Bon Voyage
Etsy featured reseller Ecologica Malibu has packed up her Balinese boat wood furniture and sailed off of Etsy. Well technically, her four carpenters packed everything up while she got a manicure.
The important thing is, she’s gone, without so much as a Govern Yourself Accordingly.
I’m going to miss the old sea hag, and I’m not the only one. Look at this lovely treasury created in her honor last night:
Now, if you happen to be looking for imported, lead-soaked boat wood furniture that pretends to be eco-conscious, you’re in luck! Mariana and her many Juans have taken their dog and llama show over to homsav.com, where they have apparently given up the pretense of making this shit in Malibu.
Unless of couse, these are pictures of their workshop:
For the record, I really don’t have a problem with people reselling factory produced goods, as long as they aren’t on Etsy and pretending to make them. So for me, at least, this case is closed. Bon voyage, and good luck in your new con. I mean endeavors.
And speaking of resellers, here’s a fasntastic update on toofashion2010, a blatant reseller you have been reporting to Etsy for at least a year now.
When I frst brought this to your attention, toofashion2010 had almost 6,000 sales. As of today, they have over 20,000.
When I suspect someone of being a reseller, I have a pretty extensive process I go through to prove it. It takes a lot of research, and it can take a long time.
Regretsy reader Chris, however, has discovered a fantastic timesaver.
She just asks.
I SMELL A FEATURED SELLER COMING ON
June 6, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Obviously “the market” is the name of her collective.
June 6, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Obviously. Like Charles Manson and the Family. Now it’s Anna and The (Alibaba) Market.
June 6, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Anna and The (Alibaba) Market is the name of my new band. But not zydeco. I’m sure hipsters have appropriated something else by now;I’ll have to figure out what.
June 6, 2012 at 10:32 pm
I liked Zydeco before the hipsters got hold of it. If you find some more authentic Zydeco (Smithsonian Folkways records, for example) it’s still pretty much untainted. Everything else…ugh.
June 7, 2012 at 6:00 am
I adore zydeco. My parents would listen to it all the time (and I’m sure they still do, I’m just not around to hear it).
It amuses/alarms me to think that my incredibly un-hip parents are suddenly “cool” now. Go figure.
June 7, 2012 at 9:42 am
Zydeco is hip now? Ooh, I’m hip again.
I was hip for 6 months during the Seattle grunge-wear fad, which is just how practical people dress in a damp cool climate.
I just read an article that said glasses are suddenly hip, so now I’m stylin’ instead of a visually impaired FJL. At least until the next fad comes along.
June 7, 2012 at 10:13 am
Remember a few years back when all the country singers did “countryfied” covers of classic rock songs? Aack. Next year the hipsters will have found something else to cling to and Zydeco will go back to being good, foot-stomping zydeco.
June 6, 2012 at 2:18 pm
you know…Ecologica Malibu IS recycling…I pray the people she uses aren’t basically slave labor, but I can get behind the fact that she is reusing materials.
That is now that she isn’t pretending that she makes it all herself.
June 6, 2012 at 2:36 pm
Actually, I believe she’s reselling things built by people who we’re all hoping aren’t slave labor. So she’s kind of like Wal-Mart.
June 6, 2012 at 3:00 pm
I all about recycling and repurposing materials, but this is the wrong way to do it. What she is doing is using unsafe materials, which creates an unsafe product.
Wood used in marine applications is treated with chemicals to help preserve it from rot, fungus, and other things that deteriorate wood when it is exposed to moisture. Many of these chemicals are banned for use in the US, but are available, and commonly used, overseas.
Additionally, there is the risk of Lead contamination. While the US banned the use of Lead paint in 1978, much of the world did not. Paint manufacturers dumped millions of gallons of Lead paint in foreign markets. It is very likely that this “antique” painted wood contains Lead paint.
And lastly, Indonesia, and the island of Bali, are not typically known for their modern, sanitary sewer system. Would you want a piece of furniture, in your home, made from materials that had once been floating in a river of shit?
June 6, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Ooh. Do they make baby cribs?
June 6, 2012 at 5:14 pm
She needs to start a wedding and baby registry. You know, since she’s so service-oriented.
June 6, 2012 at 10:06 pm
Ecologica Malibu’s “Lose A Few Brain Cells” crib, from their Tributyltin Kid’s Kollection.
June 7, 2012 at 9:34 am
Whoa. That looks just like a doll crib I had when I was a kid. Good thing I did not eat paint chips back in the day.
June 7, 2012 at 11:09 am
As funny as that seems, many of the most reputable hand made furniture places shy away from making baby cribs due to lawsuit exposure. Active babies like to shove their heads through the slats, then can’t pull them back out again. They usually asphyxiate quietly. This crib looks perfect for that job. Even Mariana isn’t stupid enough to make baby cribs.
On Mariana’s web page, though, she’s pitching her furniture – fantastically overpriced. No wonder she’s shilling her crap at an 80% discount clearance site.
http://www.ecologicafurniture.com/office-storage.html
She wants $2000 for that POS? A REAL custom furniture place like The Joinery could make you one of solid cherry or oak for less.
June 7, 2012 at 12:29 pm
Even Mariana isn’t stupid enough to make baby cribs.
Hmm, she does have a Toddler Chair, though. Check out the last paragraph of the description:
Kids’ chairs are sturdy and sized perfectly for small bodies. Order as many as you need for your school. The beauty of these repurposed pieces of furniture is that no two are exactly alike. Each piece of furniture is carefully crafted and is a work of art in itself. A child care center outfitted with Ecologica furniture [emphasis mine] conveys its devotion to quality, conservation and creativity. Using Ecologica furniture instead of the conventional plastic furniture that is so common among child care providers can help reduce the amount of harmful chemicals to which kids are exposed. You will feel good about your choices when you choose Ecologica furniture for your kids’ decor.
