CraftStar: Some Crafters Are More Equal Than Others

On the 29th of October I wrote a blog about the changes CEO Chad Dickerson was making to Etsy. I had read and detailed this transformation as told to WIRED here on my blog in October of 2012. It seems that they were right. I put links to my blog on all my Etsy Groups, Tweeted and such, but all I got was one comment. As I detailed this week, in one day so many Etsians fled to Zibbet their server crashed.

There are other "craft" oriented sites out there, however, Etsy is the best known and biggest. I have tried ArtFire with no luck, set up an eBay store for a friend who sold nothing. Truth be told, Etsy has been the only place I have sold anything online. That's why it breaks my heart that anyone, and I MEAN anyone can now sell there. How can a creator and craftsman compete with minions in China or Viet Nam who can make millions of what it took hours and sometimes days to create for a fraction of the cost? Simply, you can't.

Time flies but I believe last year I was approached by a new Internet site, CraftStar. In theory they were like Etsy but what I saw was well, let's get generous and say homier. It wasn't as polished and then it took forever to go live...kinda like Obamacare. March stretched into April, then May and June. I don't recall exactly when they went online but by then I didn't care anymore. I do check it from time to time and oddly never see much in the categories I would sell in. Is that good or bad? I do, however, get the newsletters. When I read the latest last night, I saw "red." Here it is:

As you will read in my letter to her that follows, I don't know about you but I don't have 1,000 of all my things laying around to sell let alone can afford a 50% hit. If this isn't a blatant mimic of Etsy who  now lets all sellers sell if the store owner can prove they "designed" the item, what is? As I asked, and I ask you, WHAT item for sale doesn't have at least someone who did the original design? Here is my reply:

Here is her reply:

Of course I knew this would be her reply. From the Radio / TV Producer world, think Jerry Springer, Ellen, etc., all she could see when NBC came calling was $$$$$$$$$! To hell with the crafters. Now, if she really WAS supportive of the crafter community why didn't she appeal to 50 or even 100 crafters that might have 10 or 20 items they would sell for the recognition. She is willing to sacrifice us all for ONE crafter? I don't know about you but I find this less than supportive. If anything its exploitive. Knowing full well there isn't a crafter on her site that could meet this criteria (well not that would meet what I thought were her guidelines), she knew full well what she was doing. In retrospect, she may have driven a few more to Zibbet because she has exposed to the world exactly where she wants her bread buttered. And honey, its not with crafters.

I urge you to visit my store ... KrugsStudio.etsy.com. You just might find some unique, hand painted item that would be the perfect accessory in your home or a wonderful, unique gift for friends and family. Trust me, there are not 1,000 of ANYTHING laying around.