a beauty, it's the easiest way for anyone to
create an exceptional website. Pages, galleries, blogs, domains,
hosting, analytics, 24/7 support - all included.
Cinsayis the first video e-Commerce platform
that allows you to buy products directly inside the video player.
Capture leads, collect donations and sell products intergrated inside your videos.
Volusion is the award winning all in one e-Commerce solution with the web's leading e-Commerce software, providing everything needed to sell online.
BigCommerce is an e-commerce platform that helps small to medium
businesses sell more online. It's unique, all-in-one marketing and
e-Commerce.
SupaDupais is a new concept in boutique e-Commerce, a premium boutique e-Commerce platform aimed at people with an
uncompromising eye for design who have one or many products to sell.
Spree is a powerful and flexible e-Commerce platform for the ruby enterprise, capitalizing on the dynamic nature of the Ruby programming
language to provide the most flexible e-Commerce platform available.
FoxyCart exists to serve modern web designers and developers by
providing innovative and flexible solutions to historically frustrating
problems. Our approach is to create specific solutions that can be
painlessly customized and integrated, and allow the best tool for the
job to be used in conjunction with our products.
Highwire allow you to create your own store and sell multi-multichannel while empowering online sellers to be grow your business and be successful.
IzzoNet is an e-commerce platform that enables every person to have a successful
online store increasing sales and
profit.
The only e-Commerce solution for integrating drop
shippers/suppliers to online stores/shopping cart enabling store owners to
reach 250,000,000 potential customers in less than 24 hours by
integrating with 15 top shopping engines and about 8 leading coupon
sites, including Facebook, YouTube and more.
That's it for now but you know me, I'll be updating this post with any more that I've come across. You of course can also help by leaving a comment below of any you ran across that's not already listed here, I thank you in advance.
I don't remember when it all started but I've accumulated a lot of jade.
Carved jade to be specific and this lust for jade has gotten out of control.
I won't even attempt to list all the different types of jade I have in my possession.
I've even spread them all over my bed and floor surrounding me in utter disgust.
How in the universe did I allow this obsession to get so out of control?
I've got to find a way to get rid of some of this stuff, I suppose I will have to set up an Amazon/Ebay account soon and allow somebody to buy them from me. (this way it will now become someone else's problem)
What do I look for in carved jade pieces?
What is it about carved jade that interest me enough to hoard them the way I do?
I look for color, has it been dyed or color treated, size, weight, edge thickness, how finely carved it is, who carved it, what story does it tell and of course the price comes later, you'll know when the price slaps you in the face.
Pay for it I do and then some, dangerously so because I have found myself sacrificing my paychecks to run a mock, buying without any pride or self control.
YES you bet I'm ashamed of myself, well I should be but I can't help myself.
If my Grandmother was alive today she would punch me in the face, but I don't care cause I'm smiling with a sort of sick smug look upon my face just thinking about it.
Grandma please forgive me, I know you didn't raise me this way and I will attempt to change for the better, as soon as possible.
I will make you proud of me again just as soon as I purchase that other carved jade piece I found on Ebay for only $399.99, then I will start fresh, a clean plate, that is until something else catches my eye, then it's off to the races again.
I get a lot of compliments when I wear this carved jade and coral bead necklace.
This beautiful piece of jade & seed pearls was given to me by my Grandmother.
It was her favorite piece of jewelry, now it's become my favorite and little piece of sentimental remembrance of her.
Before it was passed to me, my Grandmother being an independent centenarian decided to go for a stroll down her neighborhood one cool afternoon, stepped off a curb, lost her balance, falling and almost breaking her hip.
In the process of falling, she broke her beloved jade necklace and she was pissed, in fact she bitched about it for months, can you blame her?
A few years later she passed at 105 years old, the piece came into my possession.
With love for my Grandmother I was inspired to find a way to salvage this beautiful piece of carved jade and you bet I was successful in finding a way.
I already had some old coral beads lying around somewhere in my attic that was grabbed off my neck during a fight with my jealous childhood nemesis Tiffany.
(yes I kicked her *ss making her beautiful for her funeral)
I decided to use those after purifying them of all negativity, by holding the beads over burning white sage smudgesticks in my attempt to salvage this piece.
I just loved the color of the coral and thought why let good coral go to waste, why not find a purpose for it, besides genuine coral can be expensive and I wasn't in the mood to go buy more when I already had perfectly good coral at home, so I put it to good use and hired the coral, gave it employment.
The tough part was trying to find a way to connect the jade to the coral beads.
I decided to use two 14kt 6-strand box clasps yet to me it still looks a bit messy, not exactly perfect but I've gotten so many compliments from friends and total strangers over the years that I guess it really doesn't matter if the finish piece looks a bit delicate, which kinda reminds me of my fragile beloved Grandma.
