Episode 93: The Etsy-sodes (part IV): When Were The Good Times?

<p>When was the "golden era" of Etsy? In the final installment of the Etsy-sodes, we will be exploring many pivotal moments that changed the company's trajectory (and the lives of its sellers).  When did the good times end/the less good times begin?  We will try to figure that out!  We'll be covering the return (and bitter departure) of Rob Kalin, the manufacturing policy change, the IPO (and the subsequent lawsuit) and all the new fees and shipping polices.  And we'll break down why so many makers stay with Etsy despite all of these issues.</p><p> And again, let's give a special, super grateful shout to our friend (and a previous guest), Christine of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ladyhoggvintage/feed/">Lady Hogg Vintage</a> for doing a bunch of research and sending us a ton of info! Thank you so much, Christine! She’s been selling on Etsy for a long time so she had a lot of experience and memories to share that really guided the process of writing this story!</p><p><strong>Extra Credit Reading (there's so much for this episode)!</strong></p><p><a href="http://etsybitch.blogspot.com/">Etsybitch</a><br><a href="https://etsycallout.wordpress.com/">Callin' Out On Etsy</a><br><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/z4m5q8/from-etsy-to-sweatsy">"From Etsy to Sweatsy," </a>April Winchell, <strong>Vice.<br></strong><a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/02/etsy-not-good-for-crafters/">"How Etsy Alienated Its Crafters and Lost Its Soul,"</a> Grace Dobush, <strong>Wired.<br></strong><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304370304575152133860888958">"Creating Etsy's Handmade Marketplace," </a>Teri Evans, <strong>The Wall Street Journal.</strong><br><a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/9/4/20841475/etsy-free-shipping-amazon-handmade-josh-silverman">"Was Etsy too good to be true?" </a>Kaitlyn Tiffany, <strong>Vox.<br></strong><a href="https://www.inc.com/magazine/20110401/can-rob-kalin-scale-etsy.html">"Can Rob Kalin Scale Etsy?" </a> Max Chafkin,<strong> Inc.<br></strong><a href="https://w