June 6, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Bah. What doesn’t kill ya, makes ya stronger.
June 6, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Or results in interesting mutations.
June 6, 2012 at 8:52 pm
Say what you will about all the rest of this Snafu that is Ecologica Malibu… but someone who has traveled extensively throughout Indonesia; I can say that of all the places I’ve been in the country, Bali is probably the most progressive when it comes to things like proper sanitation and pollution and, you know, not paying slave wages. I’m actually not terribly worried about any rivers of shit or sweat shops.
Sadly, I can’t say the same for many other areas in the country.
June 6, 2012 at 9:32 pm
It is true that Bali has made great strides in cleaning up their environment, with the best water quality in all of Indonesia. With the tourist industry comprising 80% of their GNP, Balinese cities and tourist sites do have modern sewer systems.
But, in the rural, agricultural ares, manure (both human and animal) is still a primary source of fertilizer. This creates a problem with agricultural waste run off during the rainy season. Especially now, due to bad surface water management policies, when half of Bali’s rivers are dry in places during some point in the year. During the rainy seasons, these areas get “flushed out”, and the accumulated waste moves into river systems.
The same rivers and bays where fishermen use old boats, that sometimes get turned into overpriced furniture.
June 6, 2012 at 3:30 pm
If she was recycling local materials, I’d agree with you 100%. But she’s importing furniture from halfway across the planet and calling that “ecological”.
Also, BadassLactatingHoneyBadger has it right. The materials are likely toxic. Not just lead, but heavy metals such as chromium and cobalt are used for certain colors. And marine paint is likely to contain an incredibly toxic chemical called tributyltin.
June 6, 2012 at 7:08 pm
I feel bad for people who don’t hang out on websites where “BadassLactatingHoneyBadger has it right” is just a normal sentence in an intellectual discussion about ecological responsibility.
June 6, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Well I tried to be nice. Lets just agree that she sucks off wombats, leaving them to seek therapy with only marsupial money.
June 7, 2012 at 12:14 pm
Sad face.
June 6, 2012 at 11:59 pm
my impression is there is a whole lotta using in her reusing. the using of people who have very limited options, is what i mean.
June 7, 2012 at 8:10 am
Maybe this is a Sibyl situation… She IS technically making all of the goods herself – but as her various personalities. All of which happen to be Balinese slave laborers.
June 6, 2012 at 2:19 pm
So in the end what got her kicked off Etsy was sockpuppeting in the forums? That would like nailing Al Capone for tax evasion.
Oh…
June 6, 2012 at 2:35 pm
File this under “If the stupid cow had had the brains to keep her mouth shut, she’d still be ripping people off.”
The MIT is currently weeping over the shadow of their lost revenue.
June 6, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I missed that. Where does it say?? and wouldn’t that be “boat-puppeting”?
June 6, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Her sock puppets on the Etsy Forums were so obvious. They smelled like old men’s feet and desperation.
June 6, 2012 at 6:54 pm
And seemed to be dictated by the same guy who dictated her Cease and Desist letter.
June 6, 2012 at 7:09 pm
The irony. If she’d actually sold sock puppets on Etsy, she’d have been fine!
June 6, 2012 at 7:44 pm
IIRC, she called Helen “just a comedian” and wondered out loud how running a “comedy website” gave someone the right to criticize her!
June 7, 2012 at 12:18 am
she got kicked off etsy? or did she decide that not only did she & her compatriots make total fools of themselves but the whole thing wasnt worth the trouble in which she & they were getting all mixed up?
June 6, 2012 at 2:21 pm
With clues as large and obvious at these, I’m impressed that the Etsy ~marketplace integrity~ folks can drink their Earl Grey Area* and look dreamy at the same time without their brains overloading from the strain.
(*(C)LeelooDallas[Multipass?], if I recall)
June 6, 2012 at 7:19 pm
: )
Etsy gives me Earl Grey Hair.
June 6, 2012 at 10:23 pm
She’s gone?? Whoa.
June 6, 2012 at 10:24 pm
why did my comment go here…I was at the very bottom of the page when I posted it. hmm
June 6, 2012 at 2:28 pm
When I worked for an oil company. A retail store under one of our brands was busted for being a drug-store, all the employees & management were in on selling drugs out of the facility. When the police sting went down, and a regional manager was allowed back in, this one kid the cops didn’t charge was all that was left from 25+ employees.
The regional says “You had to know about some of this?”
Kid says “yeah”
Regional “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
Kid “No one asked me”
Just ask people, sometimes they surprise you.
June 7, 2012 at 11:17 am
Whimsiclefucker,
Are you selling drugs out of an oil company retail store? Do you sell them from your house? Do you sell them with a mouse?
Do you sell them here and there? Do you sell them anywhere?
June 6, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Those savvy craftsmen and artists look like they are so enjoying their work… probably the emotional satisfaction they get is only half of the financial rewards they receive for the work they do. Mariana must feel so good with what she’s doing for humankind.
June 6, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Don’t blame her. She just signs the bill of lading.
June 6, 2012 at 2:34 pm
Hey, now that’s a big risk to take after getting that manicure.
June 6, 2012 at 3:29 pm
That’s all she can do. After all, she’s a Brazilian, not
a designer secretary artist humanitariananything else of use.June 6, 2012 at 5:23 pm
I think someone gave her brain a Brazilian.
June 6, 2012 at 7:10 pm
Her brain has… hairless… privates…?
June 6, 2012 at 7:19 pm
Neurons stick to wax? No wonder it hurts so much.
Also, if she’s sitting on her brain, this explains much.
June 6, 2012 at 7:48 pm
Oh, she’s definitely sitting on her brain, all right!
June 6, 2012 at 9:49 pm
HK, how in the world did you obtain those bills of lading? (If you don’t mind my asking.)
June 7, 2012 at 9:33 am
HK has those super powers of destruction that combine with super powers of awesome intentions, all of which makes her a force to be reckoned with.
