Bonjour, G’Day, Guten Tag, Hola, Konnichiwa Etsy!
My name is Liz Wald and back in November, Maria mentioned in her post on the Etsy blog that I would be joining Etsy to work on international development. My first day is January 5th and I’m really looking forward to being a part of the team. I just wanted to say a quick hello, wish you all a very happy New Year, and let you know that I’d be reaching out to some of the international Team leaders so they can introduce me to their Etsy worlds.
My Etsy name is “Muka,” a nickname I received while working with artisans in Rwanda. It’s an abbreviation of a Kinyarwandan word that loosely translates to “a woman who lifts up others.” It was generous of them to give me this name because I always felt like the artisans did as much to lift me up as I did them, and I can already tell that the Etsy community is a place where people lift each other up every day. While I’m sure there are far too many international buyers and sellers to get to know you all, please feel free to convo me if you’d like to share some thoughts.
Etsy has had quite a growth spurt, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. You’ve seen the admin badge, and maybe you’re a bit curious about the person behind it. Check out our series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!).
For more on Etsy’s mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).
78 comments
Sign in to add your ownEJPcreations says:
YAY LIZ!!!!! Welcome!
3 years ago
katieblairdesigns says:
Hi Liz! Welcome to Etsy. :)
3 years ago
beachhouseblues says:
Welcome!
3 years ago
ArleenDesign says:
Welcome Liz!!!
3 years ago
FrucciDesign says:
welcome liz...and cool avatar! :)
3 years ago
SeaFindDesigns says:
Hi Liz!! Welcome!! I say Boston too.... but it's really Woburn!! Well.... Woobin!!!
3 years ago
littlealouette says:
welcome gorgeous!!!
3 years ago
dogties says:
Awesome... International helpers. Let the Etsy World unite.
3 years ago
Purpur says:
Willkommen!
3 years ago
rosetung says:
i like the story of your name and also your writing style :) glad to know someone's here for the non-US shopkeepers. imagine if etsy was limited to US?! how different, how lacking it would be!
3 years ago
BululuStudio says:
Welcome Liz Long time no see an about us article, I missed them.
3 years ago
bubbletime says:
Welcome Muka!
3 years ago
Sumikoshop says:
Welcome Liz....
3 years ago
mulletin says:
Welcome Liz! Yeah for the international Etsy. I love Etsy because it's all over the world, so thank you for doing more in that department :) /Kathrine in Copenhagen , Denmark
3 years ago
jodieflowers says:
Welcome Liz!
3 years ago
pinkshowercurtain says:
Welcome! :)
3 years ago
westcorinthstudio says:
Nice to meet you, Liz.
3 years ago
Thepaperboat says:
Welcome sweetheart!
3 years ago
felicitycrew says:
Welcome! I really look forward to seeing Etsy get an even more international touch!
3 years ago
ClaudiaLord says:
Welcome! And I won't hold being a Red Sox fan against you! Go Yankees!
3 years ago
createartanddesign says:
Hi and Welcome. Summery greetings from Sydney, Australia.
3 years ago
tangerined says:
Hello from Worcester. Lots of snow near your hometown today!
3 years ago
autumnsarrival says:
Welcome, Liz!!
3 years ago
BluCille says:
Interesting cuff.
3 years ago
littleredbear says:
Welcome to Etsy!!!
3 years ago
PoorRobin says:
Hoorah for new blood! Welcome, Liz. :)
3 years ago
Mimiandlola says:
Welcome Liz!
3 years ago
IcingOnTheCupcake says:
Welcome!
3 years ago
ThePeachTree says:
So great to learn a bit about you Liz "muka"! Can't wait to hear more from you in the future :)
3 years ago
VintagePaperParade says:
Welcome Liz! From Canada..
3 years ago
pogoshop says:
Fantastic! I love that you'll be focusing on international development. One of the coolest things about Etsy is that you can live in remote little places and meet buyers and sellers all over the world. Happy holidays and best of luck in your work!
