Pocket Watch is the New Octopus
Etsy promotes only a handful of very special sellers on their front page. Everything they promote is carefully vetted and returns no concerns, so you can shop with confidence!
Let’s look at yesterday’s handmade favorites!
What an awesome pocket watch! That must have taken forever to make. No wonder it sold so fast!
Don’t worry if you missed it. She has more.
And if she’s sold out, try these guys.
Of course, you may not be in the market for several hundred handmade mass-produced pocket watches. So if you’re only looking for one at a time, try this seller.
He may not have that exact handmade model, but he’s sure to have something equally unique!
Or you could just do a keyword search. With thousands of handmade pocket watches, you’ll probably find something.
May 3, 2011 at 10:47 am
This ticks me off.
May 3, 2011 at 10:53 am
Imagine having the time on your hands to make something so timely.
May 3, 2011 at 11:34 am
Imagine how red those sellers’ faces are!
May 3, 2011 at 12:26 pm
That would take them having a sense of shame.
May 3, 2011 at 1:19 pm
That would take them to be real people.
May 3, 2011 at 4:50 pm
C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!
May 3, 2011 at 11:46 am
It gets me all wound up too.
May 3, 2011 at 12:51 pm
A winner right out of the gate!
May 3, 2011 at 1:55 pm
Funniest first comment, “hands” down!
May 3, 2011 at 6:26 pm
I think you’ve found the key to this listing. The gears are turning now– it all makes so much sense!
May 3, 2011 at 10:50 am
It’s only a matter of time before the admin notices they’re mass produced? right?
May 3, 2011 at 10:55 am
It’s only a matter of time before Etsy decides to reject real handmade things on their site.
May 3, 2011 at 11:59 am
They already do. Several makers of real handmade goods have been receiving emails from Etsy asking to “prove” they make their own items, and after sending in pictures of the process, get shut down.
May 3, 2011 at 12:36 pm
wow, seriously? That is a new low, even for Etsy. If that happened to me I would be going on a bitch rampage…
May 3, 2011 at 12:39 pm
And I’m pretty sure one of those twatburgers up there is the one who made me, as a newish Etsian, froth at the mouth and swear off the forums when they remarked, “Even the beader is doing SOME design work.” It’s bothered me ever since. It’s been three years.
May 4, 2011 at 8:57 pm
WHAT?!
I used to do beading. Really, really simple beading that probably anybody could do, but it still took FOREVER.
Excuse my caps. It’s early morning and my rage gland is working a bit harder than usual.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
May 3, 2011 at 11:25 am
Are you… kidding?
Etsy is for handmade stuff. It matters if there is non-handmade stuff on there because that drives down prices and sales for legit sellers.
May 3, 2011 at 11:47 am
I think cattiekit is referring to the etsy admins’ blatant disregard for their own rules regarding what is “handmade.” I hope.
May 3, 2011 at 9:26 pm
I’m thinking that my comment didn’t nest correctly.
It *really* was meant to be a response to Slurreydude, who thought that Etsy admins would,after all, finally NOTICE that there were things that were mass-produced.
And I was all, “As if mass-produced was any kind of a problem for the Etsy twits.”
Which was what I *thought* I was saying.
Which only proves, I haven’t drunk enough today.
Gah. I’m *all* about the handmade.
May 3, 2011 at 9:31 pm
Oh, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU ConceptofCow – that was exactly what I thought I was saying.
Nothing makes me madder than seeing how the Etsy admins ignore the resellers of the mass-produced and *shit* on the truly handmade sellers.
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU again.
And now I’m gonna go get me a *drank*.
May 3, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Know how they get away with it? They list them as supplies. Then the seller puts them on a chain and calls them handmade/assembled.
Utter horseshit.
I used to offer the round marble shaped one with the tassel, years ago, when they were hard to find. I hand beaded a rosary chain, added tons of charms, removed the cheap tassel and beaded an ornate one to replace it..basically treating the watch like a fancy bead. Hours of work, and if I do say so, worth it. They were popular. Now a very cheap version of this is everywhere, hung on chains. I gave up steampunk a couple of years ago when the site was flooded with crap, as well as simply being disgusted with a certain psychobitch “designer” who does VERY well there with her shockingly overpriced crap glued on crap.
May 3, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Who’s the seller (if you don’t mind my asking). You can convo me if you don’t wanna hang it all out here
May 3, 2011 at 12:21 pm
The infamous EDMdesigns. She scary. And in Brooklyn, and has somehow gotten away with behavior that would have closed down any other shop.
I would say check out the pathologically angry feedback she gives to any buyer who is less than thrilled, but Etsy has made that impossible to see now.
May 3, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Not impossible.
http://www.etsy.com/people/edmdesigns/feedback?type=for_others&page=44
May 3, 2011 at 1:07 pm
ViolentGlitterOrgy, I went to the site and found several of the feedbacks she left for people. Oh. My. God. She is scary. One comment filled my entire screen, top to bottom, and STILL there was more to come. To spend that much time on one comment shows her psychobitchness at its best/worst. She really doesn’t have the time to waste, since “each order must be made to perfection,” (by third-world slaves). With all that she does (other Web sites, private commissions), I’m surprised she has any time to devote to her “craft.”
May 3, 2011 at 1:14 pm
HK….ooh!
I guess you just can’t see the buyer now….just the feedback.
I was wrong!
May 3, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Her shop features steampunk jewelry worn by the likes of famous steampunk trailblazers like HOWIE MANDEL. I can tell she is a sincerely great steampunk jewelry seller with her finger on the pulse of the market.
May 3, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Don’t forget to check out the listing copy, where she insults everyone who isn’t her and making steampunk jewelry..all poseurs, I guess.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61409280/steampunk-cuff-industrial-vintage-skull?ref=pr_shop
May 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm
…and now, of course, given that she has had other people shut down on Etsy…and this is my sole living….I am having a case of retroactive terror.
Ahem.
