BOY IS MY FACE RED
- Submitted by Laura
This wedding gown was lovingly handmade by Joyce, a plucky 29-year old who loves to sew.
One of the great things about hand making beautiful wedding gowns and selling them on Etsy is that you might get the attention of a major publication, like say, GLAMOUR.
Isn’t that incredible? It’s like everything Etsy has been telling you all this time is really true! Just a little hard work and perseverance, and you can make a living selling your handmade goods! It’s the American dream!
Well, maybe American is the wrong word.
Man, Joyce works really hard. Maybe I’m just jealous because I can’t make 300 wedding dresses a day. Crafters are the real heroes.
I GUESS I’M JUST A HATER
UPDATE: THE DERP CONTINUES
March 2, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Well hello there Coniefox… I believe we’ve met.
March 2, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Oh snap! This is going to be pretty embarrassing for Etsy
March 2, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Embarrassing for more than Etsy, I would hope. Maybe not, though; the, um, CRAFTER perhaps has no shame left.
March 2, 2011 at 1:45 pm
What about Glamour? If I were an editor there, I’d be getting the shoe gag ready for a reporter…
March 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Glamour ate it big on that one. Their wedding person shouldn’t have missed that.
March 2, 2011 at 2:45 pm
Seriously! First: how stupid do you have to be to believe this was hand made? Second: How did this person even get a job like that not knowing how to research their article?
September 24, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Every garment is hand made, these are just made by really poor people in China who are barely fed.
March 3, 2011 at 7:21 am
To be fair, the Glamour article didn’t mention anything about the dress being handmade. They simply stated that it was for sale on Etsy.
March 3, 2011 at 8:55 am
It makes me chortle a little in my mouth to think of a Glamour writer as a “reporter.”
But I’m a jerk, so.
March 3, 2011 at 9:53 am
how else does one chortle?
March 2, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Its also pretty embarrassing for Glamour for not doing more thorough research. Just like blindly believing Wikipedia, you cant blindly believe Etsy.
March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Oops posted that and immediately saw Princess Buzzkill’s post. Well, cant hurt to drive that point home
March 2, 2011 at 2:23 pm
the comments for the Glamour article are calling it out, now, too. Probably thanks to the Regretsy Thugs.
March 3, 2011 at 7:21 am
Oh, good. I’m glad Glamour’s got at least some egg on it’s face.
March 2, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Whoever this Laura person is, is my new fucking hero. This is about the most awesome Regretsy post, like ever.
Stupid Glamour. Good thing this wasn’t posted in Brides magazine, eh, Killer?
March 2, 2011 at 8:58 pm
I bet the Etsy chicken will figure out how to spin this.
March 3, 2011 at 5:17 am
I don’t think Etsycorp has any shame left.
March 2, 2011 at 1:40 pm
I bow to you Ms. Killer. This one was TOO GOOD.
March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Aww, man! This just makes me sad. And then I start laughing. And then I’m a little sad again.
March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm
They’re also only 60 – 120 USD a piece, if I’m reading that correctly.
March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I think it means that the base price (which it asks you to email an inquiry about) is for 60-120 units.
March 2, 2011 at 1:43 pm
you rock, HK. absolutely.
March 2, 2011 at 1:43 pm
What REALLY yanks my chain on this one is that Etsy featured it on their facebook fan page! “Big Hurrah” for these Etsy sellers they said….
Yeah, big hurrah for completely going against the entire spirit of Etsy!
March 2, 2011 at 1:52 pm
March 2, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Joyce’s cover has been blown.
March 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm
I wonder what would happen if you were to ask her to make custom changes. Dumb like a Coniefox.
March 2, 2011 at 3:20 pm
If my Chinese zentai buying experience was anything to go by, they’ll do a hack job of it and render the final garment unwearable.
March 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I didn’t buy that there’s anyone named “Joyce” in my age range even before scrolling down. Jennifer, yes. Joyce… she’s 45, minimum. Probably older.
March 4, 2011 at 7:41 am
I know a Joyce who is 27.
March 4, 2011 at 8:30 am
Everyone named Joyce was your age once. Or were they just born and skipped life ahead 45 years because their name sounded old?
June 13, 2011 at 7:02 am
To be fair, eeryone was a kid once. That said, I don’t know anyone who has named a kid Bernice, Gladys, Zebulon, Mary-Margaret, or Ezekiah for quite a while either.
March 2, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Screencapped the hell out of that store in case Coniefox comes knocking.
March 2, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Am I reading right that it wholesales for $60 to $120 (presumably based on the volume ordered)? Damn, $490 is a pretty good markup.
March 2, 2011 at 3:27 pm
These places in China use the actual original designers photos and make knock offs. Hence the cheap price tag. You don’t actually get what you see. It’s wrong in so many ways and Joyce, Etsy and Glamour should all be squirming right now … I’ve been looking for a wedding dress myself and this practice is like a plague
March 2, 2011 at 1:45 pm
So what did sew on? Her own name tag?
March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm
What did *she* sew on,that is.
March 2, 2011 at 1:46 pm
If it were really a handmade dress by an Etsy seller, the model would be wearing a multi-octopus necklace, goggles and a mustache.
March 2, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Holy crap, I just came up with my wedding theme. Steampunk hipster octopus extravaganza. Mustache stick centerpieces, goatse rings… Ahhh, romance.
March 3, 2011 at 8:48 am
Don’t forget Navajo Peace Symbols!!!
March 3, 2011 at 11:42 am
OMG…you just made me remember that I had a dream where I was in posession of a goatse ring (against my wishes) and I feel like my grandma said “Oh, that’s pretty” and wanted it and I was like, “Okay!”
