A recent discussion on the Etsy forums really left me shaking my head. The discussion was fee avoidance, and I was shocked to discover that not only is this widely accepted, I was literally mocked for stating that I felt it was dishonest and I wouldn't do it.
Are there dishonest people? Of course, but I guess what surprised me is the lack of shame and willingness to put it out there for buyers and sellers alike to see. There seems to be this attitude that its not really stealing if its from a faceless company.
I live my life by a different set of priorities. Sure, I would love to turn a profit with my online sales, but I absolutely will not compromise my integrity to do it. Money is not my motivating factor in life, and I can say without a doubt that I can be happy with a little or a lot. I feel a huge responsibilty to give my daughter not material goods, but values. Its important that I set an example for her in EVERY aspect of my life.
I am lucky enough to have an amazing mentor in my life, who just happens to be my boss. She is in her mid sixties and never had children of her own, but I definitely feel like she is a second mother to me. She often talks about her father who passed away unexpectedly when he was 60 years old. He was a farmer and sold insurance on the side. She said that at his funeral the church was overflowing with people whose lives he had touched. Many were people who he had sold insurance to, and when they were unable to cover their policies, he paid for them out of his own pocket. He always told her, "There's no use in chasing after money. There will always be people who have more than you, and always people who have less than you."
I guess my long rambling point is, where are our priorities? Have we truly become so obsessed with money that we chase it at all costs? I really hope that when I die there are some people at my funeral who can say that I touched them in some way, because I am quite sure no one is going to care what kind of car I drove, or house I lived in, or the balance of my bank account.
10 comments:
I can honestly say that a forum thread like that, had I seen it, would have left me feeling quite ill. I am with you on this one. I am a very honest person...to the point where my kids use to laugh at me (in a loving way). I can't lie. It just isn't who I am. I'm glad to hear that it isn't who you are either.
yay for you to stand up! It is so hard to stand up for what is right when so many feel nameless and faceless companies don't feel any loss from little ole me. The weight of that is not on who will feel the loss, but what is right or wrong, regardless of who knows it.
again, yay for you.
It's hard because you think in some arenas..everyone would share your views..and then when they don't it's such a let down. I completely agree with you that chasing after a profit line is just not everything.
This is a really good post. It's so hard to find honesty and integrity in this world now, and it's good to know that there are still some folks out there that think it is important and try to live by it.
good for you for standing up for what is right! I don't understand this new generation of humans willing to compromise their integrity to make a buck....the almighty buck isn't what it is cracked up to be. True happiness doesn't come from $$ but from living your life to the fullest, remembering and standing by your morals, touching others lives by living yours....
Keep up the good work with instilling good moral values in your children!
Sadly, this is exactly why I stray away from Etsy forums. It is disheartening to see the dishonestly that unfortunately runs rampant through some Etsy stores. It is wonderful that you hold such high morals and values and try your best to instill those values in your children. I agree wholeheartedly with you :)
Good for you! There really is no such thing as a "faceless company" - because you're always hurting *someone* when you play dishonest like that. Someone's pay is affected, someone might lose a job if revenue drops... there is always someone who has to pay.
I'm cheering for you!
Gosh, I am so against fee avoidance that when my sister asked me to remove items from my shop so she could buy them, I said "no" and told her to purchase them on Etsy. Why? Because that is where she saw the items. It wasn't a craft fair or festival, she saw them IN my Etsy shop.
I did a trade recently and was very disappointed to find that the seller had canceled the purchase. I found this out when I went to leave her feedback. That was extraordinarily discouraging to find that out. It still nags at me that she was avoiding the fees like that. Feels kind of nice to get it off my chest *smiles*
Well, that was my rambling way of saying I agree with you.
I didn't see the forum posting because I pretty much stay out of the forums these days. I do post, but not as often as I used to.
I didn't read the forum thread about this and I'm glad I didn't. I've received e-mails a few times from friends saying they don't want to sign up for Etsy to buy something or they don't know how, etc. I just have to tell them I'm sorry, but if they want the one that's listed, they need to sign up.
If I didn't want to pay the fees on Etsy, I wouldn't have signed up to get a shop. Such a shame there are so many people out there avoiding the fees. Good for you for standing up!
Julie
Great post, I agree with you!
Bella
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