FAQ
What is Regretsy?
Regretsy is where DIY meets WTF.
The majority of objects d’fart posted here are collected from the web site, Etsy, though I sometimes feature crafting failures from other sites.
I also will sometimes post things that are just incredibly odd and wonderful. So while not everything here is terrible, it is always WTF.
What is Etsy?
Etsy bills itself as The online market place for all things handmade. Everything on the site is supposed to be handmade or vintage.
Unfortunately, a lot of people post things that are factory made, not vintage and basically shit you’d find at a yard sale.
There are many, many gifted artists on Etsy who produce incredible work. Generally speaking, those aren’t the people I feature.
Are these things really for sale?
Yes! Click on the photo of the object and you will be taken directly to the seller’s store on Etsy. If you get an error message, it means the seller – or Etsy – took the item down.
What is the purpose of this site?
1. To make you laugh
2. To raise money for charity
3. To help sell the weird crap we featureIt is not my intention to piss people off. That’s just a lucky bonus.
Do you ask people if you can feature them?
Sometimes, though not often. These items are listed for sale to the public on a public web site. I can repost these items and offer my comment without obtaining permission.
How do you know the seller isn’t mentally ill, disabled or a child?
I make it a practice not to make fun of sellers who are mentally or physically challenged. I read their profiles and do as much research as I can. Children are not permitted to have Etsy stores, so if your kid gets his feelings hurt, it’s your fault.
Don’t you think it’s wrong to laugh at someone’s hard work?
No.
Aren’t you just jealous?
No.
How can you link to me if I don’t give you permission?
You don’t own your link. A link is public. Anyone can link to you.
Is it true you don’t let people defend their pieces or post anti-Regretsy comments in the threads?
No, you can post whatever you want. I rarely involve myself in the moderation of comments. Unless someone is posting personal information or making an accusation that can get us in trouble, I pretty much let things go. If you are a consistently disruptive, harassing or annoying presence, I may toss you out.
I’m pissed off at a seller you featured. I’m going to go harass them on Etsy. Is that cool?
No. We only encourage contact if you’re going to buy something from an Etsy seller. If you harass or threaten someone we feature, and they report it to us, we will delete your account.
Will you take my piece down if I ask?
If someone asks to have their piece removed from the site, I will usually comply. However, there are a few exceptions:
- If you create a Regretsy account and start posting in the comments, I consider you to be a participant.
- I will not remove a post if you bring attention to it yourself, either by blogging about it, tweeting about it, starting a thread in the Etsy forums or flaming the Facebook group.
- If you have already removed your piece, you can no longer be identified or found on Etsy, so I consider the post to now be completely anonymous.
- I will not remove Alchemy Requests as they do not link to anything. No one will know it’s you requesting that Star Trek buttplug unless you tell them.
Why am I getting referrals to my Etsy store from Regretsy? I looked and can’t find anything of mine posted here.
There are three ways you could be seeing traffic from Regretsy:
1. We featured something of yours
If we did, you would be seeing thousands of referrals, not just a few. And the bulk of that traffic would be on the same day. So if you have something getting that kind of traffic in your shop, let me know, and I’ll see if I can find it on the site.
2. Someone commented on a featured piece and linked to you
Sometimes people will link to pieces in their comments. This can often be positive. But again, you’d most likely be seeing many, many hits that way. And unfortunately, I have no way to find it. There are over 300,000 comments posted and no way to search them for links.
3. People found you once they clicked over to Etsy
When people click on a featured piece, they almost always go shopping. Etsy can’t be a referral to itself, so every shop a person visits after clicking over from Regretsy is counted as coming from us. We have sent millions of hits to Etsy, so almost everyone sees a few visits.
I’m a first time poster and my comment didn’t go through. Why did you take it down?
I didn’t. First time posters have their comments moved to a moderation queue. Your comment may look like it posted, but it’s waiting for someone to approve it. Once we’re sure you’re not a spammer or a bot, your comment will post.
How can I change my avatar?
Go to Gravatar.com and sign up for a free account. It’s a free program that allows you to change your avatar on all WordPress blogs.
Where do I sign in?
Click the button that says, “SIGN IN.”
Hey wait a second, where are the MEMBERS ONLY posts?
They’ve been moved here. I bet you can think of the password.
Do you know that you’re spelling whimsical wrong?
Yes. It’s an homage to this.
How do you sleep at night?
Pretty well. How about you?
