06/10/2015
So yesterday all my candle listings disappeared from Etsy.
Sadly, it wasn't just me; over the last couple of days, Etsy has conducted a purge of what they call "metaphysical" shops and listings. (I can only imagine the amounts of terrible energy currently aimed at them.) I've received lots of good suggestions about rebuilding my candle business, both in terms of opening an entirely new shop and of reconfiguring my Etsy listings to make them conform with the rules. The thing is, inconsistent rules are hard to follow.
Their stated rule on the subject: "Any metaphysical service that promises or suggests it will effect a physical change (e.g., weight loss) or other outcome (e.g., love, revenge) is not allowed, even if it delivers a tangible item."
Yet they also have a listing subcategory called "Spells and Rituals."
So basically we can offer spells as long as they DON'T WORK. Sorry, but mine usually do, and my 513 customer reviews bear that out. If I put a novelty/entertainment-purposes disclaimer in my listings, I'd be lying to my clients.
PZBART has been successful enough that I regularly pay upwards of $500/month in Etsy fees. They thank me, and their other successful "metaphysical" sellers, by insulting our practices and suspending our listings (whole shops in some cases) without warning. I'm just not all that interested in giving any more money to Etsy. I'm working on setting up a new shop at pzbotanica.com, and will probably also replicate my Etsy shop on some other sales site -- I'm hearing especially good things about Indiemade.
I was angry last night, but today I'm mostly sad, because I was still proud to be an Etsy seller. People scoff at the site, but there is some wonderful stuff on there and it was a great place for me to build a strong clientele. That pride is gone, and even if they reversed the rule today, I'm not sure I could get the bad taste out of my mouth.
More news soon!
