Etsy: The end of the artisanal Eldorado? Why creators are abandoning ship

There was a time, not so long ago, when Etsy was the promised land. It was the digital haven for artisans, a friendly marketplace where "handmade" actually meant something. For a creator from Saint-Jean-Port-Joli or Montreal, it was the ideal showcase to reach the world.

But the tide has turned. And the breeze has become icy for true artisans.

For the past few years, a growing discontent has been brewing. What was once a whisper has become a rallying cry: Etsy has changed. And unfortunately, it's not to the advantage of those who wield the chisel or the paintbrush.

The invasion of "Handmade Fakes"

The major problem is dilution. Driven by a thirst for stock market growth, the platform has opened the floodgates. Today, when you search for a "handmade ceramic mug," you're overwhelmed by thousands of results for mass-produced items, often imported from Asia, sold at prices that defy any economic logic for a local artisan.

This is the scourge of disguised dropshipping. Resellers buy generic products from sites like AliExpress or Temu, virtually relabel them, and sell them as "Handmade."

The result? The Quebec artisan, the one who spends four hours throwing, firing, and glazing their piece, finds themselves in direct competition with a $12 industrial product. And the saddest part? Etsy's algorithm, which favors sales volume and shipping speed, often prioritizes the factory over the human element.

The trap of "Prisoned Land"

This phenomenon highlights a golden rule we teach at The Core: never build your house on land that doesn't belong to you.

As long as your business model depends entirely on Etsy, you are at the mercy of an algorithm change or a fee increase (which has risen from 3.5% to 6.5% plus transaction fees). You are like a tenant in a shopping mall who lets street vendors into your storefront.

The solution: Take back control

Is this the end of online sales for artisans? On the contrary. It's the beginning of a new era: the era of independence.

The creators who succeed today—like those we support at L'atelier A—are those who build their own brand. They create their own website (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), they own their customer data, and they tell their story without getting lost in a sea of ​​generic products.

Leaving Etsy (or using it only as a secondary channel) is daunting. It requires learning marketing, SEO, and developing your brand image. That's precisely why Le Socle exists.

We help artists transition from being "Etsy sellers lost in the crowd" to independent entrepreneurs, able to sell the true value of their art, at a fair price, to customers who value authenticity.

Etsy chose volume. At Le Socle, we choose value.