Regretsy has turned into one of the kindest, funniest, and most tight-knit communities every to begin with snark. Run by Helen Killer (aka professional voice actor April Winchell), Regretsy pokes fun at the strange world of Etsy. I know Etsy. I’ve had shops on Etsy on and off since it first opened. I have a shop right now for my family*. I’m no stranger to this bizarre world of DIY businesses.
Regretsy takes it a step further. They screengrab the listing, link back to the shop (to encourage someone to buy the strange/misspelled/inappropriate item), and write really dry and sarcastic commentary on the item. This site drives certain Etsy sellers up a wall, which just adds to more of the fun. If you think your work is above criticism, you’re in the wrong field. No one is perfect. Once you put work out there, you’re going to be judged. It’s far better to be targeted by a site that is just trying to get a laugh than a site that actively tries to deride, harass, and destroy lives.
Here’s how the site works. Either Helen or one of the regulars at the site finds a strange item, like pants made from discarded vintage afghans. They then screen-grab the listing and write commentary about why the item might be a little unusual. The army of 97000+ Facebook fans then sets to work trying to one up each other for the funniest comment connected to the post.
There’s a big heart behind the snark, though.