Last month we shared with you a series of conferences and events that you can consider for 2024. This month, we want to share more about the new Indie Seller’s Guild’s virtual conference in April. This is a great option if attending other conferences simply isn’t in your budget this year.
It’s no secret that there has been a lot of upheaval on a number of online platforms over the last year. We’ve partnered with Indie Sellers Guild to share more on their new virtual convention. As part of this convention, you will learn the results from their comprehensive study on what sellers want from marketplaces, as well as many other topics to help you deal with challenges in your business. Below, you can see the full conference session lineup!
Indie Sellers Guild Virtual Convention: Support Small Sellers - Freedom from Etsy and other Big Tech
Start: Saturday, April 13, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT
End: Sunday, April 14, 2024 at 5:00 PM EDT
Buy your ticket now! Only $1 to cover the cost of the convention, we want the event to be as accessible as possible.
What to do if you get screwed by a tech platform - with Katharine from the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Did a platform shut down your account, withhold money, or take down your listings? Or even take money directly from your account for supposed terms of use violations, as happened at Paypal?
We know the options are limited for platform workers and small businesses that have been screwed by the tech platform they earn income through. But in this panel we’ll talk about best practices you can take, any steps to protect yourself as much as possible, and the success stories we’ve heard from people who fought back.
How to use your Etsy shop to direct traffic to your own site (without breaking Etsy’s rules)
ISG President Kristi has over 15 years experience as a creative indie seller and navigating the ever changing landscape of Etsy. Hear her presentation on how to use your Etsy shop to build up the traffic to your own standalone site, all still within Etsy’s rules!
Etsy Alternatives
We have both a crowd-sourced database of alternative marketplaces and websites to Etsy AND a math tool that lets you plug in item prices and see the cost in fees of each marketplace! Join us for a live demo, ask questions about these amazing tools and share what other features you want to see.
What do sellers and customers really want from an online marketplace?
A presentation on the results from our Marketplace Research Study! We spent a year collaboratively designing the study with creative indie sellers and gathered over 1300 responses on topics ranging from fees, customer service, who is allowed to sell, search functionality and more.
Learn what the data says creative indie sellers want from a marketplace for handmade, vintage and craft goods. Learn what customers prioritize when searching for handmade and vintage businesses. This presentation is for both marketplaces and sellers themselves.
Solidarity in the face of Big Tech
Online platforms are the newest work environment, one that does not yet have the legal protections of other work. Let’s discuss how platform workers can work together to fight against exploitation. We’ll share what has worked for us, both during the Etsy strike and since we formed and grew the Indie Sellers Guild.
Live Interviews with Marketplaces
Have a chance to ask your questions to marketplaces that care about their sellers and learn more about our Marketplace Accreditation Program
Alyssa and Alana from Artisans Coop in the US
Born out of the Etsy Strike just like the Indie Sellers Guild, Artisans Coop is a rapidly growing group of artisans and their supporters. They are creating an authentic handmade online marketplace. Think “Etsy,” but more honest and inclusive, more supportive of artisans, and more selective as a “verified handmade” marketplace for shoppers!
Jon from goimagine in the US
Goimagine is the first marketplace to volunteer for ISG accreditation back when we first pitched the program. Just like a farmer’s market or street fair in your hometown, artisans deserve to have a socially responsible space to sell online that is focused on building community instead of shareholder profits. Learn about this marketplace that gives sellers a vote on the board and donates their profits to charity.
Racheal from Mayfli marketplace in the UK
Mayfli is the first UK marketplace to apply for ISG accreditation. Started by a former Etsy seller, this marketplace offers seller support and training.
Sally from the Virtual Market in Canada
The Virtual Market is the first Canadian marketplace to apply for accreditation. They are an online sales platform for Makers and Artists to sell their products that prioritizes the small shops and their needs.
Lisa from Indie Untangled in the US
Indie Untangled is a marketing platform for independent yarn dyers, knitting and crochet designers and makers of accessories for use by yarn crafters.
Big Tech Must Pay
We realized that the problems Etsy sellers face are the same problems platform workers and small businesses face on other platforms. And that regardless of industry or type of business, there are a ridiculous number of ways big tech platforms can essentially steal money from those who generate the actual value for the platform!
Hear the stories from our ongoing research on how platforms mess with the money of those who make a living on them and join the discussion on what we can do about it.
Where was that made? Why transparency on product sourcing matters.
Guest speaker Wendy Rosen has been a leader in the American handmade industry for over 40 years. Join us for her presentation on why we need transparency on where products were made, both so customers know what they are buying and authentic handmade sellers can stand out from fraudulent resellers. Learn about the important legislation we are supporting to combat the reselling of mass produced goods fraudulently labeled as handmade.
In 1982, Wendy Rosen founded the Buyers Market of American Craft, aka American Made Show. The show grew to include 1,600 exhibiting artists and 8,000 attending buyers from galleries, museums and design firms and became a 14 Billion contribution to the nations annual GDP.
In the 1990’s Top department stores, museum shops and national park stores started to look overseas for products that suspiciously resembled the works of American artisans, Rosen founded the American Made Alliance and advocated on Capitol Hill for improvements to product labeling enforcement.
Today, Rosen helps individual artists with business strategies for growth as well as providing community development plans for cultural tourism and Main Street organizations.
How to shop your values
Amanda McCarty from Clotheshorse Podcast joins us to talk about how we can support the kinds of businesses we care about and shop our values. An advocate of the slow fashion movement with over 15 years experience as a buyer in the fashion industry, Amanda will share her insights on how the different movements such as shop local, shop eco friendly, and shop handmade are not always the same, and how we can be better informed to spend our money in line with the issues we care about.
Want more ideas on trade shows and conventions you could attend this year?
