Etsy selling real fur *MNHQ Content Warning for written imagery of extreme animal cruelty*

[CSIblonde]

I searched faux fur cushions on Etsy & got a UK seller selling real rabbit fur, sourced from Hong Kong. I knew rabbit fur, imported, is ok in UK law but I didn't expect to find it on a modern,forward thinking company's website. You can't fail to know (sickening videos of it are everywhere ) that slaughter methods there involve a slow, painful death,often skinned alive. You can't email their CEO but there is an [email protected] who I emailed expressing my disappointment. I got the most patronising email back ,quoting import law & saying that because they have a diverse community & seller base there were bound to be some things I found 'disagreeable'. If you want to check it out, redbubble.com is just like Etsy but has way more choice,far nicer products & doesn't sell real fur.

@Elsewyre you obv haven't googled Yulin Dog Festival, or know about current legislation trying to stop it. I don't see how it's racist to find boiling & skinning dogs,cats & rabbits alive horrible. My partner is half Arab,half French btw as you're obsessed with race. Korea is now making some headway on reforming their animal welfare law around humane slaughter .

@Readandtalk people are entitled to their opinion, I'm just letting those who feel the same a out real fur know: & stating that there are alternative sites.

OP, people are contrary as fuck on this site. It's considered animal cruelty and abusive if you squash a bug in your house, but god forbid someone say 'I've found this site is allowing the selling of fur which I find inhumane' - you'll get (as you've seen) posts picking apart what you're saying and being completely disingenuous.

Personally I dislike Etsy as a site for allowing 'KILL ALL TERFS' products but banning 'adult human female' ones, but that's by the by. I can't comment on the validity of your comments about the fur industry in China as I have no knowledge of it.

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion,sorry for being graphic but the meat markets & Yulin sell fur & meat. I was highly skeptical until Googled . Lisa Vanderpump off Real Housewives has driven a longstanding campaign to stop the trade & has been out there & seen it for herself. She's had some success in getting US legislation changed on it.

@Whereverigoddamlike, I've never bought off eBay. Such a faff bidding & anything I've seen with 'buy it now', I've seen cheaper elsewhere .

I'm definitely against any type of animal fur or animal cruelty but I think you're overreacting.

If that lady has sold some rabbit fur then I'm sure some of those buyers are also here on MN posting under random usernames. MNHQ are letting rabbit fur sellers and buyers post on their site, what are you going to do? Are you going to send them an email telling them why you won't be using their site anymore or will you suggest they do a questionnaire asking people if they've been associated with rabbit fur or animal cruelty before they can be allowed to post on MN?

Are you vegan OP? Just curious.

I wondered how long it would be until someone asked are you vegan.

Obviously you can have no views on animal rights if you are not vegan .
People on here are so naive to think animals are not skinned alive. The videos are not fake. People all around the world are causing unimaginable suffering to animals to get fur. The reason it won't stop is people's ignorance.

I’ve seen the footage of dogs being boiled bbq’d and blowtorched alive. Rabbits and other fur animals being skinned alive and the pink shiny skinned body dumped in piles whilst they blink and eventually die. Cats clubbed over the head. Terrified pigs repeatedly bashed over and over with a metal bat whilst the others looked on. All from China,. The worst most graphic animal cruelty I’ve seen comes from there.
My twin worked in various areas of China and saw these practices himself. I have footage he sent me if his experiences.
They do not try to minimise the suffering or make a quick kill.
But then it’s not much different to the pig gas chambers we have here in the uk because people love their bacon. That’s not slow and the pigs are screaming and suffering. Or the dairy industry who shoot newborn males who are deemed worthless. Or the egg industry who grind up alive the tiny male yellow chicks. It’s all wrong. Poster who thinks animals are not skinned alive in China is deluded. Happens every single day. And no it’s not racist to state the truth.

Thanks OP - it’s good to know there’s a better alternative out there! Don’t know why you’re getting so much snark from PPs

Also would like to point out that I am actually vegan and I don’t subscribe to this weird insistence on moral purity on mumsnet where the consensus seems to be that if you aren’t doing absolutely everything in your power to avoid interacting with animals then you’re a massive hypocrite for trying to do anything at all to minimise their suffering.

Most vegans think it’s great when people take any steps to reduce their consumption of animal products. They don’t think ‘you eat cheese so you have no right to care about rabbits being skinned alive’.

Do you eat eggs OP? Do you know what they do to the useless male chicks?

My twin worked in various areas of China and saw these practices himself. I have footage he sent me if his experiences.

Why did he send you the footage and why would you keep it? I'd have told him after the first one.

The ignorance shown by some posters on this thread! Fur is mostly NOT a by-product of the meat industry, and many animals ARE skinned alive to preserve their coat.
Here's a link (no gruesome photos here, although they are easy to find online):
www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/fur/fur-farms/

@slashlover Maybe because I asked him to.
The footage and photographs can be used to highlight the horror these animals face, and to help educate those who want to listen and learn. But also as evidence for the many (as shown on this thread) who simply do not believe it happens.

I’m with the OP here. The argument that Etsy aren’t responsible for the products on their site is nonsense. They removed the ‘i heart jk Rowling’ stuff and the dictionary definition of woman stuff, on the grounds of it causing offence. I would boycott any store or site knowingly selling fur, so I’m grateful for the info. Others can obviously keep buying from there if they choose.

What is with these descriptions of animal torture?

Etsy is like ebay in that the sellers just sign up.
But I think selling fur should be illegal, its vile.

Awww, red bubble, where artist's designs are stolen and sold for money (that the artisit won't see) after being stuck onto cheap products.

Red bubble doesn't do anything about that either.

Fur is grim, but so is leather

They've all got it. Amazon, Etsy, ebay, Red Bubble, Aliexpress.

I'd be impressed if you managed to find a selling site where they didn't sell it.

I was told that all those fluffy bag charms that were trendy a few years ago were real fur. The pompom things. I'm not sure how accurate the info was, but it was in supermarkets, high street shops. The garments are clearly labelled faux fur because its a seller that way, but the pompom keyring for a fiver provably doesn't have to be. I think there's more fur about in accessories than people realise. They think they're buying faux.

Several issues here. Etsy is the platform. You can contact them and inform them of the seller and ask them to remove them from the platform.

If the fur is a by-product of other processes (the meat industry, for eg) then it is much more ethical to use the fur than burn it. (same goes for bones, entrails and other "inedible" parts)

Second hand fur is more eco-friendly than the fake fur being produced new, as it already in the world, and bio-degradable when it is eventually binned.

If your original intention was bringing people's attention to the unethical practices of the fur industry - meh. People know about it.

@differentnameforthis

Awww, red bubble, where artist's designs are stolen and sold for money (that the artisit won't see) after being stuck onto cheap products.

Red bubble doesn't do anything about that either.

This. Red Bubble is not like Etsy and it doesn’t have nicer products.

Goose down is a horrific product, but people still buy coats, quilts, pillows with it in.
Fur coat hoods from caged for life animals are big sellers too.
The whole thing must be banned and shame on those who buy into it.
And no, we dont use leather, our last 2 cars cost more because of this (wanting high spec, but no leather), nor anything cruelty related.

Do you boycot Tesco and asda because they sell meat?

Do you refuse medical treatment because animals suffered in the process of making them safe?

Do you make sure all of your clothes and products are ethically sourced and there has been no slave labour involved in you getting your cheap top or jeans?

The fur industry is really no worse than the meat industry these days.

Unless you're going to take exception to all of the above, then you're a bit of a hypocrite really.