Storque articles by ErinHaldrup

Clarifications and Changes: Updates to Etsy's Site Policies

2009-10-27T18:45:00-05:00

Last week we let the Etsy community in on a "sneak peek" preview of the proposed updates to our site policies in the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy. During this preview week, we received lots of feedback and discussed the policies in the Forums, by Conversations and email with members of the Etsy community. After a rather positive reception and a few tweaks, we're ready to put the updated DOs & DONTs into effect today. In addition, we have updated the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy to complement the revised DOs & DON'Ts. These are important changes that every Etsy member should review, so we're sending out an email notification to all members (with millions of members in our community, it may take a few weeks for the emails to reach everyone).

For the most part, the core of the policies are still the same. Our aim was to address concerns expressed by members over the past year, and we made several clarifications and a few additions to the policies. For your convenience, we've summarized the highlights below, but we expect every member to read through the updated DOs & DON'Ts and Terms of Use in their entirety.   The updates below will look familiar to those who participated in the preview last week. Please follow the links to see the specific sections where these policies are defined.

Membership: A few notable policies that apply to all members have been moved up to the Membership section, like our policy for linking from a shop or profile to another selling venue. Collectives (seller accounts involving multiple people) have been further defined with the categories of Collaboration, Sharing a Shop and Shop Management Help. We clarified our rules for younger Etsians; collectives that include minors under the age of 18 may not utilize community features unless otherwise stated by Etsy.

Conversations: You may not use Conversations to interfere with a transaction (with details on this in the Transactions section, too). We've also elaborated on the definition of "spam" as it relates to Etsy Convos.

Transactions: We’ve added information to the Transactions section, describing the roles of the seller, the buyer and Etsy in a transaction. Keep in mind that in addition to these basic expectations for a transaction, each seller has their own Shop Policies and the policies of third-party services (for example: PayPal, shipping services) may be a factor. Additionally, we’ve outlined in detail various concerns or scenarios in which a transaction may be disputed, including: non-payment, non-delivery, refusal of service, dissatisfaction and interference. We’ve clarified the circumstances in which a transaction may be canceled. In general, the additions to this section outline in greater detail the processes and policies already in place for transactions.

Feedback: To better accommodate custom orders and international transactions, we will be increasing the time frame for submitting feedback from 90 days to 120 days. Additionally, we’ve clarified the circumstances in which Etsy will review feedback for removal, and we've lifted the 30-day limitation to requesting review of feedback for a policy violation.

Shops and listings: Formerly called “Selling,” this section has been expanded to include detailed policies about shop set-up, listing items, tagging and specific rules for handmade items, vintage goods and supplies. The section on Tagging is entirely new to the DOs & DON’Ts, but most of this information was available on Etsy’s Help site or through guides posted on Etsy’s blog, The Storque. Expanded sections of rules for handmade, vintage and supplies items should help sellers understand what can be sold on Etsy and how to list items for sale.

Charitable shops and listings: Etsy appreciates the spirit of giving back. Due to some laws and the existence of unsavory individuals who may try to take advantage of this spirit, we have added some policies for shops and listings that use charitable fundraising as a promotional tool. Etsy does not intend to limit your ability to donate to the charity of your choice; these rules merely apply to members who wish to promote or advertise charitable giving as a reason to purchase from their Etsy shops.

Prohibited Items: In response to a variety of community concerns, we have clarified our prohibited items list. These items — though they may be handmade, vintage or a crafting supply — are not allowed to be listed for sale on Etsy.

Showcase and Treasury: Making a first time appearance in the DOs & DON'Ts are specific sections for participation in the Showcase and the Treasury. We have gathered information from other areas of the site about these interactive features to formalize as policies in the DOs & DON'Ts.

Terms of Use: In general, the Terms of Use and DOs & DON'Ts complement one another. Notably, we added an arbitration clause and an idea submission clause. To explain the idea submission clause in plain language: if you submit an idea to improve Etsy, Etsy may use the suggestion to better the site. If you have a secret idea to improve Etsy, simply do not share it with Etsy, on the community spaces or via email. We truly appreciate all members and your feedback to improve the site. Both Etsy and the community benefit from these ideas.

