What has happened to Etsy?

[GreyCat]

What has happened to Etsy?

I used to use Etsy quite alot as it had some really good stuff on from genuine small craft businesses in UK. But hadn't bought much for a while, and then recently, there seems to be a bunch of traders on there who are not quite what they seem. I have my search profile set to "UK only" sellers yet still I get some things pop in from sellers outside UK. Although they are at least honest saying items are (for example) shipped from Turkey- you just need to read the small print. Somewhat misleading- but manageable.

However, I have now discovered the hard way that some of those who claim to ship from UK may not be quite what they seem. Recently I ordered some unusual yarns for making moss-type rugs. Chose an Etsy provider who claimed to be in UK and dispatch from their UK stock.

Well, here we are over 3 weeks after the order and a couple of weeks after expected delivery date, and less than half of what I ordered has arrived- much later than originally it should have all been here. What arrived came from China direct not UK- the international tracking number gives that away. When I raised an issue via Etsy and gave a 1-star review, I got a bunch of excuses from the retailer about the warehouse next door being flooded and so reordering stock and dispatching direct from China (so why not have the items marked "unavailable" until the new stock arrives....? That would be honest). Promising end of this coming week for the rest, but I will believe it when I see it. I suspect this retailer may be UK-based BUT holding little if any stock and relying on dispatch from China when someone orders stuff. Not sure how I can get a refund with Etsy if the rest still doesn't get here, although I paid with PayPal so at least I have a chance of getting money back (and maintain my rule that if using an online retailer for the first time, never spend more than you are willing to lose). The materials that I did actually receive are staying quarantined in my office with the original packaging in case I need to pursue the "reject and get a refund" route.

I know that dispatch direct from China does go on- I had another moss rug kit from an Australian retailer (on Etsy but I bought direct) who dispatched direct from China- but their spec had English instructions in the pack, AND they provide instructional videos of decent quality so the uplift over Ali Express price was justified. Although the shipping still took AliExpress times.

For balance, at the same time as the order with issues, I did also buy a coaster kit off Etsy from (what proved to be) a genuine UK retailer, the kit was good- the standard I would expect from Etsy. But the less-than-100%-honest crowd makes me reluctant to use the platform again, I am thinking it's geting to the point where one may as well just buy from Ali Express direct and choose a retailer with a "speed delivery guarantee" and pay less- and know what you are in for.

Be interested in the experienced of others- is this isolated or has this become the norm?.

GC

 

[Toddy]

It's not the etsy we knew. Even those who claim it's home-made, artisan crafted, etc., are often fudging the truth.
Silver jewellery made in India but cleaned, sorted and packaged in the UK is supposedly therefore made here.
Wools that never saw the back of a British sheep or hillside, basketry that smells of Chinese insecticide and not willow....the list goes on

 

[hughtrimble]

It's become like a buy it now only eBay in my experience. Lots of overseas sellers/shippers like you found despite applying filters, and much more mass produced stuff passed off as small batch handmade things. I avoid it now simply because the search interface is so unreliable to limit to UK that I don't bother. eBay used to have a similar problem with UK sellers actually shipping from overseas (maybe drop shipping, or possibly actually based overseas themselves) but it seems to have got better in my experience.

 

[Chris]

Etsy is mostly all just Chinese made tat now.

I think Folksy is a UK alternative that doesn’t allow drop shipping or Chinese mass produced stuff. https://folksy.com/

 

[Nice65]

Bought an Indian tiffin from there a few weeks ago and it’s still not here. Nowhere on their page does is say it’s being sent from an Indian warehouse.

There are also a lot of Aliexpress type shops popping up on Etsy, selling the Aliexpress $2 stuff for $10.

EBay used to be an auction site for getting great second hand bargains with the fun of an auction thrown in. Now it’s just a marketplace.

 

[GreyCat]

That's interesting, I'd kind-of drifted away from Etsy although sometimes used them for repeat purchases from a retailer I had good previous experience with if they didn't have their own site. Although where I'd used a retailer on there previously, I tended to go direct as typically their own websites had more stuff, and also I like to buy direct or from shows as the retailer gets all the money then.

But the yarn I was after was something used in "moss rugs" which I like and starting to make via kits before branching out doing my own ideas. The bobble yarn for some effects in some colours is Chinese made and only available on AliExpress or Etsy, so I thought well a UK retailer holding UK stock on Etsy would be a better bet. Clearly not.

In this case, I know the product is made in China, there's no UK-made substitutes at the moment, although as I learn to make my own versions of these type of sculptural rugs I hope to find alternatives, have some ideas and I'm going to WonderWool Wales in April with a view to building a stash of materials to experiement with.

I wasn't familiar with the term "drop shipping" but it makes sense.

@Chris: Folksy is new to me, I will have a look at that.

Seems my impressions of what Esty has become are correct. End of the day, if I just want Chinese stuff (not all of which is tat) that is what AliExpress is for (with the usual "health" warnings).

GC

 

[MrEd]

It’s a China tat resellers paradise now.

 

[Nice65]

Etsy is mostly all just Chinese made tat now.

I think Folksy is a UK alternative that doesn’t allow drop shipping or Chinese mass produced stuff. https://folksy.com/

I used Folksy after discovering Buds Beanies. Think I've one in each colour and bought several for friends. It's a good site, though small and limited to, well, folksy type stuff. Lot of it for women, pretty things, jumpers etc.

Must go and have another look.

