'It's another place to get your work featured,' Etsy spokesman Adam Brown said.

We send millions of hits to Etsy and drive a lot of business to sellers whose aesthetic isn't exactly their front page,' Winchell added. 'We do fill a need, in our own weird way. They simply asked that I add a disclaimer stating that we were not affiliated in any way, and that I change some of my colors to help separate the look of the two sites. 'To my surprise, they had no interest in shutting me down. She said Etsy has taken the creation of Regretsy with good humor. There are actually quite a few charities that solicit handmade goods,' Winchell said. When I reach $200 in profits, I hire an Etsy seller to make handmade items for charity. 'They all share their experiences and their thoughts on criticism and creating,' she said.Īny profits earned through Regretsy, such as through advertisements and merchandise, go into the 'Regretsy Alchemy Fund.' The book also features a sellers' guide of participating Etsy shops, as well as comments from sellers. She left out sellers' identifying information, not wanting to embarrass them. 'I didn't have much purpose at first beyond making people laugh,' Winchell said. She created the site last fall under the pseudonym 'Helen Killer,' inspired by some of the comically strange, creepy or just plain baffling items she stumbled upon while browsing Etsy. Some such creations, deemed worthy of extra attention, show up on Regretsy, a blog that pokes fun at Etsy's offerings and has taken on a life of its own.Ĭheekily subtitled, 'Where DIY meets WTF,' Regretsy is the brainchild of Los Angeles comedian/writer April Winchell, who calls it 'a marketing tool, a humor site and a community of creative, funny people.' Previous Nextįrom embroidered toilet paper to 'Christmas nativity meerkats,' is full of intriguing items. This egg ornament, created by Jennifer Barrows of Mountain View, was included in an advent calendar on the spoof website.

Regretsy by April Winchell