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Fri June 30 2017 00:02:53

Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

By: Ina Steiner

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Etsy conducted a sweep of its site today, eliminating many Black memorabilia listings. A reader alerted us to the change that took sellers completely by surprise. The several threads we found on the Etsy boards contained conflicting information from members with no clarification or announcement from Etsy staff about what was allowed and what was not allowed.

A spokesperson provided us with the following statement when we asked what changes Etsy had made to policies that impact Black memorabilia:

"Previously, some of these items were allowed to be sold out of consideration for their potential historical or educational value. However, we have decided we will no longer allow these items in the Etsy marketplace. Regardless of age, demeaning depictions of people are not representative of the kind of values that we want to uphold in Etsy's marketplaces, nor the spirit of welcomeness and inclusiveness we want to foster."

The policy was all the more shocking to sellers because Etsy used to provide an image of a "Golliwog" doll as an example of what was allowed under its "Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred." Etsy captioned the image of the listing on its policy page, "Example: Vintage Golliwog Doll - Black Americana History."

Language from the previous version of the Etsy Policy:

Examples of What is Allowed:
We tend to allow items that have educational, historical, or artistic value, but we know that even those items are subject to a variety of valid and sometimes conflicting interpretations. Recognizing that there may be no consensus on their educational, historical, or artistic value, the following items are generally allowed on Etsy:

Vintage Black Americana items, such as "golliwog" dolls (but not newly-created items or PDFs of patterns)

You can find the new policy here.

One of the EcommerceBytes readers who alerted us to the change in policy and enforcement wrote, "Etsy is giving listing fee refunds, which is unusual. We (vintage team members) cannot fathom why Etsy did not notify sellers first and give them a chance to remove the listings rather than delisting them."



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Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Volvo351 This user has validated their user name.

Fri Jun 30 00:13:05 2017

So, will they ban items related to the old Negro Leagues?

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This user has validated their user name. by: toolguy

Fri Jun 30 11:23:58 2017

No more Obama on Etsy. . .

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by: mcposty This user has validated their user name.

Fri Jun 30 15:00:05 2017

Hypocritical.

They have sales of hate groups like black panthers..anTifa with anti white pride.

What etsy means is you can sell hate paraphernalia that is hate against white straight people but not anti other prides and racist stuff.

Etsy taking the sjw pill I see.

It amazes me the blatant agenda of all these cuck corporations

Etsy can go to hades

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This user has validated their user name. by: MainelyVintage

Fri Jun 30 15:31:11 2017

Thanks for covering this, Ina!

Yes, I had one item pulled. At least they left the item as deactivated so I can access the information in the process of relisting it on eBay...

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: ignatz This user has validated their user name.

Fri Jun 30 16:05:25 2017

Those who do not LEARN from history are DOOMED TO REPEAT ITS MISTAKES.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: DingDong This user has validated their user name.

Fri Jun 30 19:28:28 2017

What's next?
Raggedy Ann and Andy.

You know how those "ginger's" are. :-D

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This user has validated their user name. by: White Rabbit

Sat Jul 1 08:46:40 2017

The Etsy crew is way to busy making like they have a reason to be employed. LOL. Fire 75% of those left - with extreme prejudice.

They prefer to allow porn and put porn tags on our listings for us and sell Rape T Shirts. The two Faces of Etsy are showing. I cant wait till this loser site collapses in on itself.

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This user has validated their user name. by: White Rabbit

Sat Jul 1 08:49:31 2017

I might add.. I doubt they have any African Americans working at Etsy or very few if so. Have you ever seen a Black Admin there or a picture of any Black person that works there?

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: gramophone-georg This user has validated their user name.

Sat Jul 1 13:44:18 2017

Can you tell an ex- eBay person is running the show at Etsy now? Expect way more of this nonsense.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Flying Childers This user has validated their user name.

Sat Jul 1 15:25:41 2017

The total hypocrisy of these Social Justice Warriors is despicable.  They will allow every sort of filthy, obscene, perverted listing as long as it favors a deviant, anti-white, anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-straight heterosexual lifestyle.

Yet someone takes offense at genuine African American heritage pieces?  I wonder how the non-existent black employees feel about that one.

The hubris of Etsy employees is breath taking.  The all deserve to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

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This user has validated their user name. by: LasVagueness

Mon Jul 3 00:28:51 2017

Ditto, @Flying Childers

I blame Ctrl-Left authoritarianism.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Moonwishes This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 01:59:25 2017

If a golliwog doll was out, wait for them to take down the Gees Bend Quilts. Personally I hate them, but they are genuine African American quilts. Or perhaps the Underground Railroad quilts which showed the blacks how to get up north to freedom.

Sometimes reading stuff like this just makes you want to pound your head into a wall. History is history. You can't unmake it.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: handmedownheaven This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 02:18:46 2017

Sure makes me glad I totally got out of the online selling business.  Between the BS rules & postal rate increases, just not worth the hassle anymore

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Daisy909 This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 06:41:40 2017

They took down my mammy salt & pepper shakers. If I call them 'momma' salt & pepper shakers does that give you the same mental image? NO!

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Watching the Wheels This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 08:09:43 2017

Haven't the snowflakes figured it out yet? The process has begun to return the lot of them to the rocks they crawled out from.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

This user has validated their user name. by: epuise

Mon Jul 3 09:42:32 2017

As a progressive, socially responsible, liberal (meaning 'change') tree-hugging, equal rights for all snowflake... I do NOT condone removing any item that is a testament to how our HISTORY has evolved... Nazi & KKK & other 'objectionable' vintage/antiques serve to REMIND & TEACH of how EASILY repression & hate CAN and WILL run thru our 'civilized' societies... we MUST remember HOW others were demeaned, objectified, repressed... we must NEVER forget... allowing these items TO BE SEEN should say... THIS was OUR PAST... let us NOT forget it... let us NO repeat it.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: SammyCat This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 11:34:21 2017

Insanity is taking over at Etsy ... seriously ludicrous decisions by millenials with no clue.

Gentrifying our history is so wrong on so many levels.  

An historical retrospective is imperative IMHO.  

Stupidity rules I guess.

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Garcia This user has validated their user name.

Mon Jul 3 22:43:39 2017

Millennials have always run Etsy and these are children without a clue as to what is history and what is not.  They have been trained in liberal colleges and told only that if you don't like it it is racist.

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This user has validated their user name. by: bitbybit

Tue Jul 4 04:29:13 2017

Things have become completely absurd. Pretty soon we will see Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth duking it out.

Then there was the banning of the Confederate flag from items and towns decades after the war. I guess we are suppose to believe the Civil War never happened.

Anything can be made into an issue. Anything at all. It is usually those with hidden agendas who create chaos by stirring up some sort of hornet's nest.  

Perminate Link for Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia   Etsy Conducts Sweep of Black Memorabilia

by: Small Guy This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jul 4 10:20:49 2017

I'll bet this decision was not prompted by pressure from complaints from the outside of Etsy.  Rather it came from a small click of ''social techies'' who want everyone to think like they do.

If you could find those ''snowflake techies'' inside Etsy and give them a test on American History, they would probably fail miserably.

The problem with management by technology is that it doesn't allow for face to face discussion and resolution of differences of opinion. Anonymity leads to decisions with no accountability.

If you could have engaged these ''little fools'' inside Etsy in a conversation you might have been able to enlighten them and convince them that their ''valiant liberal decision'' was not really a pressing or necessary action that had to be taken.

Etsy management would be better served if they spent more time and effort on solving technology issues  and less time on social action campaigns.  

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