May 3, 2011 at 1:58 pm
If even half of this story about EDM’s behavior is true–and the comments give some similar stories–the elves should have shut them down long ago. EDM seems to be chummy with at least one Etsy admin, shockingly enough.
May 3, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Wow. What a pretentious, trashy, insane bitch. And best of all, I could have sworn I’ve seen half of that crap in other shops. BUY HANDMADE
May 4, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Absolutely amazing and just made my day.
In the spirit of The Guild, wobble demon’d!
May 3, 2011 at 2:11 pm
Yes, Tempus Fugit’s profile says ‘ I really do design and hand assemble the watches’ which means ‘I really do decide whether to add a silver or brass chain to this mass produced watch all by myself’
Meanwhile, I’ll go to Alibaba and order a 20 pack of those pocket watches. Father’s Day is coming up and that’s as narrow as my mom can widdle the playing field. Plus, my dads love it when I handmake their gifts.
May 4, 2011 at 5:17 am
Off topic, but I have to ask…widdle the playing field? Is this an American expression, cause it makes me giggle and picture urine burn patches on grass…
May 3, 2011 at 4:00 pm
I knew exactly who you meant without even scrolling! She’s a harpy, and I hate that she ripped off some good designers and then complained to Etsy about the people she stole from! She cost those decent people sales and reputation, but I hear none of them miss Etsy these days.
May 4, 2011 at 2:34 am
I’ll admit, I’ve pondered getting some and working them into something like a steampunk-esque vest, or tiny ones into little doll steampunk stuff, but I’ve been planning to buy from ebay where that kind of stuff’s allowed.
And the problem with the vest is I don’t want to jump on the steampunk bandwagon, and sewing clothing for humans is kind of like brushing an angry cat. No matter how good a job you do, in the end nobody’s happy.
May 5, 2011 at 9:26 am
Someone sure seems to like to brag about all of those ‘fashion magazine’ shoots their ‘original creations’ are featured in. Own a piece of history my ass.
May 3, 2011 at 3:12 pm
I reported a slew of pocket watches a month ago with links to alibaba.
Specifically I reported fashionjewel over and over, because they have nothing legit in their store.
You can see exactly how constructive that was.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/fashionjewel?ga_search_query=pocket+watch+quartz&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade
May 3, 2011 at 3:14 pm
PS, when I reported the store it was brand new and hadn’t made hundreds of sales. Fucking etsy. Guess why it was brand new? $10 says the old one got shut down.
May 3, 2011 at 3:57 pm
I sprained my flagging finger on Tempus Fuckstick ages ago, and they’re still going strong. My only hope is that they’re somehow crushed by the stack of cash they’re duping people into paying them for factory-made crap.
May 3, 2011 at 10:50 am
They only say it’s handmade. They don’t specify whose hands, or how many, or whether they were robot hands or anything.
May 3, 2011 at 10:54 am
They’re all watches, so the hands were made. Ha!
(No, it’s okay; I’ll let myself out.)
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
The seller’s hands made them go into a box, which was then sent to you. Is technically accurate, yes? You buy!
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
true! BUY COLD, INHUMAN ROBOT HANDMADE!
May 3, 2011 at 10:58 am
A robot’s gotta eat. You don’t want to live in a world where unemployed watchmaking robots are loose on the streets, hungry, horny and desperate. Neither do I. Buy the watches now. For the children.
May 3, 2011 at 11:48 am
I don’t know if I agree with that statement. . .some of those “Futurama” episodes are pretty funny, maybe it would be amusing.
May 3, 2011 at 11:51 am
Truly the comment of someone who has never been on the wrong side of a horny, out of work watchmaking etsy robot. We’ll see who is lovely and creamy when they take the streets.
May 3, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Much as I hate resellers, if one of them had the balls to use that in their item description I would have to give them a tiny bit of respect.
May 4, 2011 at 5:21 am
I think we are underestimating the talent it takes to get superglue of your fingers. Now that’s crafting!
May 4, 2011 at 5:23 am
Or, off your fingers. Even more talent required to get glue of the fingers. Boil down the bones etc…
May 3, 2011 at 11:00 am
I immediately thought of Invader Zim:
I love you, cold unfeeling robot arm!
May 3, 2011 at 11:07 am
these watches are great, what’s in em?
there’s watches in em!
YOU’RE LYING!
May 3, 2011 at 11:17 am
My hero!
May 3, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Awwww.that always made me so sad! Poor little adorable baby Zim…You win for the reference though!
May 3, 2011 at 11:09 am
Hey! Clearly they’re ASSEMBLING something by putting the watch in a box, or taking off the plastic face protector or something…
DON’T MAKE FUN OF MY CRAFT!!! *runs away crying*
May 3, 2011 at 11:14 am
Certainly not. Assembly warrants a 2000% markup. That’s why so many of those sweatshop kids are riding around in golden cars and wiping their butts with filet mignon.
Assembly! It’s where the big bucks are.
May 3, 2011 at 12:40 pm
And here I am working hard, selling for dirt cheap and allowing my husband to roll around in a geo metro. I need to assemble some shit!
May 3, 2011 at 1:52 pm
…and the joke’s on them because filet mignon is really not very absorbent.
May 3, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Not quite true. Tempusfugit states very clearly “I have over 20 cufflink designs, more than 60 earring designs, more than a 100 necklace designs, close to a hundred different watch designs–and I really do design and hand assemble the watches and can customize to some measure.” So OBVIOUSLY he’s not buying from a mass producer (cue eye roll).
May 3, 2011 at 2:27 pm
Exactly. Unless the Chinese children who were forced to do the work used their toes, hands did officially make the items.
May 3, 2011 at 10:51 am
And look at that handmade octopus! I’ve never seen anything as unique as that!
May 3, 2011 at 10:51 am
I’m pretty in love with that black web watch. Also, the artist of the underspace print is stretching “surrealism” pretty thin there.
May 3, 2011 at 11:12 am
I love the black web one too
I just wouldn’t buy it for $50+$6 shipping, especially when it’s not actually handmade :/
May 3, 2011 at 12:11 pm
You can probably find it on eBay for $5. That’s what I did, and now FinkGifts is selling an identical one for $40+.