March 3, 2011 at 11:48 am
From Cakewrecks:
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wGr8njEWjtI/StFM5hLuxFI/AAAAAAAAE6U/vBI03zZFuQA/s400/steampunk+squid+2.JPG"
March 3, 2011 at 11:49 am
Trying again (since the “preview” said it worked…
March 3, 2011 at 1:22 pm
And vaginas. You can’t forget the vaginas.
March 2, 2011 at 2:35 pm
In her profile she does say her stuff’s unique and if you squint that necklace kinda looks like the multi-octopus necklace.
Just missing a bit of charisma, nerve and talent to make it truly Etsy.
March 2, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Haha, wow – you say “she” even had the nerve to use the word unique to refer to these? That’s hilarious.
March 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm
I had to do a double-take because I thought that WAS a multi-octopus necklace — in which case the dress was sure to be OOAK.
March 2, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Other people were faster on the uptake, but I got home from work and couldn’t help myself. This will probably kill my photobucket bandwidth for the month…
March 2, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Does that come with a watch parts vajzzling option, for your special day?
March 2, 2011 at 4:54 pm
new. business. venture. steampunk vajazzle.
March 2, 2011 at 4:56 pm
This made me tear up a little. Glitter tears of course (which i WILL put in my Etsy shop)… but still tears!!
March 2, 2011 at 5:57 pm
you could use imgur if you’re worried about bandwidth for a single image. No account necessary
imgur.com
March 2, 2011 at 8:19 pm
it was the images from the barn wood context that put me over the top. I reset in an hour anyway.
March 5, 2011 at 12:32 pm
A wild redditor appears!
March 2, 2011 at 7:09 pm
All yours, material designer. I hope for a flying cap option photo.
March 2, 2011 at 1:46 pm
It’s like when you go to the nail salon and all the girls are named, “Ann, Jill, Sandy, Niki, and April.” Yet you know their real names are “Chi, Hanh, Ngon, Nguyet, and Quyen.”
March 2, 2011 at 1:46 pm
There’s a new webmaster position now available at Glamour.
March 2, 2011 at 4:44 pm
Killer, you could handle that.
March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Pity the poor person who actually bought something from that seller. Silver lining? Maybe more people will be aware of fakery like this permeating etsy if it gets to be a bigger deal with Glamour.
March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm
I doubt Etsy will be embarrassed at all. They are laughing all the way to the bank.
March 3, 2011 at 8:48 am
Ya, they will laugh, right up until the person who ordered her “unique” wedding gown sues the shit outta them for not making the crafters stick to the rules of their site. HMMM, wonder who is gonna be the first to finally sue Etsy? It is obvious they don’t bother to hold up their rules
March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm
The worst part is that Joyce didn’t bother to buy a dress and take her own photo. At least that way she could claim they were similar. With the stolen photo she has removed all doubt.
Nine years ago my brother and sister-in-law went to Guangdong, but they didn’t bring back any wedding dresses. They brought back my adorable niece.
March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I’ve always wondered why people do that. There are other sellers who just use whatever online photo of the dresses or other “handmade” object rather than taking a new photo.
It would make it so much harder to spot it.
March 2, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Really, the photos in her store are a dead give-away…
March 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I bet ‘Joyce’ isn’t really Joyce, she’s Coniefox, comeon.
March 2, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Really. I mean, come on.
I’m Joyce. I’m 29. People say I’m ‘plucky.’ I like
bunnies and unicorns. I promise I am real person.
March 2, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Was your niece handmade too?
March 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm
She was a found object, in great vintage condition, so she may not be authentically handmade.
No, really: she was found at a train station.
What I don’t get is that, while they were able to buy her on the Interwebs from China, like so many other products, they had to actually go there to pick her up. Everything else ships so cheaply.
March 2, 2011 at 6:03 pm
I’d say your brother and sister-in-law got the better deal.
March 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
March 2, 2011 at 5:05 pm
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March 2, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Oh, dammit, I guess I should read the other replies first. I THOUGHT I WOULD BE THE ONLY CLEVER ONE.
March 2, 2011 at 7:08 pm
Don’t give them any ideas!
March 2, 2011 at 7:47 pm
Amen. You go through the trouble of making up that bs profile, but you can’t take a few photos of your own? I hate people.
March 2, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
March 2, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Do they think people are IDIOTS? You are going to KNOW if your dress ISN’T handmade – especially if you PAID for handmade. Doesn’t anybody check this shit out before they let you post it on Etsy? Somebody at Glamour is going to be hitting the bricks too – it’s called FACT CHECKING, JOURNALIST. You should try it sometime.
March 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Maybe I’m just dumb, but…how would a customer know that their dress wasn’t made by hand? As I understand it, “hand made” (as Etsy defines it, anyway) doesn’t preclude the use of a sewing machine, and some crafters own professional-calibre machines that can do some pretty fancy stuff.
So what could tip a person off about the fakery, other than a big ol’ tag on their dress that says “Lovingly manufactured by Bob’s Sweatshop”?
March 2, 2011 at 2:42 pm
I do a lot of sewing and crafting – you can tell. Trust me. “Handmade” does NOT preclude the use of a sewing machine, and I’m not implying in any way that it does, or should. But a handmade item is not almost PERFECT, the way most mass-produced items are. If you take the time to cut and sew material “by the piece” (one item at a time), you WILL be able to tell the difference between that item and a mass produced item.
March 2, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Absolutely not true; a true handmade garment by someone with proper schooling will always, ALWAYS be better made than a mass-produced garment. I’m in school for Fashion Design, and if we did any of the crap that mass-produced garments in H&M and such places did, we would fail our project.
March 3, 2011 at 3:42 pm
There certainly are people who can make handmade at home garments that are indistinguishable from ones made by professional dressmakers and tailors (being in the vintage business I handle many such pieces), but I’m going to go out on a limb and say most of the hipster crafters on Etsy don’t fall into that category. Hipsters will wear a child’s plastic dinosaur hot-glued to a barrette. They don’t care whether all the seams on their upcycled steampunk corset made out of dirty socks are properly finished.
