Why Etsy Sucks

Don't get me wrong, I loved Etsy so hard ... for awhile.

I had to leave eBay because of the cheating buyers, since eBay believes them and punishes me for doing a good job. Which, by the way for each neutral feedback (2) and negative (1) on an account with over 1,000 positive feedback, I could prove.

Anyway: I collect lots of Pokemon things. Everywhere on eBay Pokemon is listed as "Vintage" when it's old, and I didn't think twice, just put it up on Etsy as Vintage, thinking it was. But it's not - by two lousy years. Vintage means 20 years old, and my old Pokemon stuff is 18. So I get an email warning me I'll be suspended if I don't take it all down.

I check on Etsy, and LO AND BEHOLD instead of 1 page of stuff where it's mostly my items, there are now 2 of "vintage" Pokemon. Clearly, someone wanted to eliminate the competition and reported me. But yes, I did break the rules. I'm mad at Etsy because they very deliberately let some people slide while they pick on others.

You can find hundreds, if not thousands, of Made in China shops that sells thousands of factory-made things. You can find the same folks anywhere in the world that sell copyrighted images they've stolen for their own use, as well as tons of anime crafters that sell their own versions of Pokemon sculpted in Fimo or Sculpey - yes, those are also illegal. But why pick me? I've reported tons of shops on Etsy that are blatantly disregarding the rules, and nothing happens to them!

Other blogs and articles about how bad Etsy has gotten:

http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/2008/11/13/copying-stalking-and-shop-deletions-on-etsy/

http://etsyrefugeesociety.blogspot.com/
http://artmakersworlds.com/etsysucks.html
https://twitter.com/EtsyLies

Other ideas for shops/services to use instead of Etsy:

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5287-etsy-alternatives-handmade-sites.html
http://craftybird.hubpages.com/hub/Great-Alternatives-to-Etsy
http://blog.fanchimp.com/the-best-marketplace-alternatives-to-etsy/