So long, Etsy. (For now.)

So, what has Etsy meant to me? It's meant a place to sell my art. It has meant being able to participate in a community of like-minded artists, and some not so like-minded. :) It's meant learning a LOT and then sharing that with others. It has meant growing to know some pretty spectacular people. Oh, and it has meant addiction.

Yep, addiction. My personality type is a helper, a mediator. I'm an INFP/INFJ and a 9w1, Myers-Briggs and Enneagram respectively. Recently, for a new job, I tested quite high in customer service skills. In past jobs, I've been a techie, helping via phone and in person. And a software analyst. So along come the Etsy Forums. Lots of people have questions. I either know or have learned the answers. So I share. I gather information of oft asked questions and chart. I make note of answers not in the Help section and links touted but not on the site. I read and learn and write and teach. This is such a big part of what Etsy is about. It's a great part. Great.

Great. Yeah. At 10,000 topics posted in, I am generously asked to write a Storque article. Wow! Threads are posted asking how many topics people have posted in and I always "win".

Well, at 16,340 I decide I need to step away for a while. I tried to just step away from the forums, but going to my shop led me back in. So now I shut down my shop for a while to assist in breaking what feels like an addiction. If I got paid for it, I would feel differently, but it doesn't pay the bills and has become a black hole for my time. Oh, I LOVE it and it feels so rewarding to me, but I need to pay more attention to the rest of my life for a while.

So, I'm starting a new full-time job soon and will be focusing on craft and art fairs. Maybe now I'll take the time to get my work into more Brick and Mortar (B&M) stores. (Learned that on Etsy.) Maybe I'll check out some of the other sites more thoroughly, though I know they pale in comparison to Etsy. Maybe I'll build a stronger connection with more of my friends. Ah... saying this makes me realize I will miss the friends I've made on Etsy.

So, wish me luck. I wish you luck, prosperity and all the goodness life has to offer. We all deserve this.

Remember to keep Etsy kind and generous. Don't let the nay sayers take over! In one of my last posts, I said this and I fully believe it:

"I think it's more of a challenge to be truly compassionate in life than to go around ranting about the wrongs of the world.

Both can be effective, but the experience is wholly different."

(You know I'll be back...)

Saturday Sale - Recurring!

In the spirit of SNS (Saturday Night Specials), I'm going to start a Saturday sale. Since I am now working a job on Saturdays and am unable to effectively participate in SNS, I'm going to have a recurring sale this day on my own. :)

Each Saturday, look for the item that will be on sale. Or items. Occasionally, I'll have a full shop sale, but this will be rare.

This week, I'll have one of my more popular items, my Copper Hammered Domes. They come with a solid sterling earwire. These are cut, hammered and formed by me from a large piece of copper.



Sale runs from Midnight to Midnight, EDT. (Etsy time.)

Etsy Helpful Links - Not Found Via Etsy (and now may be out of date)

THIS IS A COUPLE OF YEARS OLD AND QUITE OUT OF DATE! There may be something to learn here, but much of it is no longer valid. Please check or ask in the Forums for more recent links. Things are a changin'! :) Thanks! I guess this has become a bit of historical reference.
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Thanks to all of you who contributed to the list in this forums thread:

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http://etsywiki.com/ Accumulated wisdom from seasoned sellers.
http://etsytreasurydemo.blogspot.com/ Treasury tutorial.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_west.php Test Treasury.
http://www.etsy.com/poster_sketch.php Prepare a treasury.
http://www.etsy.com/tag_fractal.php Tag Fractal Etsy Search. Cool!
http://team.etsy.com/downloads.html The old Resources page, which has the postcards.
http://team.etsy.com/images/jellibig.jpeg One more postcard from Jellibat. (Thanks!)
http://fix.etsy.com/ Where to go if Etsy is down.

http://majaba.org/heartomatic See hearts and views in one place. By Juln.etsy.com.
http://bestysearch.com/ Lots of other ways to search Etsy.

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now Secret Paypal shipping link.
http://etsy.ppcalc.com/ Fees calculators.
http://checkout.google.com/ Alternate payment option.
http://www.propay.com/?refid=ETSYOLCM Propay discount link. Alternate payment and means to take credit cards at fairs.

http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage
http://www.geocities.com/vlhester/index.html TheBeadingTree's international rate chart.
http://www.shelfmasters.com/InternationalRateChart.aspx International Postage rate chart. (Has not been updated.)

http://www.thumbalizr.com/ Cross platform means to screen shots.
http://www.superscreenshot.com/ Another screen shot capture. (thanks hippyofdoom)
http://tinyurl.com/ Make long links short.
http://tools.oratory.com/altcodes.html How to make those little characters.
http://www.onlineconversion.com/ Conversions.
http://picnik.com/ Pic site.
http://webresizer.com/
http://www.primopdf.com/ Convert any document to a PDF!
http://chris-parry.blogspot.com/search/label/Pricing
http://etsyforeveryone.typepad.com/my_weblog/graphics/index.html How to make your own banner. And lots more!

http://www.weloveetsy.com/shops We love etsy shops directory.
mini blogs:
http://etsymini.blogspot.com/
http://etsyminisupplies.blogspot.com/

Gift Certificate knowledge:
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_financial_services/003889.html Consumer's Union
http://www.rimmkaufman.com/content/brannlawgiftcertchart.pdf PDF document chart
http://www.naag.org/ag/full_ag_table.php You can also check out your attorney general's website

Business:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/business.shtm Labeling requirements for cloth goods, info about selling jewelry, including appropriate wording to use for silver vs silver-colored jewelry...