(Wanted to post this lower but the reply link wasn’t showing up.)
March 2, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I just realized I didn’t answer your question LOL. Mildly crooked seams, imperfect topstitching, sewing “bobbles” and stitch tension issues, hem finishing (not perfectly even) and how applique/adornments are attached to the garment will give up some truth as to whether an item is handmade v mass produced. It can’t be avoided – no matter how excellent the seamstress is, there is going to be SOMETHING that lets you know this is a handmade item. Look at a handmade quilt next to quilt from walmart – its a different PROCESS to yield the same product, but you can tell the difference.
March 2, 2011 at 3:14 pm
yeah, the handmade quilts are BETTER MADE and will last long enough to hand down to your grandkids. Unless they bought the fabric at walmart.
March 2, 2011 at 3:14 pm
If imperfections mean handmade, then the stuff I’ve sewn for myself is SUPER DUPER handmade!
But I digress. I appreciate your in-depth response and I do see your point.
The thing is, I think to a lot of people, the phrase “handmade gown” sounds super-classy and they’d expect it to look better than one that was sewn by a computer. Hell, I had to come here and ask what the distinction is, and I’ve actually done some sewing. People who don’t sew/craft often have no concept of how things are constructed – like, at all. So I’m still not so sure this woman’s customers would realize they’d been scammed. And it makes me sad.
:’(
March 2, 2011 at 4:38 pm
I’m sorry, I have to respectfully disagree. My grandmother is rolling in her grave at the thought that anything she sewed – or that I sewed, given that she taught me – isn’t more perfectly finished than anything that can be bought off the rack, anyplace, anytime.
The difference is that I’m not sitting in a factory, sewing as fast as I can in order to ensure that the rent is paid. I use only the best fabric and tailoring techniques and practically all my finishing is done by hand, to yield a WAY-superior product. A blazer I’ve tailored and hand-finished does NOT have crooked seams, imperfect topstitching, any kind of tension issues, or uneven hems, not by a long shot.
Besides – mass produced wedding dresses are infamous for being glued together. They’re a one-use item, there’s no expectation of any kind of quality whatsoever except that it look good from ten feet away!
March 2, 2011 at 5:29 pm
I have to disagree also. There are way too many shortcuts that happen in clothes that are mass produced. If you know anything about sewing, you’ll see these shortcuts. Also, my topstitching is PERFECT compared to some of the topstitching I’ve seen on ready-to-wear.
March 2, 2011 at 5:54 pm
I didn’t mean to imply that handmade items were “worse” or poorly made compared to mass produced – I’ve been a quilter for years and I woudn’t insult my own work or the work of other hand crafters by saying it’s inferior to anything. But think of mashed potatoes you make at home, as opposed to mashed potatoes from KFC. They are (theoretically) the same thing, but as any person who has had both can tell you, they are two different things. Something you’ve made 500 times (a day) is going to look different from something you make once or twice – how many people are REALLY going to want this exact gown? Enough for her to be PERFECT at making it? I doubt it. My point was that neither handcrafting nor mass production is usually bad, but it IS bad if it’s not what you were expecting, or what you had a taste for. Or what you PAID for. That’s all I meant.
March 2, 2011 at 6:10 pm
True. My mom made my wedding dress (not entirely by hand, she did use a machine for some of it), but if you were to compare it to a store-bought dress, you’d definitely be able to see there are small imperfections.
To me, the imperfections just make it that much more precious, because it means she took the time and effort to actually actually make a dress that’s truly unique, instead of us just buying a mass-produced one that every third bride was going to be wearing when they walked down the aisle.
March 2, 2011 at 8:50 pm
With proper training and preparation before beginning a final garment that you intend to sell, a manufactured look is entirely possible. Students in fashion schools around the world are taught to construct garments using proper manufacturing techniques, equipment, and materials. And while many Etsy sellers are (obviously) not industry-trained- and there’s nothing wrong with that! (in some cases)- some could be. I think the only proof that someone is a reseller would have to be physical evidence, such as a web link.
March 3, 2011 at 8:59 am
I agree, even with the best of sewing machines you CAN TELL handmade from mass produced. But as artist and frequent sewer, I will add here that handmade is FAR SUPERIOR. Look close at that “Walmart” item and you are going to find many more irregularities, more “bobbles”, on mass produced items than there are found in handmade ware. Unless of course the sewer is not particular.
Personally, I re-do parts I feel are less than perfect.
March 2, 2011 at 11:04 pm
A person would be able to tell if their dress was mass produced because the quality would be LOWER than that of a quality handmade garment.
Especially if that garment were a cheap knock off wedding gown from a chinese factory
Couture is hand made. And many made-to-order designer wedding gowns that brides spend tens of thousands on have hand made elements.
If I ordered a handmade gown and got a mass produced item I would be able to tell. Because the construction on a hand made item is BETTER than mass produced Chinese crap.
Buy Handmade
March 3, 2011 at 11:52 am
I know my clothes are handmade by the high quality. Well. Okay. I have about four pieces of handmade clothing. They are of far superior quality to the mass-produced crap I own. The more time you spend on something, the better it is. Imperfections may be weeded out in sweatshops, but they should also be weeded out by crafters.
I’m not paying top dollar for “uniqueness” if that means uneven hems!
March 4, 2011 at 9:01 am
My mother will be making my wedding dress. She is going to spend 4-5 days making it to fit to perfection on my 5’11.5″ 185 lb athletic frame. My mom has been sewing since she as 7, and she is now 53. She should be sewing for Oprah or Michelle Obama, or be on Vera Wang’s lever by now (if only she had a more supportive spouse.) That is how good she is. She used to be Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones personal designer before Stephanie died. She can look at a picture of something and make it, she has absolutely no use for patterns. I guess she is like those people who can simply play a tune by ear without needing sheet music.
