Copy Cats - Why I'm not on Etsy

Several people have asked me why I don't sell on Etsy anymore. It's a rather long story, but this website pretty much sums it up.
http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/

Here's my story: http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=1631

I am sick and tired of Etsy being a place that supports copyright infringement, trademark theft and plagarism of all sorts. That site gives serious artists everywhere a bad reputation. Ever since I got off of that site, all I've heard from people has been "Good for you!" and "You're a professional, why were you even on there?" That alone is enough to make me wonder how much Etsy has hurt my reputation as a business person.

If you are using Etsy to sell a few crafts or as a sideline, then I'm sure it can be great, but if you are hoping to do your art full time, for a living, think long and hard about who you want to be associated with.

This year will bring many new venues from people who want to run their sites with integrity and honesty, and they will be very competitive. Don't think for a minute that Etsy is the be all and end all in the craft world. Creative minds are coming up with better mouse traps every day, and these sites are getting launched left and right.

I'm so excited :-)

I just made my first sale in my own, personal website! Not Etsy, not Ebay, just Rivkasmom.com. :-D I feel like such a grownup, like when the training wheels come off of your bike for the first time, and you're flying down the street with nothing to hold you up except your own skill.

I've heard people over and over say "don't put all your eggs in one basket" when it comes to online marketing, and it's so very true. Ebay sales are in a major nosedive, Etsy's servers were down for maintenance for several days, and I still had a place for people to find my work.

If you are serious about your work, you really need to get your own domain. If you're just starting out, buy your domain anyway and have it point to your Etsy, Mintd, Trunkt, Dawanda, or other selling venue. It will help you in Google rankings and be a great place holder for when you're ready to expand. It's only about $10 a year (if you're in the US) and it will also keep someone else from using your business name.

In the world of commerce, this is a crucial rule: It's not who thought of it first, it's who REGISTERED it first. This goes for trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and just about everything else.

Next up, I'll go into more detail about my website and webhost, as it really deserves it's own post. For now, I'll just say that you should go look at www.Volusion.com, because they rock my socks.

~Grace