Don’t ask her HOW, she will never reveal her secrets
June 7, 2012 at 1:15 pm
If she told you, she’d have to kill you.
June 8, 2012 at 12:24 am
Ok, didn’t realize I shouldn’t have asked.
*bows in respect and admiration of HK’s super powers and wit*
June 6, 2012 at 2:29 pm
The truth will set you free.
Or, it will just expose you as a big ol’ douchecanoe.
June 6, 2012 at 2:34 pm
A douchecanoe made of upcycled ships/ bookshelves.
June 6, 2012 at 3:32 pm
which are toxic!
June 6, 2012 at 4:56 pm
If you take a boat and upcycle it into a bookshelf and then downcycle it back into a different form of a boat….does the world explode?
June 6, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Nope.
June 6, 2012 at 5:51 pm
Damn.
June 6, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Hey, that’s my world too you’re talking about!
June 7, 2012 at 5:43 am
No, you win Britain’s most respected art prize: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4492650.stm
June 7, 2012 at 11:18 am
See? I was right. The world didn’t explode!!
June 8, 2012 at 8:57 am
Nah, I think they’d be *upcycling* it into another boat. Whenever you make some shit out of some other shit, it’s upcycling. Well, as long as you raise the price from whatever it was before.
Pretty sure that’s how it works!
June 6, 2012 at 2:33 pm
The link to the original toofashion2010 post shows they’ve been selling the same “Cute deer” necklace from Crochet Guevara’s post here:
http://www.regretsy.com/2012/06/01/name-that-animal/
But at that time they called it “Pretty retro red bull head” which describes my gramma, but not a GIRAFFE necklace. I can’t keep up!
June 6, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Bull can refer to a giraffe.
June 6, 2012 at 7:50 pm
“Red bull head” can refer to a giraffe?!
Or just to an energy drink?
June 7, 2012 at 2:11 pm
I don’t know where they got the “red”, but male giraffes are called bulls, and it is indeed a head.
June 6, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Honestly, why bother lying? It obviously doesn’t make any difference to Etsy, and you save your self the time and trouble of writing up fake lawyer threats.
June 6, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Yes. As well as sparing me the brain ache from running hack Koppie and Pastin legal jargon misused and spliced with Google Translate-level poor use of English grammar and syntax.
June 6, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Don’t be bumptious, Kiki.
June 6, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Can I get a harumph? I did not a get a harumph from you!
June 6, 2012 at 7:50 pm
HARUMPH!! Bumptious!
Govern yourself accordingly!
That is all!
June 6, 2012 at 11:58 pm
“You watch your ass.”
June 7, 2012 at 1:16 pm
We don’t “harumph” on Regretsy. We Flounce.
June 6, 2012 at 3:52 pm
Oh, it matters to Etsy. If you are a blatant reseller and lie about it, they are happy to believe it and collect your seller fees. If some of your components are made by a friend and you are honest about it, they will shut you down without so much as notifying you.
June 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm
But here is what I don’t understand. You know that invitation lady who was reselling vistaprint that we were discussing last week? Reselling aside, she is defrauding Etsy from a lot of fees. You would think that they would pounce on her for it for the same reasons that they don’t pounce on resellers. Every single one of her items is selling for the $20 deposit. Then in her text, she has a website address for people to see the total pricing. On the order page from that same website, she says that people buy on etsy for the $20 deposit, then they go through the planning and quantity, etc. Then once they approve the proofs, she sends them a paypal invoice for the balance. So she is ripping off Etsy for the fees on what could be an order costing hundreds of dollars. I have reported several of her listings and even her shop. I know of others who have done the same. And yet not a single item of hers has been closed down.
One thing about Etsy… consistantly inconsistant!
June 6, 2012 at 5:04 pm
i think they madee her take down the bumper stickers. remember she made some “bloggers have no life” stuff.
i looked at her listings and the difference is that NOW they say you purchase this deposit and later she’ll set up a listing for the remainder of the fees…that part didn’t used to be there,, so she’s definitely been getting ‘coached.’
She’s got a lot of stupid .25 listings though, s her items available or pricing. i keep reporting those because they aren’t for a tangible item….
June 6, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Hmm… yes. It does look like she has changed her listings, even though she still hasn’t changed her webpage. But I did see a custom sale that was an entire order. Good for her. She is still a reseller, but at least she stopped ripping off Etsy for fees.
June 6, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Not saying she’s right or anything, but you actually are allowed to sell intangible items on etsy. EG: Digital downloads, digital scrapbook pages, crap like that. Totally legit on etsy. It is against ebay policy though.
June 7, 2012 at 8:58 pm
They only made her take down the bumperstickers because she was using other etsy members names in her tags
she’s an unimaginative, untalented “graphic designer”
June 6, 2012 at 2:37 pm
one down, one million to go. i like those odds people. EVERYONE, HOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! TO THE RAMPARTS!! WE ARE THE FJL’S OF DOOOOOOOOOOOM!
June 6, 2012 at 7:20 pm
AARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
June 6, 2012 at 7:51 pm
BAAAAAAAAANNNNNNZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!
June 7, 2012 at 1:22 pm
We’ll make ‘em walk the repurposed plank!
June 6, 2012 at 7:39 pm
I think the technical term is “a target-rich environment”.
*picks up sword. looks at sword. puts down sword and picks up belaying pin*
June 6, 2012 at 7:58 pm
I sincerely hope you’ve got a bottle of rum in the other hand. (And are willing to share.)
June 6, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Well how fast must we away to the ramparts? Also, I was wondering if I could possible just sit somewhere and eat whilst glowering at the resellers? You know, on account of my being fat and jealous?
June 6, 2012 at 2:48 pm
i bet etsy’s pissed they’re gone. clearly they don’t give two shits about resellers, and will mourn the loss of commissions.