May 3, 2011 at 10:52 am
If only I could find a seller of these beauties who was obsessed with cole slaw, I’d be all over it!
May 3, 2011 at 11:01 am
There needs to be a cabbage-lover’s tag so we can sort it out. Slawpunk, perhaps.
May 3, 2011 at 11:17 am
Slawpunk Octopus. IRV, you’re a genius!
May 3, 2011 at 11:40 am
May 3, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Slawctopus?
“Zydecoccasion” made me pee a little.
May 3, 2011 at 5:06 pm
I approve this use of my image. Yum!
May 3, 2011 at 10:52 am
AND THE OCTOPUS RETURNS!
May 3, 2011 at 10:59 am
I’ve seen this stuff in Camden stores! But of course in daylight you see what crap it is… Less so in artsy etsy pictures.
May 3, 2011 at 11:01 am
Also, not meant as a reply to rawrmonster. Sorry!
May 3, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Yea, you better be sorry. Replying to my comment and shit. Who do you think you are?
May 3, 2011 at 10:53 am
I don’t mind Made in China crap. But would never want to buy it from Etsy, because the markup is insane!
May 3, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Ditto, I’m pretty sure since I bought a ton of supplies on ebay, my wedding reeked of children’s tears.
May 3, 2011 at 10:53 am
I love this cleverly misleading wording in the item’s description -
“Add this piece of unique jewelry to your handmade jewelry…”
AS if adding it to something that IS handmade magically makes this piece qualify as handmade too.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
They must have hadda cheat sheet for the $5 writing seminar, no need to attend!
May 3, 2011 at 11:38 am
handmade by association–now I get it.
May 3, 2011 at 2:18 pm
It is scientifically proven that handmade is highly infectious. Worse than ebola, worse than etsy chicken pox. If you have thousands of items in the store and put them next to one handmade item they’ll all soon become handmade. It is like zombie apocalipse..you’ve been warned!
May 3, 2011 at 10:53 am
This is in Tempus Fugit’s shop announcement…
These are custom items. This means an item is made after purchase is paid. I put together the watches I sell, so I have some measure of customizing. I can not engrave because of the patina or plate which would flake off during engraving. I do not make the mechanism or case BUT I do assemble them so If you see one watch but would like a different face from another one–I CAN CUSTOMIZE!
OH MY FREAKING GAWD!!! (That part was me, not Tempus)
May 3, 2011 at 10:55 am
Customize.
I do not think it means what you think it means.
May 3, 2011 at 11:19 am
So… he buys them en masse from those sites April posted, then pulls a couple pieces off so that he can “assemble” them after being ordered (and making you wait several weeks for this beautiful creation, no doubt)?
I’m with cattiekit. You keep using that word… I do not think it means what you think it means.
Inconceivable!
May 3, 2011 at 11:19 am
I had to go to Tempus Fugit’s shop after reading this. Thank you. The claims made by this seller are so over the top it’s astounding. This is blatant fraud. Thank you for posting this.
May 3, 2011 at 11:41 am
Yeah, yeah, fraud, blah, blah, blah…
but does he like coleslaw?
May 3, 2011 at 11:45 am
I think that it’s the one rule that they all must abide by. Must have a passion for cole slaw.
May 3, 2011 at 1:15 pm
Even if he hosts cole slaw parties that are headlined with zydeco bands, he’s not forgiven his flowery bs claims.
May 3, 2011 at 12:35 pm
The shipping label is CUSTOMIZED with your address, and the bill is CUSTOMIZED with your credit card number!
May 3, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Can I get the shipping label customized with my address and the bill customized with someone else’s credit card number? Then I won’t have to feel guilty about buying this crap.
May 3, 2011 at 10:54 am
The only thing better than those is this: http://www.etsy.com/listing/72122808/steampunk-octopus-antique-silver-pocket
May 3, 2011 at 11:16 am
I’m probably gonna be dreaming about that octopus soon.
From the same shop:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66324828/owl-pocket-watch-locket-necklace-with-a?ref=v1_other_1
I can’t help thinking that owl’s gonna show up everyfuckingwhere too.
May 3, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Forget the owl, I am deeply moved by the history in her profile . I even shed a 1/2 of glittering tear. Such a beautiful love story!
May 3, 2011 at 7:37 pm
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72777142/steampunk-octopus-antique-silver-toned
I found this in her shop, which I bought from Claire’s a year or so ago. Maybe they were feeling the love too?
May 3, 2011 at 5:09 pm
That owl is just a poseur. I knew him when he was goth.
May 3, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Damn it, I really like that little rabbit charm. Bet it’s chock-full of lead, though.
May 4, 2011 at 7:16 am
Did you see the packaging and tags in the last picture of each item? It’s a perfect parody of etsy’s favorite things- faux-giftwrapping, surreal vintage animal art, and ‘personalized’ cards!
At least this seller charges prices that are not unreasonable for supplies or assembled pieces. I would never consider this ‘handmade’, but what really chaps my hide are the sellers that take the SAME CRAP and mark it up by over 1000%.
May 3, 2011 at 10:54 am
Mass-produced with love.
May 3, 2011 at 10:54 am
How many reasons do I need to never shop on Etsy? All of these and more.
Q of the day: what do 150 FT employees actually do all day long to justify their salaries?
I wanna know!
May 3, 2011 at 11:00 am
Test the effects of Earl Grey on their stomachs.
May 3, 2011 at 11:20 am
Funny, that’s what I do all day! And I do just as much to keep Etsy free of resellers. They owe me a paycheck.
May 3, 2011 at 4:29 pm
if you think there are resellers on etsy, then you probably do more to keep it free of them.
May 3, 2011 at 11:02 am
Yes, that is why I am really considering building my own website to sell our stuff that is actually handmade. From scratch. Not assembled from a kit.
