Simply Shiny Life

Reseller.

Innocuous word, right? But oh so rife with connotation and negativity. At least in the online selling venues I am most familiar.

Much angst, gnashing of teeth, and arguing is occurring right now with at least two of these venues. And not just heated discussion with venue owners. Much, much heated discussions among the venue’s sellers as well.

So what is a reseller? And why the angst? There are a myriad of definitions, but in the simplest Kristy terms, a reseller is someone who sells a manufactured finished product online. The bone of contention for artists is that many of these sellers also have the audacity to state that these are artisan handmade goods. These resellers then sell them on venues in which, supposedly, they are not allowed to do so, by that venue’s own usage terms. These resellers lie to unsuspecting buyers about the good’s origins and their makers. They state that these artisan goods are handmade by the seller herself. Failing to inform buyers that these goods are indeed created in a factory or by sweat shop workers.

Both venues that I have the most knowledge about (Etsy and Artfire) utilize a Terms Of Service (or Terms of Use) document to outline what is and what is not permissible activity within the site. This document outlines what kinds of items can be sold and what are not permitted. On both venues, generally accepted saleable items include handmade (and the definition of what, exactly, is handmade, is long), antique/vintage, and supplies. Supplies are defined as items used in the making of other items, but not finished items per se.

An interesting difference between the venue’s handling, or mishandling as the case may be, of the situation is occurring with Etsy and Artfire right now. Etsy has a myriad of resellers. These sellers blatantly violate TOU and are brought to administration attention time and time again. Etsy does little to police its own site nor does it seem to want to change the TOU to incorporate them. Instead, Etsy administration’s inaction and lip service about the issue to angry sellers continues infuriatingly unabated. Just read example after example listed on the blog called Etsy Call Out . Or the dozens of threads that have been closed by Admin when the topic has come up on Etsy’s forums at the Etsy Closed Threads blog.  Is the inaction because each of those reseller stores generates needed revenue for Etsy? Is it due to mismanagement? Is Etsy’s plan really to incorporate these resellers soon but doesn’t have a solid communication plan to articulate it? One thing is sure; inaction isn’t helping the situation any and neither is it placating these angry sellers continually pointing out the ongoing situation to Etsy administration.

Artfire has similar issues with resellers. They exist on the site and their numbers are growing. The difference? Artfire is admitting it has a problem, and asking it’s sellers to help develop the solution. Will everyone be happy with whatever is determined to be the next course of action? Do pigs fly? I don’t expect a solution in the short term. This baby needs to gestate for months at least before all nuances are advanced and practical aspects are considered.

Finding THE perfect solution isn’t the thing, for me. It’s the fact that a dialogue is occurring. It’s the fact that the Artfire team has acknowledged the issue instead of remaining in their ivory tower of ownership. The solution discussion has been ongoing and vehement among sellers, but it’s not only the Seller’s gnashing teeth. Artfire’s staff has enjoyed a bit of gnashing themselves, and I suspect it will continue for a while until some sort of solution is discovered.

I’ll be curious to see how it shakes out next year at this time. Could be an interesting ride.

What do you think?

For the record, free speech is governed by the First Amendment of the Constitution:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Did you note that it states Congress shall make no law?

So, if I tell you to shut up, because you are making inane comments of sheer stupidity (my opinion of course), guess what? I’m not breaching your free speech rights. Because

A. I’m not the government

and

B. because, frankly, you can go around the corner where I can’t hear you and spew whatever nonsense you’d like. Until someone else tells you to shut yer trap. And, if that someone else is a private citizen or business, etc, they won’t be violating your freedom of speech either.

(Of course it’s not always this black and white. For some interesting reading, check out the volumes of free speech case law precedent available online)

Why do I bring this up? Because of the latest shenanigans on Etsy.  To make a long story short, there once was a seller with items that offended other Etsy sellers. Petitions were signed, emails were sent, blog posts were written and forum posts were started about the apparent (at least to the protesters) offensive items. And guess what? Etsy ignored them. Big surprise. It was feedback from only their selling base, not from anyone of power, right? You can find details here and here

Next, this seller’s items appeared on CNN with a bit of discourse from the CNN newscaster about what a poor internet citizen Etsy was to allow such offensive things. And then Etsy listened. To CNN.

