a number of reasons are in play here - so let me give you my reasons for this.
on the personal level - my hands are not functioning at anywhere near full capacity - so my jewelry making days are hampered... and for that, i owe several kossacks major apologies for taking so long to fulfill their orders - jakedog42, mnemosyne and zenpaws - you were patient beyond reason - thank you so much!
now, everything sitting in my shop is completed already before i face yet another surgery on my left hand to try to remove the scar tissue from the incompetent negligence of the physical therapist who was "too busy" to schedule the work mandated by my surgeon after the intitial joint replacement (tip: NEVER schedule elective surgery right before a major holiday!).
last january, my hand was put through a "forced bending" to try to see if i could regain use - it didn't work. if this next procedure (to be scheduled sometime after may 19) doesn't work - i'm looking at both joint replacements being redone.
in the meanwhile, my right hand is slowly getting less functional - that one SHOULD have been done first as it was the worst - thankfully, at the last minute, i decided to do the left one.
okay - that's the physical reason to shut down the shop - or put it in hiatus.
now the OTHER reason: etsy has become the new version of ebay. and we, the artists and crafters have been played.
come over the fold for a fuller explanation:
ebay started out years ago as a way for individuals to offer goods and items to each other at a fun auction site. then the commercial wholesalers found out how easy it was to list silver items in jewelry - one item at the time - to eliminate the wholesale to retail intermediaries. pearl suppliers from china offered their worst merchandise - that which no reputable retailer would purchase when viewed in real life - at ridiculous prices: GENUINE pearl strand! THREE DOLLARS A STRAND!!!
the quality of the merchandise dumped was more than damaging to their customers - it effectively killed the legitimate fine jewelry market by making folks counter with "i can get that on ebay for blah blah blah blah!!!"
the "smart" shoppers on qvc, ebay and other sites thought the "fine jewelry" they were purchasing was only valued at the prices they paid - and they PAID - for low quality, poorly made, substandard silver, stones, jade and much more.
why does this affect my etsy store? after all, etsy was founded to offer only handmade items or vintage, right?
well - etsy has all but dried up these days - so i did a quick search on something as simple as "jade" and, voila! what did i find but shop after shop from china of jade and pearls and commercially made jewelry - all offered at prices that are so ridiculously low that any legitimate jeweler immediately recognizes as the dregs - merchandise that cannot be sold to any legitimate, reputable shop or crafter.
the reviews of such items are so similar in wording - the legitimacy of the reviews is immediately obvious... posted by the company offering the merchandise.
the shop introduction falls outside the etsy standard when the only "proof" that the items are handmade is a simple statement that "i make everything myself" - yet the merchandise shown in the photographs are commercial productions.
has etsy removed these sellers? no. why? - etsy is a business that makes a commission on each sale - just as ebay took their share. it is not in their interest to turn away money, so these shops remain - and the real artisans are buried beneath the dross.
that i pay to list each item, to renew each item, and should i NOT pay that bill each month, my shop will be suspended - i feel like i am helping perpetuate a fraud. by continuing to drive people to etsy, i am sending them to a site where they are offered merchandise that is substandard, not homemade, not supporting artisans and more.
so, as a result - i'm shutting down that shop. i may open my own website - after my hands recover - or i may not. i haven't decided yet - but what i can do is thank this community by offering what is left at a huge discount - down to my actual material costs - consider my labor one of love and a gift.
i'm not taking custom orders - can't do them right now - and may not be able to in the future... but what is there - is yours if you want - when the goodies are gone, they are gone.
if you want anything, put in "dailykos" and a 40% discount will be applied (facebook only gets 30%) and i'll ship within 24 hrs. everything is ready to go - no more delays - it's done and i'm done.
i think i'm going to be looking at another way of supplementing my income. i'm just tired of being used as an artist - and i really feel that is what etsy has done: etsy has taken the talent and joy from all of us who create and used our products to start pushing cheap goods from overseas - and that just bothers me to no end.
so - use "kossacks" - and shop - if you want - if you don't, that's okay, too - i'm back to doing live shows with what is left... see yall at springfest in monterey, ca if all works out, and will go back to my own roots - the face to face ones.
oh, yeah - here's the link to the shop... EdriesShop - either way, i'm done.
2:29 PM PT: AAACCCKKKK!!!!!! you guys are forgetting to add the coupon code!!! contact me by message if you ordered and didn't add "dailykos" or get the discount!!!
3:08 PM PT: also, all orders made by sunday nite/monday morning will go out priority mail monday... should be there in two/three days - i'll send tracking numbers.