May 3, 2011 at 2:40 pm
A lot of people are fleeing to zibbet.com and evenbadgers.com
May 3, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Evenbadgers is amazing. It was a little tricky to get used to when I was setting things up, but I love my shop on there.
May 3, 2011 at 4:38 pm
seriously, i think it’s a great idea. april has mentioned a few times that it would be awesome for us to pull together and make a new system/site.
imagine a new store, as big as etsy, run by regretsians and aprils army!
May 3, 2011 at 11:03 am
Well, from what we learned in yesterday’s post, coleslaw is evidently a hot topic over there.
May 3, 2011 at 10:55 am
like sand through the hourglass, this is the bullshit of etsy.
May 3, 2011 at 10:55 am
I knew we hadn’t seen the last of that octopus.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
Clearly the perfect scenario here is to have all your goods “handmade” by trained octopi. Eight “hands”, no waiting!
also works for fish.
May 3, 2011 at 11:02 am
Are you perchance hiring? I got a family to feed.
May 3, 2011 at 11:04 am
Wouldn’t you just drive us all mad and have us catering to your every whim as soon as I hired you?
You’d be perfect management material. Maybe as head of Inhuman Resources.
May 3, 2011 at 11:08 am
You sure? I’d start with replacing everyone under me with shoggoths and the company picnic will take place in R’lyeh, so you’ll need a lot of scuba gear.
May 3, 2011 at 11:21 am
Etsy’s beginning to smell a lot like Fish-men.
May 3, 2011 at 2:42 pm
We should have the company picnic at the Devil’s Hopyard. It’s much easier to get to than R’lyeh and the parking is cheaper.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
Each one is more unique that the next, no doubt.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
Next trend on Etsy:
Pocket watches with octopi and chrysanthemums super-glued all over
Then you can justify steampunk, vintage, AND unique tags.
May 3, 2011 at 11:33 am
Fairly sure I’ve seen those already.
May 3, 2011 at 10:56 am
Regretsy used to fill me with happiness and amusement at some of the insane things people make and sell on Etsy.
Now Regretsy fills me with hatred for what a fucking mockery Etsy has made of the ideas upon which they claim to be founded. Fucking lying evil duplicitous fucking bastard swindling fuckers.
May 3, 2011 at 11:22 am
Don’t hold back, tell us what you really think!
Seriously though – looking at this site, with all its inane hilarity, is getting depressing when it comes to the intricacies of Etsy. Makes me glad I’m just a gawker and not a crafter, so I don’t have to put up with their guff.
May 3, 2011 at 10:58 am
That first one says “Parts were hand ASSEMBLED.” Really, if people buy this kind of junk on Etsy, they are just begging to be ripped off.
May 3, 2011 at 11:16 am
Sadly, assembling is considered to be “handmade” under Etsy terms of use.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T BRING THAT UP IN THE FORUMS WITHOUT A FLAMETHROWER.
May 3, 2011 at 11:22 am
Some of that shit isn’t even altered or assembled in any way. And the watch on the front page is straight out of the padded envelope.
May 3, 2011 at 12:10 pm
I know, but it drives me batshit crazy that they could get around it by claiming that they swapped out lids or added a friggin’ chain. (Which I guarantee they would do if they got flagged).
May 3, 2011 at 11:24 am
Assembling is handmade! Hell yes! I need to get a job as a carpenter or something then, because I’m sitting in my living room, at my “handmade” computer desk, surrounded as well by my “handmade” shelves, entertainment unit, and coffee/end tables. I ROCK.
May 3, 2011 at 1:43 pm
Sell them on Etsy and get rich!
Especially if you decorate them sensually with octopi and cogs and wheels… Steampunk handmade shelves.
Oh, yes, and you should decoupage them with vintage music sheets or dictionary pages!
May 3, 2011 at 12:22 pm
That’s awesome! With that logic I could open my own Etsy store and re-sell assembled Ikea merchandise. I could make a bundle!
May 3, 2011 at 12:50 pm
I was just thinking the same thing. IKEA:BUY HANDMADE
Someone should open a store with photos from the Ikea website and photoshop the octopus, the owl, AND the chrysanthemums on them. Tag them “appropriately”.
May 3, 2011 at 10:58 am
Here I am handcrafting away in my meth lab and barely scraping by. I knew I should have gotten into the watch business
May 3, 2011 at 10:58 am
Grrr.
All y’all actual crafters need to flee this site, fast, so I can buy your stuff somewhere that isn’t evil.
Or that’s, you know, the FUN kind of evil, where you wear black eyeliner and roleplay a non-Twilight vampire.
May 3, 2011 at 10:59 am
And by “this site” I mean etsy.
May 3, 2011 at 11:02 am
But my vampire only wears black eyeliner for special occasions. Like a ritual sacrifice.
May 3, 2011 at 12:36 pm
I think that as long as it doesn’t sparkle without the aid of glitter glue, it’s ok.
May 3, 2011 at 11:17 am
A lot of us are on http://www.evenbadgers.com now
May 3, 2011 at 11:20 am
Yes! I am totally signed up there and waiting for more merchandise to appear. The only jewelry so far is one gorgeous but pricey bracelet and a bunch of glittery poo charms (cute, but not my thing).
Fenris, I would like to offer your vampire his or her selection of choice Etsy admins, but I wouldn’t want to cause any indigestion, nausea or bursting into glitter.
May 3, 2011 at 11:24 am
After all the cupcakes, their blood is probably super-sweet!
May 4, 2011 at 8:11 am
I’ll take whichever one drinks the most PBR. The dark god Set disapproves of shitty beer!
(oddly enough, that particular RPG character is actually a wood and stone carver, so fake crafts, double offensive!)
May 3, 2011 at 11:26 am
I call Claudia! Who DOESN’T want to be a 5-year-old vampiric sex kitten?
May 3, 2011 at 1:45 pm
What about Artfire, daWanda, Folksy and Zibbet? Are those just like Etsy, except not as famous, and thus not as “tainted”?
