Something important to say about Online Sales Communities

   I recently saw on one of the Facebook groups I follow a post lamenting on behalf of another artist the poster followed.  It was a complaint that Storenvy is closing shops because people are asking that their customers bypass the Marketplace and Stripe by either using a direct link to their shop or paying for an item via PayPal directly rather than through Storenvy.

   I see an awful lot of complaints about these online marketplaces.  These complaints range from too high fees (eBay) to unfair rules regarding licensed merchandise (Etsy) to an inefficient payment company (Storenvy) and I have to say, the community as a whole IS NOT handling it the way professionals should handle something that effects their business.

   In this day and age, these companies have no choice but to listen to our voices, and we should be using constructive paths to better them, so we can all make more money.  However, we (as a community) are not.

   Let me make one thing very clear about this post.  It isn't going to be cookies and rainbows.  It isn't going to be nice.   Its a dose of reality.  And at the end of the very harsh criticism I have for the community, I hope I will have some very constructive suggestions on how to better spend our energy.  First, however, comes the tough love.

   You are not entitled to the services companies like Storenvy, Etsy, and Shopify provide unless you adhere to their terms of service, and this means sometimes you have to pay fees.  these companies aren't run on nothing, and they need to make some money.  Storenvy used to be mostly free, only asking for fees if the purchase was made through the Marketplace, which is now a lot easier to get sales through than just advertising yourself.  Now it is against the TOS to bypass the Marketplace by leaving direct links or asking for PayPal payments.  You are not entitled to break the TOS because you don't like the payment service.  You can move to another platform.  There are so many options now, and with Facebook pages and Instagram and Twitter, its easy and fast to communicate any storefront move.

   You are not entitled to your Etsy storefront being reinstated if you are a multiple abuser of copyright, trademark, or licensed materials. Most people feel no pity or sorrow or anger for you if your shop is shut down because you thought a copyright claim against you was just a warning and you go right back to what you were doing after a "cooling off period."  You are not entitled to the use of licensed, copyrighted, or trademarked material to make money yourself, and you ARE responsible for researching what does and does not fall under those groups.  Etsy does not have to give you warnings.  They could have a zero tolerance policy. They don't because they have a business to run and they don't want a bad reputation.

  I could go on and on about the complaints I've heard the past eight years I've been running my own small business online, but I won't because then I'd lose you well before we got to the constructive part of this all.  I will add one more thing though.  If you complain that you were shut down for breaking the rules put in place by companies so they can protect themselves or pay the bills, you are not only cheap, but part of a much bigger problem.

   So how do we fix things when we want to change the policies or still make the things we make without a strike on our record.

   Well, there's about a million ways to speak out online about things like Stripe or PayPal when they are doing something we don't like as artists and business-people.  You can post about it online and share what you've learned about the TOS or behaviors of the companies; you can start a petition to send to companies like Etsy and Storenvy to show how many people are unhappy.  You can write the companies, or pull your business.

   As for strikes against you for using characters, phrases, or fandoms that the creators explicitly state they don't want used, that's a bit trickier.  You can still make art within those fandoms, so long as you understand what you can and cannot legally make.  After just five minutes of googling and a little light reading, I came across This well written article on the subject, which links to outside sources.  I'm sure with more time, I'd find a lot more, but that's not my purpose.

   I want to encourage others to do their own research regarding their own products.  I also want to encourage people to stop looking for loopholes or discussing when Disney or Roosterteeth aren't hitting people, or warning others when they are.  Respect the people who own the fandoms you want to make art around, and work within the law.  Maybe you'll miss out on a few sales here and there, but you'll get a lot more respect from other artists, your products will stand out, and you won't be looking over your shoulder every time you post something questionable.

Knitting?!

You all might be aware that I don't just sew, I also do many other crafts.  I crochet, knit, cross-stitch, lucet, and create hemp jewelry. Well, today I'm going to share my first fully tested, ready-to-share knitting pattern.  I call it "Nickle and Dime"

This pattern is very easy to make.  Its a sequence of rounds that are 5s and 10s, and you cast on and increase in 5s and 10s.  You can knit it in any gauge, with any needles, however, for simplicity's sake we're looking at sock/sport weight yarns with size 4 needles.

Gauge changes according to yarn, but as long as it stays around 6-8 stitches/in the ribbing will keep it elastic, and fitted.

Please don't use this pattern to make items for sell, it is for personal use only.  I make these to sell at my art booths around the country, and in my online shops, and this is my only income.  Support small artists like me!

Nickle and Dime Mitts

Yarn: Any Sock to sport weight yarn you might have some scraps of

Gauge: 6-8 stitches/in  6/in will have some positive ease, but the ribbing will keep it from falling off.  8/in will have negative ease, and it will stretch.  

Needles: US4 or size needed to obtain gauge

Instructions:

CO 40 sts

Work in k2 p2 rib in the round for 10 rows. (I work the first row flat, then join in the round, so its much harder to twist the stitches). 

Switch to st st, work for 10 rows. 

K1, pm, k to last stitch, pm, k1.  

Inc row: K1, m1, sm, k to next m, sm, m1, k1

next row: K

Repeat these two rows 5 more times.  You should have 14 stitches between the markers. 

Place sts between markers on a piece of scrap yarn or a stitch holder while working the last round.  (k7, place on holder, k to marker, k7, place those on holder). 

Knit remaining stitches in the round for 10 rows.  For both gauges, increase at thumb gusset on each side using a m1 (40 stitches on needles)

Work 5rows in k2 p2 rib. BO in rib

Pick up live stitches on holder.  There are 14 stitches. so you'll need to pick up two stitches.  You can do this using a M1 when you begin knitting, however I find its neater and closes the gap better to pick up the stitches along the now knitted edge of the gap. 

Work k2 p2 rib for 5 rows. BO in rib. 

There you have it, easy peasy huh? Now just do it over again for the other mitt!