One of the most recent changes to the Etsy website is the introduction of Alchemy - an area of Etsy where buyers can request a custom item to be created by sellers who "bid" for the sale of the item. Prior to it being launched, I thought "yeah, that sounds like an interesting feature". And interesting it sure is, but not for the ways that I thought it would be. There are a number of results that I had no idea would happen.
The first is that buyers no longer have to search for an item, and therefore I imagine that browsing/random purchases are down. I know that quite often I think that I want one thing on a website, and then when I actually get there, I get distracted and buy something else entirely. This is the premise behind having shop locations, having categories, having showcased items - all of retail is based upon the browsing mentality. Alchemy effectively loses the browsing, and I don't wonder if sales are actually down. I imagine that site views certainly are. Of course, without clear statistic on Etsy performance, it's hard to say. I have seen zillions of posts for "wanted: banner for my shop" - well, there are zillions of banner creators out there - why not just use one of them? Of course, promoting is an absolute constant in any good store, but this feels like beyond promoting and closer to pimping my store!
Secondly, is the "race to the bottom". Etsy is supposed to be a marketplace that values hand-crafting. However, sellers are underpressure to cut prices and enter lower bids in the Alchemy service. Many of the ideal prices are quite simply frighteningly low. No seller is forced to enter a bid, so I can't possibly comment on the rights and wrongs of it, but I personally know that I don't think that many of the ideal prices are worth effort of creating the item.
Thirdly is the "rip-off" attitude. By this I mean the "can you create this but for a bit cheaper please" that seems to go on. I thoroughly approve of adding pictures that you are inspired by or you sort of want your item to look like. But asking people to copy other's work, or to undercut them is just plain cheeky.
Finally, Alchemy itself is difficult to work. There are no categories to search by and the bid process is confusing.
I was genuinely excited by Alchemy when it first arrived. I've now realised that it's not a service that I plan on using, either for buying or selling. It will be interesting to see how it matures and other Etsy users experiences of it.
6 comments:
man i hear you so loud and clear! I have bid on about 15 different jewelry requests and havent gotten any so far :( I am aiming my prices that are fair to me. I too feel like people are requesting ridiculously low priced items - like completely unrealistic.
Good blog.
I don't even want to browse through the alchemy pages because I'm so put off by the stuff you've mentioned. I agree wholeheartedly. It seems that Etsy should have really thought about what the people want before throwing it out there. It seems that Etsy is geared too much at buyers and not enough at sellers.
All I can say is amen to what you just wrote.
I think it makes etsy look cheap.
I am hoping the etsy folks will get some sense and close alchemy back down and bury it so deep in the ground that it can never be found again.
Etsy is a beautiful site for handmade items and it has a lot of wonderful talent.
I find Alchemy addictingly fascinating and revolting at the same time. Odd mix. ;)
I totally agree that there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed, but at the same time I truly like alchemy. I've been fortunate enough to "win" several bids and already working with some of those buyers on future projects. I read the title and the description without really paying attention to their "ideal" price. If it's something I think I would enjoy working on, I submit a realistic bid. It's up to them whether they accept or decline that bid, and if they decline, well maybe in the end it has helped give them an idea of what the realistic price for that item might be.
Believe me, I've received several declines too!
Hear Hear!! You've summed it up so well. What seemed like a fun feature turns out to be such a mess, and damaging as well. I hope etsy admin see your blog and reconsider Alchemy, or at least fix it so it works as intended. Thanks for the great post!
Post a Comment