A Maker Not Happy with Etsy | Lucy Fagella | Episode 569

Lucy Fagella | Episode 569

Lucy Fagella has a BFA from Alfred University College of Art and Design (1985). Lucy is a full time potter and ceramics instructor. Lucy’s work has been included in national juried exhibitions, ceramics publications, and home magazines. Lucy is a founding member of the Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail since it’s inception in 2004.

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Etsy had a recent policy change. How are you starting to re-think all of these platforms that we’ve been using?

I really don’t trust some of them. I definitely don’t trust Facebook. I only use that a little bit for business. I don’t go on it at all for anything else. Instagram, I have not created a business account on Instagram because I saw what happened with the business accounts on Facebook. All of a sudden once they wanted more ad money they weren’t going to let everybody see your posts unless you boosted it. So I thought I had better not become a business on Instagram because nobody is going to see my posts anymore. So I don’t trust many of them and you know, even my website was hacked about three years ago and I couldn’t use it anymore. And that was on WordPress, it didn’t really matter, it mattered because something with my domain name was hacked. So now I use SquareSpace and SquareSpace is an excellent platform. I recommend it to anyone. It has a really good shopping page also. Again, what happens if something happens to SquareSpace. That’s why I don’t put all my eggs in one basket.

How do you mitigate against the policy changes these companies are allowed to do?

You know, I am lucky enough that I think I have enough customers and I have an email list. Occasionally I take out ads on Google’s adwords for my urn site, but I don’t take out any ads on Facebook. But for myself I am lucky that it is all spread around and that I have a good email list.

Let me ask you about that email list- Do you place a higher value on that email list than you used to?

Yes! Yes, definitely. When I saw how Facebook was only showing my posts to less than one percent of my followers, I thought This is kind of crazy. So now I have to be able to communicate with my followers via email rather than Facebook.

Esty says that their new policy of “Free Shipping” garners them twenty percent more sales. What do you think about that?

I think they are right. I am sure they do. Wouldn’t you rather look at one price? To see a mug that is $52 and then think, Okay. That is what I am spending and there won’t be a surprise at the end. I guess another way I could think about it is that I get all my clay shipped here from Sheffield Pottery. Sheffield is two hours from my studio. I get 2000 pounds or more of clay each time I have it delivered. The shipping cost is about $120. Am I going to say, No, I am not going to do that? No. I know how much it costs to get that truck out here. So I am obviously taking into consideration shipping costs and I am not going to say no to that. I need the clay. I think we have all just become accustomed to free shipping because of Zappos and Amazon… But wouldn’t it be nice if everyone became educated to the fact that this person is spending time, and the post office isn’t doing anything for free. But I understand the psychology of it that people just want to pay that one price.

What do you think about Etsy caring more about the customers than they do the makers?

It’s sad because the makers are what “made” the site. When it started it was so small and it grew and it was just a great place to be. It really connected people. Ever since it went public, that change has just happened so quickly. They really are not caring about the maker by letting items in that are mass produced. It really isn’t a site for makers anymore.

This policy change gook place in July of this year (2019), which has given you plenty of times for the change to trickle down into your sales. Have you seen it impact your sales?

It is so hard to say, because summertime things slow down a little bit. I am still selling urns, but I am no longer in the top of the list.

What has been the best thing that has happened to you so far this year?

It’s been a good sales year, good workshops, my family is healthy. I have a wonder spouse, and wonderful kids, and good land to live off of, and I live a in really beautiful place, and I have two dogs.