Archive for Alchemy
June 28, 2008 at 9:36 am · Filed under Alchemy, Features · By GreenMamba
In this Etsy Bugs thread YadaYadaYada asks, “Why is my private Alchemy shop announcement now my Message from the Seller?”
My private Alchemy shop announcement, saying that I do not accept private Alchemy requests, is now my Message from the Seller on a public Alchemy bid that I won.
It looks unprofessional for my Message to Buyers on this Alchemy bid to say “Thanks for your interest in my shop, but I’m not accepting private Alchemy requests…”
Posted at 9:19 am, April 11 2008 EST
(Emphasis added here.)
In a nutshell:
RevolvingDork says:
This is actually done purposely — on alchemy transactions, your alchemy announcement becomes your announcement to buyers. :]
Posted at 2:07 pm, June 26 2008 EST
April 7, 2008 at 4:48 pm · Filed under Alchemy, Features · By GreenMamba
In this Storque article, admin kfarrell details some new Alchemy features:
Alchemy is almost a month old now, and after gathering feedback from a variety of places we have a round of updates that should make your Alchemy experience even better.
Changes include:
- RSS feeds for Alchemy searches
- A new “Batch Decline” option at the bottom of the bid list, allowing you to decline all undecided bids once you’ve selected your seller
- A new text field to send an optional message when you accept or decline a bid
- Updated text throughout Alchemy to make things easier to understand
- Hotlinking of URLs in bids
- The ability to email an Alchemy request to a friend
- A flagging form to fill out if you come across Alchemy listings that break the DOs and DON’Ts
- General bug fixes
We’re also changing Alchemy a little so a buyer may back out up until the point where the seller confirms the bid. This change has been in response to many requests from buyers who accepted a bid and did not hear back from their seller, finding themselves stuck in a stalemate.
Join the forum discussion going on here.
UPDATE - 9 April 2008 by GreenMamba
Accept/decline bid issue - Status: Resolved
Following the introduction of the new Alchemy features, there were a number of reports from members who were unable to either accept or decline their Alchemy requests. In this thread, RD announced (page 5) that the issue had been duplicated and a fix was being implemented. It has since been resolved.
March 14, 2008 at 4:27 am · Filed under Alchemy · By quirke
Based on user feedback, admin is planning some changes to Alchemy as described in this Storque article. Here’s an excerpt:
Here are a few things that we’re going to do, based on the community’s input:
1. Add a flagging system for Alchemy requests. These flags will allow the community to notify Etsy when they think a request is in violation of Etsy’s rules. Etsy will investigate each case as we currently do with flagged items. (More about this below).
2. Allow editing requests prior to the first bid being placed on the request. Once a bid has been made, the request is locked so that all bidders are bidding on the same request.
3. Link directly to the bidder’s shop in the bid via a text link, so buyers can more easily check out that seller’s other items and overall style.
4. Make searching for items within Alchemy more efficient.
There will also be an open discussion on Alchemy on Friday March 14th (today) at 11am EST in the Virtual Labs Treehouse.
March 12, 2008 at 5:23 pm · Filed under Alchemy · By quirke
The Storque has announced the return of Alchemy!
An excerpt from the article (see the article for screencaps):
How it works:
Alchemy is a tool on Etsy where buyers can post requests for custom items. Sellers then bid on the opportunity to make the item and get the commission. This presents a unique opportunity for shoppers to work closely with a crafter or artisan to get the exact item they seek.
However, in order to accept private requests through Alchemy, sellers must “opt in” by going to Your Etsy > Shop Appearance.
The main Alchemy page shows all the open requests from buyers that sellers can bid on. To get the ball rolling, Etsy admin have put in requests for items we’ve been craving. If you are interested in making one of the requested items, feel free to bid on a request and be one of the first participants in Alchemy. Buyers can use these Admin requests as examples of the information necessary for an Alchemy request.
Etsians can manage all the requests you’ve placed or accepted, along with private Alchemy requests in “Your Alchemy.”