Etsy scrambled to change their site terms to not allow these offensive items using newly created verbiage vagaries. Items previously allowed with no issues and under which this seller posted. These new terms were posted for Etsy sellers to read and digest and make comments.

So how is this relevant to my initial blurbs about free speech? Well, in these comments from sellers, there were many that referenced free speech, slippery slope, first amendments, blah blah blah. But the truth is, Etsy can do whatever it wants in policing its site. Free speech doesn’t apply as it’s a private venue.

Sellers should be less upset about the non-existent speech violations and more upset that Etsy caved to media and didn’t give them an iota of deference.

It certainly doesn’t engender very much trust in whether Etsy site owners will actually ever do the right thing for its sellers. No. It does not. What is does appear to highlight is that the site owners listen to the media and a bit of negative national publicity can go a long way.

Good to know.

Wish we’d figured out how to use that during Coralgate.

HA!

Artfire has initiated a process that will include a review of seller accounts and the issuance of a logo representing them as “Certified Handmade” shops. This is really good news for potential buyers who would like to know for certainty that they are supporting true artisans and not resellers.

Artfire Studio owners who want to pursue this certification must meet several requirements as well as submit various types of documentation in order to support their status. You can view the full seller requirements at this link http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=forums&op=view_topic&tid=9608 on Artfire. After vetting, those Studio owners that meet the requirements are issued a special blue hand icon for their shops.

When a buyer clicks this new icon in a seller’s Studio, this message is posted to the screen

“This Certified Handmade Artifact recognizes this artisan’s commitment to exclusively offering Handmade and Fine Art work in their studio.

This artisan has been through a careful review to ensure they are the producers of the fine work you now see. When you see the Certified Handmade Artifact, you can shop with the confidence knowing that you are indeed supporting a handmade artisan.”

Having a vetting process that identifies artisan makers is nice differentiator between AF and other sites that sell handmade. Artfire’s press release about the program can be found at http://www.1888pressrelease.com/artfire-builds-artisan-recognition-program-with-the-certifie-pr-225763.html

Initiating this program is timely too. I was perusing some closed etsy threads this morning and came across this one from artist Sherry Truitt
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6574015

Read her comment on page 6 about what happened to her placement in a magazine article that had planned to showcase handcrafted etsy items
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6574015&page=6

Artfire has chosen to provide certification to artisan sellers by actively vetting shops and granting them true handmade artist status. This vetting and the subsequent icon that is granted will be a REALLY good way for buyers to know that the items they’ll be receiving are actually handmade by the artist that owns the Studio.

Kudos to you Artfire.

Zibbet.com is offering sellers a LIFETIME Premium Account for just $120 USD.  One flat fee to sell on Zibbet; forever. No additional fees to pay; EVER. However, there is a catch. (You knew there would be, right? )

This is a limited time offer only. There are only 50 left at the $120 price. Once they are sold, the price will increase by $10 for the next 50 accounts sold. Jonathan Peacock, CEO of Zibbet says “they have proven VERY popular, with 150 Lifetime accounts sold in just 10 days.” Premium sellers will have access to all current and future ‘Premium only’ features on the site.

Jonathan also says that for those wishing to participate, “we’re building an ‘easy payment plan’ option where sellers will be able to pay in 3 installments. This was requested by a number of people and should be ready sometime in the next 24-48 hours”

This special promotion will end on Christmas Day.You can find out more info by visiting: Zibbet’s Lifetime Premium Account 

You can find more information about Zibbet at the Simply Shiny profile: Where to sell handmade: Zibbet . You can also find Zibbet’s current traffic ranking on my Where to sell handmade list

Do you sell on Zibbet.com? What do you think so far?

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Updated March 2, 2011

I thought it would be interesting to create a list of sites that one could sell their handmade goods. I use Compete.com’s metrics to track traffic numbers over time for these online venues.

You’ll note columns for a site’s latest rank, as well as its previous rank and a column for actual site traffic.