June 6, 2012 at 10:19 pm
This somehow makes Etsy look worse, specially considering the circumstances. I mean, they went to bat for Ecologica saying her shop counted a “handmade” and defending her against all the meanie face bullies and then the seller just ups and leaves? And goes on to admit that she’s been reselling to boot? Just when you think the cupcakes couldn’t look any dumber.
June 6, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Actually, you don’t need alibaba or whatever. They sell that brass octopus shit and deer necklaces on ebay, some start at .01 cent, with free shipping. I’m not even joking. Most buyitnow’s for this shit are like .99 cents or a little over a buck, with free shipping. You have 100 bux, get 100 shitty necklaces. Then resell on etsy for 5 bux each (which still seems cheap, even with .75 cent shipping). Thats a $400 profit, and thats if you sell for 5 bux. Some shameless ones sell for like $30, and make bank obviously.
So, I crochet flowers and look for wood to burn on while someone is getting shit bulk on ebay. *runs to ebay and purchases a truckful of owl necklaces*
June 6, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Seriously? I gotta start selling this shit in the Mission on weekends.
June 6, 2012 at 5:07 pm
It’s more work than you think…
June 6, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Not even kiddin, I was so tempted, lol
If etsy doesnt give a fuck, and the buyers are naive (plus, some people dont want to use ebay and buy from China), then who cares? It IS a lot of work, tho, hence why I dont do it,lol
June 6, 2012 at 9:42 pm
It’s called integrity.
June 6, 2012 at 10:09 pm
It is, I wouldnt be able to do that with a straight face. And come up with “cute” little stories about how my crew of gnomes are making identical brass octopi inside their flowerbed abode.
June 6, 2012 at 9:05 pm
I have also noticed that stupid owl and octopus at Hobby Lobby and those ridiculous ‘steampunk’ wings for sale at Hobby Lobby, Joannes, Michaels AND Aaron Bros. Couple bucks each, and regularly on sale for 40-50% off.
June 6, 2012 at 10:10 pm
I literally get sick seeing those tacky things (esp owls and octopi). It just makes me nauseous. How anyone would wear it and think it looks good is beyond me.
June 7, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Yeah who’s buying all this shit? I never see anyone wearing it.
However,I rarely leave the house, and when I do I don’t look at people. Maybe everyone is wearing them (gulp).
June 7, 2012 at 7:10 pm
I’ve seen the owls and the octopi here running wild in England. Every time I want to grab the person and go “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW RIPPED OFF YOU WERE?!”
June 8, 2012 at 10:31 am
I’m still wondering why owls and octopi are steampunk? Unless they are steam powered, hydraulic robots (circa 1864) made of copper and brass why are they steampunk?
As someone who enjoys creating in that genre, it’s cringe worthy.
June 8, 2012 at 9:02 am
I wanna make a throne that is nothing but thousands of Hobby Lobby octopi smelted together.
June 6, 2012 at 2:53 pm
HEY! the Homesav page was just taken down.
Score one more for the FJL’s!
June 6, 2012 at 2:58 pm
no, its there.
June 6, 2012 at 3:18 pm
It wasn’t there for me. The link above is to the google cache not the actual page. When I try to access the actual page it tells me the page is no longer available.
June 6, 2012 at 3:28 pm
It looks like the link is a “snapshot” from June 1st and that the site has since taken it down…proooobably because every single comment was negative.
June 6, 2012 at 3:40 pm
It’s gone. Plus, searching HomSav’s blog for “ecologica”, “ecological” and “malibu” turns up nothing!
She had set up an Amazon store, iirc, so maybe she’s gone there.
June 6, 2012 at 3:43 pm
If she does end up there, I’m sure she will have some interesting reviews. LOL
June 6, 2012 at 5:08 pm
I can’t find her Amazon store, either, so she may have ruled out that option, too.
Good!
June 6, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Guess Homesav.com found her out…
From the archived Ecologica page of the homesav blog
This probably made someone throw up in their mouth a little. Especially that “honest, loyal and trustworthy” part.
June 6, 2012 at 3:36 pm
They had me at “Up-Cycle”.
June 6, 2012 at 3:42 pm
They had you vomiting at “Up-Cycle”, right?
June 6, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Well, vomit really is just “up-cycled” food, isn’t it?
June 6, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Well, ‘chuck-cycled…
June 7, 2012 at 6:56 am
The fact your avatar is licking his lips makes that comment even more – disquieting…
June 6, 2012 at 6:04 pm
So, I did a little research (okay, a quick Google search) into this honest, loyal, and trustworthy seller (couldn’t type that with a straight face) and three of the top five Google results are Regretsy and the blog Callin’ Out Etsy. Quick, where’s my credit card?! /sarcasm
June 6, 2012 at 7:50 pm
What she’s doing is a marketing term known as “Green Washing”. She’s throwing around terms like “up-cycle”, and the uniformed get all creamy, thinking they’re doing something good for the planet when they pull out their credit card.
Another aspect of Sustainably Produced (or “Green”) goods are the social aspects of their manufacture. If people don’t also prosper, neither will our planet.
The average Balinese makes about $1,760(USD) per year. If her “collective” is paid prevailing wages for the average Balinese, and they work 40 hrs per week, that’s around 85 CENTS PER HOUR! Of course, All of Boats gets their cut, so let’s say she’s paying $1.70(USD) per hour for the labor to make her products.
Have you seen what the bitch charges for this stuff? The only thing “Green” about Ecologica Malibu is the money she’s stuffing into her wallet.
June 6, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Amen! Greenwashinga Malibu!
June 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm
It’s still there.
https://www.homesav.com/catalogue/vendors/ecologica-handmade-eco-friendly-pieces
June 6, 2012 at 7:55 pm
Your searching was more fruitful than my searching!
June 6, 2012 at 7:56 pm
Oh, I see. I was searching their blog entries. That’s been taken down.
