be a smart consumer

[#1]

are you?

i have bought lots on heartsy, and most of the transactions have been great.

but you need to be a smart consumer, heartsy does feature resellers. do your homework, if you want links to soap wholesalers which resellers buy from convo me, it has really helped me be able to spot them in that category.

this has nothing to do with who is up today.

[Former_Member]

Swanmountain, Springwood, and LifeSoap Simple, know that you are appreciated for your dedication and care in a crowded field.

LifeSoapSimple, I was relieved not to see your products on any of the reseller sites because I love the perfume and the sandal feet bar you sent me! Perfect examples of well tested, well conceived, well made items.

AprilMarie, thanks for giving us this knowledge. I knew a decent amount about soaping and bath and body before which helped me make buying choices, this is a great help as well!

I hope resellers don't chase away too many people. Handmade soap is amazing for my skin and hair (I use it as shampoo too), sugar scrubs are wonderful, and natural botanical perfume blends are the only ones I wear. The benefits truly are worth it.

[Former_Member]

Shelley, I notice the jewelry because it's my category too. It can still be a challenge to me sometimes to decide whether something is hand assembled or straight up resale.

There's a time and a place for resale, it's just not on etsy. :(

[waterwaif]

i used to get so upset about hand-assembled jewelry until my customers kept asking me to make some. so i do. and no longer get upset. haha.

[Former_Member]

Yep, I'm not upset about hand-assembled. It's allowed, it's popular, and good hand assemblers still get to exercise some artistic choice in creating beautiful things. Most importantly, most assemblers are not claiming that they cut, hammered, and cast each individual component, nor are they charging the hundreds of dollars they would have to be paid in order to do so. Heck, I have some hand-assembled pieces in my shop, some made completely from scratch out of molten metal, and most are somewhere in between.

What these soap resellers are doing is the equivalent of a hand-assembler claiming they formed every link on their necklace chains by hand, cast every one of those little resin flowers in their own mold, cut and polished the stone pendant, etc.

[AprilMarieMai]

but it's worse than that, distinction. these soap resellers didn't do anything to the soap, they didn't put anything together. sometimes they make their own labels and put them on, but that isn't making the product in any way. many of them don't even bother to do that.

i don't know where the jewelry i make falls on assembled or made, probably in between. :)

[Former_Member]

DistinctionJewelry says

Swanmountain, Springwood, and LifeSoap Simple, know that you are appreciated for your dedication and care in a crowded field.


----------------------------------------------------

Thank you so much, DJ. That is really appreciated. Because right now I feel like sticking an ice pick in my eye.

Heartsy obviously doesn't care if they feature resellers any more than Etsy does. It's all about the almighty dollar.

[AprilMarieMai]

at least i'm not the only one feeling a need to stick something sharp in my eye.

[Former_Member]

I prefer a better target than my *own* eye.

[Former_Member]

DistinctionJewelry says

Swanmountain, Springwood, and LifeSoap Simple, know that you are appreciated for your dedication and care in a crowded field.
-----------------
Ah and we appreciate you as well Distinction :)

We could all use a group hug! {{{HUG}}}

[Former_Member]

DistinctionJewelry says

I prefer a better target than my *own* eye.

------------------------------------

ROFL!

[Former_Member]

DistinctionJewelry says

Swanmountain, Springwood, and LifeSoap Simple, know that you are appreciated for your dedication and care in a crowded field.

LifeSoapSimple, I was relieved not to see your products on any of the reseller sites because I love the perfume and the sandal feet bar you sent me! Perfect examples of well tested, well conceived, well made items.

-------------------

And you never will! I make it because i love it. And I'm glad that at the very least there are a few souls out there that know the difference or care there is a difference.

-----

off to find Swan an ice pick to use--but not on herself. I say "arm thyself with ye ole stick blender"

[AprilMarieMai]

yes! there's a major difference and i just adore all the handmade artisan soap!

i tried a reseller soap (i accidentally bought it once) and it sucks.

true handmade artisan all the way!

[Former_Member]

The reseller soap I got was actually pretty nice; I'm using a bar of it now lol! However, part of buying on etsy is supporting the traditions and knowledge and creativity of the small remaining group of people who know how to actually make amazing products.

I can buy premade jewelry from any number of my wholesalers and get a nice, pretty product at a great price, but it's not the same as when I buy a handmade chainmaille bracelet or a vintage Native American silversmithed pendant and admire the skills that created it. I could buy soap from a wholesaler who cranks it out in huge batches, or I could experience the fun of all the different recipies and scents and qualities of individually created luxuries.

It's two completely different experiences, and resellers rob us of that.

[AprilMarieMai]

i'm addicted to the handmade soaps and i love trying them all!

yes, i totally agree.

[waterwaif]

how do we know heartsy doesn't care? has anyone entered into a dialogue with anyone there about it?

it's possible they just don't know the difference. i know they've featured soap resellers because i saw one of them posting in this team when their feature was up.

[AprilMarieMai]

email. yes.

no. multiple people provided proof.

[ShopDeatsGifts]

I'd like to know, can you convo me please? I've been buying a lot of soap off Heartsy lately.

Thanks!

[Former_Member]

I'm also a little hesitant about buying soap online just because I don't feel like I know enough to really be discerning online, but it hasn't scared me off completely, I'm just more likely to buy from select sellers and continue to return to them for more. Swanmountain is my first soap purchase and I'm excited to try them!

[Former_Member]

You will LOVE Swanmountain's soaps!

[Former_Member]

I started a reselling discussion forum.There's no calls out allowed obviously-
But having a team/forum we're we all huddle would be good. Instead of having random reselling posts in random teams. This way we can keep track of all discussions on reselling in one team/forum. =)

www.etsy.com/teams/9650/down-with-reselling

Even though we cannot call out; we can still chat about re-selling and how it's bad for both buyers and sellers of etsy!
Examples of things we ALLOWED to chat/ask about...
- What "handmade" items are most popular on the re-selling 'list'?
- How do we we protect ourselves from buying from a re-seller?
- What do I look for?
- What sites are most popular for the re-sellers to buy from?

..and the like.