TheDeal.com published an article recently about Etsy Founder Rob Kalin. “The handmade CEO: Etsy founder Rob Kalin” contains some interesting insights into Kalin’s background and Etsy’s current profitability.
18 Responses to “Article about Etsy Founder Rob Kalin”
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December 8th, 2007 at 1:20 am
No, it’s a fairly unflattering article. Seriously, not surprising, is it? As Etsy users, how do YOU feel about the management?
A ha, I think you’re right Simone. Weird way to say it though,
““Typically, there are 11,000 goods on the site at any point in time”
sounds like there are 11000 things listed total,
” with 8,000 of those items producing sales.”
And I don’t know what that would mean.
Yes, 11,000 items ‘listed’ a day is like it, and 8,000 items sold each day. It’s more like >10,000 sold each day, now, and last week it hit 15,000! Someones buying something.
I wonder what percentage of ‘listings’ is renewals and what percent is new listings… I’m sure a huge percentage is renewals, and that gives an idea of why Etsy wants the current system, with it’s vast shortcomings, to stay in place. I have to relist 3-4 times to get decent visibility and sales - bringing the listing fee into Ebay ‘insertion fee’ territory. It’s pretty silly, in that respect, how the listing fee is the same for a $1 item as a $1,000 item, and how much easier it is for commercial item sellers to just click ‘relist’ every time they sell something, compared to the actual handmade item sellers who have to have a whole new item with photos each time.
December 8th, 2007 at 12:08 am
There are a lot of not very flattering comments being made on that article!
December 7th, 2007 at 11:31 pm
“I’m not a numbers person but people seem to think this number is innacurate when compared to other numbers quoted.”
I have a feeling that what the numbers mean is that 11,000 items are listed a day on Etsy and on average 8,000 items a day are sold. But unless someone is intimately familiar with the insane listing/renewing phenomenon on Etsy given the way the site functions, these figures will seem pretty good! And they’re probably easy to misinterpret if someone fires them off at you.
December 7th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
reading the comments on that article make me wonder if the writer realized what a can of worms they were opening lol Etsy has alot of problems and disgruntled customers to deal with …. whew lol
December 7th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
The person who wrote the article (I think that’s who it was) responded and said the number quoted in regard to items on the site was given by Rokali in October. I’m not a numbers person but people seem to think this number is innacurate when compared to other numbers quoted. Does this mean he is stretching the truth on the numbers just like he streched the truth to get a job??? I’m just not impressed with Etsy any more. I have finally gotten over my love affair with Etsy.! It took a long time because it had so much potential but as far as I’m concerned Etsy is on a downward sprial that can not be reversed.
December 7th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
“How awful to have been so passionate about something, to build it and nurture it and watch it grow… and then have it turn into a job you hate. ”
Unfortunately, I think this is a part of life and growing up. Very few people can turn their work into something they love. For example, my job came from a hobby that I started in grade school! I loved it and thought I would make it my life’s work. Now it’s exactly that WORK! They call it work for a reason.
December 7th, 2007 at 4:26 am
[...] Kathleen Flynn, Senior Editor of Tech Confidential, the publication that recently ran an article on Etsy founder Rob Kalin, posted on the forums in a thread on the topic: Thanks for checking out [...]
December 7th, 2007 at 1:47 am
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