We’ve added a new section for Alchemy to the Dos and Don’ts. Before participating in Alchemy, please read and familiarize yourself with these rules.
Do use Alchemy to request custom handmade goods.
Do communicate openly with the buyer/seller during all phases of the transaction via Conversations or email.
Do follow through on the terms you agree to in your Alchemy transactions. This is a legally-binding sales agreement.
Do refer to and abide by Etsy’s Intellectual Property Policy regarding any intellectual property disputes.
Do get permission from Etsy prior to creating items that use Etsy’s marks (name, logo, etc). Please refer to the Etsy Trademark Program for more information.
Don’t use Alchemy to request Supply or Vintage items. At this time, Alchemy is for custom handmade items only.
Don’t use Alchemy to request a copycat or knock-off of an item listed on Etsy. Instead, submit a private request directly to the seller of the original item to inquire about a custom order.
Don’t infringe upon the intellectual property of others through Alchemy (some examples might include: using images in your request that don’t belong to you, or creating works using trademarked or licensed characters). When in doubt, ask permission first. Check out the Copyright FAQ for more info.
Don’t complete a transaction off-Etsy once it has been initiated through Alchemy. This is fee avoidance.
Don’t use Alchemy as a classified ad space for things unrelated to Etsy (for example: employment opportunities, room rentals, free puppies, etc).
Don’t use Alchemy to request pornography, illegal items or anything that would otherwise violate Etsy’s policies as stated in the Terms of Use or DOs & DON’Ts.
So go out and have fun with Etsy’s newest tool, Alchemy! If you need help at any point in the Alchemy process, peruse our Alchemy Help Guides. You should also check out our article on Alchemy’s best practices to get the most out of your Alchemy experience and keep the lines of communication between buyer and seller open.
March 11, 2008 at 3:11 pm · Filed under Alchemy · By quirke
This Storque article hints that the long-lost Alchemy feature is about to make a comeback!
Alchemy is a feature on Etsy that enables buyers and sellers to connect through custom orders. Let’s say you’re a buyer and you have an idea for something you want to buy, but after digging and digging on Etsy you still haven’t found it. You can go to the Alchemy section of the website and describe your idea; then sellers bid on the project and you can decide to strike a deal or not. Or say you’re a buyer and you admire a particular item in a seller’s shop, but you want the seller to customize it in some way. You’ll be able to initiate that custom order directly through an Alchemy link in the seller’s shop. That is, if the seller opts into this Alchemy feature.
If you’ve got a request, go make a comment, or check out the forum thread.
November 29, 2007 at 11:47 pm · Filed under Alchemy, Categories, Currency, Features, Feedback, Listings, Search, Tags, The Future · By quirke
In this thread, admin kfarrell gives a general progress/status report on many of the top issues currently concerning Etsy members.
kfarrell says:
So without making any promises or specifying any timelines, I’ll address some of the features mentioned at the beginning of the thread. A couple of them aren’t really my area so I’m afraid I’ll have to skip those.
* Checkout process needs reworking
Yes, we are working on layout changes to make this process easier for new buyers on the site who may not already be familiar with Etsy and Paypal.
* Bring alchemy back
OK!
Seriously, it will be back. And better than ever!
* Deal with categories, tags, and search
Well now that’s three features, isn’t it ;) All three of these are being actively evaluated, tweaked, and redeveloped. They are all very complicated systems that work with each other, so nothin’s gonna happen overnight.
* Clarify the place of both supplies and vintage on the site
Vintage items belong in the Vintage category, handmade and commercially produced supplies belong in the Supplies category.
* More frequent and clearer feedback to the forums from the Etsy admin team (FAQs, stickies, etc)
We have recently release a new help guides section ( http://www.etsy.com/help_guide_main.php ) which we will be adding guides to on a continual basis. We are also going through and updating the FAQs.
* More warning and user testing before introduction of new features
We do collect a lot of user input before a feature is launched, and the lead time between announcing and releasing a new feature varies from project to project.