The results is this beautiful 14kt carved jade, seed pearls & coral beads necklace.
Here goes my first real blog post, I'm so excited I don't know where to begin.
(I confess, that was a fib, shame on me, yes I do, I'll start at the beginning)
Over the years a lot of artists have continuously ask me one simple question:
"Oah where can I can sell my art, gain customers and make a decent profit?"
Rest assured tots, you've come to the right place, you won't be sorry you asked this sexy wise owl that question, have I got a list of cool places for you.
Listen it's not only about Ebay & Etsy, there are many other great little hidden places for you to sell your work, grow your customer base and make a fair profit.
Some people already know about these best kept secrets and chose to keep you in the dark, not saying a word about them to you, watching you struggle instead of lending a helpful hand, while laughing at you behind your back, but not me, heck no, I ain't about that, I'm about helping my fellow artists and community.
That's right I have comprised for you and your reading pleasure a list of top quality marketplaces for you to sell your hard work, so by all means, hold on to your seats and pay close attention cause trust me, it's a handful.
I'm only gonna say this once, for heaven's sake bookmark this page, forward this post to friends, take notes if you must and here they are in no particular order. AHEM :-)
One Artist Hand's 2012 Top Places To Sell Your Creative Works Of Art.
Wedzu is an online marketplace that provides indie and handmade items for awesome wedding days. It’s curated to bring you only the best items from the most reliable, dedicated designers.
Felt and Wire Shop is a curated marketplace of designer papergoods, made up of designers, printers, bookbinders and artists.
ArtsyHome connects you artists with buyers and helps expand your reach to sell your unique goods.
Three Sisters Marketplace is an online community for artisans and shoppers to connect with each other, a place to buy and sell exceptional handcrafted items, learn about art events while growing their skills in classes and workshops.
The Stylistic Gallery is an online hub for you to showcase & sell your stylistic handmade products and designs online across the world. Stylistic Gallery was created to allow talented designers, artists and creators to sell their work online, so that you can buy beautiful, innovative handmade, hand created products.
Etsy is the world’s handmade marketplace. Our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We are bringing heart to commerce, making the world more fair and more sustainable.
Folksy is one of the largest marketplaces for handmade work focusing exclusively on UK designers and makers.
Supermarkethq makes it easy to buy great design, straight from designers and makes it easy for you to sell your goods directly to the public.
Creativemarket is a new kind of marketplace for handcrafted, mousemade design content powered by a global community of creative people.
Shustir is a place to find small businesses selling great stuff, open an account as sell your goods. Connect with consumers who prefer to buy locally, and from independent retailers and professionals. It enables small businesses to set up virtual storefronts to sell their goods and services, improve visibility in search engines and communicate with prospective customers and clients through community building and social media.
Coriandr is a place for you to buy and sell handmade or vintage items, art, craft and supplies at the UK's handmade marketplace.
ArtFireis a unique online marketplace for artists, crafters, and makers of handmade items from around the world. Whether you want to sell fine art, jewelry, handmade books, ArtFire.com has a place for you.
Bonanza is the place for you to discover unique fashion, clothing, jewelry, accessories, home decor, collectibles and more all at this marketplace where serendipity awaits.
DeviantART is a community of artists devoted to art, a place to buy and sell art.
BoJest is an online marketplace to shop, buy and sell all things handmade.
Artspan members have their own customizable, easy-to-manage, full-featured websites to show, market, and sell their artwork.
Boticca is a unique marketplace connecting top emerging independent designers directly with customers seeking exquisite, unique pieces from inspiring places.
Dipperly is the newest and fastest growing community of people selling their crafts, antiques, and vintage items.
Dreamaid is commerce with a soul, allowing customers to buy and sell original arts, crafts while helping artists.
Amazon.com is still a marketplace to buy and sell and where artists and designers can sell their unique works.
Ebay is still a place to sell products and services though I really can't stand to mention them. (not a fan)
eBid is the leading alternative to eBay with over five million items for sale worldwide, providing a place where you can buy and sell stuff. (not a fan)
eCRATER is both a free web store builder and an online marketplace. If you are a seller you can create your own free online store in minutes. If you are a buyer you can browse and search among millions of products.
DaWanda is the marketplace for gifts and handmade products. Buy and sell unusual gift ideas, unique products and handmade things.
Fine Art America is the premier online marketplace for buying and selling fine art originals, fine art prints, framed prints, stretched canvas prints, posters, etc.
RedBubble is all about helping artists share their vision with the people, an online art community featuring wall art, design, photography and t-shirts by artists worldwide. Buy cool art & t-shirts or sell your art!
