this post was submitted on 23 Nov 2023
137 points (97.9% liked)

Cooperatives

360 readers
4 users here now

Here is a place for news and information about Cooperatives (Co-ops), Democratic Workplaces, Collectives, Communes, Intentional Communities, Eco-Vilages, etc. This community is the continuation/alternative to r/cooperatives on Reddit.

Regional/National Groups:

US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Northwest Cooperative Development Center

Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives (No Boss)

Worker-Owned and Run Cooperative Network of Greater Boston (Workin')

Valley Alliance of Worker Co-operatives (Vawk) NYC NoWC (Nic-knock)

Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Carolina Common Enterprise

Austin Cooperative Business Association

Tech Co-op Network

Alberta Community & Co-operative Association

Education & Development:

Cultivate.Coop Ed.coop

[Democracy at work](Democracy at work)

[Co-op Law](Co-op Law)

Find.Coop

CoopNetwork

International Co-operative Alliance

[Cooperative Fund of New England]

(https://cooperativefund.org/)

Working World Loan Fund

[Shared Capital, formerly North Country Development Fund](Shared Capital, formerly North Country Development Fund)

California Center for Cooperative Development

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives

Ralph K Morris Foundation

Cooperation Works!

[Democracy at Work Network](Democracy at Work Network)

Fund for Democratic Communities

Sustainable Economies Law Center

(PDF File) A Technology Freelancer's Guide to Starting a Worker Cooperative

Community-Wealth.org

[North American Students of Cooperation](North American Students of Cooperation)

Loomio Cooperative Handbook

News/Blogs:

Co-operative News

Co-operate And No One Gets Hurt

The Company We Keep

Grassroots Economic Organizing

Other Forums/Lists: r/Cooperatives

NOBAWC

WORCN

Tech Co-op List

founded 1 year ago
 

Finally, there's a no-tech-knowledge-needed alternative to Etsy. I'm really excited about where this will go!

top 13 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] SupraMario 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)

https://artisans.coop/

For anyone wanting the link and not an article.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

$1,000 buy-in with no trial period to see if this is even viable as a model? Oof. That's pretty steep. πŸ₯²

[–] cosmicrookie 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's a coop not a gofundme

[–] [email protected] -3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That's not even relevant as my initial comment had nothing to do with a handout, and only pointed out that $1,000 is a huge chunk of money for most, especially upfront for a completely untested marketplace intending to take on an industry leader for the interests of small-time makers and micro-businesses. Don't be childish.

[–] cosmicrookie 4 points 11 months ago

Can it be, that you haven't read the article? Because in it, you'd find this passage

That’s when she found out that there are other ways to earn points toward member-ownership, making it more accessible to those who cannot afford a $1000 expenditure. This is referred to as sweat equity, where artisans earn 25 points per hour by contributing their skills to the co-op

[–] tapdattl 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

You can earn the buy in by supporting the site with "member activities" which you can read more about here https://artisans.coop/pages/membership

Points can be purchased (1 point/US dollar) or can be earned from member activities (such as hanging up flyers or joining a team), sales, purchases, referrals, handmade verifications, and more. Learn more about our Points & Tiers Policy.

Most member activities currently earn 25 points/hour, so undertaking one full time week of member activities (40 hours) in most cases will earn you the 1,000 points you need for membership.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

The application could be better laid out; it should lead with that, instead of hit with the $1,000 upfront ask. Feels off, NGL.

[–] cosmicrookie 1 points 11 months ago

But it doesn't. You can pay with work for the co-operative instead of actual money. It says in the article that they have the point system exactly for this; people who can't afford the cost

[–] Thrawne 6 points 11 months ago

Had no idea etsy charged sellers 30%. I will have to keep am eye on this artisans coop

[–] SoleInvictus 5 points 11 months ago

This is GREAT! I've been burned by Etsy drop shippers too often so I've stopped using that platform. Super stoked to actually get handmade items and for the artist to make decent money off of it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What tech knowledge do you need to use Etsy?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)

None! The alternatives to Etsy usually require setting up your own website, etc., or getting screwed the same way as if you were using Etsy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

Ah, I misunderstood you. Thank you for the clarification