The Queen of Craig's List

I love the idea of Etsy. It's a whimsical, regulated, organized space where beautiful people sell beautiful things. I yearn to belong there all the more when I see fellow bloggers and crafty women I admire thriving there.

The problem is, as much as I love to shop there and and get inspiration, I have given it two to three earnest attempts and have not made a single sale.

Here are my issues with Etsy from a seller's prospective:

I get discouraged by similar sellers' shockingly low prices. It is occasionally under the cost of materials and must be done to edge out the competition. Well played.
"It's hard to make it before you've made it" with the rating system. When a similar shop has lots of positive reviews and I have no reviews, people go for the safe bet.
It appears a lot of social media is required to run a successful Etsy shop. Lots of shops have a Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, a blog, etc. that they post to regularly. I'm a working gal who merely has time to make something pretty and then put it out there into the universe... and then obsessively check my page views.

For now, I've decided to give up on my Etsy dream. I will admit defeat and not join the ranks of attractive people laughing in good lighting together in front of SRL cameras and will return to my comfortable den of familiarity that has never failed me yet. Craig's List.

Craig's List is the wild west of the internet...so much so that they don't even have an official app. Their website is so 1995 that I think it's being marketed at Urban Outfitters as cool. I am only slightly less likely to connect with a serial killer or Ponzi schemer than a customer BUT I owe so much to Craig's List.

It's simply the best because:

It's free. A 100% free buyer/seller connection. I can't believe this is still a thing.
Correct grammar and good pictures are optional/discouraged which saves time on posts!
It's unregulated nature causes buyers to react in a frenzied way that cuts down on small talk. "I'll come now with cash" is pretty much the standard email I get these days.

Etsy, you're fabulous and one day when I'm done with grad school, I will audition again. For now I am sticking to your awkward, clunkier older brother who doesn't know what a social media strategist is.

Thanks for reading and have a fabulous day!

-Genevieve

Genevieve

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