May 3, 2011 at 9:58 pm
I can only speak to Artfire, since I sell there, but there is at least some effort to acknowledge handcrafters. If you go pro (I don’t have enough to sell to make it worth doing yet), for example, you can ask to have your work juried and get a “Certified Handmade” badge for your shop.
So there’s that, for what it’s worth.
May 3, 2011 at 10:59 am
I don’t read the forums on Etsy, b/c I have a life, but do all the butthurt sellers over there that bitch about how mean Regretsy is to notice this shit? Do they complain about THIS in the forums?? WTF? (And say, Hey thanks for pointing that out, Killer!)
Somehow, I doubt it…
May 3, 2011 at 11:54 am
Even the biggest White Knighting pricks in the forums are disgusted by this garbage. They’re experiencing a crisis of conscience of late; because while they hate HK and myself for being such meanies, they hate what Etsy is turning into even more. I might feel sorry for them if they weren’t such a bunch of hypocritical dickbags.
May 3, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Most of the people in the forums don’t like it either.
May 3, 2011 at 10:59 am
What is so fucking steampunk about an octopus?
Wait… just don’t answer that.
May 3, 2011 at 11:00 am
Sea creatures in general are considered steampunk due to Victorian obsession with undersea travel.
May 3, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Even though it was a giant squid that attacked the Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
May 3, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Do you really think people know the difference of cephalopods? Anyway, they are ornamental, and you get a big bag of octopi cheap for your assembling work
May 3, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Actually, that’s not true. It was not only an octopus, it was a whole army of octopodes!
(Sorry for the pedantic geeking – I just finished reading the thing!)
May 3, 2011 at 5:14 pm
I’m steampunk if I say I’m steampunk. Dammit.
May 3, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Just to geek it up, Daleks are cephalopods, too!
May 4, 2011 at 5:36 am
So are cuttlefish. And I would love to see those babies get a steampunk pimping!
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7o5i2pVW71qb35c5o1_400.jpg
May 3, 2011 at 10:59 am
I have a cute owl watch necklace. It is mass-produced, but it cost me £10 from Claires Accessories.
I like some of these things, but they are not handmade, and I would rather buy them from the place that’s being honest with me.
May 3, 2011 at 11:28 am
Yeah… if I did come across the owl watch in a store I would totally want it. At least they’re not trying to pull the “hand-dyed, organic” wool over my eyes.
May 3, 2011 at 11:30 am
That’s it exactly.
No one is saying there’s anything wrong with the products (well, that’s not exactly true but it’s not the issue we’re focusing on). It’s the fact that the sellers are blatantly lying and Etsy allows them to violate the user agreement. Even when shown proof the sellers are in the wrong, Etsy either ignores it or punishes the member that “called out” the shop.
May 4, 2011 at 3:37 pm
I have the watch which is right under the green glowing one. Exactly the same model. I got it from one of the shops belonging to the Zara group (you know, monstruously big chain store) for 12€. Then a month later I saw it on etsy for more than 50$.
May 3, 2011 at 11:02 am
This crap multiplies faster than tribbles.
May 3, 2011 at 11:03 am
These are prefab vintage facepalms for you! See they have hands on their faces. And I will now scuttle back to the dark cave from whence I came.
May 3, 2011 at 11:06 am
I have one of the skeleton pocket watches. I got it on Ebay for 99p from a seller who was one of about 40 sellers from mainland China selling massive craploads of them. I recommend Ebay for telling it to you like it is, for peanuts.
May 3, 2011 at 11:06 am
I only purchase from hand-assemblers who have their own zydeco band, so Tempus Fugit simply will not do.
May 3, 2011 at 11:08 am
Is the coleslaw enthusiasm optional?
May 3, 2011 at 11:06 am
At least put a fucking ribbon on it or SOMETHING and attempt to fool people. Jesus.
May 3, 2011 at 11:06 am
At the very very least, Etsy could add a section called “not quite handmade” or if they want to cupcake it, call it “We Found it Elsewhere For You!” or “Knot Quite Knew” (K’s added for Kuh-Nickey) or some shit like that. Then, you could at least pick a fork in the road when you were shopping.
Be what you want to be Etsy, but for the love of God, OWN UP TO IT!!!
Dear shoppers, we know we said handmade, but the truth is, we make all kinda bank on resellers, so we’re going to just embrace them like the sellout perky hipster doucheburgers that we are! Have a FANTABULOUS DAY!!!
Thanks for letting me get that out. Whew. I feel better. Where’s the tylenol?
May 3, 2011 at 11:09 am
Props for the Christmas Vacation quote.
May 3, 2011 at 11:13 am
Tension breaker. Had to be done.
May 3, 2011 at 11:42 am
Yeah… the least they could do would be to just change their policy and be honest about it. They seem to be the only ones under the misconception that they’re purely handmade items anymore. Someone needs to adjust their rose-tinted horn rimmed glasses for them.
May 3, 2011 at 11:07 am
If hand assembled is ok, then I’ll soon be opening the IKEA.Etsy.Com store….I won’t actually assemble it or anything, but when you get it you can use your hands to assemble it. Genius!
May 3, 2011 at 1:51 pm
You could sell the prints of the pictures nicked from IKEA. Easier. Besides, then you could assemble them and frame them and ask more money, because it’s handmade and then you customise the work with writing with your own hands the address on the package… that’s art, calligraphy, so it costs even more!
May 3, 2011 at 11:08 am
I’ve been reporting these pocket watches forever. The resellers are still there.
May 3, 2011 at 11:10 am
FWIW, pocket watches are hard to prove that they are indeed being resold, because they can change the chain (like two of them above) and that is totally legal by Etsy’s hand-assembled policy
BUY HAND-ASSEMBLED!!!!
May 3, 2011 at 11:11 am
OR…
They can just remove the chain altogether and sell the pocket watches as SUPPLIES.
I need to become a reseller…
May 3, 2011 at 11:16 am
That would be interesting. To start a Regretsy reseller, oh wait, I’m sorry, upcycled/supplies/removed the chain shop and donate all the money to April’s Army’s charities.
