Not that I’m known for being inflammatory but this is total bullshit. In short, our Topoware store was shut, because we weren’t craft enough it seems. No warning, no nothing, just a snappy email once the store had already been shutdown. What sort of customer service is this? If you sell on Etsy and don’t hand sew every single thing yourself, consider yourself warned. I certainly won’t be using them anymore. I’ve included their email and my reply for posterity.
———————
THEM
” Hi there!
This is Tim from Etsy Support. I’m getting in touch with information about what can be sold on Etsy, because it looks like the item featured in your shop might not fit within our selling guidelines.
Here is an outline of what can be sold on Etsy :
Handmade by You: Artists and crafters can sell things they have made. Some production assistance is allowed, but the person running the shop needs to have a large part in creating the items for sale.
Vintage Goods: These must be at least 20 years old. ‘Vintage Style’ items less than 20 years old can’t be sold.
Crafting Supplies: You can sell commercial products that are made for crafting. Things commonly used for crafting but not made for that purpose do not qualify.
Because your listing does not meet our selling criteria, the shop has been closed. Please get in touch if you’d like to sell items that fit into one of the categories above.
Let me know if you have any questions about this!
Thank you,
Tim
Etsy Support”
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US
“Hello Tim,
You find me and Karola extremely shocked of such a dramatic and unfair move on Etsy’s part. Firstly these criteria have never been presented to us as we set up the store several months ago now. Secondly, we have designed Topoware ourselves and invested in getting it manufactured (as it’s nearly impossible do get ceramics and tableware done yourself) in a small quantity of 50 pieces only and in the UK (instead of China like most) in the hope that this detail would be appreciated by the Etsy community. Clearly it isn’t.
I will be blogging about this as I find it a shameful customer service process for any web platform. As a designer, will no longer recommend it to my friends and colleagues.
best regards,
A”
oh wah, you admitted you have them manufactured, etsy is not for you.
I bet there are a lot of people on etsy not really doing the handmade thing. I mean getting stuff lasercut and hand pick it into a giftbox is not really the etsy thing either. its just the way you lie to them, no?
and their account closure performance is still the most rediculous thing ever. and they don’t even bother to do a follow up convo. well what for really?
fame will come from elswhere then…
I support Karola on this, it’s ridiculous to claim that most ceramics or even print-based products aren’t the result of someone paying someone else to do part of the task. That is also part of craft in my opinion.