I miss when eBay was all second hand items and Etsy was all handmade items 💔

The fact that the Etsy seller of the glass mushrooms had pairs of ONLY the EXACT same colors as the Temu mushrooms is a dead giveaway that they purchased from temu or drop shipped from the same manufacturer and resold for higher price.

When shopping on Etsy, I've started looking at sellers's names and what social media they have attached to their profiles. Often I find genuine small businesses have social media accounts that give a bit more of a behind-the-scenes look compared to the drop-shipping sellers :)

In my opinion, if an Etsy item has one of the super long keyword-mash titles, it's not a real handmade small business. I feel like it's a dead giveaway.

The etsy mushroom is absolutely drop shipped. There are several similar listings from different shops with the same combination of colours as the Temu multi-pack (current as of July 4, 2025)

Etsy is so frustrating as there's so much dropshipping now, its against their policies but they turn a blind eye. I closed my Etsy shop because I was competing with people dropshipping earrings at much lower prices than I could do

This is NOT USELESS MIA!!! You are helping us customers know where our money goes and also we love that you call Etsy out! We I want craft items!

Hi, I'm a professional glass blower and I specifically specialize in the discipline used to make that mushroom vase- lampworked glass.

Those were all made in China, probably in the same "factory", from pink borosilicate tubing.

30:45 It’s definitely NOT vintage. The glass would be darker and thicker. I know because I own a lot of 60s/70s (real) vases. The glass is thicker and because of the age it gets faded/darker.

Recently went to an arts and crafts fair - you know, with the artists and the booth with their stuff. Bought a beautiful ring - listened to the artist talk about it for like 10 minutes. Went home and the next day found it on TEMU. $60 vs. $3. I actualy bought it to compare. SAME EXACT RING. Note to self: google lens any purchase first.

Hey Mia, the hearty pinky blouse is actually from a brand named SISSEL EDELBO :) I think you will find many pieces you will enjoy!!

I've been crocheting over 50 years.  That little hand-crocheted strawberry basket, even for a seasoned crocheter who can work fast, would take several hours to crochet and assemble, not including the cost of materials.

When shopping in Etsy, I always do a reverse image search to see if the item pops up on Amazon, Alibaba, Temu, SHEIN, etc. It’s actually shocking how often Etsy sellers are just peddling overpriced junk. Conversely, a lot of those places that manufacture cheap junk steal ideas or photos from small businesses. Just be sure to read the reviews and pay close attention to the photos reviewers post.

😢 Etsy sellers SHOULD’NT be selling mass-produced items unless they’re being sold as craft supplies. As a handmade, Etsy seller I find this is all incredibly frustrating.

If people want to support Etsy’s handmade sellers, I always recommend reading the ABOUT sections of a shop and visiting their social media pages. Look for photos and videos of them making their items and sharing their stories. (Many also do craft fairs and post those events. I can’t do fairs anymore, due to health issues.)

Thank you for supporting small businesses! ❤

Etsy used to have a policy of only handmade items, or vintage, and vintage was defined as 20 or more years old. I started my Etsy shop in 2013, and now its being buried by these resellers and their knockoff temu and shein and amazon products. ESPECIALLY the fake crochet items. Those crocheted plants from Amazon and Temu are machine made that makes them with a warp and weft method but done so loosely that it resembles crochet. It is not the same because with crochet if you start to unravel it does not have a second strand of anything going between the rows like in a warp and weft method (which is actually used to weave, not crochet). And as you stated real crochet items must be done by hand because no machine has yet been built to do it exactly the same. I am glad you are showing this to make people really research what they are buying from etsy before they find out they over paid for some fake drop ship item that is really terrible.

As a former Etsy seller I can confirm its decline began in 2015 when it became publicly traded. I remember the townhalls leading up to it and the changes being rolled out around management etc, and then the leadup to the IPO. Once it had investors to please, unfortunately it wasn't long before they began allowing drop-shipping. That was the end of Etsy. It's really sad.

Glass artist here!
Those mushrooms are all mass manufactured, with makers as a part of the process which leads to the variations but none of them are antique. 29:53

Etsy still has so much good handmade stuff, I wish they would get rid of the drop shippers.

As an Etsy seller the dropshipping on the site is SO FRUSTRATING. It's hard work to maintain a shop and I put so much care into making my products. Luckily, I'm not big enough for people to be stealing my photos yet, but it's sad to think it's only a matter of time. Thanks for bringing light to this MIa!

I ordered a cute watering can on Etsy once and it delivered to me in Amazon packaging. The seller didn't even try to hide the fact that they just ordered from Amazon and had it shipped directly to me. What made it worse was that it was cheaper on Amazon so I paid more for no reason... I got a refund at least😅