International or Protectionism?

It was supposed to be a OYP post or a post about another feature. But something else got my feathers ruffled. A seller on Etsy wishes for an implementation to search only for American or Canadian made products.

This is a very sensitive topic. I have no intention of turning it into some political warfare. Not that I have the ability to do that. I am a seller and designer whose market is more than 90% international and whose country size has been seen as just a red dot on the map once. To see such a sweeping remark on the forums made me reconsider the reasons behind the not-too-great-sales record for many Asian stores on Etsy.

I can empathize if she rationalizes that it's cheaper to buy supplies shipped from her own country. Or maybe she is being patriotic. But to imply that the stuffs made in US or Canada are better in quality, I take offence. I've received vintage supplies from the States that never ought to see light again while the best I've ever bought are actually quality controlled from Singapore. The best stones I've ever seen come from India while one of my suppliers from the States often mix my orders up. I have surfed Etsy more than I work on my business and there's never been a correlation between country origins and handmade standards.

I buy my gemstones from all over the world, mostly from India, my chains from the States, my links from Korea, my gift bags from Hong Kong, my boxes from Thailand. My shop banner is UK designed. I have no qualms to go international because I judge the integrity from the descriptions, pictures, feedback and shop sales, not country.

Etsy might be very American-based now but didn't we read between the lines from the APEC forum? No longer can the world rely on the US consumers. We start to look at Asia. Honestly, it's not easy to break into the China market. They can literally create their own world. They don't need the rest of us. We need to work very hard to win them over. We might even lose a limb or two in the process but this is what business is about - risk and management. The way to react is not protectionism. Or giving sweeping remarks that "ours is better". It will just serve to alienate. To want others to come to you, you need to go to them. No one-sided relationship is sustainable.

So, if you want Etsy to implement something that allows you to search selectively only for materials made in the States, think again. You are actually also wishing for Etsy to prevent you from having international sales and help you to miss half the world.