A consolation prize I have to pay for?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

So, this just happened.

Jeweler that I like (who is on Etsy) made a set of decorative keys that were inspired by the Sailor Moon wands.

She plastered everywhere that she's only making ONE OF EACH and they will be in her shop AT THIS TIME on THIS DAY.

They keys sell out in maybe 2.5 minutes.

Okay, fine. I'm mad that I had the key IN MY CART but someone was just slightly faster to the "pay" button.

What made me even more mad?

The jeweler comes on facebook not a half hour later and is all "WOW! They sold out so fast! Amazing! But the good news is that I've decided to use the pictures I used to sell them on messenger bags, purses, and laptop cases that will be coming soon! These are made to order so they can't sell out!"

Uh... what? You're expecting me to buy something ELSE that just has a picture of the actual item I want on it? How about I just take my money, go to another Etsy artist and commission a necklace from them based around the Sailor Moon wand I wanted anyway? You already proclaimed that you would NEVER take commissions for these keys either, so you cut yourself off from that revenue stream.

Hell, I probably wouldn't even have to commission someone. Sailor Moon is popular. There is a very good chance I can just FIND a Sailor Pluto influenced necklace/key/pendent just sitting in someone's shop already.

Yeah. I think it would've been better off if she hadn't "offered" this in the first place. At least for me. No way am I parting with my money for a reminder that I have been this close to getting the key, but someone else's internet was faster.

[AccountingDrone]

is this it?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1119314...pluto-necklace
If so, you can very easily make it for yourself - the various pieces are available, many of them from Fire Mountain Gems. I can pretty much be positive that is exactly where she shops - though the swarovsky crystal beads are also available at JoAnne Fabrics ...

[Ginger Tea]

That one saying only one available, looking at it you could knock together plenty in a short time frame, I thought it might have been something more intricate (I did see a proper door key intricately cut and decorated but still able to open the lock it was cut for) but this as a one off, not seeing it.

There were plenty of stalls in Affleck's Palace in Manchester that sold 'charm' pieces similar to those pictured and most might still be there (I no longer live locally to check) nothing about that linked image says I couldn't buy the parts and make it in one of the cafe's on site within half hour of entering the store (time to find all parts could increase the browsing/shopping time).

If it was engraved or a specially cut hand made piece I could understand, or another etsy seller who sews nits or embroiders work, yeah you can go to a store and buy fabric but you cant just knock up a Janes hat without knowing how to knit first.

[Sarah Valentine]

If I were you I'd be mad too, good luck finding your Sailor Pluto item elsewhere.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Nah it was from a different place. It was just a key with charms placed on it. I don't want to really link it because I feel like it would be me point at her going "OMG YOU STOOPID" and I'd rather not be "that girl." However, I do know that she just buys keys/charms from probably the Etsy crafting materials sections and then just puts them together in a pretty fashion. She doesn't make any piece of her keys by hand, just buys the parts and sticks them together.

However, the good news is that my friend in Japan offered to order me an OFFICIAL Sailor Pluto key bag charm and then ship it over to me (I'm in the USA.) So I am very pleased.

This has also inspired me to design a few quilted pillow cases (for throw pillows) that are inspired by Sailor Moon. I've already got a design kind of pounded out for Sailor Pluto's Garnet Orb.

[AccountingDrone]

Nah it was from a different place. It was just a key with charms placed on it. I don't want to really link it because I feel like it would be me point at her going "OMG YOU STOOPID" and I'd rather not be "that girl." However, I do know that she just buys keys/charms from probably the Etsy crafting materials sections and then just puts them together in a pretty fashion. She doesn't make any piece of her keys by hand, just buys the parts and sticks them together.

However, the good news is that my friend in Japan offered to order me an OFFICIAL Sailor Pluto key bag charm and then ship it over to me (I'm in the USA.) So I am very pleased.

This has also inspired me to design a few quilted pillow cases (for throw pillows) that are inspired by Sailor Moon. I've already got a design kind of pounded out for Sailor Pluto's Garnet Orb.

Threaded onto the shaft? FMGems also sells keys that unscrew so you can thread the beads and goodies on the shaft ... honest, you can pretty much make your own if you can look at a picture and duplicate it.

[wolfie]

She plastered everywhere that she's only making ONE OF EACH and they will be in her shop AT THIS TIME on THIS DAY.

How about I just take my money, go to another Etsy artist and commission a necklace from them based around the Sailor Moon wand I wanted anyway? You already proclaimed that you would NEVER take commissions for these keys either, so you cut yourself off from that revenue stream.

And if this "artist" goes after whoever you commission the item from, she'll run into 2 BIG problems:

1) Since it's based on a 3rd party's intellectual property, unless she's secured a license from the owner, how can SHE claim her IP is being infringed on?

2) Since she's already stated that she won't make any more of them, the other artist won't be cutting into her sales - therefore actual damages are zero.