She would literally scream if I told her that her stuff that she makes is not perfect or that something mass produced is better than handmade as far as stitching. I can guarantee you that a properly made piece of clothing should be far superior to that of anything produced in China or off the racks of Walmart.
March 2, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Joyce’s con makes the model a sad panda.
March 2, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Oh this is awesome!! Seriously, of all the reseller posts, this one is the BEST! Hats off to you!
March 8, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Just to be a nudge – your tribute to “Regresty” is most whimsicle…
March 2, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Joyce also told me she can get me a good deal on Viagra and other presciption drugs.
March 2, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Can she get me some of that Charlie Sheen? I heard that shit will melt your face off.
March 2, 2011 at 3:52 pm
You know, I took some of that Charlie Sheen and it indeed melted my face off. I’m rubbing it on my ass and hoping I can get a pants size or 2 down. Perhaps they should try it on the resellers as well.
March 2, 2011 at 4:41 pm
Slimfast is just liquid Sheen. Everyone who’s anyone anywhere knows that.
March 2, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Makes you a rock star from Mars. Or so I’ve heard.
March 2, 2011 at 6:51 pm
Let us know if that Charlie Sheen gets rid of cellulite.
March 2, 2011 at 7:13 pm
We have a spray polish called Mr Sheen in Australia. Good if you want see Jesus.
March 2, 2011 at 8:41 pm
It does get rid of cellulite…but only if you have Adonis DNA and Tiger Blood infusions every 32.6 hours. Fortunately, I go to Steampunk Spa every other day for that package, so I’m good. Side effects are rendom hooker phone calls and loss of children to ex wife, but no kids, extra caller ID, and no ex wives so I’m not worried. If you see me on ABC News,though, send me to Charlie’s for “rehab.”
March 2, 2011 at 1:53 pm
When they see this, bricks will be shat.
March 2, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Has anyone sent this to this plucky chick yet? Ya know,to let her know people are finding out she’s a fraud? I’ll drop the bomb if no one else has.
March 2, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Has anybody told Glamour? That’s going to be a really productive editorial meeting.
March 2, 2011 at 4:48 pm
if not, I would suggest becoming a fan on FB, and posting the link to this post over there?
Just a thought…
March 2, 2011 at 2:15 pm
i think she’s Coniefox.I don’t think she’s a real person.
March 2, 2011 at 2:15 pm
but please do. DO IT!
March 2, 2011 at 2:50 pm
blisbutterfly’s Etsy shop is completely empty. Hmm, imagine that?
March 2, 2011 at 1:54 pm
Cthulhu, she should come up with her own line of actual hand made dresses called “Sad Panda”.
March 2, 2011 at 2:01 pm
“Made by authentic Chinese Pandas! I mean, um, hand made…”
March 2, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Would having the Pandas make the dresses qualify ‘outsourcing’?
March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Main Customers: Miss Universe
Shit, Miss Universe contestants wear cheaply made sweatshop evening gowns? That’s some fuckery right there.
March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm
So Joyce is the new breed of super mutants… sort of shitty her super power is the ability to pull 19 dresses out of her ass an hour.
March 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Also would Glamour have not contacted the Etsy seller to be like “Hey, gonna throw your shit on our website?” At that point shouldn’t their reptile brain kick in and say “Probably not a good idea. I could get caught.”
Guess the thought of fame and fortune was too much!
March 2, 2011 at 6:24 pm
She’d have to be crazy (that kind of REPTILIAN crazy) to think she was going to get one over on Helen killer. I think Helen knows how many hairs I have on my head.
March 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Looks like Joycie got caught in a big old lie.
March 2, 2011 at 1:59 pm
I don’t use the word plucky much, guess I’ll use it even less now that I know is really means lying etsy scam artist re-seller.
March 2, 2011 at 2:03 pm
And if someone who bought one of Joyce’s dresses emails her to complain, she’ll just say, “where in the ad did I ever say I made it?!?! I’m trying to give you a good deal here! If you can’t handle this then don’t ever come to my site again!”
you say vintage, I say fake,
you say original handmade wedding dress, I say Chinese labor. To etsy, there’s no diff!
March 2, 2011 at 2:21 pm
She’ll head that reply with: “OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
March 2, 2011 at 2:04 pm
By the way, how do I change my user avatar?
March 2, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Go to FAQ at the top of the page then scroll down
March 3, 2011 at 9:59 am
thanks!
March 2, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Done and done.
March 2, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Go to her page, and report the item
I just did with a note saying “for the sake of those of us actually trying to sell items we make with our own two hands can you PLEASE try to monitor this stuff a little better?” and I included the link to the Chinese wholesalers page.
As a side note, rather than retract this fuckery on their facebook page, etsy is directing anyone with any “concerns” to go ahead and report an item on the sellers page.
So report I say, report, report, report!
March 2, 2011 at 2:17 pm
and then what???
March 2, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Really, what good does that do? The seller obviously doesn’t care.
March 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm
It’s a drop in the bucket, but drop by drop right? If nothing else, if enough people report it eventually does get taken down.
One of my Etsy teammates spotted a chinese reseller selling shaving brushes and a bunch of us reported, shop was emptied within a few hours.
Each one that gets emptied leaves a little more room for actual artists to get found by shoppers.
March 2, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Not to mention, you’d be surprised with what Regretsy readers alone can accomplish. Just ask poor Savings.com…
March 2, 2011 at 2:19 pm
yeah. i noticed that too. so so frustrating. i’m wondering how many negative comments they will get before they pull the shop.
March 2, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Then “Joyce” will magically transform into “Sarah” and start selling from another shop. :-< !!!!!!
March 2, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Yeah, read that on Etsy’s “Oooo, look what we did, legions of grateful Craftards!” post in the comments section.
