The Worst of Etsy

You all know how much I lurve etsy. About 95% of time time, the items I see on etsy are fantastic. Even if it's something I don't particularly like, I still see the value is its handmade nature, its quality, its function. As someone who creates things by hand, I get it. I really do.

However....

There are certain offerings that I've seen on etsy for which I am just, well, sort of, "you gotta be kidding me?!?"

This is one such item. Yeah. I have friends who are photographers: most amateur, but for one it's his livelihood. This, I think, is insulting to photographers everywhere. Also? Get a gander at the shipping charges. Excuse me? Now, I happened to peruse this seller's other items. They are mostly amusing, quirky, and innovative. Not stuff I'd buy. But again, I see the value and craftsmanship in them. Like this one is just plain neat.


Here's another. This isn't as bad, though, as that photographic rip-off I just mentioned. But it still falls well into the parameters of useless, too-expensive-for-what-it-is, and just sort of phoney. I don't know why, but this thing really pissed me off. As someone who knits and knows plenty of people who knit and knit INSANELY WELL at that, I , again, found this little thing kind of insulting, especially because of the price. It's $12. Yes, TWELVE dollars. It uses, what, about 25 yards of cotton yarn? Maybe? And has a $.25 plastic button on it. And I can't imagine it taking a long time to knit. So even if this seller were not using the cones of cotton yarn (which are cheaper in the long-run), this knitted item would only cost them about $.75 to make. Period. Why is it $12? It should no more than about $4. ARGH


Another travesty. Ok so my first reaction to this was, "AGGHHH! TEAL! And it's FUR and TEAL. MY EYES!" Then once I got beyond that I thought, "Wait? Isn't etsy the place for things handmade? This isn't some hand-spun or hand-dyed yarn. It's BERNAT." What the crap is a cheesy skein of Bernat fun-fur yarn doing on etsy? Then upon even further pondering, I thought, "FOUR DOLLARS?? Why is it $4?" Look chick, take your random, shitty, leftover skeins of Bernat novelty yarn to ebay. K? THX!


Just...WHY??? Don't you think that someone with this kind of obvious ability (casting metals and making jewelry) should direct their talents elsewhere? Lame. But hey, at least it IS handmade....


But, thankfully, esty always redeems itself with abundant wonderfulness:

AWESOME. Cheap and awesome and useful and cool. I'd pay twice that amount for something so well-made and useful.

ME WANTY. So cute and nicely-done.


I'll take about 50, please.


YUMMY. And it's $3. THREE DOLLARS? HOW is that even possible?


Fantastic. I've ordered hilarious magnets from this person. And the little funny books he wrote about birds.


So, whew, I feel a little better.