An M means millions and a k is thousands. (4M is 4,000,000 and 4k is 4,000.) If a number is listed without either an M or a k, you can assume this is the actual number of visitors per month.

I’ve sorted the sites in this list from most to least trafficked.  You can click on each site name to visit that site directly.

The LOWER the rank number the HIGHER the number of visitors a site receives. LOWER numbers are BETTER.

Does more traffic mean more sales? Maybe, but it’s not a given that larger traffic numbers equate to larger sales revenues for a site’s member sellers. Do your homework: visit site forums, Google for feedback and user opinions, ask questions.

Note: Some of the sites listed allow vendors to sell commercial AND handmade products. Also, sites that have moved more than 3 slots since the last review are highlighted in red text.

Looking for an etsy competitor? Seeking another venue to sell you handmade items? Asking what other sites are out there to list your handmade artisan work? This list may help.

What sites did I miss? What do you think of the sites you use? Please share your experiences.

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I’ve updated my list of sites to sell your handmade art, crafts, etc.  You can find the entire updated list here:   Where to Sell Handmade Online

I use Compete.com to rank site traffic.

You should note that an M means millions and a k is thousands of visitors per month. So 4M is 4,000,000 and 4k is 4,000. If a number is listed without either an M or a k afterwards, you can assume this is the actual number of visitors per month in hundreds.

Note: Some of the sites listed below allow vendors to sell handmade as well as commercial products.  For instance, buyers will find handmade as well as retail products on ebay.

Here are the top ten for November.

You can find the entire update list here:   Where to Sell Handmade Online

Artfire has launched some really great seller functionality of late including:

Artfire ROCKS! If you haven’t opened your Studio at the site yet, you should REALLY check it out – and tell them ShinyAdornments sent you

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Artfire’s Big Big Announcement: Holiday Free For All!! No fees, unlimited listings.
For Real!!

Unlimited listings for basic accounts to sell your handmade art, craft supplies and vintage items.

• No listing fees
• No final value fees when your handmade item sells
• Unlimited listings

I’m a Verified Seller on Artfire. So why do I care? Well, the bet is that adding a bunch of new sellers to the site will generate more Google and other traffic.

If you do the math, every 2 listings on AF generate more than one google visit per month from a buyer. So if Artfire adds 100,000 items (conservatively) during this experiment, it can expect more than 50,000 Google visitors. And according to AF metrics, these peeps go multiple pages deep, and spend time surfing the site. This benefits me, a Verified seller, because of the way Verified sellers are optimized in search and on the Basic seller pages, Sweet.

So, mostly, I don’t have to do a danged thing, and more traffic is bound to surf to the site.

If you’d like to read the latest about this experiment in the Artfire Forums, you can click this link

If you’d like to join the experiment and open your FREE Artfire Studio, visit the
Artfire Holiday Free for All sign up page.

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Follow this blog:  Click here
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In a previous post, I provided a list of selling venues for artists, artisans and artisan crafters. This week I’m profiling another of those sites on my blog.

What is the site name and where can artisan sellers find you?

Website: www.zibbet.com

Zibbet can also be found at…
Blog: www.zibbet.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/zibbet
Facebook: www.facebook.com/zibbet
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Zibbet/29754970138

Tell us a little bit about your site.
Zibbet is a global marketplace, connecting buyers and sellers of Handmade Goods, Fine Art, Vintage Items and Crafting Supplies. We’re similar to the well known Etsy, but very different at the same time.

Zibbet doesn’t have listing fees and we don’t take a cut of your sales.

With Zibbet, you have the choice between a ‘Basic’ or ‘Premium’ Account…

Basic accounts are totally FREE. We give you your own shop, web address, outstanding promotional tools and customer support, all for FREE. With a Basic account you can have up to 25 items in your shop at a time. When an item sells, you can replace it by listing another one. You can sell as many items as you want and you won’t pay us a cent!

