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Photo by MagMoment
While the soil continues to hold winter’s chill, those emerging vibrant buds are a reassuring sight indeed. Fresh growth is nothing new to the Etsy community, but a 60.1% increase in April 2013 from April 2012′s total of dollars of goods sold still feels just as delightful as late-afternoon sunshine. (At the same time, items sold were up 43.8% year over year.)
The stats:
- $101.8 million of goods (after refunds and cancellations) were sold by our community in April, 0.1% higher than March’s $101.7 million
- That represents 4,259,435 items sold for the month, 6.1% lower than March’s 4,534,479
- 2,830,804 items were listed in the month, 3.5% lower than March’s 2,932,874
- 972,224 new members joined the Etsy community in the month, down 64,128 or 6.2%, from March
- 1.49 billion page views were recorded on the site in April
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Etsy community in April 2013!
Curious about how other months compare? Check out our past Weather Reports for more statistics.
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Fancy flexing your design and illustration muscles? Want to win some awesome prizes? Then dig out your finest drawing implements as we’ve got just the challenge for you.
We’d like you to create a tattoo design so impressive, even your dear Mother will temporarily put aside her fear of you getting inked and jeopardizing your chances of getting a ‘proper job’ one day.
There are cash prizes, temporary tattoos, tees and hoodies up for grabs so don’t dilly dally. Warm up a vat of coffee/gin/absinthe, dust off your art supplies, switch your phone off and get down to business. You’ve got approximately two weeks left to get your designs out of your brains and onto paper (then onto the interwebs).
Find out more and submit your entries here.
A little inspiration from talented RB designers and illustrators
It’s time for another wrap up of news and activity from RB artists. We’ve seen some exciting features, Kickstarter funding, plus celebraties donning your tee designs! Here’s just some of the action we spotted this week …
Works by perdita00
- perdita00 ’s work was featured on the Los Angeles Times website
- nikholmes got funded for his kickstarter project and will illustrate you as a zombie!
- We spotted Ian Leino dressed as Dr Krieger posing with Lucky Yates, the voice of Krieger
- Ian Sokoliwski appeared on BBandBC to discuss Flesh for Frankenstein
- Chris Colfer from Glee was spotted last month in tees by warbucks360 and angicita, check it out here and here
Works by Loui Jover
- Loui Jover was interviewed for Saatchi Online Magzine
- Natalie Ord was interviewed on the ABC Open blog about her photography
- Sophie Smith had an image featured in Paper.Li
- stevethomasart is part of the show ‘Righteous Rides and the Dudes that Drive Them’
- Aimme Stewart shared the trailer for her upcoming children’s book
Work by Aimee Stewart
- In other RB news, our CEO Pilgrim was busy showing off an awesome tee design by harebrained, talking to Fast Company and being all inspirational.
Congratulations to the artists above. Each week we feature a small selection of news, inspiration and achievements we’€™ve spotted but we’€™d really like this to serve as an intro to your own news. What was the highlight of your week? Have you got any creative projects planned for the week?
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Photo by lindamonfort
Update: On May 6, the US Senate voted to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would require online sellers who earn over $1M in annual revenues to collect and remit sales tax for every state, not just the one where you live.
The good news is, the bill won’t become law unless it moves through the House of Representatives. We encourage you to call your legislator (find their number here) and let them know where you stand. You can also join the conversation with other sellers in this forum thread. Below is the original blog post that was published on April 22, 2013.
This week, the US Senate will vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that requires online sellers to collect and remit sales tax for every state, regardless of where you live. Right now sellers are only required to collect sales tax in the states where they have a physical presence. (Online buyers are responsible for paying their home state’s sales taxes, but most don’t.)
We at Etsy support the intent of the legislation, to help states reap the tax they are owed, but feel it will unnecessarily burden small businesses. Most Etsy sellers work from home and don’t have the administrative resources to comply with the law. That’s why the “small seller exception” included in the bill is so important. We believe in pushing that exception as high as possible, not only to protect sellers now, but to give their businesses room to grow down the line.
Currently, the bill exempts businesses who earn under $1 million annually, though the level of exception is hotly debated, and some companies have even argued to eliminate it altogether. If you’re thinking, “$1 million, phew, that excludes me,” that’s understandable. $1 million in sales, however, is well below other federal definitions of small business. And the top 500 largest internet retailers make up 93% of lost state revenues. A lower exception hurts small businesses more than it helps states.
With the vote happening this week, we encourage you to call your Senators (you can find their numbers here) and tell them you support increasing the level of the small seller exception in the Marketplace Fairness Act. Hearing directly from constituents makes a lot more impact than just hearing from Etsy staff.
The Etsy community actually put this issue on our radar for the first time last year, when several sellers commented about it on a blog post about Chad’s trip to the US Senate. Since that time, we’ve been meeting with legislators and connecting Etsy sellers directly with D.C. officials to advocate.
This is part of our emerging focus on policy issues that affect our community. Since I arrived at Etsy, I’ve found that politicians often don’t understand the needs or challenges of our community. A seller making jewelry or decor from home is very different than a dentist, gas station owner or a tech start-up. Officials don’t realize how hard it will be for you to comply with a new regulation, or that many existing public programs to support small business don’t help you. We want to change that. So let me know in this forum thread what other governmental policy issues you’re worried about. I’d love to work with you to help solve them.
