Interesting Preliminary Factoids...

[artsfarm]

Hi all-
I poked around to try and get an idea of what the popularity of vintage is, in all its forms, whether actual vintage/antique items, vintage components, etc. This is a very rough set of numbers since there is a lot of overlap, but even that tells you the word itself is seen as desirable. I'm trying to find out how many vintage sellers we have, and it's hard because not all of us (like me) have the word in our shop names. But, I've been called tenacious many a time, and if I have to actually count them, I will (but don't want to, trust me LOL).
So anyway, here's what I see so far:
(as of 2/6/08)

Vintage Category Listings: 30,824
'Vintage' in Tags/Titles (sitewide): 124,157
'Vintage" in Materials: 32,862

(Multiply that 30,824 by .20 per listing, plus relisting some, and add on the commission and see what you get)

*Note: subtract listings with 'vintage' in materials from 'vintage' in tags/titles and you get this: 93,333. This would be the number of listings using either vintage components and/or mistagged.

'Antique' in Tags/Titles: 17, 944
'AntiqueD' in Tags/Titles: 17,943 (there may be a huge amount of "antiqued" things picked up as "antique" since the system will drop the "D".

'Antique' in Materials: 4,826
'Antiqued' in Materials: 1,239

"Old" in Materials: 817

Seller Names with 'Vintage' in Them: 278
Seller Names with 'Antique':12

Seller Names with 'Retro': 109
'Retro' in Tags/Titles: 40,125
'Retro' in Materials: 710


Bonus: Number of Listings with 'Etsyvintage' in tags: 534-woohoo!
We need more :-D
I just had to go back and redo most of mine, because when we first started this, I typed it as 2 words, so I had to redo a ton of listings to show it as one word. Major Kudos for whoever came up with that lovely "last" button in editing. It's a beautiful thing :-)


I'm going to keep searching for more info and will give you guys an update soon, when I can see better how many actual sellers we have.

[LuAnn Smith]

Wow, you've been busy. To be honest, I think it's the popularity of vintage that really ticks some people off. They don't like the look of vintage, big deal! Different strokes for different folks but what I think they really don't like is the popularity of it...

[artsfarm]

Ah yes, but they DO like it. That's why there are so many using the term on things that really aren't, as well as all the new/repro/refinished stuff that's mistagged, whether accidentally or not. It's desirable; a 'hot commodity' he heh. If no one liked it, there wouldn't be so many people trying to emulate it.

If we could have some kind of central arena where vintage sellers can educate and maybe do a running Q&A type thing (like we have on flickr, but on-site), then whoever wanted to be informed, would be. It would be easier to weed out the things that 'really' don't belong, and then there would be less problems. We're not flooding the marketplace as is claimed; it's a errant stuff that's the problem.

I'm going to address this (again) when I write Admin, hopefully, today after I wind down my own 'list/renew-a-thon" LOL. Now that I'm reading what I just wrote, I may use this and elaborate a bit. I had written the Storque about a month ago about doing something there; either a one-time article or a column type thing, but no one got back to me.

[Vintage Art]

You have been very busy as said.....by LuAnn.....I myself love the sound of the name Vintage.....that is why I have been using it for years...I am Know as Vintage Treasures and Vintage Art...I have a domin named Vintage Altered Art....I was once told that anything Vintage can be anything used....vintage in the dictionary is only used for wine...so is this "vintage" just a fine tasting word....but if you pop it into your web brower..It will takes you everywhere from old photos to fine linens...491,000,000 pages with the yahoo seach..... and this is
what vintage is to me....I just love the sound of the word....and I think that others find it that way too.....Ok, and my age makes me very vintage.....LOL!

[artsfarm]

"Ok, and my age makes me very vintage.....LOL!"

...me too :-)
When someone asks my age, I like to tell them that I was born the same year as Rock & Roll he heh (1957)

[Vintage Art]

Then I am very very vintage....I was born 6 months before Pearl Harbor.....LOL! :-)

[christina]

You two "vintage" ladies are are too funny! Oh my Gosh artsfarm, you have been so busy with this info. Thanks for all your time. Can you explain to me what you mean by the "last" button? Is it something I should know for my listings? And I need to put etsyvintage into my tags too I suppose?

[RainbowVintage]

Since I haven't listed lately (shame, SHAME!) I haven't seen it yet, but the "Last" button is a new feature - if you edit an item you have listed, the "last" button will take you to the last page so you can click "Finish", instead of having to click through every single step.

[Carol Holmes]

I just added etsyvintage tags to my items yesterday, then took a look at everyone's tagged items. It was a much friendlier search, because I know all the sellers are here in one place. Every item I checked out made me say "cool....cool...very cool....super cool..." you get the picture !