Ruby Lane to buy and sell quality Antiques & Art, Vintage Collectibles and Jewelry from thousands of vetted independent shops, since 1998 and yes of course you can sell your stuff there too.
Yardsellrmakes it easy for you to sell or buy whatever you want. Best of all, the buying and selling is done by regular people like you. That means you get great prices from folks you can trust within your network or within a friend's network.
ShopCity delivers an entirely new dynamic marketplace in favor of the community and local business, providing all the tools independent businesses need to connect with customers and succeed online in a simple-to-use system.
ShopHandmade is a completely free, community-supported marketplace for sellers of handmade items including gifts, jewelry, vintage, crafts and more.
Zibbet is a global marketplace to buy and sell handmade goods, fine art, vintage items and crafting supplies.
Zaybia is an online e-commerce platform with which small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs alike can create a free online presence and distribute their artistically unique handmade goods.
Shoply is another social marketplace to help show off your creative talents.
Copious is another cool marketplace bringing a social focus to ecommerce, using Facebook to eliminate anonymity.
Artbreak is a global community for artists and art lovers, a place for artists to share their art, sell it commission-free.
Artslant takes the hassle out of selling your art. Buy, sell and browse the best in contemporary emerging art. Originals and fine art prints available.
Artnet is the place to buy, sell, research fine art, decorative art, and design online, featuring international galleries, artists, artworks, auctions, and the latest updates in the art .
Artybuzz is a community were artists, photographers and designers can exhibit, sell artwork and buy canvas art prints, giclee art prints, photography art and more.
Misi is another market to buy and sell handmade crafts, gifts, jewellery, baby gifts and wedding gifts. Browse Craft Shops or chat in the Crafters Forum.
Storenvy is a marketplace and store platform for the world's most unique businesses. Shop thousands of indie merchants or open your own store for free.
Threadflip is pioneering a new social shopping experience by offering a simple way to convert their closets into a dynamic boutique-like experience, connecting buyers with sellers, and capturing the collaborative energy of shopping.
Trocadero offers an affordable and manageable fast-track to selling online with a presentable image, authentic antiques, fine art and decorative art offered by credible American, European and Asian antiques dealers.
ArtWanted is a large art community for artists & photographers to display and sell their artwork. Founded in 1999 as an art community for artists & photographers to display and sell their artwork.
Guzuu is a platform for buying and selling handmade and unique products.
The site is in German but use Google Translate for your language.
Icraft is a canadian site that offers a global marketplace for all things handmade, from artisans, designers, artists and craftspeople.
Made It Myself helps you to buy & sell homemade products like crafts, jewelry, quilts, soaps, greeting cards & other handmade stuff online.
NativeMotif is an artisan marketplace. Proudly celebrating the masterful works of professional artists nationwide. Support Artists, buy handmade.
Craftsvilla is India's largest marketplace for unique handmade, designer & gift items. Choose from over 100000 products including jewellery, clothing, bags, etc.
Hand-Made.com.au is another marketplace where you buy and sell art, craft and supplies at this Australian handmade marketplace.
SilkFair is buying and selling made easy, aiming to be the premier e-commerce site for users to buy and sell their goods online. We are always looking to innovate and provide more great features and tools to our users.
Handmadeartistsallows you to buy and sell handmade directly from the artist, devoted to supporting handmade and bringing the finest handmade products.
Madeit is the handmade market open all day every day, buy & sell Australian handmade goods online, art craft design.
Luullais a handmade marketplace where you can buy and sell handmade items and share handmade tips and ideas. We hope to inspire creativity in the individual and from crafters around the worl.
ASOS marketplaceis a global platform for anyone to sell fashion in the world. It's your fashion democracy, your designs, your style discoveries, the fashion scene from your streets.
Fred Flare is another retail marketplace to sell men's and women's clothing, jewelry, stationery books and handmade items.
CustomMade is a marketplace for hiring makers to create exactly what you want.
Collaborate with woodworkers, jewelers, metal workers, glass
artists, and other respected and talented
artisans in the industry to create something one-of-a-kind.
Cargoh is a curated social marketplace for independent creatives.
It's the most
social place to buy and sell products from the world's leading
independent brands!
Wanelo is a global platform for shopping organized around people while creating an open and connected market for all the world's
goods.
Shop Hers is a luxury marketplace dedicated to designer fashion, curating our community to guarantee simplicity,
authenticity & quality.
Of course this is just a small list which is subject to change as I will update it by adding more that I come across in the future but in the meantime start with these, sell you art, gain new customers, make a decent profit and grow your business.
If you know of any other marketplaces that weren't listed here, please for the love of God help your community, drop a comment below with the link as this helps your fellow artists find fresh watering holes.
This concludes our tiny list, aren't you glad you have me to look out for you?
