I was browsing through the Ceramics and Pottery category on Etsy, and was commenting to Andy on how, um, nasty (totally my feeling) it's getting. More and more resellers of what people want to force into the vintage category, when in reality, it's something purchased last year at a sale, and now that it doesn't fit in their decor, trying to get rid of it in the ceramics and pottery category. And the resellers who refuse to put their work into the vintage category in the first place.
So I thought of something, that sounds simple and obvious now in thought, but would probably be difficult as hell to implement: Criteria popping up as you choose your category tag. Sort of like hints of what qualifies to be put in the category you're picking.
[And with the addition of 'Commercial' from the drop down box, this would be easier cuz no newbie is going to type in commercial as the second tag]
Example: For Ceramics and Pottery, 2 criteria, phrased like this -
...................................................................................................................................................................
You may post in the Ceramics and Pottery category if your item meets the following criteria:
- You made it.
- You fired it in a kiln.
...................................................................................................................................................................
There should be another question, but I can't remember what it was :)
I would think that keeping it general would be best, because not everyone is going to fit in what everybody thinks Ceramics and Pottery is. It sounds so great in my head, because I'm thinking 'how obvious IS that?', but I know, from dealing with the general public, that it is NEVER that easy. I would hope that the 'firing it in a kiln' would be the clincher. Both of these would hopefully make resellers hesitant to post in the category - That's basically why I started this rant. And don't get me started on what counts as vintage (I'm only 34 - 1987 is, for feck's sake, not vintage!!! It's retro :) )
The End.
-Nancy
![[that which is not]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACLCmoocWeN7chBZPL2qr9VYghTIM4_GZSebwnGtegHFMTJzzTnJTkzc3SbnbtKKKbn-IO7Iczm9cPAxar-_f2AnR82lQKgCZdX6epnyte1OO4jEw9_2z-26TtcYdxJV-YONfZeXFMss/s1118/new+blog+header+4.11.13%2521.jpg)
tidbits of ceramic studio action when we can manage it :)
7 comments:
Not a bad idea. For those of us at community studios, "you fired it" isn't, um, precisely true.
But if people aren't accidentally misposting stuff... it probably won't be that easy to slow 'em down, either... :-/
I totally agree with you. I am tired of the junk too. I love your suggestion.
Hey Julie! - That's exactly why I wrote that it's going to be a hell of a task :) But you do bring up the community kiln user - I can already think of a handful of ceramists/potters that would also have trouble with that - So maybe amending the statement to 'fired in a kiln' would be better - I have already seen a newbie in there that has fired their product in a kiln, but hasn't made the pieces, and probably not the artwork for that matter - So again, it's going to be hell to enforce. I am most worried about the influx of 'vintage' and resale items. Saw A TON of new vendors with garage sale written all over them - Anthropologie doesn't count as vintage - in there this weekend, and from the looks of the forums Sunday night, so did a bunch of other Etsy sellers - Lots of great advice from seasoned, educated vintage sellers. The sad thing is that they follow the 'commercial' tag rule and post their circa 2005 piece anyway.
Hey Cindy! I know you've seen how it's getting in there - I don't know if anything will ever/can ever be done about it :(
How about... you made it and it was fired in a kiln.
I completely understand your frustration
That's a terrific idea! I belong to the etsy mud team and people are always complaining about that and poly clay in the category, which is a whole other story.
This is way back... I like "you made it and it was fired in a kiln" as Judi suggested. Maybe Etsy could give some select people "flagging power" to bring noncompliant items to their attention faster. Has the situation improved in the last couple months?
Question: On Etsy is it easy to unlist and relist an item - does it keep the info on the server or do you have to re-upload photos and descriptions?
Julie - Good to see you'll be back @ NSUC!
You can renew an item at anytime; it keeps its views and acts like a newly listed item, heading to the top of the que.
Relisting is when an item sells - All views are gone & you're starting with a sort of new item card.
This works great if you have something, say a magnet that you sold, and you've got another - all you need to do is tweak the sold listing to fit your new magnet. It saves you the effort of typing in your tags and the item description (or part of your item description) You can also change the rest of the listing at this time as well.
Good to hear you're almost ready to go with your shop setup! I have another ceramist that's setting up shop as well, so I'm giving her some tips - Good thing is that she's here in the same building as us :)
The thing to remember about your shop on Etsy is that there's always room for improvement - You'll find a photographic style that will eventually become a signature style for you, and people start to recognize your work by that as well - You can see that with a lot of the jewelery and 2D work on Etsy.
And on the other topic, of flagging: Awhile ago, when the main categories were being discussed, a bunch of us in the ceramics & pottery section spoke up about wanting to be part of any discussion as to what was allowed in the category.
Obviously in order for there not to be a one-sided approach, i.e. only a few certain types of pottery/ceramic processes named, there needs to be a group where each member comes from different schools of thought & practice.
If Etsy will ever have that happen (have section managers), I don't know, since it involves voluntary (read: no monetary compensation) policing of sections, knowing the TOU & TOS inside & out, and have a well-rounded knowledge of the ceramic medium to avoid improper flagging. Tall task indeed!
-Nancy
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