June 6, 2012 at 8:09 pm
HomSav says, “Questions? Call us! 1-855-260-4999″
So, I think everyone should call and ask what is ‘ecological’ about shipping furniture from the other side of the planet. Or ask if the furniture is free from bacteria, toxic paint and tributyltin (“try-bew-til-tin”). Ask them if Ecologica has had the furniture sampled for toxics by a certified laboratory.
BTW, Mariana is going by “Ecologica” instead of “Ecologica Malibu”.
June 6, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Gah, I can’t even get past Homesav’s stupid splash page without signing up or logging in with Facebook.
June 7, 2012 at 9:28 am
You don’t have to verify your email address, so a fake one will work.
June 7, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I used itsstupidtorequireanemailaddresstoviewyoursite@gmail.com
June 7, 2012 at 2:29 pm
So much more fun than my emailaddress.gmail.com
June 7, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Or even emailaddres@gmail.com
Or the many typos I’ve made today. *sigh*
June 6, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Well, which would you rather have – an honest re-seller or the Bali boat queen? I know which one I’m voting for…
and that reseller is going to fit right in with etsy’s new “home of the wholesaler” theme…
June 6, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Etsy, when it first started, was true to supporting authentic handmade.
When the original CEO’s all left, that clearly changed.
It’s been obvious for *at least* the last 5 years that etsy says one thing but is doing something else entirely. Why fault the seller when etsy admin are the ones doing the blatent lying?
On the other hand, if the sellers who remain on etsy choose (for whatever reason) to continue selling on etsy, then they’re ok with this too.
Complaining about how etsy is being deceitful this way holds as much water as complaining about politicians who don’t follow thru on their election campaign policies.
As true handmade sellers, we can choose to stay with etsy or move somewhere else, but as long as everyone who sells and buys from etsy continue to do so, then etsy keeps making money and has no reason to stop doing what they’re doing.
This isn’t one of those “support the troops, not the war” sort of situations.
June 6, 2012 at 3:49 pm
But it is! Honest people also make a living (or so some might call it) from their etsy stores, and there still is no place with the same traffic. Should they be penalized because etsy admins can’t tell boatwood from bullshit?
June 6, 2012 at 4:20 pm
Etsy has allowed resellers on the site for years. This is not a new thing. We all know it’s been blatently going on for years, and it’s not going to change.
Every business has some “We Hug Kittens And Puppies” sort of slogan. Etsy was able to market themselves as “supporting handmade”, and as long as people sell their elmer-glued-popsicle-sticks-to-magnets on there, then their slogan’s accurate, even if Ford comes along and starts selling factory made trucks.
So… what’s the issue? Why are we surprised that etsy is making money off of people who sell thousands of items?
June 6, 2012 at 5:20 pm
We’re not surprised. We’re pissed because of the deception.
If they were playing on the up and up, we wouldn’t be here for anything but shitty crafts. But they’re not. And so we get to make fun of shitty crafts AND call out resellers who blatantly lie about what they’re doing.
Neither etsy nor the reseller are innocent here – not in any way. Why should we look the other way because “oh, well, wink,wink,nudge,nudge everybody knows it’s going on?” No. Wrong is wrong, and honesty is honesty. If you’re going to bill yourself as something, then be that or man up when you’re exposed for NOT being what you advertise yourself as being.
June 6, 2012 at 5:22 pm
TL:DR – Be what you say you are, or stop saying it. We’re pissed because Etsy is saying that they’re one thing and being another thing. And no, we shouldn’t just look the other way because we all know it happens. Not in my opinion, anyway.
June 6, 2012 at 5:39 pm
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June 6, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Etsy is Etsy. What a gem of wisdom. How about Enron is Enron? Or “Charles Manson is Charles Manson. Shrug.” Oh, well, that forgives everything, doesn’t it?
June 6, 2012 at 7:15 pm
And Pigs is Pigs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYXlF3sa9xs
I really just wanted a chance to reference this random old cartoon.
June 6, 2012 at 7:23 pm
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June 7, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Thank you, Muppetfreak. I hadn’t seen that in too long, and I’ve passed it along to friends…and now I need to go back and watch it again!
June 6, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Etsy presents itself as PROHIBITING mass-produced crap.
That isn’t a slogan. That’s a promise that they’re breaking. And rules that they’re applying only when it suits them.
At least eBay doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t.
June 7, 2012 at 2:26 am
That’s not true. They allow the “hand-assembled” crap, after all. You know, stick an alibaba pendant on a cheap chain and then it’s handmade, no further work required. I think the average etsy buyer knows something is up when someone is selling 1000s of items, especially when they all come from HK, that it’s not really handmade. But the hand-assemblers really are just one woman working from her house who includes a cute handwritten note with your purchase, so it’s harder to tell these apart from real crafters, because they are under no obligation to point out that all they did is buy two things and string them together. They are the real problem on etsy.
June 7, 2012 at 10:50 am
rinabean agreed… I guess it just depends on what one considers ‘handmade’. It’s obvious that Etsy has a very loose definition.
Personally, I believe that handmade means original design from scratch, and then made from scratch. That’s what I make, that’s what I sell, it’s what I’ve always done.
There are some that consider buy-a-kit-and-assemble as handmade. Or steal-someone-else’s-idea/trademark-and-make-that-to-sell. It’s a bit half assed but it’s what a lot do.
And then there are some who design (to varying degrees) and get others to make it for them. Still handmade. Not as simplified as one person doing all the design and construction, but whatevs.
It’s a grey area. Etsy decided, years ago, that anything goes. Any varying degree of ‘handmade’ counts, and can be considered handmade.
I don’t consider anything that’s not an original design AND self made as handmade, I don’t financially support it – but if Etsy counts it and people buy it… well…
June 6, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Talk of an IPO is a, nay, *the* sign that the getting’s not getting any better, so unless you’re the investment bank or a founder, better get what you can while you can before they turn the screws on customers and employees alike.
