Etsy as a platform for buying and selling is fine, its discoverability and search that hinders the customer experience.
I've bought lots of art commissions and actual hand-made knickknacks and toys from actual non-print-mill individuals.
The experience has always been fine for me -- but I was aware of the artist and what I wanted going into it rather than searching for 'something cool' only to be inundated with mass-production "I LOVE MY DAD" mugs.
I used to run a shop on Etsy. 20+ daily messages from scammers pretending to be buyers or Etsy support. Etsy ads bringing zero new customers, seller bans for no reason... it's a decent experience for buyer, but not fr he seller.
Exactly. Etsy is still great if you explicitly know what you're looking for, in the case of bespoke jewelry or art, and/or if you explicitly know the artist.
As a discovery tool, it's worse than anywhere else.
I've bought lots of art commissions and actual hand-made knickknacks and toys from actual non-print-mill individuals.
The experience has always been fine for me -- but I was aware of the artist and what I wanted going into it rather than searching for 'something cool' only to be inundated with mass-production "I LOVE MY DAD" mugs.