I logged in, did as instructed. Maybe they’ll actually do something this time.
Comments alerting Glamour to the fact that this is not a handmade dress are also showing up at their page. So far, no official response from the Glamour fashion overlords.
March 2, 2011 at 3:58 pm
I’ve flagged the hell out of lots of those shops. Most are still there. Etsy doesn’t fucking care.
March 2, 2011 at 2:05 pm
So does Coniefox still have her Etsy shop? This would be like reselling from a reseller then, right?
March 2, 2011 at 2:08 pm
The Etsy listing is so safely generic with no mention of personal handiwork. It’s so sneaky, it makes me furious. Above all, as of right now, the listing is still up. Thanks HK for this post. It now feels like the Etsy Apocalypse… finally.
March 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm
It’s listed under the ‘handmade’ section….that’s enough for me…
March 2, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Unfortunately, “handmade” does not necessarily not mean “by someone in a sweatshop in China”.
March 2, 2011 at 2:11 pm
I wasn’t able to get past the use of the word “plucky” until I read the whole post and realized it was exactly the right word for that seller.
March 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I really like the necklace.
March 2, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Well, it wouldn’t be the first time Etsy’s featured a reseller.
March 2, 2011 at 10:53 pm
to be fair, glamour featured them, not etsy. (this time)
March 3, 2011 at 5:05 pm
Etsy also congratulated them on their facebook page, and I thought they were on the fp also? No to the fp? My bad, but my point remains, they acknowledged it also.
March 2, 2011 at 2:17 pm
March 2, 2011 at 2:19 pm
hahahahahaaaa!!!
March 2, 2011 at 2:36 pm
The same way she like to eat instead of starving
March 2, 2011 at 2:51 pm
299 wedding gowns yet to sew.
March 2, 2011 at 3:00 pm
thumbs up x infinity
March 2, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
March 2, 2011 at 3:53 pm
Win
March 2, 2011 at 4:50 pm
comment of the day. bravo!
March 2, 2011 at 7:07 pm
You could be right. Joyce’s last name is Wong.
March 3, 2011 at 8:41 am
If she’s Wong, I MUST be wight.
March 3, 2011 at 8:40 am
My soccer ball has a similar label, “made by a plucky 9 year old who loves to sew.”
March 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm
Unless blissbutterfly stole all the profile information, she has another etsy shop: blissbutterfly123.
March 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm
both shops are empty now…
March 2, 2011 at 3:52 pm
Funny enough, or sadly, the blissbutterfly123 shop had clothes that actually could have been handmade, modeled by an asian woman instead of those super-commercial photos that show off the mass produced stuff.
March 2, 2011 at 2:20 pm
This makes me feel like my hard work as a bridal designer means nothing. Apparently I could be making so much more money as a reseller on Etsy than meticulously hand-making my own items!
There are actually many more “bridal designers” that post photos of other designer’s work and claim they will “reproduce” the gown for you at a low price. This also seems unfair. At least use your own pictures! Ah, well. Life is unfair. I have to get back to working on a wedding gown that I’ve been sewing for weeks…
March 2, 2011 at 2:21 pm
i just reported it with the link.
March 2, 2011 at 2:23 pm
http://www.facebook.com/Etsy/posts/10150108444909727
March 2, 2011 at 8:10 pm
: > at least etsy can’t pull the plug on people voicing their concerns on that site
March 2, 2011 at 2:35 pm
There, now it’s handmade AND unique.
March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm
You are my
March 2, 2011 at 2:51 pm
LOL, I was just creating something similar. It’s posted a few comments down.
March 2, 2011 at 5:32 pm
LOL, took me a second, very nice work. Level 5 I’d say.
March 3, 2011 at 6:05 am
Are you supposed to mix gold and silver? It does make the octopii stand out, though.
March 4, 2011 at 6:08 pm
This is so damned good, I can’t stand it.
March 2, 2011 at 2:36 pm
I just reported the store to Etsy and commented on the Glamour article and Etsy facebook page. Can’t wait to see the “uh oh!” page when they take this down.
March 2, 2011 at 2:39 pm
the photoshop clone tool fix at the bottom to remove the conniefox watermark is done so well I could hardly tell it was there!
March 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm
LOL! The item is down now – the shop as well! Helllo, Glamour readers.
March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm
I just reported “Joyce” to Etsy and sent her a message. We’ll see if all of our griping does anything. I’m pretty sure all of “Joyce’s” dresses are Conifox.
and as I go to copy and paste a picture… they have taken all their merch down! HAHA!!!
March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm
The Etsy seller is gone, and I can’t find the Glamour Weddings story.
Somebody reads this blog. That was fast.
March 2, 2011 at 2:55 pm
The Glamour article is still there.
March 2, 2011 at 2:59 pm
OK, it may still be there, but I can’t find it. My brain hurts from looking at all that wedding stuff.
March 2, 2011 at 3:17 pm
when I looked at the glamour blog when this first posted, there were already 4 comments outing the reseller and basically yelling at Glamour about not fact checking.
March 2, 2011 at 3:27 pm
As IF a magazine dedicated to photoshopping women into spindly little caricatures of themselves would have anything to do with the facts…
March 2, 2011 at 3:32 pm
It’s interesting that, before the comments prompted by this Regresty post, most of the commenters loved this dress.
Now they can get it for a lot less money! Heck, they could buy it for a toga party.
March 2, 2011 at 10:49 pm
It was replaced with an entirely different dress in the article now, but no mention about their fuckup in fact checking.
March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm
But the octupus looks so good in this gown!
March 2, 2011 at 2:56 pm
BRAVO!
March 2, 2011 at 2:58 pm
HAHAHAHAHA
March 2, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Hey honey, I’ll be home a little late. <3
March 2, 2011 at 5:35 pm
LOVE!
March 2, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Now it looks more like a greek goddess. Good Job.