* Bulk/multi-update for items (Shipping profiles, prices, tags)
This is a great idea, although not something we’re actively developing at this very second because we have a few bigger fish to fry, and only so many cooks can be in the kitchen at a time! Also apparently the engineers like to sleep occasionally. Yeah, I don’t get it either ;)
* Multiple currency support for sellers and buyers
This is something we are working on.
* revise flagging system
We are indeed working on a far more graceful way to handle flags
We’re also working on about 50 other BigSecrets I sadly can’t tell you about, although none of them happens to be a Dodgeball game (bummer for dodgeball fans).
We do read *all* the feedback on Etsy posted here in the forums, including the stuff that’s sometimes hard to read. So please, continue posting your ideas (both positive AND negative), I just ask that you keep things constructive and refrain from personal attacks on admins or each other. There is a human being behind every avatar on Etsy.
November 20, 2007 at 5:28 pm · Filed under Alchemy, Features, Gift Guide, Miscellaneous · By GreenMamba
You may have noticed that the familiar Alchemy link has been replaced in the top nav menu bar on all Etsy pages with a brand-spankin’ new feature: Etsy Gift Guides. From Vanessa’s TechUpdate article:
We are happy to announce a new site feature on Etsy, just in time for holiday shopping: Etsy Gift Guides. These guides are organized by:
- Who are you buying a gift for?
- What’s the occasion?
- How much do you want to spend?
- and Other themes
Shoppers have been asking us for more curated content and since the admin are always sending each other links to items all day long, the admin figured we would put this to good use. You can email Gift Guides to your friends and family and you can also make Etsy Minis from the Gift Guides (what’s an Etsy Mini? Click here).
Etsy assures us that Alchemy has not been dropped from the engineering to-do list (though there is no ETA for its return):
. . . you probably noticed that Gift Guides replace the Alchemy button on the top navigation. Never fear, Alchemy has not been abandoned! We’re just re-tooling a little for the busy holiday shopping season, making it easier for buyers to find the items they’re looking for. If successful, the Gift Guides will become a permanent feature here on Etsy. Please let us know if you have ideas for other themes or categories.
Read the full Storque article here.
October 26, 2007 at 5:52 pm · Filed under Alchemy · By Lis
Alchemy has had a status of “being refurbished!” for approximately 11 months. In this thread sellers asked why the Alchemy button remains in the Etsy header.
RD explained Etsy’s reasoning:
It’s there because I made an awesome picture. ;P
June 14, 2007 at 12:02 pm · Filed under Alchemy, Bugs, Features, Forums, Search, Site Use, Treasury · By Elizabeth
Here:
RevolvingDork
Etsy Admin says:
The master database is running under increased load this morning, causing various site functions to slow or break. These could/will include the flash applications, listing an item, browsing the site, searching the forums, and other related functions to behave erratically.
We’re looking into the source of this load now, and once we find it we’ll be able to get it back to normal levels.
Posted at 11:40 am, June 14 2007 EST
June 9, 2007 at 12:40 pm · Filed under Alchemy, Features · By Elizabeth
From this thread:
stellaloella
Etsy Admin says:
We fully intend to bring Alchemy back as soon as it’s ready.
It’s not as if it’s completed and we’re intentionally withholding it from y’all because we just really love seeing these “Dad, are we there yet? Mom, are we there yet? Hey guys, ARE WE THERE YET!?” threads. ;)
We miss it just as much as you do. It’s an important feature we want to bring back (which is why there’s still a spot for it on the site header). But it’s also really important to get it done right, which might mean that development takes a bit longer or that it needs to rest on a foundation of excellent site stability and scalability in order to be successful.
Posted at 10:40 am, June 9 2007 EST
Admin - Stella especially - has done a great job lately of giving status on projects without making promises Etsy can’t keep. I’m really impressed.
stellaloella
Etsy Admin says:
PS. Simply “bringing back the beta version” of Alchemy is a technical impossibility, as I understand it. Plus it was really confusing to both buyers & sellers. We’re aiming to make it more user-friendly this time around.
Posted at 10:42 am, June 9 2007 EST
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