About Cactus Wren Creatives and The Owner

My name is Sarrah, and WELCOME to Cactus Wren Creatives.

I am a Nurse Practitioner by education and training but unfortunately had to leave the bedside in 2020 due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. This turned out to be a blessing because I was able to spend so much more time with my family. In my spare time I started Cactus Wren Creatives in 2020 by making hats and masks for hospital staff. Somehow this turned into hardware protectors for luxury handbags (quite the shift, I know). Next thing you know - I have a highly rated Etsy Store!

Why did I stop selling on Etsy?

Long story short: Etsy is a massive corporation. Like most massive corporations they create policies that hurt small businesses and allow actual fraud (like selling cheap stuff from Ali Express as handmade) to proliferate the site.

I opened my Etsy store in 2019. I was the first person on the site to be selling hardware protectors for bags on the website. A few months after opening my store I noticed a new shop selling the same items I was. When I looked up the shop information I saw that it was a person who had ordered from me, copied all of my designs and opened her own shop (Keep The Luxe). Around the time she opened her shop I started noticing that my listings were mysteriously being removed for not adhering to Etsy's policies. I suspect my listings were being maliciously reported to increase sales for other businesses selling similar items. At that time I was able to contest the removals and have them reinstated within a few business days. I went through this process no less than 40 times and at one point had to submit video evidence that I was not a reseller and was actually making my items. After dozens of de-listed and re-listed items and my store actually being closed down by Etsy at one point (which I was able to successfully appeal) the de-listing of my items stopped.

That was until June 2023.

It was at this time that once again, despite having gone through an extensive vetting process with Etsy - my listings were getting removed again. This time I could not email anyone at Etsy and my "support requests" (the new process for businesses who need help) made through Etsy support were ignored after one person simply copied and pasted the applicable "policy" I was "violating" (which I was not). Every request I filed thereafter would just be merged with the initial support request that was not even replied to in a meaningful way. It is likely that my items are being delisted because there are so many fake handbag sellers on Etsy and my listings contain similar key words (despite not being handbags). Unfortunately Etsy's (presumably automated) de-listing process is far from perfect, yet they do not provide a way for sellers to be able to resolve issues. It has been made clear that they do not care about small businesses.

In addition to all of this, Etsy is no longer a place for artisans or other creators. The vast majority of the items found on Etsy are cheap garbage from Ali Express sold as "handmade". These shops sometimes have tens of thousands of successful sales despite not being "handmade or vintage". Etsy is well aware of this but again, do not care so long as they are receiving their fees.

I have moved all of my listings to my own website and look forward to seeing both new and familiar names on little teal packages in the future!