We could name it Slawpunk Octopus (credit for the word Slawpunk goes to IRV. I love it)
May 3, 2011 at 11:27 am
The part that really pisses me off are how many sales they have; how many people support these shops on Etsy, when the buyers should also be aware of the POINT OF THE SITE.
May 3, 2011 at 11:09 am
I actually like a couple of those watches. They appeal to the Captain Nemo in me.
May 3, 2011 at 11:11 am
If they would just sell them with a side of cole slaw… then everything would be right as rain.
May 3, 2011 at 11:12 am
hahahaha holy shit I literally just flagged this bitch on her reselling last night.
May 3, 2011 at 11:14 am
*sighs*
resellers…
yeah, so I looked around at TempisFugit’s etsy shop, but what intrigued me most was the 99% positive feedback… so I looked:
http://www.etsy.com/people/tempusfugit/feedback?ref=pr_feedback
I’m smugly satisfied with the level of irony I experienced over someone selling time pieces being unable to ship merchandise out in a timely fashion. Seriously, that is some high high irony.
May 3, 2011 at 11:21 am
Maybe that’s why the Cupcake Overlords keep the resellers around: for the INCREDIBLE IRONY.
May 3, 2011 at 11:34 am
Irony is the lifeblood of hipsterdom! Oh sweet Mother Irony, we suckle at your bitter teat so as to exert our powers of smugness over the gullible masses. Now, where did my arm scarf go?
May 3, 2011 at 11:19 am
I wear a beat up pocket watch on a pretty regular basis. I got it years ago at a dirt mall for $3. Who knew I could have sold it for ten times that?
May 3, 2011 at 11:26 am
“I have had my store on Etsy since 2008, I started out with a mere 6 items initially and over the years have worked hard and built up my items and designs. I have over 20 cufflink designs, more than 60 earring designs, more than a 100 necklace designs, close to a hundred different watch designs–and I really do design and hand assemble the watches and can customize to some measure.”
Bullshit. How is this allowed to happen. Over and over and over again. -Sigh-
May 3, 2011 at 11:38 am
“I really do design and hand assemble the watches and can customize to some measure.”
Custom order? I want to order a series of photos of the “designer” hand assembling a watch.
May 3, 2011 at 1:46 pm
The watches are modular so you can pop the “clockwork” potion out of 1 case and place it into another case. Now it’s customized and hand assembled. As Tempus Fegit states in his descriptions “I do not make the mechanism or case BUT I do assemble them so If you see one watch but would like a different face from another one–I CAN CUSTOMIZE!”
May 3, 2011 at 11:34 am
This makes me so angry… I have one of those owl watches I got on ebay for $6, including shipping from China. To see some people selling them as “handmade” for $50 is just sad.
And I can’t make a big fuss about it over at etsy, or else they might ban me from selling my legitimately handmade goods.
May 3, 2011 at 11:37 am
Dibs on that collection’s “vintage metal gear. Rusted patina.” I’ve been searching for one of those babies my whole LIFE. I’m now complete.
May 3, 2011 at 12:51 pm
OK, THAT’S what I came to bitch about today…
It’s not even a ratchet gear!
It’s a dull, rusty horizontal milling cutter you stupid FUCK!
AH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
*whew* sorry, my Engineer-Angst sometimes comes out as Sam Kinison.
I want an Eight-Handed pocket watch.
ISO 6425 to 200 meters. Handmade.
I wanna know what time it is when I’m drowning in Cold River Vodka (handmade in Freeport, ME).
ммм, да. водка (mmm, yes. vodka)
May 3, 2011 at 1:44 pm
What colour chrysanthemums do you want on that?
May 3, 2011 at 11:39 am
Now, if only tempus fugitive…
May 3, 2011 at 11:42 am
So fucking disgusting. But let me counteract that with a real watchmaker’s shop! My friend found this guy a week or two ago:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/revolt70
His watches are AWESOME.
May 3, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Those timepieces are amazing. Definitely bookmarked.
May 3, 2011 at 12:59 pm
They really are great.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68399702/enamel-handcrafted-rainbow-handmade this one needs to be in my life when I have … a spare 200 bucks.
May 3, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I adore this watch:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/68399702/enamel-handcrafted-rainbow-handmade
However, when people ask me what time it is, I’d have to say half past light blue. I can’t tell time without numbers. I should have flunked kindergarden.
May 3, 2011 at 4:20 pm
See, those are worth the price tag. Much nicer than the mass-produced ones that SHOULDN’T EVEN BE SELLING ON ETSY.
May 4, 2011 at 7:02 am
Wow- those are amazing!
I’m glad to see a great shop from South Korea- Asian sellers on Etsy are NOT all resellers, but so many resellers ship from Asia that it can be easy to miss the true artists!
This is why Etsy COULD be so great- there are lots of real artists and artisans in all parts of the world, and I would never know about them otherwise.
May 3, 2011 at 11:46 am
Here’s what tempusfugit says in her item description:
I put together the watches I sell, so I have some measure of customizing. I can not engrave because of the patina or plate which would flake off during engraving. I do not make the mechanism or case BUT I do assemble them so If you see one watch but would like a different face from another one–I CAN CUSTOMIZE!
so she means if I don’t like one watch face but prefer another one she’ll put the back of the one that I don’t like to the face of the one that I like, or maybe just will post me the one I like, I’m lost, what is she customizing?
May 3, 2011 at 12:05 pm
I’m here killing time while I wait for my elctroforming to finish and I wonder how the hell I’m ever going make a buck off my stuff. It is so disheartening to see people lack the integrity to post genuinely handmade items and to see a organization that was supposed to be for the little guy become so corrupt.
May 3, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Wow, look at this fraud’s profile:
“I really do design and hand assemble the watches “
May 3, 2011 at 12:30 pm
MMMMMMMM… love the smell of child swetsy… waka, waka, waka
May 3, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiit. Clearly, I am in the wrong racket, trying to sell yarn/spinning supplies. I should go make me a huge order at Oriental Trading and make some serious fucking BANK on Etsy.
