Alright, you all probably know my love hate relationship with Etsy. I’ve gone into great detail in the past about the pros and cons, mostly in the post Etsy is a four letter word. Lovely as it has been with over 1300 products sold and those products in over 1300 treasuries, it’s just not worth it anymore. Sad to say, but it is fast becoming a glossy version of eBay. :(

For the past year, our ratio of regular:etsy sales has gone from a steady 2:1 for years to a consistent 20:1 this year, meaning just 5% of total sales come by way of Etsy. However, 95% of the headache comes from Etsy as well, both in the form of “bad” customers who just treat independent sellers like crap (sorry to say, but maybe you know what I mean), to constantly making “reserved” listings for people when it’s so much easier just to bill them directly via paypal or over the phone with credit cards (but Etsy policies say you can’t). I love custom orders, but I also prefer to be direct and work without a middle-man, so I’m cutting that middle man out… finally. And it feels GOOD!

So look for me at olivemanna.com, and I’ve had a discount code out there which I’ve always given out to people who purchase through Etsy, but now I’m opening it up to everyone just for the next week. Use the code ETSY and get 10% off until next Friday night at 11:59 CST.

Thanks again for all the support. You’ve made the decision to leave Etsy an easy one. :)