Premium accounts are currently $7/month (at the time of this writing there are only 2430 accounts left at this special price). With a Premium Account you’ll enjoy the freedom of listing as many items as you want, plus the flexibility of having full control over the customization of your shop’s color theme, and layout. The ‘level’ to which you can customize your shop is what people are most excited about. You can really make it look like your own website! As an example, here’s just a few of our sellers Premium Shops: http://www.zibbet.com/leelabijou, http://www.zibbet.com/riskybeads and http://www.zibbet.com/lindawalshoriginals

Seller Shop Example: Risky Beads

You can learn more, plus see a full list of features at www.zibbet.com/sell

–> 7 Day Free Trial Offer of our Premium Accounts at the end of this interview <–

Where did the idea for Zibbet come from?
The idea for Zibbet was initially born out of a desire to create an ‘eBay alternative’ for Artisans.

You can read more about this on our ‘About Us’ page: http://www.zibbet.com/aboutus

Tell us about the site’s staff.
We’re a team of 3 at the moment and have plans to expand our staff before the year is out. In the mean time, we just have to work twice as hard!!

You can learn more about us and our individual roles here: http://www.zibbet.com/aboutus

What is your plan for the site? What are your goals?
Our goal is to see Zibbet become THE BEST online venue to sell your Handmade Goods, Fine Art, Vintage Items and Crafting Supplies…PERIOD!

We will achieve this by continually focusing on developing new and innovative features to aid our sellers’ promotional needs AND we have a strong focus on bringing buyers to the site and making their buying experience one to remember.

Connecting sellers with buyers is our number one priority!

Who is your target seller audience?
Anyone looking to sell their Handmade Goods, Fine Art, Vintage Items and/or Crafting Supplies.

How will you drive buyers to your venue?
Currently, we’re driving buyer traffic to Zibbet through a number of online marketing campaigns. By the end of this year we have plans to expand our team and employ someone whose sole focus will be on bringing buyers to the site.

Is this an international, domestic US, Far East or European focused site?
Zibbet is focused on reaching an International audience.

What differentiates this venue from other online selling venues?
Zibbet is fast becoming known for its exceptional Customer Service. We value our members and strive to give them the high level of service they deserve.

We’re also committed to releasing the most innovative tools in the industry. Zibbet has released the ability to ‘rearrange the items in your shop’. A very popular feature AND an industry first! Our Premium Shops are also the most customizable out of all the popular handmade sites.

We’re only just getting started at Zibbet and there are so many more exciting features in the works!

What else should we know?
We’ve put together a special 7 Day Free Trial of our Premium Account for Shiny Adornment readers. Zibbet Premium Shop Tour Video

How to get your 7 Day Free Trial:

Step 1: Go to www.zibbet.com/sell
Step 2: Click the ‘Sign Up’ button in the ‘Premium Account’ column
Step 3: On the following page, you’ll see a section towards the bottom of this page where you can enter a ‘coupon’. Enter this coupon code: SHINY7
Step 4: Click the ‘Redeem’ button after entering the coupon code, allow the page to reload, and then click ‘next’.
Step 5: You’ll be taken through to PayPal where you can set-up how you wish to be billed monthly for your Premium Account. Please note that you won’t begin to be charged for your Premium Account until AFTER the 7 day trial period. You can cancel any time within the 7 days and you won’t be charged a cent!

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me personally – jonathan@zibbet.com