May 3, 2011 at 12:45 pm
They could sell them as supplies and be okay. But that guy is saying he custom makes them, that’s just a lie. Glueing a glass eyeball on a commerical product doesn’t represent “custom made”.
May 3, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I found 2 of finkgifts watches on ebay, one coming from Hong Kong, with 10 available. I didn’t look beyond those two, but I reported them both, with the ebay links in the comments. I wonder… is it possible to buy ONLY from Regretsians? (Or would that be included under April’s Army?)
May 3, 2011 at 12:55 pm
May 3, 2011 at 2:01 pm
That is pure poetry.
May 3, 2011 at 4:42 pm
An owl AND a ‘vintage’ resin cab, together at last! Now you know it’s UnEeK.
May 3, 2011 at 12:55 pm
You can also get some of them here at ZADD Fashion, Inc.
May 3, 2011 at 1:17 pm
I LOVE YOU APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 3, 2011 at 1:27 pm
My cousin showed up for Passover with the owl pocketwatch. I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was probably (and now confirmed) a reseller, but I did suggest he check out regresty.
May 3, 2011 at 1:36 pm
All these posts of mass produced reselling shit make me worry that the locket I bought from Etsy before Regretsy was around was a resell. >.> It wasn’t expensive to me at the time ($15) and I love it to pieces now that I’ve put a picture of BF in with resin, but still.
May 3, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Here is a thought. I could order a bunch of things for resell on etsy. But if I added a single bead the the pocket watch chain. Then that becomes “hand altered” and I am not even violating TOS… Shoot me.
May 3, 2011 at 4:42 pm
It’s like sticking a flower on a grocery store sheet cake and calling yourself a baker.
May 3, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Why not? Sandra Lee’s a fuckin’ millionaire.
May 3, 2011 at 2:11 pm
When I was new to Etsy I researched the top sellers in my category, jewelry. Found a shop with nearly 3,000 sales, run by two college kids who put a mass-produced chain through the loop of a tiny mass-produced charm and called it handmade. Found out that’s perfectly acceptable according to Etsy guidelines. I spend hours and days doing my beadwork so that was pretty discouraging. Now it’s much worse, even worse than I knew from what I’m reading here.
I’ve been waiting for someone Regretsy-associated to start a selling site and now they have so I’ll be migrating my shop to http://www.evenbadgers.com/
See you there!
May 4, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Your beadedwoven jewelry is awesome. I’d like to be that good!
May 3, 2011 at 2:47 pm
D’oh, I totally have the spiderweb one with the glow-in-the-dark background. It lost its charm after I realized I could not commit to remembering to wind it…anyhow I bought it off ebay so I had no delusions about who actually made it (more than likely small children in Bangladesh)
May 3, 2011 at 3:15 pm
CRAP IS THE NEW BLACK ON ESTY!
May 3, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I have two lovely pocketwatches that belonged to my husband’s grandfather. We’re having them repaired for our sons, who are now 25. We’ll probably wait at least 5 more years to give the watches to the boys, until this whole hipster crap is over, and they can carry a pocketwatch without being pretentious. (And maybe by then I can afford to get actual antique watch fobs for them.)
May 3, 2011 at 8:04 pm
You are a wonderful parent!
I hate how popular pocket watches are– nobody ever asks to see my actually-vintage one because they aren’t, you know, special anymore.
May 3, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Bottom line: The average sheeple have not a clue what “handmade” means, and Etsy is not helping the matter any by allowing resellers and assemblers galore populate their virtual booths. Nor do most sheeple have taste or a shred of originality; therein lies the reason why we must endure octopi, pocket watches, owls, deer, and now coleslaw and zydeco. Truly tasteless.
May 3, 2011 at 5:12 pm
Does anyone know if this is a resell?
May 3, 2011 at 5:13 pm
‘Tis a locket.
May 4, 2011 at 6:56 am
If you paid $15 for it, it’s unlikely that the seller actually made the locket or the bird from scratch. Casting metal jewelry is a long process that requires skill and equipment, and so tends to cost much more.
I would bet that the seller assembled your necklace from pre-made parts. If the seller did choose and put the elements together themselves, it’s OK by etsy’s terms.
If you like the piece and you like the price you paid, why regret? Just be aware of what ‘handmade’ can mean on etsy, and don’t pay ‘artisan’ prices for ‘assembled’ stuff.
May 4, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Not a resell, just assembled from mass produced parts: chain, locket, charm, swarovski crystal. Not really handmade, but not really not handmade either. You’re OK. If you like it, don’t worry!
May 4, 2011 at 5:29 pm
it’s definitely from the same line as the watches. so, it is a resell, but the seller attached the bird/gem to it. call that what you will–a while back when i was contacting watch sellers to let them know i knew what they were doing, a lot of them were super defensive about the fact that they ATTACHED that thing and CHANGED the chain so therefore it is HANDMADE.
i guess it’s not as bad as the sellers who don’t change a thing and just resell them as is.
May 3, 2011 at 5:18 pm
TF “makes” every order after it is recieved…just read the feedback about how customers were so understanding because they were given assembly “updates” while waiting for their purchase to be “hand assembled”… In reality, TF is BUYING the product AFTER the sale and making the customer wait for super-slow shipping because TF is too cheap to spend any of the OUTRAGEOUS $50 price tag on courier shipping! Spend $10, make $50, make customer wait while you make phoney excuses about “assembly time”, do absolutely nothing but remail=huge profits!
May 3, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Angry? I had a ring with a cool, authentically WORKING watch on it…sold VERY well for $60/pop…until Etsy stopped kicking resellers off! They have DUMPED shitty similar-looking watches EN-MASSE onto Etsy, under HANDMADE for FIVE FRIGGING DOLLARS!!!!! Now I can’t sell my rings for HALF of what they were selling for last year!
