When I came back from my mini vacation in Boston my Etsy shop was gone.
No amount of repeated contact earned me a reason, an explanation or, I don’t know, a reprimand even. I was left to come up with my own guesses and you know what?
It felt a lot like ghosting.
Do people spend too much time pondering the reasons why they are ghosted?
Yes.
Do they ever get a believable answer from the ghoster?
I don’t know. You tell me.
So, after spending a few days pouring over the terms of use, appealing and other events that might lead to a deeper understanding what the fuck is going on, and continually being ignored even by the bots who responded in those unhelpful clinical methods they are known for, I turned the proverbial page.
Fuck it.
Why should I chase after some organization that treats its makers in such unprofessional ways?
Incidentally, a few of you emailed me similar circumstances, with links to shops who experienced the same fate: wake up one day and the entire shop was gone. No warning, no reasons given, no re-establishments. Outright banned.
?
I’m so sorry if this happened to you, or to your friends or family.
Here’s the thing:
I may have stumbled, or fallen, but I am not dead in the ditch.
I’m reinventing myself as I type these words, but I have a lot of notes of research to go through, so this will take a bit of time.
However, the first thing I did was change my shop name – BoldlyChicBoutique – to Claudette Creative Designs.
I’m working on a new logo, but here is a preliminary, beta version which will do for now but may change again in the future:
As my tarot cards explain, any time you see ragged mountains or landscape in the background, you are alerted to obstacles which may present themselves at some point in the future.
Seems I’m climbing such a mountain at the moment.
I’m not a climber but I’ve navigated tricky paths in mountains (mostly the Swiss Alps) in my life. I have discovered something:
A blocked path doesn’t mean your journey stops; it means you have to find another path.
Claudette, Writer of Words etc.
I’m sitting on the back porch in the smoggy sunshine thanks to the smoke from the Alberta wildfires, with Tucker patiently waiting for his morning walk, teenagers still asleep, enjoying some peace and quiet. The kids’ dad is out of town and I’m holding down the fort. As I clean and declutter and interact with family and pet, I ponder and contemplate next steps.
I’m not worried. I’m disappointed this happened just as I was approaching star seller status, but there isn’t much I can do. Or want to do.
Onwards to bigger and better opportunities.
Thank you for stopping by. Stay tuned for more insights with pictures from my Boston trip! I can’t wait to share with you all about the Boston Public Library.
See you in the comments.
Claudette Labriola 
I like your new logo and shop name! š
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Thank you. I’m taking a bit of a breather to settle things down….
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What an odd thing to happen, especially with no explanation given. But I appreciate your positive attitude.
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The not knowing would drive me completely insane. Sorry you have to regroup and start overā¦
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Good luck with the new endeavors, amiga!
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Thank you Te.
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How amazing. Just gone? While I know you’ll find a new path, a better one, it does make me wonder about Etsy in general. Huh…
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I was talking to my other half about this – our kids have tried Etsy out over the last couple of years – and they too had poor experiences. And of course you know what happened to my Tumblr account over the weekend š It’s all about going forwards, isn’t it.
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It’s still a very popular platform. But clearly, not a good fit for me. š¤·āāļø
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Good luck with the new sight
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Thank you!
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Interesting that others are finding the same thing happening to them. Clearly Etsy probably isn’t as business friendly as they want everyone to believe. However, you are Claudette and Claudette will not be defeated. You will rise again my dear and in a better place than you left š
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I’m encouraged that I’m not crying in a pit of despair because just a few years ago, this would have been the likely outcome. But now? Like I old Paula, I’m hearing my own words louder and clearer than those of some entity whose business model clearly doesn’t align with mine.
Thank you Deb. I appreciate your support and comments, always!
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I feel like never patronizing them again over this. Itās terrible! But thereās a saying that in every setback there is a new opportunity, and I see you are taking that to heart! š©·
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I am. A few years ago I wouldn’t have considered forging a new opportunity out of a setback, but now? I hear my inner wisdom talking, and the words are louder than etsy.
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Sorry to hear about the problems you’re having with Etsy. I’m not all that familiar with establishing online businesses, but that seems so strange. As far as the shop name and logo, I like them. Love the combination of simple and classy. Feels very identifiable too, you’ll be able to build on it. Good luck!!!!
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Thank you Brian, for your kind and supportive words!
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