RU an Etsy Bitch

I've been reading Etsy Bitch religiously for the past 9 months or so. Since I don't read the forums hardly at all anymore it is my real source of gossip and news about Etsy. You will get the 100% no holds barred, honest to God truth in their pages. I'm sure those who are still in the honeymoon period will probably say they are just a negative bunch of whiners but trust me your day will come. My rose colored glasses were rosier than anyones but the glow is definitely faded.

If you are unfamiliar with the site here is their mission statement:

EtsyBitch is a communal blog of likeminded Etsians who are tired of the demeaning treatment, abuse, and general mismanagement of the Etsy.com site. We want Etsy to improve so we bitch to call attention to the unfairness and general stupidity of its admin and the unprofessional way they treat their sellers.

We're bitching because we care, dammit. That's right. It's snark for a cause. Crabbing for progress. Whining to make the handcrafted world a better place.

A recent post gives 8 Etsy propagated myths that should be required reading for anyone interested in promoting their craft. Myth 7 cracks me up and makes me sad all in one:

"ETSY IS REALLY ABOUT THE SANCTITY OF HANDMADE IT'S JUST CONFUSED SO LOOKS LIKE A CRAFT MAGAZINE SPINOFF WITH ALT-CRAFT ONLY. IT ONLY PROMOTES HOT GLUED TOGETHER NEON HOODIES WHEN IT'S DRINKING - ONE DAY IT WILL WISE UP AND LOVE ME BECAUSE IT ALWAYS TELLS ME IT KNOWS NO NICHE, AND IT LOVES ME, REALLY IT DOES!"

Of course Etsy has every right to target whatever market they want with their front page and gift guides, but don't tell us that you are for all things handmade when you are really for all things handmade in Brooklyn.

Leave it to them to point out here how New York Magazine actually said this about Etsy in a recent article, "The Etsy lifestyle has a recognizable aesthetic, which looks remarkably like that of skinny-jeans-wearing, Slow Food–eating, bike-commuting hipsters." So if you live in the Midwest and haven't worn skinny jeans since your were 8 years old than you will never belong. Clearly this hipster image cannot be denied any longer when the media is taking it as common knowledge.

And then quite possibly the funniest post I've read ever was the Etsy on Sunday Morning. Leave it to Etsy to put a dirty Brooklynite peddling handmade hoodies and underwear to the Sunday Morning crowd. And to actually have Martha Stewart point out the flaw in the workmanship. Wow, talk about great press.

So RU an Etsy Bitch or do you still think they are the greatest thing since handmade bread?