Etsy admin have abandoned and betrayed their members! Do they really make more off a $5 sale than they do off a $60 sale? Me thinks not!
May 3, 2011 at 6:16 pm
HK, i made an account just so i can say thank fuck that you are here bringing all this creamy goodness to the attention of the world, and hopefully admin who need to be made accountable for their actions (and inaction)
I wish someone would sockpuppet a link to the forums on every single post you make on this bullshit thats clogging up etsy, links to resellers shop, the whole creamy shebang. There are a hell of a lot of angry etsy sellers out there who have had enough of this shit
May 3, 2011 at 7:11 pm
check out her profile. Oh the HIDE of her to say she makes these!!!!!!!!
In my shop you will find Vintage, Handmade, and Supplies. I have been making jewelry and collecting antiques for many many many years–in fact if you are looking for a specific antique ask and I might be able to help out
Or if you have a specific design I may be able to make it.
I have had my store on Etsy since 2008, I started out with a mere 6 items initially and over the years have worked hard and built up my items and designs. I have over 20 cufflink designs, more than 60 earring designs, more than a 100 necklace designs, close to a hundred different watch designs–and I really do design and hand assemble the watches and can customize to some measure. Also I have around 60 fob and bracelet designs.
I love to design and have close to 500 different designs!–there are many items I made that I havent had a chancphotograph and put in my store.
Tempus Fugit
May 3, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Sweatsy Shoppe Olde Timey.
May 3, 2011 at 8:27 pm
GAG!
If she makes her watches, I’ll EAT mine! (I might have to if I can’t sell some of the MANY old stock which have sat for MONTHS!)
May 3, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Golgathoth
Does anyone know if this is a resell?
=================================================================
Yes, but it fits Etsy’s TOU because the seller added a bead…maybe
May 3, 2011 at 8:47 pm
When pocket watches became popular, I went looking for them. Just as Etsy is becomming, ebay has massive tag abusers!!!!!! Search for “antique pocket watch” and you’ll get 1,200 hits…only 10 are truely antique, and 1,000 are shitty kiddy watches!
Some even put “estate jewelry” in the tags, just to get more viewers!!!
The whole system is fucked when people won’t go by the rules! There must be horrible anarchy in those countries!! Everyone out to scam the next person! What a fucked up world we live in!
(Climbing down off my soap box now)
May 4, 2011 at 5:15 am
Handmade: Ur doing it rong…
May 4, 2011 at 5:15 am
Has anyone contacted tempusfugit to say “how does it feel to be a bottom-feeder with an ethical void?” That’d make an interesting reply. Hopefully a mis-spelled one filled with legalese…
May 4, 2011 at 8:11 am
I think this is the natural evolution of a company as it gets bigger, they lose sight of their original ideals. Its sad, but possibly inevitable. I just wrote a blog post that touches on this: Regretsy.com: A Funny Site
May 4, 2011 at 5:03 pm
thank you so much for posting this! these watches are the blight of my life–seriously. ever since my boyfriend accidentally purchased one and we uncovered the scam and realized just how far/widespread it is, we’ve been advocating against them. stupid etsy, stupid cheap watches.
May 4, 2011 at 5:32 pm
also, don’t believe any seller who tries to claim that they put the watches together from pieces and that the reason they all look the same is ‘cos of that–not true. they buy the watches put together on the chain and sometimes stick another mass-manufactured doo-dad or bead on them, and call them “handmade”. is it wrong? yes. would etsy call it wrong? i’m not so sure.
May 4, 2011 at 8:59 pm
I find the feedback for tempusfugit pretty funny…apparently this seller repeatedly breaks his/her hands and therefore can’t ship items on time. What amazes me is that most of the people who complain still give positive feedback! This really shows how misleading the etsy feedback scores can be…
May 5, 2011 at 1:36 pm
I don’t like watch sellers. They tock too much.
May 7, 2011 at 7:15 pm
I hate that I bought one of these watches a couple of years ago. I knew it wasn’t hand made, but wish I hadn’t paid $40 for it.
May 11, 2011 at 8:58 am
Hey everyone! I just thought that I would let you know I started a petition about this:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-resellers-on-etsy/
May 16, 2011 at 10:00 pm
I think it would be a lot better, and they could recover a modicum of respect if they decided to create an “Assembled” section, for pieces that aren’t completely hand made but put together with their own flair, addition or whatever. That way they could moderate it a lot better, and those who want strictly handmade would be able to seek refuge in their own section.
October 6, 2011 at 11:07 am
I’m a wee bit late now of course, but the URL for Art of Adornment should be “http://www.artofadornment.ca” (“.ca” not “.com”).
My comment is really only this: if any of these are “assembled” in any way, it was because either the seller works at the factory in China where they’re made, or they “assembled” the chain to the watch (i.e. clipped it on). None of the watches you’ve shown here are any different from how they look in the manufacturer’s catalogues. I agree with DEdge, but if someone has done anything to these to “put [them] together with their own flair” I sure can’t see it.
October 6, 2011 at 11:13 am
Thanks – I’m fixing the URL right now
November 5, 2011 at 7:20 am
okay – I saw it firsthand check out this seller. HAVE SCREENSHOTS btw I have been reporting the shop all week and so has many friends and Etsy wont take them down. The elephant stood out first.
I wonder how many reportings are enough to etsy.
We’ve got in 22 right now. And sad I have enough time now with the foreign marketplace takeover to sit and create accounts to report shops and spham them all to my friends to do the same. IT could be well over now 22 reports. who knows but I have my screenshots.
ABSURD. I love you regretsy.
More than etsy thats for sure. ETSY SELLER selling non handmade: using modcloth: using EVERYONE.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/fenasd99321
January 7, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Yeah, just saw this now. I bought that owl necklace at a convention art auction (meant for people’s hand-made art) for $40. Damn.
March 26, 2012 at 11:50 pm
I think it can be quite hard for men to accessorize themselves, but having watches like these will add a touch of class and sophistication to any man. Though it might already be out of style, it should also make a good collectors item.