The policies are live and in effect as of today, October 27, 2009; therefore, all your activities or content on Etsy from today forward must be in line with these new policies. As we mentioned in the post about the sneak peek, we are allowing all members a grace period to bring their existing content (for example: account information, shops, listings) up to speed with any changes in the policies. We also wanted to take into account the timing with the busy holiday season. All members have until the end of the day on December 31, 2009 to edit their content created prior to today's date (October 27, 2009).

Thank you for your input over the past year and during the policy preview week. By keeping our policies clear and up-to-date, we help preserve the integrity of Etsy.

If you have questions or comments about Etsy's updated policies, please join the discussion in this Forum thread or email support@etsy.com.

Etsy Finds: Kimono Jacket

2008-09-14T21:28:00-05:00

I saw this kimono jacket by lizarietz a few months ago and have not been able to stop thinking about it. I really do think about it, like before I go to sleep...and then when I wake up. I'm thinking stuff like, "What kind of leggings will I wear with it?", "Won't everyone love it ?!" and "Can I buy it yet?"...stuff like that.

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About Us: Erin aka ErinHaldrup

2008-07-30T12:00:00-05:00

Erin aka ErinHaldrup works on the Support Team and was one of the first Etsy employees after Matt and Emily joined the founders. She hails from Indiana originally and went to painting school here in New York City.

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As a New Orleans enthusiast, Erin did a number of Storque posts with videos about her trips there post-Katrina, her visits with some Big Easy Etsy sellers, and her time living there before the hurricane.

Erin is very passionate about Etsy. She's a painter herself and spends her free time in the studio, and she's a huge advocate for fine art on Etsy, as Anda pointed out. Her sensitive soul always prompts her to think about customer support issues from the artist's perspective.

Erin Fun Facts:

Erin and Tim were dramatically evicted (along with everyone else in the building) after only having lived in their Bushwick apartment for three days. After that experience, Erin vowed to never rent again and bought an apartment.
She likes tie-dye.
Tim and Erin have been friends since high school.
Erin once dined with her hero, Lou Reed.
She went to the Super Bowl in 2002 to see another one of her heroes, Bono.
During Pet week, Erin brought her budgie birds, Elvis and Priscilla, into the office.
Her favorite painter is Max Beckmann.
She is an amateur ballerina.
As quite the jetsetter, she has been to Japan, England, Italy, and even attended a wedding in India.
Erin got really mad at me (Vanessa) when I added a joke to her cloth maxi pad Etsy Find.
According to Jim, she has possibly the loudest cell phone ring in the office.

As you can see, she was an equestrienne in middle school:

Adorable babe:

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We are posting a 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!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it. 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).

Below you will find some of Erin's favorites.

Etsy Finds: Sparrow Plates

2008-07-11T08:38:00-05:00

The seller justmare has a lot of beautiful pottery in her shop. I picked this little set of sparrow plates after searching for bird related items. I also really like these butterfly plates. They are almost too cute to eat off, and would look good hanging on a wall. She has a huge range of styles in her shop, all tied together by her lovely sense of color and her Arizona inspired aesthetic.

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Fresh Shops: Roadside

2008-07-03T16:12:00-05:00

I found a new shop, Roadside which opened in Apr 17, 2008, while browsing the Art category on Etsy to see what would catch my eye. I thought these paper creations were so whimsical and lovely; they really jumped out at me. I had to look for a long time at the print to figure out whether it was three dimensional or two dimensional. After carefully reading the description, I realized that Roadside's Jayme McGowan makes such excellent quality prints of her shadow-box paper cutouts, that the prints include shadows! You can buy both the originals and the prints in her Etsy Shop. To read more about her process, please see the interview below.

Can you tell us a little about the people behind Roadside?
My name is Jayme McGowan and I’m an artist living and working in Sacramento, California. I’m a recent college graduate, and I opened Roadside last April as an experiment, with the hope of exploring project ideas I couldn’t really pursue in school. I studied painting in college but have been making 3-D works with paper for several years in my free time. I thought that would be a good place to begin Project 001.

