15 Neg FB in 2 Days Fired at Unhappy Customers

Etsy's recent Featured Seller has not been happy with her customers these past few days. Page 2 (see also bottom of Page 1) of Feedback Left for Others:

http://www.etsy.com/people/earthfurniture/feedback?type=for_others&page=2

This can't be because they've filed a NAD with Paypal.

Maybe credit card charge-backs are to blame?

Of Bali Boats & Scallywags...

ETSY, ETSY, COUNTERFEITSY

Etsy, Etsy, Counterfeit-sy--

How does your dollar grow?

With front-page pets, and no regrets  

As resellers line up in a row.

 ©2012 DelectablyDiva

Another lamentable low for Etsy this week, with their front-page Featured Seller fiasco:

http://www.regretsy.com/2012/04/21/the-etsy-featured-reseller-ecologica-malibu/

http://www.regretsy.com/2012/04/24/update-ecologica-malibu/

Ouch. As an Etsy seller, this makes me cringe and wince. Is anyone else hearing faint Echos of the Huzzah-Huzzah days of another Alibaba-loving, globe-trotting, BS-spouting Etsian? Just reading the original interview should set all working BS meters within a 5-mile radius flailing. (Actually, there's still a fair amount registering in the edited-for-ToS-compliancy version, now that Etsy has added its own generous cupful to the brew.) From seller ecologica-malibu:

 

“As a child, I always felt that there was magic in the trees and a mysterious energy in the ocean. As I grew older, I began to notice how easy it was for people to take advantage of their natural resources, and it really bothered me. Trees are alive, and forests breathe, supporting life and giving off the oxygen that we need to survive. I believe that everything in life has a purpose and that every living thing plays an important role in the ecosystem, far beyond what we can observe.

I have a degree in design from Panamericana Art and Design School, but my passion is handmade artistry. After I gave birth to my daughter, I traveled the world. This opened my eyes to the unique qualities inherent in every human being and connected to the way I thought about nature. I realized that I wanted to fuse my beliefs about sustainability, nature and the environment with the individuality of humanity. That’s how my business was born. Every piece of my furniture tells a story…”  http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2012/featured-seller-ecologica-malibu/

...and then for some reason I start imagining I'm smelling Nutmeg in the air...

 

”Dear Sir or Madam,

We are a family of American artists living and working in Hyderabad, India. We have lately discovered the tragic tale of a child in grave peril. Though never given a name, we have decided to call her Adia, which means 'Gift of God'.

When we met little Adia, she was lying in the dust at her mother's feet, shrivelled and badly starved. Her frail body was being used to entice passers-by to give coins to her plump and smiling mother.

The haunting image would not leave us, and over the next several days we returned to visit the family many times, bringing money, clothing and food for Adia and her four siblings. We discovered that as the youngest and weakest girl child in a very large family, her father had forbade her nourishment. She was kept alive by being fed sugar water and diluted milk in secret by the women of the family….

In our constant attempts to rally support from local state and charity organizations we have been consistently met with either indifference or incapacity. We feel that by bringing Adia's story to the international media it will command the attention of those who can help, and appeal to those who can open avenues for her continued recovery.…

We implore you to give this issue your urgent attention, to save not only the life of this one small soul, but to make new strides in improving the lot of imperiled female children worldwide.”

http://adiainindia.hrafnsvartr.com/media/adia.pdf.

(Press release issued during Etsy's Huzzah Daze. If you missed it, you can wade through the story and its 1674 comments here: http://etsycallout.wordpress.com/tag/scams/)

If you are a buyer or seller at Etsy, study these two selections carefully. The writing style, at high school level, spells S-N-O-W-J-O-B to any self-respecting English teacher. At the adult level, it shoots out scam-alert flares. (At least it should.)

Trifari Fruit Salad Bird Brooch ~ 1941

This is why I love vintage Trifari. Only one bid, but already the top Trifari auction online at $199.00 (with 22 e-Bay watchers waiting to snipe that bid even higher). Too rich for my budget, but I'll be watching, anyway!

Buy this Sam Moon bracelet for just $6,500 on Artfire

I love shopping online. A Diva's gotta have her (costume) jools...and this Diva's only looking for bargains in this present economy. So, when I clicked 'vintage bracelets' over at Artfire, I didn't see this offering by sassy9406 of Colorado until last, as it was last in the price list from 'low to high:'

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=298888

Well.

Apparently I didn't know just what a bargain I got over at Sam Moon a couple years ago when I bought this same $6,500.00 bracelet for less than $15:

"Materials Used: Jade, Diamonds, Gold, Multi-colored Freshwater Pearls."

"Product Description: This Bracelet is Beautiful. 6-rows of Multicolored Fresh water Peals with 16K yellow gold 1mm chains and leading to the filigree sides adorned with Jade and Diamonds."

Wow!! I ran to my dresser, yanked open a drawer, and brought my unappreciated bracelet out into the light. To think that I'd assumed all those chain sparklers must be rhinestones, simply because of the low price tag! And jade, and GOLD! Silly me...how could I have thought those darkened, antiqued ridges on the back of the ornamentation were anything but solid gold with the venerable patina of time?

                            

But....how very strange that such a treasure didn't have a true clasp, and that humble stretch cording was used to string those pearls; who'd have thought? I'd never seen nylon cord mixed with diamonds and gemstones before...maybe this was a new trend? Come to think of it, I'd never seen a gold and diamond bracelet encased in a plastic sleeve, with 'lead-safe' written on it, either. (And piled in a bin with about 60 others of varying color schemes.)

Well, no WONDER they sold so fast.