Etsy sellers are debating whether the company should allow resellers of mass-produced goods onto the platform - it currently allows only items that are handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. "I'm sure lots of you have heard of the latest craze with the Stanley x Starbucks mugs/cups/quenchers, Target's limited-edition versions, people camping out in front of Target and then running - Black Friday style - to get them," a
seller wrote on the Etsy discussion boards.
"In turn, resellers are scrambling to cash in, which is fine, but some of them are being sold on Etsy. I have an idea though for a new approach Etsy could take," the seller wrote - "Let them in."
The seller explained: "My idea would be to create distinct Etsy sub-shops: Etsy Handmade, Etsy Vintage, Etsy Craft Supplies and a new shop for things like Stanley x Starbucks Quenchers. Maybe they could call it "Etsy Discount" or "Etsy+.""
There were plenty of skeptics, such as the seller who wrote, "As nice as that would be, there still wouldn't be anything to keep all those bad actors from claiming their garbage is "handmade" or "vintage" (just to help their sales) and still swamping our categories with tripe. Because we know Etsy won't stop them."
Another seller who disagreed with the concept said, "Continuing to cheapen the site will do nothing to help legitimate handmade and vintage sellers here on Etsy."
One seller compared the concept to Amazon where they also sell their handmade goods:
"Amazon manages to sell everything. Handmade has its own categories and application process, but my items are up there amongst the mass produced for shoppers to see and compare. I sell almost as much on Amazon with 20 listings as I do on Etsy with over 100 items.
"The problem is that Etsy is still marketing itself as handmade, then we get annoyed when we find products that aren't. Also, search is terrible so handmade is lost amongst mass produced where as Amazon somehow manages to promote my items better.
"Agree that if they can't get rid of the resellers, they should at least try to differentiate listings."
Interestingly, the sellers who didn't think Etsy should open the door to sellers of mass produced goods didn't necessarily think Etsy has been successful in keeping those sellers out - most said they just didn't want the problem to get any worse than it already was.
One seller said hopefully, "Rather than creating separate sub-shops, if Etsy wants to allow resellers, they could just add another category, such as "Other". That might keep new resellers from listing in the vintage, handmade, and supply categories." But others were skeptical that sellers would be truthful and believed they would purposefully mis-categorize their items.
One seller pointed out that a seller of the popular Stanley cups had bought Etsy advertising for their listings to direct buyers to purchase the items on their own website ("Lol.. there is one I saw that says in their about in large letters and in their descriptions "Do not buy on Etsy! Go to our site for 50% off and free shipping!" But hey they bought Etsy ads..")
Another seller wrote, "You know what I would really like to see? Rather than offering an "Other" category, Etsy could create another site altogether and migrate everything POD (Print on Demand) and digital to the other site. It would make that whole area easier to police for IP infringements, as that would pretty much be all they would need to vet. I can dream."
The AuctionBytes Blog has been giving a voice to online merchants since its launch in 2005. Named one of the world's top 30 blogs in 2008 by "Blogging Heroes." Weigh in with your thoughts on the joys and pitfalls of selling online.
Should Etsy Open Separate Area for Stanley Cup Resellers?
by: Rexford 
by: iheartjacksparrow