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I wrote a piece on a #Coop alternative to Etsy that just launched, one that puts power back into the hands of artists & makers:
@coopartisans (glad they're on Mastodon!)
I didn't realize the extent to which #Etsy had become toxic to sellers until starting interviews for this piece. It's clear that artisans are being drawn to this because an alternative is long overdue.
(there's a tech issue with the authorship at the top; it names me as the author at the bottom)
@00Aaron I like this: "grow at the speed of trust".
@00Aaron @coopartisans I built a platform like this a while ago, but it's cool to see someone able to make it profitable.
@00Aaron Another example of @pluralistic ‘s #Enshittification . Good on @coopartisans for empowering an alternative!
I sell on Etsy just as a hobby. They are incredibly hard to work with. They make some things simply impossible, which their documentation either contradicts, handwaves away, or ignores completely.
Contacting support is a nightmare of trying to find the one lucky "Have you checked this FAQ?" link that just *might* (today) have a "Start Chat" button hidden behind the inevitable "I need more help" button.
It must be a nightmare for people whose livelihoods depend on it.
@00Aaron @coopartisans “Artisanship of risk,” that’s a fascinating concept.
@00Aaron @coopartisans Good to see this pushback against Etsy’s #enshittification
@00Aaron @coopartisans This is amazing!
"customers can browse and find actually-unique items" hah it's like you/they knew exactly what i was going to ask
@00Aaron @coopartisans Can't wait to check this out. Etsy's sponsored search results are so annoying, I've just stopped altogether.
@00Aaron @coopartisans it's a shame the entry fee is so damn high. A lot of us don't have that sort of cash to throw at things, and don't make enough to afford it
@tinyfluffs @00Aaron @coopartisans as with a lot of things on the Internet, if it’s free then you and your data are the product.  As it is a co-op, you are effectively buying part of the business.
@tinyfluffs @00Aaron @coopartisans not sure if you saw, but you can join & earn membership pts by volunteering. It was set up this way to make sure membership was more accessible & didn’t just depend on a cash buy-in. “To reduce barriers to entry, we also offer non-cash options through patronage activities….”
https://blog.artisans.coop/blog/join-an-authentic-handmade-marketplace-now-enrolling-members/
The marketplace will open to non-members soon, too.
@00Aaron @coopartisans Hooray! Former Etsy seller, here—will totally look this up, TY!!
@00Aaron @coopartisans Hooray! And it looks like they’re international, too!
@00Aaron @coopartisans This is awesome! I’m a crafter and I know several people who sell their goods on Etsy and hate it there. This sounds like a very good alternative for them.
@cvwillegen @00Aaron @coopartisans @soundwarrior20 It is, but unfortunately I would struggle to afford the fee to become a member :(
@00Aaron @coopartisans I gotta read more into this. As Etsy is more and more of a pain to deal with for me as a artist seller on there. And dealing with customer service over stuff is like talking to a brick wall. I have been wanting an excuse to leave that site forever, and this could be an answer I need.
@00Aaron @coopartisans I like the networking factor. That's great!
"they were both more profitable than ever, and they were going to raise fees on sellers by a lot"
@00Aaron it’s really good to see corporate-free alternatives being developed in so many areas. The not-Bandcamp coops are fascinating too.
@LaserdiscTurtle has the etsy seller in your life heard about this?
@renegaderich @00Aaron Not sure, but I've forwarded it on to her.
@00Aaron @coopartisans
I read this earlier this morning. An hour later I ran into some friends at a small farmers/craft market who used to sell on Etsy. They complained about Etsy being hard to work with, taking too big of a cut and kicking them off for two weeks once for no reason. I pointed them to this article and they seemed really stoked. Hopefully membership will work for them.
(And of course I pointed out I saw it on Mastodon. Yay for fedi networking.)
@Mikal that's awesome, thanks for sharing! Actually one of the interviewees mentioned that they'd first heard of Arisans Cooperative and signed up because of Mastodon, too
@00Aaron @coopartisans fascinating! I'm a bit confused about the explanation of why 3d printed objects are allowed
@michel_slm @coopartisans from my understanding of it, it is because the design itself is a thing that requires originality and creative labor, and because the process of 3D printing something also isn't completely certain, especially when prototyping the design.
Maybe like the way you could screen print shirts or do block printing, which is a similar form of replicated goods, but the act of making it is still mess-uppable (workmanship of risk)
@00Aaron @coopartisans thank you! I guessed as much but wasn't sure from the article
@00Aaron @coopartisans Good to hear about this cooperative. I'm disappointed to hear that Etsy hasn't been good for artists.
@00Aaron @coopartisans I didn't know Etsy was toxic to sellers, but it's surely been bad for buyers for a while (The handmade/vintage designations haven't been useful since forever)
@Chaconne ohhh. That looks very interesting