June 6, 2012 at 3:08 pm
They salvage that wood with their bare hands? She doesn’t even give them gloves? Well, I guess since they’re in Bali she doesn’t have to worry about workman’s comp claims from all the splinters. And tetanus from all the rusty nails.
June 6, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Most of what we Americans buy was made by people just like that. No OSHA, EPA, or NLRB* requirements, no problem for the business owners.
*Occupational Safety and Health Admin, Environmental Protection Agency, National Labor Relations Board.
June 6, 2012 at 3:43 pm
D’oh! *is
June 6, 2012 at 5:01 pm
point of interest: tetanus comes from the bacterial infection caused by any puncture wound, not the “rustiness” of the nail or other puncture instrument. You can get a tetanus infection from a stab wound from a shiny new piece of metal, or even an animal bite.
June 6, 2012 at 5:55 pm
True, but rust is a breeding ground for Clostridium tetani, which is the bacteria that causes tetanus. You’re just more likely to get it from a rusty nail.
June 8, 2012 at 9:46 am
Is it? Interesting, I wonder if it’s cause the jaggedness of the rust flakes creates more surface area for the bacteria to grow on.
June 6, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Excuse the off-topic butthurt, but why are all of the regular regretsy posts now showing up in my Club Fuckery news feed?
First world problem – I like to read regretsy on my work computer and Club Fuckery on my phone, but now all the posts are showing up twice!
June 6, 2012 at 4:06 pm
I will look into it!
June 6, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Yup. First world butthurt.
June 6, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Sampler, please.
June 6, 2012 at 9:13 pm
You’re one better than me. For some reason, I’m cool enough to get the Club Fuckery updates in my e-mail, but when I click the link to read comments or respond, it asks for a password that I’ve never been told. *sobs*
June 7, 2012 at 6:01 am
looks like someone missed the /sarcasm.
June 7, 2012 at 11:25 am
Dry your eyes and ask Dror for the password!
June 6, 2012 at 3:19 pm
I’m one of those obnoxious “well, look at the bright side” people, so here goes.
At least it looks like she learned something from all this….Sock puppeting in a vain attempt to take down people who mocked you for being the lying fraud you are takes up so much time youre unable to effectively lie about your furniture’s origins.
June 6, 2012 at 3:24 pm
I guess that’s kinda true… she lied about whether or not SHE made it, but if what she is, is a reseller (or a designer with a staff, whatever) and etsy condoned that behavior (as they do with lots of other shops there) who’s truly at fault?
Look at it this way: if there’s a misbehaved child, is it the fault of the child for having a lack of decorum or is it a result of the parent who allows their child to run rampid?
Resellers are the misbehaved children that etsy allows to stay up past curfew.
June 6, 2012 at 3:41 pm
They’re both in the wrong, and someone needs to jerk a knot in both their asses (as my Dad used to say.)
June 6, 2012 at 3:54 pm
It would be a boat knot, wood it knot?
June 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Actions speaks louder than words – as long as etsy is making money doing what they’re doing, then they’ve no reason to do otherwise.
If all the actual supporters-of-handmade actually suppoted handmade, then that would be a valid business venture etsy would vollow. If they’re making more money from suppliers and resellers, what would motivate them from NOT making money from suppliers and resellers?
June 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm
oops *follow not vollow.
Off to pour another glass of wine…
June 6, 2012 at 4:06 pm
Have you ever heard the phrase “preaching to the choir?”
June 6, 2012 at 5:12 pm
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June 6, 2012 at 5:20 pm
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June 6, 2012 at 5:30 pm
We’re pointing out the problems on Etsy, and as Beeby said, there’s enough blame to go around. People can read what the rules are, even if they aren’t enforced, so the are in the wrong as much as Etsy is for not policing them.
June 6, 2012 at 7:23 pm
So I take it you are in the “everyone else is doing it so it must be okay” moral camp?
Sorry, I have higher standards than that.
June 6, 2012 at 7:29 pm
No, I’m not in that camp.
I’m in the boat of people who make and sell handmade. I’ve been on etsy since almost its inception. I’m not a reseller. I got tired of their half-assery and left nearly 2 years ago to sell elsewhere because I was tired of wasting my money on listing fees supporting a site that does exactly what etsy does.
I sell on a site now that actually supports handmade and not resellers. Granted, they get less traffic but they have higher standards – or rather, compared to etsy, they actually have moral standards. Drastically less traffic, but I think I manage to bring in my own traffic to my shop and what I sell.
I agree that what etsy SAYS and DOES are two different things, and that’s unethical.
Everyone who sells on etsy has probably read the rules. If they get away with breaking the rules, and etsy makes their dime – well, it’s unethical, morally wrong… and yet etsy is financially supported to run business this way.
Unfortunate but true.
June 6, 2012 at 11:49 pm
I think you miss the point. The problem isn’t that resellers exist per se. Speaking for my self, I don’t mind resellers– I’ve bought things from resellers. That being said, they don’t belong on Etsy. There are two things that I do mind: 1. Resellers posing as artisians and trying to pass off their manufactured goods for handmade pieces. 2. Resellers being allowed in a venue that has TOU that clearly bans them. I do not like being lied to. If Etsy had said they were changing business models right off the bat to allow resellers then I would not care. As it is though, I will not do business with an entity that has shown me that they have no qualms with lying to me.
June 6, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Sorry, but I doubt she learned anything from this experience except to not use Etsy.
Her crazy threatening letters, her crazy blaming messages on the forums, and her persistence in claiming her furnitures is somehow “ecological” all tell me she’s just another sociopath or borderline personality trying to make a buck.
June 6, 2012 at 4:12 pm
And don’t forget the most important offense… She called me FAT!
Bitch forgot the “jealous loser” that goes with it.
June 6, 2012 at 4:14 pm
pssst….I was snarking.