My boyfriend, John, contributes elbow grease in various ways. On the current project, he helped out with the construction of the wood frames that house my paper sculptures. We’re currently working together on some more utilitarian art for the shop.

What inspires you as a creative person?
Paper, music, and people. I’m moved by polka dots. I hoard patterned paper and shuffle through it randomly, hoping for something to pop out. I listen to music when I’m working and I watch people out my studio window. I work out of a second story apartment overlooking a busy street. There’s a post office right across the way (that’s really coming in handy lately!) and a bus stop below my windows. So I watch people go by, imagine their stories to music, and look at paper. That’s usually enough. I have an overactive imagination.

And of course having access to the work of so many amazing artists through Etsy is a huge inspiration, just seeing what kind of creative things other folks dream up.

How do you like Etsy so far? What are your favorite features of the site?
I absolutely love it. There’s such a strong sense of community here. People have been very helpful and encouraging; I feel like I’ve found a very receptive audience for my work as well. Etsy makes it so easy to reach people from all over the world that I would have never been able to meet otherwise. I’m a big fan of the “Favorites” feature. I think it’s a fantastic way to navigate the site — hopping from one shop to another by browsing a person’s favorite items and sellers.

Anything else you'd like to add is also welcome! (Your blog, etc.)
You can check out images of past and present projects at: Flickr.com/photos/roadside, or peek behind the scenes at projects currently in the works at my blog: Roadsideprojects.blogspot.com.

See more Fresh Shops and say hey to a new seller!

Etsy Finds: Handmade Bird Toys

2008-05-03T13:44:00-05:00

On the way home from Etsy the other day I stopped in a pet store. I didn't realize when I went in that I would be leaving with a sweet baby budgie (called parakeets in the US, but they are originally from Australia where they are called budgerigar s). I picked the littlest, feistiest, cutest one. He is solid yellow — a beautiful variety of budgie called a Lutino. By the way — spontanious pet buying worked out well for me, but it isn't recomended by the experts. I had actually been pondering for a long time which pet might be best for me.

Since that day, he has been the light of my life! He sings every morning and evening, he has learned to hop onto my finger and he loves to fly around the house. He has upgraded to a large cage and he has lots of fun toys to play with — including a fake plastic budgie. I felt kinda bad after noticing that he fell in love with a plastic budgie idol, so I bought another budgie! They are now known as Elvis and Pricilla, and are just in the getting-to-know-you stage. Pricilla is a white Budgie with turquoise spots.

Naturally my newfound interest in budgies lead me to search the subject on Etsy. There quite a few lovely budgie crafts, and some beautiful paintings of budgies. There are also some great handmade bird toys. Wyspurcreations makes all kinds of shiny, chewy, swinging things for a bird's delight! She has designed different toys for a variety of birds, from large parrot chew toys to swings for tiny budgies.

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Etsy Finds: Naturally Hip

2008-04-14T12:30:00-05:00

Hey ladies!

Did you know a lot of commercially available tampons and pads have bleach and rayon in them? It's debatable whether this poses a significant medical risk, but it's important to be informed and make your own decision.

The fact that cloth pads are more Earth friendly isn't debatable. They are washable, not disposable, so they won't fill up our landfills! I just found out from Wikipedia that premodern women would have menstruated little, because they were generally pregnant or breast-feeding most of their fertile lives...so this whole phenomenon is kinda new! Take a look at some of the cute and environmentally-friendly feminine products from NaturallyHip and others available on Etsy!

Update: A commentor just sent a link to an excellent site to check out: Good4girls.org. This organization takes donations of cloth feminine products to give to girls who need them in Africa. Check it out!

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Etsy Finds: A Silver Spoon or Knife for Everyone

2008-03-08T12:43:00-05:00

I just moved into a new house and it has me thinking about all the things I need to make it feel like a home! I have been through my college and post-college roommate years, and during that time, I've used an assorted clutter of cuttlery and dishes. Now I am ready to start collecting things that are a little more personal to me, and the shop coreyackelmire has some things in it I would love to have.

