The Hands Of Hand Crafted: And How I Was Expelled From Etsy

On April 28, 2012

These hands of mine aren’t attractive, but they’re mine. Every scratch, every line, every crevice of age and abuse belongs to me. My hands are a reflection of my work ethic, and I carry their imperfections like a badge. For every coil I construct, every curl I shape, I sacrifice something of myself to its birth. I am an artist…. and I apologize for the broken nail in your pendant. I know. That all sounds expectedly droll and woefully trite, though I suppose it’s no more trite than Etsy’s response to the recent protest of resellers and the grievous brandishing of it’s “handcrafted experience” banner. And, since I’ve formed a brand I no longer wished to associate with the deception, I put my Etsy shop, NicoleHannaJewelry, on vacation while I devised a new direction for me and my product. Apparently, Etsy’s Trust and Safety Team viewed this as a nefarious attempt to showcase Etsy’s lack of morals, while using my shop front as a platform for my protest. (I was protesting? Huh…) And while I appreciate they suspect I have a voice to which anyone listens, imagine my surprise yesterday morning when I received this email: “Hello, This is (…) Etsy’s Trust and Safety Team. We are writing to inform you that some of your content on Etsy is in violation of Etsy’s policies.

The DOs & DON’Ts of Etsy state, “You may not use the public areas of your account to demonstrate or discuss disputes with others or with Etsy.” You can read Etsy’s policies in their entirety here: (Insert vague inconsistencies for your viewing pleasure).

The following text was in the public areas of your account:

‘Shop contents are currently unavailable while I work on re-branding and movement of merchandise. I support artisan and hand-crafted goods and, as such, believe a show of solidarity, support and praise is necessary to encourage small business owners in the continuing herculean endeavor to survive in a world of commercial mass production. I urge consumers to support the artisan marketplace and creative community in general and appreciate your interest in my work. Thank you.’

We have temporarily suspended your Account.  If you would like your account opened, we will need for you to confirm that you understand this policy and will not repost this type of information in the future.

Best,
Etsy Marketplace Integrity

This message is a private conversation between you and Etsy. Please respect this confidentiality and refrain from distributing this communication without permission from Etsy. If you feel this message was sent to you in error, please delete it and let us know. Thank you.”

And, of course, because it’s a private conversation between myself and Etsy’s diligent Safety and Trust Commission or Central Intelligence Agency or whatever it is, I’m definitely sharing it with everyone.

Now, tell me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain there was no mention of Etsy, disuptes or Etsy sellers anywhere in my shop vacation announcement. And, though I’ve read through it multiple times, apparently I lack the intelligence to comprehend Etsy’s very concise, comprehensive, and not at all vague terms of use, and in exactly what way my announcement broke with a policy conveniently brandished when protests run rampant in the forums. And, while I admit to maintaining an active presence in the forum discussions, and express a lack of faith in Etsy’s mission, I wouldn’t exactly have called myself a dissenter… a rather exaggerated depiction of events, I must say. I would consider myself, however, an entrepreneur trying to establish a mission better suited to my craft… or any craft for that matter, which Etsy is determined to shove beneath the boots of big business.

Now I’m dissenting!

Thank you Etsy, for prematurely closing my shop without due cause save for the lack of respect you have for your merchants. I’m ashamed of you and astonished my participation in the forum discussions have made me a target for your policing when my shop statement in no way broke with your Terms of Use. And while I don’t employ 120 Chinese toddlers in a factory while shoving a Mai Tai down my pie hole and peddling my product as authentically “handcrafted”, I still deserve a modicum of respect.

Now I’d better get back to my corner before Etsy’s task force breaks down my door.

Happy weaving everyone!