March 2, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Is it just me, or does this dress make Six-legged Silver Octopus look kind of fat?
March 2, 2011 at 6:21 pm
So is the Octopus Goddess accepting proposals of marriage? Tell her I am overcome by her beauty and the unique nature of her gown.
March 2, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Awesome!!!
March 2, 2011 at 2:52 pm
I sent her the link so she would know that EVERYBODY else knows. Don’t know who yanked it faster. Her or Etsy.
March 2, 2011 at 3:04 pm
I think she did, considering the shop is still there, but none of the items are. She probably just pulled them all. Also, I feel sorry for the one person she sold too…
March 2, 2011 at 2:52 pm
It has already been removed and there is nothing in her store! Good job everyone!!
March 2, 2011 at 5:57 pm
But what on earth will Helen wear to her wedding now?
March 2, 2011 at 2:58 pm
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March 2, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Regretsy is my hero.
March 2, 2011 at 3:12 pm
What really sucks is that somewhere there is a seamstress who actually handmakes her dresses and could have USED the exposure the Glamour article would have brought. As usual, it only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch.
March 2, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Indeed! That’s the worst part of it. Etsy has some amazing dress makers. This really is a shameful move for etsy because it kept them from deserved recognition and tarnishes the reputation of legit etsy sellers.
March 2, 2011 at 3:21 pm
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March 2, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Hey Etsy, wake up
March 2, 2011 at 3:31 pm
The sad thing is this shit is all over Etsy. It kills me.
These places in China use the actual original designers photos and make knock offs. Hence the cheap price tag. You don’t actually get what you see.
It’s wrong in so many ways and Joyce, Etsy and Glamour should all be squirming right now … I’ve been looking for a wedding dress myself and this practice is like a plague
March 3, 2011 at 10:35 am
Agreed. People get fooled into thinking they are getting what is shown in the photo, but usually you get cheaper fabrics and shortcuts. It is supposedly illegal to use another designer’s photos in a listing, but I see it all the time!
March 2, 2011 at 3:36 pm
One way to tell if it’s a re-seller (besides the photos) is the price. Handmade stuff costs a lot more than sweat shop.
March 2, 2011 at 3:38 pm
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March 2, 2011 at 3:48 pm
tejasmom,not necessarily. I’ve seen massive mark ups on items that were either made by a company or otherwise. I don’t think cost will tell me much other than what the person/company is charging for their product.
March 2, 2011 at 4:04 pm
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March 2, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Yeah….except for the part where her photos are the exact same as the ones on the resellers page….don’t think she has much of a defense…
March 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm
This must be a hoax because haven’t we been assured many times that there are no resellers on Etsy? Therefore this can’t really have happened. We’ve all imagined it. Nothing to see here, folks, move along…
…omigawd.
March 2, 2011 at 4:31 pm
Sorry to see it’s been yanked from the Glamour online article and the comments with it! Bet it ate up a whole 9 hours of bathroom tweeting at Etsycorp since they get paid for promoting resellers daily and often.
Shop for ANYTHING wedding on Etsy? no way in hell.
March 2, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Tainted, I get being cautious about resellers, but why the blanket declaration of “ANYTHING wedding on Etsy”? I design and sell wedding invitations on Etsy; I work very hard at it and do everything on my own. Most other wedding-related sellers I know do too. Just curious, why the sweeping generalization?
March 2, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Kate, like i said earlier – one bad apple is all it takes…. It sucks for people who work hard and deserve credit and praise for the work they ACTUALLY do. Sadly what a lot of people will take away this experience is “Don’t buy wedding stuff on etsy because they’re all a bunch of shysters.” Again, I’m sorry.
March 3, 2011 at 3:51 am
I stand corrected Kate the Great, despite the bad experiences of 4 friends with wedding buys on Etsy, it’s not about the genuine sellers on the site, it’s about Etsy’s lack of QA that has tainted all products on the site. Result? Who buys on Etsy anymore?
March 2, 2011 at 5:08 pm
But you need something old,something new, something steampunk, something blue and a silver octopus in your shoe for good luck.
March 2, 2011 at 5:37 pm
There are many, many talented designers and artists there. I understand your caution, but I’d say that a quick look at a bio page should usually help confirm if you are looking at a real person or not.
March 2, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Helen- did you or anyone else happen to screen cap the Glamour article???
March 2, 2011 at 4:54 pm
oh thank god, the article is still online!
March 3, 2011 at 6:14 am
Still online, but subtly altered…;-)
March 2, 2011 at 5:02 pm
After all this, I conclude that Etsy’s policy towards resellers is: if it brings more traffic and helps make sales, then all the better.
March 2, 2011 at 5:20 pm
I think I feel the worst for whoever bought the dress from her last month, do they even know they got ripped off?
http://www.etsy.com/transaction/43800384
http://coniefox.com/cklf/%E4%B8%AA%E6%80%A7%E6%99%9A%E5%AE%B4%E7%A4%BC%E6%9C%8D/prod170.html
March 2, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Maybe you should send the buyer a message and let her know.
March 2, 2011 at 5:43 pm
I’d rather see that dress on barn wood.
March 2, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Words to beware of on Etsy:
1. Steampunk
2. Plucky
3. Whimsicle
4. Wah-La
….
feel free to join me.
March 2, 2011 at 6:01 pm
I do wonder what she was going for when google translate gave her “plucky.”
March 2, 2011 at 6:02 pm
Words to beware of:
QUALITY
Handmade
One of a kind (and abbreviations)
March 2, 2011 at 6:08 pm
March 2, 2011 at 6:09 pm
hilarious! so glad to see someone finally going off on the goofiness over there. LOL “handmade”
March 2, 2011 at 6:19 pm
What is even more sad is the Etsy admins shut down the thread in the forums that linked to this page faster than they shut down the reseller….