 

[bobnewboy]

I’d guess that a lot of the less business oriented, hobby-only UK makers on Etsy have decided to steer clear following the change to mandatory reporting of sales etc to HMRC. The tax man is happy to jump on minor side hustles but less bothered about multinationals, it would seem.

 

[Stew]

I’d guess that a lot of the less business oriented, hobby-only UK makers on Etsy have decided to steer clear following the change to mandatory reporting of sales etc to HMRC. The tax man is happy to jump on minor side hustles but less bothered about multinationals, it would seem.

I have a vague memory that etst were getting bad at releasing funds to sellers? Might be wrong I'm sure there was sometihng along htose lines that were less inviting!

 

[Silverclaws2]

What has happened to Etsy?

I used to use Etsy quite alot as it had some really good stuff on from genuine small craft businesses in UK. But hadn't bought much for a while, and then recently, there seems to be a bunch of traders on there who are not quite what they seem. I have my search profile set to "UK only" sellers yet still I get some things pop in from sellers outside UK. Although they are at least honest saying items are (for example) shipped from Turkey- you just need to read the small print. Somewhat misleading- but manageable.

However, I have now discovered the hard way that some of those who claim to ship from UK may not be quite what they seem. Recently I ordered some unusual yarns for making moss-type rugs. Chose an Etsy provider who claimed to be in UK and dispatch from their UK stock.

Well, here we are over 3 weeks after the order and a couple of weeks after expected delivery date, and less than half of what I ordered has arrived- much later than originally it should have all been here. What arrived came from China direct not UK- the international tracking number gives that away. When I raised an issue via Etsy and gave a 1-star review, I got a bunch of excuses from the retailer about the warehouse next door being flooded and so reordering stock and dispatching direct from China (so why not have the items marked "unavailable" until the new stock arrives....? That would be honest). Promising end of this coming week for the rest, but I will believe it when I see it. I suspect this retailer may be UK-based BUT holding little if any stock and relying on dispatch from China when someone orders stuff. Not sure how I can get a refund with Etsy if the rest still doesn't get here, although I paid with PayPal so at least I have a chance of getting money back (and maintain my rule that if using an online retailer for the first time, never spend more than you are willing to lose). The materials that I did actually receive are staying quarantined in my office with the original packaging in case I need to pursue the "reject and get a refund" route.

I know that dispatch direct from China does go on- I had another moss rug kit from an Australian retailer (on Etsy but I bought direct) who dispatched direct from China- but their spec had English instructions in the pack, AND they provide instructional videos of decent quality so the uplift over Ali Express price was justified. Although the shipping still took AliExpress times.

For balance, at the same time as the order with issues, I did also buy a coaster kit off Etsy from (what proved to be) a genuine UK retailer, the kit was good- the standard I would expect from Etsy. But the less-than-100%-honest crowd makes me reluctant to use the platform again, I am thinking it's geting to the point where one may as well just buy from Ali Express direct and choose a retailer with a "speed delivery guarantee" and pay less- and know what you are in for.

Be interested in the experienced of others- is this isolated or has this become the norm?.

GC

Probably the same as everything else except here, the internet disease of enshittifaction has took hold

 

[Billy-o]

I think it might be different in different places. Here, for instance things like Craigslist are more and less active in different cities. Certainly, my experience of Etsy has remained good. But that might be luck. There is an awful lot of craft manufacture here, though. Maybe not for long however. Those artisanal makers are terribly affected by the recent closing off of the US market to low-cost, one-off or low production run items.

 

[matarius777]

I stopped using them when they stopped sales of knives to the UK, there were a few decent sellers of vintage knives, especially old Sheffield folders, although at least one has now opened there own web site.

 

[FerlasDave]

I stepped away from them a couple of years ago now. They were really bad at hiding things and making things difficult for example payments made defaulted to monthly and to change that was a pain. They also kept increasing their cut of your sales and there’s a charge for keeping a shop on their site now.

The final nail in the coffin for me was when I realised they were also charging me for advertisements which was something like £16 a month. Again a default setting that was difficult to change.

Now I just use social media and word of mouth which is easier but social media comes with its own battles particularly in this field as unless you’re in the clique, people won’t help you.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I occasionally buy through Etsy, and it's always been good.

But then again, I've only ever bought things that are either one-off or small production runs, from Canada, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine or the UK.

My most recent purchase was a шајкача, and that's going back more than six months.

Šajkača - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[9InchNinja]

In the past I bought and sold a lot on Etsy, but the fees kept increasing and I was being charged for “advertising” that I wasn’t even aware of. On top of that, I started receiving very strange emails from Etsy in what I believe was Russian. I would get three or four of them every day. The only thing that always worked smoothly were the payouts.

I’m not very technically skilled, and I already found Etsy quite difficult to use. After those strange emails about two years ago, I decided to leave the platform.

 

[GreyCat]

Aye well, I still haven't got the rest of the order from the less-than-honest "UK based" retailer on Etsy.

In the mean time, I have ordered some yarn (exactly same type) direct from AliExpress, paid a lot less and it arrived today.

Won't be using Etsy again in a hurry.

GC

 

[Hollowlegs]

It's not the etsy we knew. Even those who claim it's home-made, artisan crafted, etc., are often fudging the truth.
Silver jewellery made in India but cleaned, sorted and packaged in the UK is supposedly therefore made here.
Wools that never saw the back of a British sheep or hillside, basketry that smells of Chinese insecticide and not willow....the list goes on

Amazes me how many ‘genuine leather’ goods are the described as PU leather

 

[Tengu]

`Genuine Leather` itself is a loaded term.

 

[Toddy]

.....and let's not talk about bonded leather.......