3 years ago
DearDodo says:
Hi Liz! Welcome! That sounds all very exciting and promising! I love the story behind 'Muka'!
3 years ago
muka says:
Wow!! Thank you all so much for the welcoming comments! I'm excited to get started. Happy New Year!
3 years ago
EdselFordFong says:
Nakushemererwa, nyaabo! OK, so it's Rukiga not Kinyarwanda, but they are basically the same language. (The Kiga were basically the Hutu cultivators who managed to not live under the yoke of the Tuutsi cattle keepers.) The name they gave me was Ndyanabo - I eat with others.
3 years ago
italianpostcards says:
Hello and welcome to Etsy Muka! From a seller (an buyer) in northern Italy.
3 years ago
RelovedDecor says:
Yay for Liz! Yay for us folk that don't live in the US! Monique from Melbourne, Australia
3 years ago
babastudioPrague says:
Excellent. A more international perspective on Etsy would be good for everyone - buyers and sellers. Welcome! btw, I'm Irish, my husband/design partner is Russian, and we live in Prague, Czech Republic.
3 years ago
NicoAndMooMoo says:
Ciao Liz, benvenuta da Nico&MooMoo da Verona (Italy, not NJ ahahah)... town of Romeo and Juliet! ;-)
3 years ago
mouthwipers says:
That's amore!
3 years ago
BigFish says:
SO.... i clicked 6 of the products displayed with this article ........ ALL from the US ... umm good start?
3 years ago
thecyclingartist says:
Welcome from London, UK! :)
3 years ago
ptitebaloue says:
and welcome from snowy Quebec city, Canada :)
3 years ago
aromaticbodyoils says:
Welcome!
3 years ago
voleurdebijoux says:
Welcome Liz! ;)
3 years ago
fertilespirit says:
What an awesome job, Congrats!!! I love the fact that people all over the world are creating beautiful things right now!!!!!
3 years ago
goldcrestdesign says:
Welcome Liz and Good Luck!!!!!
3 years ago
englishmuffinshop says:
Willkommen from Vienna, Austria!
3 years ago
angeli says:
Kamusta po! from Angeli in Manila
3 years ago
nanouke says:
Olá from Portugal! Welcome Liz, have a great time :)
3 years ago
peaseblossomstudio says:
Welcome to Etsy! :-)
3 years ago
f2images says:
What an exciting job. Welcome!!
3 years ago
AGlimpseofHeaven says:
Hi Liz!! ("G'day") Welcome to Etsy International!!!:) See you around soon!! :"
3 years ago
JessicaDoyle says:
Hi from Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Welcome!
3 years ago
dangerousmezzo says:
Welcome, Liz, from Nova Scotia, Canada ... Etsy really needs you :) Just a question for Storque Admin -- why are all the "related items" from the US? And three of them won't ship OUTSIDE the US?
3 years ago
MommysMonkey says:
Greetings and warm welcome to you Liz! Yes ~ inquiring minds in Canada (well myself in Toronto LOL) want to know why the sellers in the related items are all from the US?
3 years ago
revolute says:
Welcome Liz! Glad to see that Etsy is working on that area! However, as stated above, those are not international sellers in the "Related Items". Curious as to why this is the case?
3 years ago
tortillagirl says:
Hello! Welcome to Etsy! Thanks for sharing about yourself in this article. I agree that as of the date of my comment, there are no international sellers in your "related items". It would have been more appropriate to feature international based sellers and U.S. based sellers who ship internationally. There are many of us here, and just a few of us have commented. I'm based in France *and* I ship worldwide. As it turns out, a nice chunk of my buyers are located outside of America. "Meilleurs voeux" and happy holidays to you and yours!
3 years ago
muka says:
I love seeing all the different ways to say hello and that was super interesting about the Rukiga as I'd never heard about that language in my visits to Rwanda. I can tell that this community is going to bring loads of new knowledge. As for items and sellers from around the globe that have caught my eye there are definitely some in my favorites--and many more that I've yet to discover!! Thanks again for all the good cheer and for keeping me on my toes!