March 2, 2011 at 6:54 pm
shameless. plain shameless.
March 2, 2011 at 7:13 pm
Ummmm…… haven’t we seen other stuff from this Kinfox company before on Etsy? What is there deal? Do they just sell to anyone who asks? Hey, I have a lemonade stand beside the road and I think that your wedding gowns would do really well there. Can I set up an account?
Holy shit. It just occurred to me that maybe they sell direct, not just wholesale. Hmmmmm.
March 2, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Boy, am I slow? After reading four million comments, I now realize that maybe it is the company themselves doing the selling. This is hurting my head.
March 2, 2011 at 7:54 pm
They shut down a forum post someone started congratulating the featured sellers, after a person said one dress was mass produced in China. So much for “keeping it real”. Etsy is a fantasyland. Besides the chicken “pecking” things out to feature, they probably have someone that picks things out while blindfolded and led by their spirit guide.
March 3, 2011 at 5:29 am
Isn’t that ridiculous? Etsy is more concerned about people talking about obvious re-selling than they are about dealing with it. Infuriating and sad.
March 2, 2011 at 9:22 pm
I hate that I feel like I have to do research on every Etsy purchase I make now, to make sure that I’m not supporting a Chinese reseller when I need to get my sister-in-law an awesome steampunk Cthulu pocketwatch.
March 2, 2011 at 9:32 pm
christ, etsy is so seedy.
i think i’ll apply for glamour’s new open position as wedding article writer!
March 2, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I wonder if Glamour is aware of this amazing thing out on the interwebs… It’s called a search engine, and it’s amazing, especially this one called Google! I tried it recently, and by just typing words into a field, you get *thousands* of results! The things they do these days! Mindboggling!
March 2, 2011 at 10:52 pm
The Glamour article has been changed to show a different sixth dress, but no mention was made to the fact that the original sixth dress was a reseller.
March 2, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Big hurrah for the Etsy re-sellers! They really do support the rest of us time-wasting good-for-nothing crafters, don’t they? And getting Etsy noticed on Glamour, well done them, give em a gold star, three cheers and a “Featured Seller” article… maybe all those factory workers could “quit their day jobs”! Oh, no they can’t can they, as it is their day job… but maybe Etsy could make one of their pretentious videos with acoustic guitar and soft lighting, featuring all the employees in the work-room, and say how much love and care goes into every one of the 300 dresses they churn out daily…
You could say I’m a bit pissed off.
Etsy seem to conveniently forget that they’re being incredibly disrespectful to the rest of the legitimate sellers on Etsy.
March 3, 2011 at 12:07 am
In this case, I do believe that the dress in question is from a reseller, but you have to be careful with using alibaba.com as proof.
I am a totally legit super handmade right here in my home office etsy seller, and have had a number of my images stolen and posted on alibaba as factory ordered items and it’s been difficult for me to get the images removed. You will find images from plenty of legit etsy sellers on alibaba simply because their photos have been stolen.
March 3, 2011 at 12:59 am
Etsy keeps shutting down any threads in the forums about this. Even this one CONGRATULATING the other real handmade shops simply because someone mentioned the reseller:
http://www.etsy.com/teams/7714/ideas/discuss/6803801/
Looks like they are really sore over this, they don’t even want us mentioning it!
Regretsy– I’m SO GLAD you’re hear to “call out” these resellers!
March 5, 2011 at 2:27 pm
yes and someone made a facebook page just so etsy cant erase what people want to say:
Anna Lena Bankel girls and guys, let’s get active! I founded a facebook group called “Pressure on Etsy”. Come and join and let’s decide collectively how to handle this! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pressure-on-Etsy/115473185195943?sk=wall
March 3, 2011 at 2:20 am
On a completely unrelated note, ‘Joyce, a plucky 29 year old who loves to sew’ sounds like something from the underneath of a Momiji doll.
March 3, 2011 at 3:40 am
Is “pluck” a necessary trait for Etsy? I ask, because I’m considering opening a shop there, and I’m a total coward.
(Actually, I’m just testing a new login. Ignore me.)
March 3, 2011 at 5:50 am
pluck you, Joyce
March 3, 2011 at 5:58 am
So, if Regretsy is so sketchy, does anyone else have any suggestions for somewhere better to sell homemade/handmade crafts online? Artfire was mentioned in the long thread following etsy’s Facebook post of the Glamour story. Is that a good site to sell from, or can you recommend any other sites? (not eBay)
March 3, 2011 at 8:33 am
I’ll second that question. I’ve been thinking of selling my handmade items online for a long time now, but this site has soured me on doing it on Etsy. Any other suggestions for a good site to try?
March 3, 2011 at 10:27 am
I hear a lot about artfire, and I guess most people see it as equal. I think that it actually costs too much to actually sell on there(But let me make clear right here, that I do not sell on there). To my understanding, they have a free account where you can buy and sell things, and I think pay a listing fee, like etsy. But then they also have a “pro” membership that costs monthly, and it seems to me that only the pros ever sell anything.
But this is all based on secondhand knowledge. I’ve never tried myself, and YMMV. They seem comparable, though.
March 3, 2011 at 6:48 am
What saddens me most about this is that people who shop at Etsy are LOOKING for handmade and original. I’m a crafter at two major Renaissance Faires. This would be like having to jury in my products, spending money to set up shop and hire workers, only to have the show let in a reseller vending a similar product for less, thereby destroying my sales. And that has happened to me (though not at my current shows. The coordinators at those are very protective of their crafters.)
There are a great many good people who are willing to spend more when they know the product is MADE BY THE PERSON SELLING IT TO THEM. When Etsy does not monitor their own site and allows this to happen, it cheapens the the rest of the crafters in the public eye. It hard enough making money as a crafter. In light of our current economy I think it is extremely important we make sure our dollars are being spent benefiting people who do the actual work, and not resellers out to make easy money at our expense.
