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>> I learned their stuff is just made in China in a factory. When it first started out, I had a lot of friends in distant states that had shops on Etsy and I w

>> I learned their stuff is just made in China in a factory. When it first started out, I had a lot of friends in distant states that had shops on Etsy and I would find really cool, inexpensive stuff from theirs and other shops. I really like the eclectic feel of the stuff people were making and it was original and I have always gotten compliments on the stuff I was buying from their shops. Last couple years, you really have to search to find stuff that isn't being mass produced in China or overseas. Looking back, thinking of other "eclectic" online shops, it seems to be a pattern. You get the people who set up their shops with their hand made goods, then it gets popular, then it gets overrun with China knockoffs and other people just reselling China goods for a markup. Even with the requirements in place, I'm not sure how you eradicate it once it gets a foothold like it has now.

function_seven 6y ago
> Even with the requirements in place, I'm not sure how you eradicate it once it gets a foothold like it has now. I think the money they're earning makes it hard to stick with principled rules against the mass-produced items. It's a sad cycle for the early customers who gravitated toward Etsy and similar shops because they were looking for an escape from the cheap products found elsewhere. Not sure how to structure the business model or incentives to prevent this, other than just being small and staying small. (i.e. not taking VC money, not going public, not inviting outside pressure to grow).
- at-fates-hands 6y ago
  That's always the catch-22 right? You want to have a big platform for small businesses and make good money doing it, but you don't it overrun with the people that kind of popularity attracts. I think you're right though, stay small, maybe have two or three smaller platforms to generate the revenue you want, while still making it exclusive to small businesses. I think that approach might keep you under the radar for a longer stretch.
  - stinkytaco 6y ago
    It's the same thing that happened to ebay and kickstarter and I'm sure many others. It does feel inevitable. On the other hand, if it's not inevitable I wouldn't know because that platform is staying small. One thing I'll say is that there are a number of business that I use (both B2B and B2C) that are highly specialized but manage to be successful because they are not interested in growth. I suspect there's lots of these out there that are maintaining their own platform or using an out of the box solution, but that most of us never know about them because we don't need to interact.
gnicholas 6y ago
To be clear, I am not opposed to buying "stuff made in China" — I buy lots of things that were made in China (hello, iPhone!), and I don't have a problem with it per se. The issue for me is that this shop is trading on the handmade/vintage reputation that Etsy built (and is now eroding) by acting as a reseller. I guess the silver lining here is that Etsy is effectively acting as a (closer) competitor to Amazon by letting people resell and drop-ship. Considering how Amazon treats sellers and the inventory commingling issues that arise, it's good to have another similar option.

function_seven 6y ago

> Even with the requirements in place, I'm not sure how you eradicate it once it gets a foothold like it has now. I think the money they're earning makes it hard to stick with principled rules against the mass-produced items. It's a sad cycle for the early customers who gravitated toward Etsy and similar shops because they were looking for an escape from the cheap products found elsewhere. Not sure how to structure the business model or incentives to prevent this, other than just being small and staying small. (i.e. not taking VC money, not going public, not inviting outside pressure to grow).

at-fates-hands 6y ago
That's always the catch-22 right? You want to have a big platform for small businesses and make good money doing it, but you don't it overrun with the people that kind of popularity attracts. I think you're right though, stay small, maybe have two or three smaller platforms to generate the revenue you want, while still making it exclusive to small businesses. I think that approach might keep you under the radar for a longer stretch.
- stinkytaco 6y ago
  It's the same thing that happened to ebay and kickstarter and I'm sure many others. It does feel inevitable. On the other hand, if it's not inevitable I wouldn't know because that platform is staying small. One thing I'll say is that there are a number of business that I use (both B2B and B2C) that are highly specialized but manage to be successful because they are not interested in growth. I suspect there's lots of these out there that are maintaining their own platform or using an out of the box solution, but that most of us never know about them because we don't need to interact.

gnicholas 6y ago

To be clear, I am not opposed to buying "stuff made in China" — I buy lots of things that were made in China (hello, iPhone!), and I don't have a problem with it per se. The issue for me is that this shop is trading on the handmade/vintage reputation that Etsy built (and is now eroding) by acting as a reseller. I guess the silver lining here is that Etsy is effectively acting as a (closer) competitor to Amazon by letting people resell and drop-ship. Considering how Amazon treats sellers and the inventory commingling issues that arise, it's good to have another similar option.