Althea Erickson is Etsy’s director of public policy, and the seller behind Brooklyn Assembly. Before she joined Etsy, she led the advocacy and policy work at Freelancers Union.
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Photo by Etsy Craft Party
Etsy Craft Party is a one-day celebration of meeting and making. Around the world, we come together to share creative skills with our neighbors. You can organize a Craft Party, or join one in your area. All you need are good friends, craft supplies, and fun!
This year’s theme is Craft for Community. How could you use your craft know-how to make your hometown even better? We encourage you to think about what you love most about your city, what creative skills you have to share, and how you could bring this all together in a fun party that supports your community. Your Craft Party could feature:
- Skill-share: Swapping your creative skills with another.
- Craftivism: Using crafts as a means for positive action, or activism.
- Collaboration: Making a difference by joining forces with a local organization (your town’s community garden, park, farm, hospital, school, arts center, bike shop, thrift store, day care center, senior center, soup kitchen, farmer’s market, or other nonprofit/community group).
How do I get started? First, pick your spirit animal. If you are the leader of the pack, you could be a great Craft Party organizer. More of a party animal? Sign up for a party in your area and show up ready to craft on June 20.
To join a Craft Party, all you have to do is find a party in your area and RSVP via the party’s Eventbrite page.
To organize a Craft Party:
1. Complete the organizer application form.
2. We’ll grant you access to your Craft Party Eventbrite page.
3. Plan your party and invite friends!
Take note! Craft Parties with 25 or more RSVPs on Eventbrite will receive a free box of craft supplies from Spoonflower and Etsy sellers (while supplies last). The deadline to RSVP is May 30, 2013. We set this RSVP deadline so we can get the box of supplies shipped to the party organizer(s) in time. However, we encourage you to continue promoting and garnering RSVPs right up to the day of your Craft Party.
We will also provide every Craft Party organizer with a free, downloadable Craft Party Kit. The Kit will contain: how-to project instructions and templates, party decor ideas, and other tips for hosting your own party – plus some extra delightful surprises.
We encourage you to make your party your own and have fun with it! Here are a few project ideas:
- Make Adopt Me vests for an animal shelter
- Host a creative workshop at the local library to share skills and knowledge with your community
- Get your hands dirty with a garden-related project to support a community garden
- Work with a local bike shop to make bike tube pouches, reduce waste, and promote biking
- Paint a mural to brighten a communal space
- Work with a thrift shop to source materials for an upcycled project (like these denim pillows)
- Make toys for a kids center (like these wooden blocks)
- Make birthday cards for the More Birthdays campaign
- Make pillowcases to donate to a local shelter, hospital, or home as part of the One Million Pillowcase Challenge
- Knit tiny hats for preemies at a children’s hospital
- Make scarves or mittens for a homeless shelter
- Make decorations for a senior center party
- Get together at a park or beach or hiking trail to help with a hands-on outdoors project
- Bring creativity to an unexpected spot, drawing inspiration from The Laundromat Project
- Work with a local non-profit to add value to your community
Let’s celebrate Craft Party together. Share photos of your Craft Party, from prep time to party time, on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #craftparty. We may even include them in a recap blog post or on Facebook!
Join the global celebration on June 20!
What are you planning for Etsy Craft Party 2013? Let us know in the comments below.
Continue readingIt’s time for another wrap up of news and activity from our Redbubble artists. We’ve seen some exciting exhibition news, advertising features, plenty of action from our artists on social media, plus lots of interesting journals. Here’s just some of the action we spotted this week.
Works by LeaBarozzi
- LeaBarozzi is finishing up a few works for a show in Portland.
- Anders Lindholm will be in NYC participating in an Altered States of Reality exhibit.
- Powerpig’s latest creation has been featured at The Brothers Brick.
- Sumrow offers a free print in a title challenge for his newest work.
Works by Phresha
- Phresha is part of a group exhibition in Detroit on May 10th.
- Matthewdunnart shares a current work in progress – a skateboard piece.
- Randy Spout won 2nd prize in LPAPA’€™s 7th Annual ‘€œLess Is More’ show.
- Celeste Mookherjee’s works have been chosen for a gallery exhibit in California.
- João Figueiredo’s group has released its second issue of Northern Landscape Magazine
Works by Peter Hill & Tatiana R
- A little Red(bubble) bird told us that Peter Hill and Tatiana R were married last week! A big congrats from us here at Redbubble (Mr. Baxter even wore pants). In addition to that, Peter was shortlisted for the 2013 Australian Geographic ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year Award.
Congratulations to all the artists featured above on their news and achievements and a big thanks to the many Bubblers who have taken the time to show their support, leave generous comments or to offer help and advice. Each week we feature a small selection of the big news and the little wins we’™ve spotted in the Redbubble community but we’d really like this to serve as an intro to your own news. What was the highlight of your week? Do you have any creative plans for the coming week?
If you’d like to keep up to date with the latest RB community happenings, news about meetups, challenges and other awesomeness, follow the Community Team updates here.
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