If only it was simply imitation.
To my disgust, I discovered yesterday that someone had not just imitated, but copied the majority of my website, selling mainly the same products. I am extremely disappointed that someone felt it necessary to do this and then cut their prices by 50% compared to mine.
Don't get me wrong, I know that there are plenty of talented, creative stitch marker jewellery designers out there and I enjoy looking at their work. There's a place for everyone and a niche in the originality of the designs. Until you copy someone else that is.
Most folk that love yarn and craft would understand that you can't simply copy someone else's ideas, down the text on their website - come on, at least be original with that, I mean, you've obviously created some handmade products, yet you have no imagination to present them in a different way to me. A coincide? I really don't think so. I know how long I spent finding the right words to describe my products and business, yet someone thinks it's OK to copy that and use it to sell their products. Did they think I would never know. Well I do. I know who they are and so do they.
Still I've been doing this for years and am well established in the knitting world, so should I be worried? Part of me is not worried, as I know from experience that her products are undervalued and the business model will not succeed for long at those prices. I will be more concerned when she realises this and increases the prices, which at least would reach my standard.
As with all businesses, evolution is inevitable and the way I feel right now, is that this is time to move on and reinvent the business, in part because someone has copied my work and also because I have found new words to describe my products and business. I realise too that it's nearly 6 years with much the same words and the world has moved on, and so inevitably I will too.
I've worked too damn hard at my business to let something like this put a spanner in the works.
So onwards and upwards....and to the copycat, what goes around comes around. That I do know.
Our yarn and craft website with all original stitch markers and accessories is celebrating it's 6th Birthday this month and we'll have something very special for all our valued customers :-) More details in the next week.
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