Does this bother you too?
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Original Post
I must first mention that I wholeheartedly applaud any seller that can make their Etsy business a success. Especially when they work hard, market properly, and are honest in the matter in which they do it. So with that being said, I am certainly not a hater of those that are succesful!
I came across a seller a while back that I hearted because I completely loved their store. But when I began to search further, browsing their profile, taking a look at their sales, and when they started up, I began to see some things as odd.
I have been crocheting for over 20 years and am freakishly fast at it. So I understand when I look at another seller's crocheted pieces the rate at which these items need to be produced and the cost of what it takes to make these materials.
When a seller's numbers are in the thousands and have been open for a small amount of time, I begin to question the legitity of "I make everything myself" when clearly the pieces take over an hour to make. When you sell a dozen items a day, I begin to question the ability to keep up with the demand.
Would you too be questioning the integrity of this seller, when clearly the numbers are telling you that there is NO WAY they can make "everything" in their store by themselves?
Is is against Etsy rules to pay someone else to create your product and sell it as your own?
Posted at 12:13pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
Responses
Etsy allows you to have employees or work as a collective, but it must be disclosed in the shop profile.
Posted at 12:14pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
Every seller has a different business strategy. Sometimes people can get supplies for freakishly low prices. Some are amazingly fast at what they do. Some people are in it as a hobby and don't care if they make any money from their sales.
Posted at 12:15pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
I would wonder if they had been making items for years and years and years, and only just now found an outlet for their items to be sold
Posted at 12:15pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
This is one of those instances when you just have to click away from that shop and concentrate on your own stuff. It is against the rules to hire someone to make your stuff but you have no way of knowing if this person was crocheting their fingers off before opening their store.
Posted at 12:15pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
Unless the shop is a collective, that would be against Etsy's rules for anyone but the shop owner to be making the product.
Posted at 12:15pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
Ok, that is good to know, because I truly did not know that.
But when a seller clearly states in their profile that they make everything, when the numbers tell you that it is extremely unlikely to impossible, wouldn't that bother you?
Posted at 12:16pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
Here is a long clip from the Help Section about multiple people having one shop:
Multiple people using a single account (collective shops)
An account that involves more than one person is called a collective. There are two scenarios in which multiple people who know each other may use a single Etsy account.
Artisans combine their skills to make and list products in an Etsy shop. For example:
One artist screen prints fabric, then another artist sews clothing from the fabric. The finished product is listed in a collective Etsy shop.
A person helps a friend or family member make, list or ship an item. The item is listed in their collective Etsy shop.
Multiple artisans who know each other use a single Etsy account to post their own separate work in one shared shop. For example:
Two jewelers share a collective Etsy shop but create and list their own jewelry items in the same shop.
Two friends, a painter and a furniture maker, share a collective Etsy shop to sell their work together.
If your shop is a collective, you must comply with all of Etsy's policies, including these additional policies specifically for collectives:
A collective may not be an entity that represents multiple artists by contract (e.g., gallery, a consignment shop, or an art agency/dealer).
The public profile page for the account must fully disclose accurate information about each person, their role in the shop and the relationships between the members of the collective. Etsy may ask for additional information and may require the shop comply with additional requirements.
The individual who registers the account is responsible for all activities of the account, the bill and any transaction reports. This includes participation in community features of the site.
All standard listing policies apply to collective Etsy shops. All handmade goods must be created by members of the collective. Please refer to the Selling section below for Etsy's listing policies.
If any of Etsy's policies are violated by a member of a collective, all accounts registered to members of the collective are subject to suspension of privileges and/or account termination. Etsy will not mediate disputes between individuals within a collective.
Posted at 12:16pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
I made bracelets for 2 years before finding etsy.
Posted at 12:16pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT
they could of been making stuff months in advance of opening a shop and also making loads while they were slowly getting going so they have enough stock to keep up with demand while they make more and more.
Posted at 12:17pm Aug 22, 2008 EDT