June 6, 2012 at 9:56 pm
So, sociopaths and people with borderline personality disorder don’t need money?
Look, I’m 100% against Marina and this whole Bali Gate scandal. But, this chick doesn’t have a mental illness, she’s just a twat waffle.
Seriously, WTF!
June 7, 2012 at 6:25 am
Sociopaths and people with borderline personality disorder are more likely to make their money by lying and misrepresentation.
When caught, they attack their critics in any way possible, whine that *they* are the victims, or both.
They also work hard to find any advantage. In arguments, they’ll muddy the waters, call names, misdirect to something the other person never said and blow things way out of proportion, among other crazy things.
June 7, 2012 at 7:53 am
Wow… I just thought those people were assholes.
June 7, 2012 at 11:26 am
SO many assholes are sociopaths and borderline cases!
June 8, 2012 at 3:49 pm
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June 6, 2012 at 3:21 pm
I noticed a comment on the homsav page that said that her store in Malibu is empty now too. Do you think allfromboats gave her the heave ho?
June 6, 2012 at 5:46 pm
I can only hope with all of my fat jealous heart.
June 6, 2012 at 7:43 pm
I was wondering if it was her lawyer well-of-husband that told her to get a new hobby.
June 6, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Weirdly, it might be a boat wood shortage. There’s a recent video on Youtube done by another distributor for AllFromBoats in which he complained about prices going way up because Kurt is running out of old boats to exploit.
June 7, 2012 at 12:14 am
Ah, so “sustainable”, except not.
June 6, 2012 at 3:33 pm
I’m intrigued by the fact (nearly) every item on all fifty-two pages of toofashion2010′s store is “pretty” and “retro”.
Is that what most Etsy buyers search for? Has entire world gone hipster and left me behind in crotchety, cranky, despise-anything-described as “pretty, retro” isolation?
June 6, 2012 at 3:47 pm
what happened to “lovely” and “creamy?” Are they SO last season?
June 6, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Maybe you should go with ‘moist’
June 6, 2012 at 8:02 pm
“Luscious”!
June 7, 2012 at 2:23 am
Not to mention “stunning.”
(and I wasn’t referring to what happens to cattle en route to steakdom.)
June 6, 2012 at 3:50 pm
Yes.
June 6, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Sometimes, some days, I am a bit less discouraged than others.
June 6, 2012 at 3:39 pm
…and then I compare the meager sales I have made on etsy and elsewhere to the amount of money these kind of people roll around in, and I need to put more whiskey in my coffee all over again.
June 6, 2012 at 3:59 pm
I just clicked on your name to see if you had a link to your Etsy shop and found your LOVELY tattoo art! If I ever get the one I’ve been thinking about for 20 years (an otter, of course), I will fly to Oregon and you can do it! You are an amazing artist! The female belly with the strawberry made me want to start licking!
And I spit out my greyhound on the computer screen at the “yelling at chihuahuas” hobby!
June 6, 2012 at 4:00 pm
And I don’t usually talk with so many exclamations!
June 6, 2012 at 4:47 pm
I LOVE EXCLAMATIONS!!11!!! capslock
also, aw shucks.
June 6, 2012 at 4:24 pm
So no more lawyer drama from the Boat Queen? So sad, I wanted to see where that little adventure ended up.
June 6, 2012 at 4:33 pm
This warms my fat jealous heart.
June 6, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Also, those pictures make me sad. No one should have to pick through toxic wood full of nails to feed themselves so that a first world housewife can make believe she is a business person.
June 6, 2012 at 5:05 pm
I believe you mean, “first-world trophy wife of a shitty lawyer.”
June 7, 2012 at 12:19 am
There’s something about those photos that says less “happy workers working happily” and more “a natural disaster just swept through here and your chair is made of wood that was once the only home someone’s family had”.
Needless to say, I am so fucking glad I’d never heard of these companies without the word “douchecanoes” already attached. I don’t even have the guilt of having looked at their site and thinking anything looked good, and I’m extremely thankful.
June 7, 2012 at 12:21 am
Something about those photos looks a lot less “happy workers sorting materials
” and a lot more “a natural disaster just swept through here and your chair is made of wood from the dessicated remains of the only home someone’s family had.”
June 7, 2012 at 6:40 am
I was thinking the same thing. Reminds me of debrid from the Boxing Day tsunami. Not really something people want to be reminded of while shopping.
June 7, 2012 at 6:40 am
*debris
Sorry, haven’t had my Earl Grey yet this morning >_<
June 7, 2012 at 8:27 pm
Hey, it’s quite alright. I ended up posting twice and looking a fool because my browser didn’t refresh the page after the first one and I thought it didn’t take. It must’ve been that kind of day.
June 6, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Ecologica unfortunately made its way on to fab.com…I was very disappointed when their stuff was selling out and I had no way to tell people how much the company SUCKED…
June 6, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Well, definitely not clicking on THAT website anytime soon…
June 7, 2012 at 11:29 am
Email fab.com and ask them if the furniture has been tested for toxic components by a certified laboratory!
Ask about lead, tributyltin, chromium, cobalt and bacteria count.
June 6, 2012 at 5:55 pm
OT and delurking:
BRONC IS LITERALLY HALF A MILE FROM ME RIGHT NOW.
I’m half tempted to saunter my way over to the park and just yell “BRONC DRYWALL!”
June 6, 2012 at 6:06 pm
DO IT!!!
June 6, 2012 at 8:03 pm
Did you do it?!
June 6, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I wanted to so bad! But, I’m a fat, jealous loser with no balls (or Franzia in my system). You bet your sweet asses I’m going to sit at the corner before work tomorrow to try and catch a glimpse of him riding away!
June 7, 2012 at 11:29 am
Did you do it?
June 6, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Tell him Helen posts more vaginas then he does.
