Good thing I am not getting graded on how frequently I write blog posts. But hey, I've been busy making and selling jewelry this summer. It really is all I want to do. Sometimes I even forget to eat, If you know me IRL (hi, mom!) you will know that is a remarkable thing.
Back to the purpose of this post: I am so excited and hopeful. Today I joined the fledgling Artisans Cooperative. Long story short, a bunch of artists who actually make things got fed up with Etsy. Since you as a consumer likely haven't been paying attention, Etsy now allows all kinds of things that are not even close to hand made. Etsy also keep raising their rates and taking more of artists' profit, even while significantly diluting what is available on the site, all while the corporation makes record profits.
I am so grateful that a bunch of smart, enterprising, organized people started The Artisans Cooperative. I found out about it when somebody passed a flyer to me while I was vending at one of the big summer street fairs. Thank you to that person! The Cooperative is a co-op (duh) with a buy-in at either the "supporter" or "artisan" level, but then profits are shared amongst the artisans. Their goal is to start by taking a lower percentage of sales from artists, and to lower it over time as the co-op becomes fully funded. Members also get a say in how things are run, so it will only be as good as we all make it. You can also earn "points" but helping with key tasks that need to be done. I am hoping to write some articles, press releases and blog posts to help promote the site and its artists.
The actual marketplace is expected to go live in October- they are currently beta-testing. Even if you aren't an artist, you can join as a "supporter". Check it out.
Pretty cool, right?
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