"Deactivated by Etsy"
Those are some gawd-awful words, not because my world is Etsy, but because part of my work is only found there. For many occult sellers, these words--now found on 5 of my listed items--have been the opening lines to an obituary of their public work.
Following the rules of the site, sellers don't promote their goods anywhere else, so losing their shop is easily the complete end of their business. It's tragic to think what has become of such a perfect platform for selling magical goods (especially when the ban on such items over at eBay saw sellers flocking to Etsy for a new place to host them). I do understand the need for rules that protect buyers from hucksters, but in trying to keep out the false they have denied so much of the gloriously creative and honorable. I wish we could find some land between "too much" and "not enough" to occupy.
For those of you who may not have heard, it was in 2015 when Etsy quietly updated the restrictions on the types of items sellers may offer to include the removal of any items which are purport, either directly or indirectly, to create physical change through metaphysical means. Of course, not all your items may be removed and some items in the same category could remain while others are taken down. There seems to be no specific organization to this so the whole mishegoss has led to widespread confusion while sellers try to figure out why items were deactivated, how to get them reactivated, and what we need to include (or remove) from listings to adhere to the very vague language of the new policy.
It is, indeed, my job as a seller to control my own business and not wait to be controlled by authority figures. That I understand. Without real clarity on where a shop is "right" and "wrong," however, many sellers are sadly watching a good magical career end.
For myself, however, I refuse to let this be the end of anything. One way or another, I'm determined to bring to all my customers the kind of honest, potent magic they crave and have come to expect from me since 2012. That could mean remaining here, leaving for other online marketplaces, or even doing the rogue thing and turning this into a full-fledged physical store.
So what say you, internet? Let's talk about what you think of the Etsy restraints. Would you follow Quill's Occult Supply to new grounds or are you an Etsy-only shopper?
No matter what outcome I receive from Etsy, though, it is my only interest to serve the magical community. I'll always be doing that, through the shop, my writing, art, public speaking, spellcasting, divination--for you, for the future of the occult world, to whatever ends magic brings me.
Image from:
Etsy.com
Posts