June 6, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Love the picture though. Although I doubt she’s been near anything that doesn’t house over 2,000 people and cruise to the Bahamas…
June 6, 2012 at 6:04 pm
I love the internet. I can get my eco-friendly tetanus direct from Bali, and I don’t even have to get off the couch!
June 6, 2012 at 6:37 pm
“We buy some accessories from the market,i make them with my ideas,including inlaid crystals, connect various beads,mixing colors,assembly, installation of the chains,and so on.”
Translation:
“I take items delivered to me in one fucking package and put them in another fucking package. I call this ‘making it with my creative ideas, which include assembly and colors’. Then I inflate the price.”
June 6, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Great artwork, Helen! I love the happy smiling Balinese pushing aside all that ice!
June 6, 2012 at 9:45 pm
Seriously, it makes me sick that I share a name (plus an N) with this conniving witch. It’s not that common name, at least where I come from.
June 7, 2012 at 11:30 am
Schechtner?
June 7, 2012 at 2:24 pm
LOL! I should have seen that coming.
June 6, 2012 at 10:01 pm
Well, this whole thing has been quite a story. Does anyone have any links to the sock puppet forum posts? This is something I didn’t know about.
Also, did anyone actually go to her Malibu shop address, visit her shop in person, or buy any of her stuff to actually have it tested?
June 7, 2012 at 1:34 am
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June 7, 2012 at 6:22 am
The most delicious thing, to me, is thinking about all those other Etsy sellers who kept whining and moaning about people being “mean” or not “letting things go”, and they were wrong, wrong, wrong all along.
Yet those who protested were in the right, and did make a difference, so take that, cupcake-sniffing ass-kissers!
June 7, 2012 at 6:47 am
I was wondering why my e-mail was still blowing up with etsy alerts.
Now I know.
Thanks for including me in this historical bit of internet fuckery, Helen! And I hope I don’t sound too sappy saying so. >_>
June 7, 2012 at 8:20 am
??
June 7, 2012 at 9:38 am
Oh, ok, got it. I was so smitten by your handle since I first read it that I couldn’t remember your face
June 7, 2012 at 9:53 am
It’s okay, it’s mostly my fault.
I’m terrible at using consistent internet handles. Half of them are “cakesphere”, the other half are “chione” or “objectionablechione”.
It gets even MORE confusing when I’m playing vidya gaems, because I use a totally different name in most of the MMOs I play.
<—Internet identity crisis up in this shit
June 7, 2012 at 9:41 am
It must have been difficult to make all those boats without damaging her lovely manicure – no wonder she was forced to hire a “collective.” I guess it is still an artistic expression to delegate the actual work involved in creating all that furniture – perhaps it’s performance art.
June 7, 2012 at 10:06 am
Does Regretsy reader Chris have an Etsy shop? Because I would shop the hell out of her store as a thank you for that question.
June 26, 2012 at 12:05 pm
She does indeed
http://www.etsy.com/shop/LuluLamore?ref=si_shop
June 7, 2012 at 7:26 pm
And yet, she continues (in two places on her website which has no dropped the word malibu from it) she touts that she is a Featured Seller on Etsy.
http://www.ecologicafurniture.com/blog/
http://www.ecologicafurniture.com/blog/featured-seller-etsy
http://www.ecologicafurniture.com/blog/category/news
No Class. No Integrity. No Business Ethic. Nothing Ecological.
June 7, 2012 at 7:26 pm
or maybe in three places, if I could count that high…
derp
June 7, 2012 at 7:37 pm
er, do I see a little tiny penois peekin’ out?
June 9, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I meant penis…is that a little tiny penis pokin out napoleon/mariana’s pants. In the boat. In the picture.
Seriously. I don’t know if that was an artist’s representation or what. :0
June 9, 2012 at 2:47 pm
yyyyyyyyyyyyeah. I know I’ve got *something* on my mind because I went and found the original Washington Delaware painting and was shocked to find the same little penis pokin out his pants. (not napoleon *doh!*)
I blew it up in photoshop and lo and behold – it’s a decoration!
sorry folks, for the mixup of penises and napoleons and wood, oh my!
June 26, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Don’t worry, I thought it was a penis as well.
June 7, 2012 at 8:30 pm
by etsy’s definition, IKEA is handcrafted by me
now, all I have to do is come up with some tear-jerk, emotional clap trap story and people will buy it. It may even make me a featured seller.
June 8, 2012 at 11:27 am
damn it. I was about to start writing my “about” feature on etsy and wanted to see how she’d got around the “photo of maker”
June 8, 2012 at 12:12 pm
I was thinking the same thing. It’s my conspiracy theory that she is the reason they implemented the “About Page” in the first place: Who works in your shop (collaborators, perhaps), what does your studio look like (an empty warehouse where furniture gets delivered in Malibu), what is the process (of the shit getting made while you paint your toe nails).
Then again, Etsy couldn’t have pulled the “About Page” together that fast after the debacle. “Thumbs up their asses, thumbs up their asses.”
June 9, 2012 at 5:23 pm
I knew this was a crock from the get-go, just from the address. I Google-Earthed it. Their so-called workshop is on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, directly across from the Malibu Pier. I grew up down there, and I am here to tell you, they don’t put furniture together in THAT high-rent district. I doubt they even sell it there! What a joke!!
June 12, 2012 at 9:39 am
BUMMER!
Google
404. That’s an error.
The requested URL /search?q=cache:Trx018ZIOzsJ:blog.homesav.com/2012/03/ecologica-know-the-history-behind-your-furniture/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us was not found on this server. That’s all we know.
June 13, 2012 at 5:01 am
My favorite part of their current website http://www.ecologicafurniture.com/ is the ‘Costumer Service’ (at bottom). Old boat parts and fashion advice?
I am intrigued that on their featured seller Etsy profile (still there), there are two names showing Ecologica and Earthfurniture. Maybe they tried to change their name before leaving?