3 years ago
gretchenmist says:
what a great job, i hope you love it :) i think etsy {which is already a lovely community} will benefit from your input. happy beginning!
3 years ago
marchpanepig says:
While it is lovely that Etsy are finally recognising life outside of America, it would have been even nicer if even one or two 'related items' shown had been from international sellers, instead of 100% US based. Two of whom don't even offer international shipping.
3 years ago
angelstuff says:
Welcome, Liz/Muka! I'm glad that you're here to do international development because we international sellers have fallen by the wayside here at etsy. The simple fact that in this article on you - the new international development person - international sellers aren't included as part of the Related Items shows how strong the pro-US bias is here at etsy. I'm looking forward to seeing the changes you'll be making here at etsy.
3 years ago
HuayruroPeru says:
Bienvenida Welcome from Peru, home of the Inca Empire
3 years ago
ebbandflo says:
slow hand clap from this scot in canada. even tho international items have now been added to this feature it was only after sellers raised the point. sellers will keep you on your toes muka, but is that really a professional way to approach the job? a friendly suggestion - get as familiar as you can with ALL workings of Etsy before Jan 5th, and that includes the customers ie. sellers, too before any more faux pas are committed on your behalf
3 years ago
MayberryCreations says:
Welcome from Newfoundland, Canada! I hope you enjoy working for Etsy!
3 years ago
LaVogue says:
Welcome; it looks like you have your work cut out for you finding out-of-US sellers and international shippers.
3 years ago
morgansilk says:
There are wonderful artisans from all over the world on Etsy-- I hope you find them all. Enjoy all the window shopping ahead.
3 years ago
Timeless says:
muka says: As for items and sellers from around the globe that have caught my eye there are definitely some in my favorites--and many more that I've yet to discover!! Thanks again for all the good cheer and for keeping me on my toes! ********************** I'm sorry, but all you had to do was check that the 'related items' were in fact related to your topic, meaning that they would be by people from outside the US and/or available for buyers outside the US. Can't be that complicated with as many international shop owners as there are here on Etsy and even more people willing to ship outside the US. *shakes head*
3 years ago
artnomadix says:
Welcome to Etsy LizMuka, from Down Under, I hope you have been made aware straight away, about the urgent need for a clearly visible US$ in front of every Price. Please see this thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5889433&page=52 Thanking you in anticipation of some action soon...Megg
3 years ago
LaCometaLab says:
Hi Liz/Muka!!! Welcome here... it's really exciting news that you are coming into the team to take care of us wonderful "international" members :)
3 years ago
sabineajewelry says:
Hello Liz! Welcome from Norway! :-)
3 years ago
retroeuropa says:
Welcome and Bienvenida - I would like to extend welcome to any that would like to be part of the International Recyc Database I am part of... Saludos and Happy New Year !
3 years ago
mleesanders says:
Bonjour from Quebec/Canada! I do hope etsy will become more international...Prices should be stated in USD or other... welcome and good luck!
3 years ago
LANCERIKA says:
..wishing you all the Best Liz*~* awesome job!
3 years ago
yummyink says:
Great job Liz!
3 years ago
brownbunnybyiris says:
Looking forward to meet you in Berlin:-)
3 years ago
kariusdeparius says:
I was so glad to see you in Paris yesterday! I'm sorry I arrived late and had to leave you before the end; that's life with kids... J'aime etsy.com ! FARE FORWARD VOYAGER, LOVE - Karianne
3 years ago
HighDesertRose says:
Wow, a woman who is a lifter of others. I love that and am so glad that you are here among this wonderful community.
2 years ago
LavenderField says:
Ok, this article came out a little over a year ago.... I was not an Etsian yet. I nevertheless welcome you and hope that Etsy will one day spot CYPRUS on the map!! We are a small country but there are about 13 Etsy sellers over here, and I'm sure a lot more buyers!
2 years ago