4 ms·

>what makes them better or different from any other storefront? Brand, or...genre? I'm having a difficult time finding the word for it, but there is definitel

by blhack 9y ago

>what makes them better or different from any other storefront? Brand, or...genre? I'm having a difficult time finding the word for it, but there is definitely a type of thing I go to etsy to look for. For instance, this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/159631469/aztec-death-whistle-terrifying-roaring?ref=pr_shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/159631469/aztec-death-whistle-t... (which is such a cool piece with such a cool story!). I have no idea where else to go to even look for something like that. When I wanted one, etsy is the first thing that came to mind. So I think that the mass produced stuff hurts browsing, but if you know what you are looking for, it's still easy to cut throgh the noise.

beaconstudios 9y ago
I tend to think of Etsy as being the place to go for cultural, rather than mass-produced consumerist, goods.
- leadingthenet 9y ago
  The problem is that most products only pretend not be mass-produced, when in reality, they are.
  - ZeroGravitas 9y ago
    Perhaps the pretending is what people are paying/looking for. I certainly see a lot of that kind of thing when surveying supermarket shelves.
    - rhizome 9y ago
      Anthropologie makes a ton of cash from it.
    - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
      Do you really think so, that people don't want, say, a unique piece of jewellery but just to pretend - through what appears to be a fraud on behalf of the seller - that some over-priced mass-produced jewellery is unique. I couldn't disagree more. In part if I buy something on Etsy I'm considering that most of the money I spend will get re-spent in that person's local community. In part I'm trying to encourage them in their craftmanship/art.
      - moron4hire 9y ago
        I mean, there has to be some level of overlooking the obvious going on. There's no way a person could sustain themselves on the prices that these items are going for, if they were actually hand-made.
        gknoy 9y ago
        I know someone who sews cute things; she'll post on Facebook about the progress, pictures of work-in-progress plushes, or purses, or coasters. She'll then go sell them on Etsy, and also post on FB for friends to buy. It's not a lifestyle business, but it's a way to recoup the cost of materials for doing something she enjoys doing. Often they're made from leftover fabric scraps from something she already made, so this is a way to recoup a little bit more from what she already sews.
        pbhjpbhj 9y ago
        It's really hard for small scale artisan workers to sell at a sustainable price _for a full-time occupation_. Price are anchored lowered by comparison with mass-produced products and artisinal goods made in countries with lower cost of living. I know people personally who sell on Etsy but only as a side-line. To me that's where Etsy and other craft marketplaces - Folksy, NOTHS - fit best.
      - munificent 9y ago
        > Do you really think so, that people don't want, say, > a unique piece of jewellery but just to pretend - > through what appears to be a fraud on behalf of the > seller - that some over-priced mass-produced jewellery is unique. I guess you haven't been to Pier One. People do want an authentic, unique piece of jewelry. But they also want something affordable. Sometimes, buyers are a little willing to believe what they want to believe to accomplish both of those goals. And there is no shortage of sellers who will tell them what they want to hear (i.e. lie) to enable that. For buyers who really do want something authentic, achieving that requires trust in the seller. That trust is something Etsy used to have in spades, and it's something that's been dwindling over time.

by blhack 9y ago

beaconstudios 9y ago

I tend to think of Etsy as being the place to go for cultural, rather than mass-produced consumerist, goods.

leadingthenet 9y ago
The problem is that most products only pretend not be mass-produced, when in reality, they are.
- ZeroGravitas 9y ago
  Perhaps the pretending is what people are paying/looking for. I certainly see a lot of that kind of thing when surveying supermarket shelves.
  - rhizome 9y ago
    Anthropologie makes a ton of cash from it.
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    Do you really think so, that people don't want, say, a unique piece of jewellery but just to pretend - through what appears to be a fraud on behalf of the seller - that some over-priced mass-produced jewellery is unique. I couldn't disagree more. In part if I buy something on Etsy I'm considering that most of the money I spend will get re-spent in that person's local community. In part I'm trying to encourage them in their craftmanship/art.
    - moron4hire 9y ago
      I mean, there has to be some level of overlooking the obvious going on. There's no way a person could sustain themselves on the prices that these items are going for, if they were actually hand-made.
      - gknoy 9y ago
        I know someone who sews cute things; she'll post on Facebook about the progress, pictures of work-in-progress plushes, or purses, or coasters. She'll then go sell them on Etsy, and also post on FB for friends to buy. It's not a lifestyle business, but it's a way to recoup the cost of materials for doing something she enjoys doing. Often they're made from leftover fabric scraps from something she already made, so this is a way to recoup a little bit more from what she already sews.
      - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
        It's really hard for small scale artisan workers to sell at a sustainable price _for a full-time occupation_. Price are anchored lowered by comparison with mass-produced products and artisinal goods made in countries with lower cost of living. I know people personally who sell on Etsy but only as a side-line. To me that's where Etsy and other craft marketplaces - Folksy, NOTHS - fit best.
    - munificent 9y ago
      > Do you really think so, that people don't want, say, > a unique piece of jewellery but just to pretend - > through what appears to be a fraud on behalf of the > seller - that some over-priced mass-produced jewellery is unique. I guess you haven't been to Pier One. People do want an authentic, unique piece of jewelry. But they also want something affordable. Sometimes, buyers are a little willing to believe what they want to believe to accomplish both of those goals. And there is no shortage of sellers who will tell them what they want to hear (i.e. lie) to enable that. For buyers who really do want something authentic, achieving that requires trust in the seller. That trust is something Etsy used to have in spades, and it's something that's been dwindling over time.