Spreading the Etsy Love

Dang....
Etsy is at the same time both the most wonderful place on earth, and the most dangerous.

When I set up my shop on etsy, I viewed it as a savvy business move. I could present my work to a global audience, increase sales, and propel my business forward. It's not having quite the effect that I had originally desired. Instead, etsy has become a playground.

For starters, I have met a really great group of arts-and-crafters in the forums. We meet daily to discuss any random topic and thought, share our triumphs on and off etsy, commiserate when someone has drama in their personal life, as well lend support and feedback on our work. When I come in to work in the mornings, I log ino the forum thread even before checking my work email or voice-mail. (You can find many of these wonderful folks on the etsy blog ring, just be meandering off to the right-hand side of the page.)

But the biggest problem with etsy, is that I have uncovered a treasury trove of items that I never realized I needed. Items like needle-felted pet rocks; fabric foodstuffs; drawings of odd little creatures proffering squash, and pins with pictures of emotional breakfast foods.

And of course there is a never ending supply of items that it only makes sense to own: lip balm cozies; clay couches for your business cards to relax on; tiny purses shaped like a slice of cake; a never-ending supply of thank you cards; and hairpins with flowers exquisitely made from Japanese kimono silk or fun little balls of felt.

Maybe etsy was not as business-savvy a plan as I had hoped. After all, I seem to have trouble getting too far ahead, when every time I make a sale I turn around and treat myself to one of the gajillions of lovelies that I come across each and every day. Let's call it karma then... I'm spreading the love and helping support fellow etsy artisans. Maybe more of that good vibe can back to me. Ah dang... that will just give me more reason to buy.