Update! Help Japan and Get involved with Earthquake Relief


Find and join Teams to connect with those touched by crisis and organize aid relief:
www.etsy.com/teams/search/japan


To find sellers donating proceeds to this cause search 'artistaid' or 'joyforjapan'.


If you're a seller donating proceeds of your sales to earthquake relief, tag the items 'artistaid' or 'joyforjapan'. You can also use this tag on Treasury lists.


You can also donate money directly via Paypal:
www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12


Much love, and stay safe.


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Hi everyone,

As most of you have already seen on the news, there was an earthquake near Japan that also resulted in a tsunami across the Pacific region. Our hearts go out to those directly impacted by this disaster.

We have seen already that members of our compassionate community here on Etsy want to help those affected. We appreciate this caring spirit, and we admire the generosity of our community.

If you're interested in getting involved with efforts to help, we wanted to post some good information on how to do so.

To connect with others concerned about this recent disaster, a few teams have already sprung up to share information and offer support.

* www.etsy.com/teams/8446/artist-aid
* www.etsy.com/teams/8489/etsians-for-disaster-relief

These are great places to organize around,discuss this issue, and find information on how to help. If you're looking to locate a friend of individual involved in the quake, this person finder is widely recommended as a tool to help: japan.person-finder.appspot.com

If you're a shop owner interested in donating proceeds from your shop or listings to aid relief efforts, please keep Etsy's policies in mind. Etsy has rules in the DOs & DON'Ts of Etsy about charitable shops and listings: www.etsy.com/policy/dosdonts#charity

We recommend that sellers use a special dedicated tag on listings where they will donate proceeds to disaster relief. Shoppers can search using this tag to locate items and shops donating to relief efforts. Shoppers can search using this tag to locate items and shops donating to relief efforts.

In the past, we have seen sellers come together to "donate" listings to a collective shop for a charitable cause. While we know this has been effective to some point, we do not advise this method. It becomes complicated for all those involved to participate while following Etsy's rules for shared shops and being involved in multiple accounts. There are also logistical difficulties with the listings, fulfilling orders and handling the money. The last thing we want to see is an effort intended to help people take risks that may adversely impact your Etsy experience.

We'll keep updated here with community efforts to assist in this time of tragedy. And always, thank you for your empathy and compassion.

Love,
The Etsy Team

Posted at 3:00 pm Mar 11, 2011 EST