I’m looking forward to seeing how you decide to design YOUR Zibbet shop!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

~~~
Jonathan Peacock
CEO, Zibbet.com

In a previous post, I provided a list of selling venues for artists, artisans and artisan crafters. This week I’m profiling another of those sites on my blog.

What is the site name and where can artisan sellers find you?
The site name is Twolia.com. We are continuing to expand our presence in  social media networks and a multitude of related industries such as, music, film, online shopping, and entertainment. Extensive advertising campaignsnews releases channeled through PRWeb &  PRNewswire; and an increasing audience on MySpace, Twitter, & Facebook allow us to reach our target audience, i.e. artisan sellers such as your readers.

Twitter: TwoliaOnline
Facebook: Twolia

Tell us a little about your site’s history. What are its origins?
There is no community for women entrepreneurs and artisans. Twolia is the brainchild of company founder & CEO, Donna Meté and is the culmination of several years work filling a void and building an exciting destination that appeals to the thriving and innovative community of women artists and entrepreneurs.

THE TWOLIA TEAM

Donna Meté, Founder and CEO of Twolia, Inc. Donna launched her entrepreneurial career over 25 years ago. She founded one of the fastest growing, privately-held conference organizations within the U.S., and produced and sold the world’s largest tradeshow on Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods to New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Publishing. Donna’s previous company identified major industry trends impacting businesses from around the world.  Her team produced hundreds of events enabling CEO’s and Business Development executives to effectively formulate and execute their game plans.

Donna produced a ground-breaking 13-week WebTV series exploring our thoughts, assumptions and trepidations surrounding human sexuality.  The series is scheduled to air in late 2009.  She is also co-producing a provocative documentary entitled “Stock Shock!” with Mohr Productions.  STOCK SHOCK!  tells the story of the rescue of SiriusXM, the plight of its committed shareholders and Wall Street market manipulations which may have contributed to the recent plunge of the stock market.  Stock Shock! is scheduled to air in June 2009.  She is the author and publisher of the book “On the Mend”.  A self-help survival guide for women healing a broken heart.  On the Mend is scheduled to be released this summer.

Donna’s expertise includes Trend Spotting, Marketing, Business Development, Operations and Start-ups.  Her passions include music, film, entrepreneurship, human and animal rights, and quantum physics.

Loren Larsen is an attorney, filmmaker and consultant. She began practicing law in 2002 in Chicago and moved to New York City in 2004 to continue her practice in commercial litigation and entertainment law. In 2004 Loren produced the feature documentary, Swing State Ohio, which was released and screened throughout the country in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 she shifted from formal law practice to consulting, working on such successful startups as Organicgreenmommy.com as well as Call2Action.com. Loren is thrilled to now be with Twolia, a “vibrant, modern and long-awaited destination site for women.” She lives in Boston with her husband, John.

Debralee Merchant has worked in advertising, conference and trade show planning and most recently graduated with a BS in Business Marketing with a focus in Internet Marketing, Business Administration, and Public Relations. She had been the Director of Sales & Marketing for a company founded 15 years ago by Twolia’s CEO, Donna Meté and is now heading up Operations initiatives within Twolia.

What is your plan for the site? What are your goals?
To ensure Twolia is, and will always be, the definitive site for filmmakers, independent musicians, actors, entrepreneurs, and creative women seeking a platform for their many talents. Launching this site has given Twolia an edge in the online social network community, as it is the first website of its kind designed specifically to permit women to actively participate in all of its entertainment features. Twolia encourages women to present their talents, expertise, and merchandise to an audience eager for a new online experience. Twolia provides a personalized online sales and marketing platform, along with fully supported transaction processing to enable women to promote, sell, and distribute their products anywhere in the world.

Who is your target seller audience?
Women entrepreneurs, artisans, independent female musicians and filmmakers.

Who is your target buyer audience? How will you drive buyers to your venue?
Twolia is open to men and women from around the world. Extensive advertising campaigns; news releases channeled through PRWeb &  PRNewswire; and an increasing audience on MySpace, Twitter, & Facebook allow us to reach our target audience, i.e. artisan sellers such as your readers.

Is this an international, domestic US, Far East or European focused site?
It is an international focused site.

What differentiates this venue from other online selling venues? Why should artisan sellers consider utilizing this site as a resource instead of other, older sites or their own sites?
Twolia provides a variety of entertainment options and is an interactive site. We combine the  business models of several successful online companies and provide not just shopping, but entertainment to round out the members experience. Twolia is unique in that it is specifically for women entrepreneurism and artisans.

How have your structured your seller pricing?
Opening a store is free. Listing products to sell costs .20 per listed item quantity. Pink purse x 5 quantity in stock = $1.00 listing fee for 4 months. A 3.5% commission fee is charged on each item purchase and does not include shipping costs. Sellers should open a store front and list items on Twolia. Linking to another online store without listing items on Twolia is frowned upon.

What else should we know?
Come visit and join Twolia.