These hand-forged sterling silver spreader knives would be luxurious to own - imagine spreading butter every morning with something as well designed and lovely to hold as these beauties! Having a silver spoon for jam would be nice too. Especially one like this, that is hand-forged with an elegant curve to the handle. If you are so inclined, go ahead and treat yourself to owning your own silver spoon or something equally as nice. I think you'll find it worth it!

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About Us: Welcome Aboard, First Etsy Admin Baby

2008-02-11T17:57:00-05:00

We are happy to announce Anda and Pete's little bun has arrived! Her name is Sidonie and she is mighty cute. They are resting in the hospital and they are all happy and healthy — except for Pete's car, which got towed! Anda was at work yesterday (now that's just crazy!). We'd been laying our bets down on weight and date. Alec won — though Michelle disputes this and is settling for bragging rights.

I was kinda expecting the wee girl to pop out in an explosion of diamonds and tears and for her to have a siamese twin, but nope. She's pretty normal and that's awesome. Danielle, Mary, and Christine and Lori went to go visit them in the hospital and took these adorable photos. More here!

Lots of love — Vanessa et al

All about Etsy FAQ Series: Meet Customer Support

2008-01-14T16:32:00-05:00

"Oh no! I'm having a problem and I need help but I don't know who to ask?" As part of our All about Etsy FAQ Series, the Customer Support Team has detailed their role at Etsy and the best ways to communicate with them if you need help.

We are here to help Etsians! The Support Team writes a Featured Column for the Storque called Customer Care, with updates on issues such as billing, reporting transactions, and other support-related issues. We also post tips and how-tos which are meant to help you out before you encounter a problem. As they say, an ounce of prevention...

If you do encounter a problem and you want to get in touch with us, you can expect to hear from one of our team members: adrian1, Lori aka Chillionaire, emilybidwell, ErinHaldrup, jasonmseger, JoeTheBeard, calebwalt, projectmattnyc, mermaidclaire, adubois, Dillinger or jimchesters. Our team works on General Support and Billing 7 days a week and Abuse cases Monday through Friday. Expect a response within 24 hours during working hours. If you don't, please email back. Maybe we didn't get it! If you still don't get through, try sending one of us an Etsy Conversation, and we will find out what happened to your email. We eagerly respond to every email, but please be patient. There are a few of us and a lot of you! We believe in quality, one-on-one attention. You will always be emailing with a person when you contact Etsy support.

In order to help you as quickly as possible, send your email to one of the following addresses.

Email Support@Etsy.com for General Help, which covers:
Site navigation and functions, Selling and Buying, Closing and Opening accounts, Bugs, Muted Conversations, Questions about canceled transactions and refunds, Your Listings, Registration and Login, Your Shop, Advice, Question about what can and cannot be sold on Etsy, Forgotten Username, Email or Password trouble, Forums and Chatrooms, Questions about Site Policy, How to leave Feedback, and General Information.

Email Billing@Etsy.com for:
Trouble with credit card, your bill, or your fees.

Email Abuse@Etsy.com for all Disputes and Site Violations, involving:
Transactions, Conversations, Copyright, Trademark, Brand, Feedback, Harassment, Listings that don't belong on Etsy, Fee avoidance, General TOU violation, Behavior or Quality concerns, Sock Puppet accounts, Shilling (falsely inflating feedback), Spam, Scams, Non-Delivery, Inaccurate Listings.

Since most of the Etsy admin have a hand in helping you in one way or another, it can be befuddling as to who is the best point of contact!

For all Disputes and Site Violations involving the Forum and Chatroom, contact community@etsy.com. If you need help getting the hang of Etsy etiquette on the forums, check out the Community Team's Forum Decorum series on the Storque. The Community Team can also help you get acquainted with site policy and getting to know your way around the Etsy website. For more on Community, see their post in this All about Etsy FAQ Series (coming soon).

If you need advice or suggestions on your shop's appearance or the art of selling on Etsy and developing your brand, you might want to reach out to the Etsy Labs admin. For more on the Etsy Labs and how they mentor sellers, see this All about the Labs post.

And lastly, don't be afraid to ask for help! We think open communication works best for everyone.