March 3, 2011 at 8:18 am
These Chinese sellers/resellers are really starting to become the bane of everything everywhere. If you take one down they’ll relocate under a new handle and carry on right where they left off or two more will crop up in their place. They’d try to sell you a cheap copy of their own Grandma for a nickle. They’re crooks who’re swiftly becoming almost a new Asian mafia in sales, they’ll try to undercut you, they’ll sell literally *anything* to make a buck, they’ll tell you anything up to and including bald-faced lies to make a buck, they obviously try to force other actual ToS abiding sellers out by flooding the markets and you’re lucky if you get anything, much less what you paid for once they have your money. It’s shameful Etsy obviously wants everything “handmade” on their site to have a big ole “Made In China” label sewn into it rather than take the time to *do* anything about it.
So, this new Chinese Reseller Mafia versus the Regretsy Thugs, taking all bets!
March 3, 2011 at 8:35 am
This is super embarrassing… but the “handmade” wedding dresses have been running rampant on Etsy for a long time now, it’s almost refreshing that there was a big deal made out of this to give Etsy a wake-up call!
March 3, 2011 at 8:54 am
Surprise, Surprise…the shop is empty!
March 3, 2011 at 9:12 am
Glamour deff needs to do some expose on Etsy now. I commented that they should talk to the chicken, he’s the real whistleblower…oh and maybe April.
I just spent 10 min of my life registering here and at Glamour because this $hit just really pissed me off. Even my ulcer is pissed! I tried to keep up with my Etsy shop, did the twitter, the blogging, the fliker, EVERYTHING and I had about 5 sales. Then I read Regretsy and see people loving a spoon with a feather (that feather was not vintage BTW). Takes away from some very talented people trying to make it at Etsy. Plus I don’t think Etsy features art and jewelry that is handmade for charitable causes, like Regretsy does. So shame on Etsy and Kudos to April.
March 3, 2011 at 9:28 am
(sorry if I double posted- having issues on my first post!)
March 3, 2011 at 9:29 am
In the online world where I spend time, we call these people copyboters. It’s a different kind of online game, where people like me make 3d graphic items, buildings, character skins and such, and people buy them to use in the game. It’s not near as bad as being passed over when you spend time hand making a real life gown- but we create original 3d graphics, and sell them in the game for other characters to have as furniture, or clothing, or whatever. Sadly, some people have learned how to hack the game and make steal our items- making it look like they made them and then selling them themselves. Since some of us use this game as our primary source of income- it amounts to stealing and false advertising when unsuspecting users buy their stolen products. Thats a reason I love Regretsy- it exposes the real life versions of the people that plague my SecondLife! It seems that everywhere you go- there’s some f-tard trying to make a buck by pretending someone else’s work is their own!
March 3, 2011 at 10:13 am
If you’ve looked at the article recently, Glamour has already removed the dress and replaced it with another. I think they got the message.
March 3, 2011 at 10:38 am
I can’t believe the thread is still up on Etsy’s Facebook page and they haven’t removed it. “Dave” from Etsy responded and says, “…It’s a crummy situation and any sort of dishonesty by people trying to pass off mass-produced as handmade items on our site makes us really mad….”
Wow Dave, thanks for clearing that up!
March 3, 2011 at 3:45 pm
“Golly gee, Beave, that sure was a crummy thing that happened to us through no fault of our own.“
March 3, 2011 at 11:42 am
Nina Scott-Stoddart on Facebook posted, on the offending link, “What I find particularly amazing is that my shop (with hundreds of perfect feedback responses for my original collages) was shut down within hours of my posting a critical comment about Etsy in my shop announcement, and this reseller’s shop gets promoted and protected by Admin. Incredible. Etsy is rotten to the core.”
ETSY IS NAZIS?
March 3, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Seriously? After Regretsians reported the Kinfox resellers ages and ages and ages ago, they’re STILL getting away with this on Etsy?
They really DO have no standards, it seems. I feel sorry for you folks that actually create things, getting associated with all this.
But I feel a bit of shame at thinking that that’s an amazingly gorgeous dress. I think I’d still take mine over that one though.
March 3, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I get the feeling there are a lot of Glamor readers who really enjoy getting the feel-good fuzzies of buying handmade… without *paying* enough for a living wage for any craft person. I love how Glamor present etsy as a daring choice… you can be such an iconoclast! buying your wedding dress from a massed produced reseller pretending to be a lone craftsperson vs. just buying it from a massed produced seller direct!
And people pay a mark-up for this! But not enough to cover the cost of sewing their dress.
My mother made wedding dresses. She was underpaid doing it and they cost more than this.
March 4, 2011 at 7:13 am
Hey April, your bad influence is gonna get me and my shop banned from Etsy in 3, 2, 1…mainly for talking shizz and referencing you and Regretsy here http://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/business-topics/discuss/6805050/page/6
and here https://www.facebook.com/Etsy/posts/10150108444909727 I’m now your agent BTW, and suggested they hire your “team” of 2 for your detective skills
March 4, 2011 at 8:33 am
Wow, Etsy really screwed the pooch this time. And all they’re doing is closing threads in the eviscerated Forums instead of dealing with the reseller and the fallout this is going to bring on.
March 4, 2011 at 10:03 am
I’m waiting for them to ban me, I actually reported one of the resellers directly to Maggie Sottero since Etsy ignored the other reports. The dresses have almost all been taken down now.
March 5, 2011 at 2:10 pm
In the words of the big D Bag Charlie Sheen this regretsy find is a WINNER! WINNER! WINNNER!
March 5, 2011 at 9:02 pm
It is about time Etsy gets slammed for having resellers. It is so insulting to those who bust their neck making things!
March 9, 2011 at 8:43 am
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June 21, 2011 at 9:31 am
Uhhhh its amazing!