Can't belive how many people are copying this Etsy seller..

[citygirl]

Can't believe how many people are copying this Etsy seller..

Hi there, sometimes I browse Etsy to see what is "out" there and what people are charging for their bars of soap and I can't believe how many people are blatantly copying "Rockytop" soap making.

Many other sellers have copied his labels, photography, and concept. I always thought his soap is cool and appealing and I can see why it's quite popular--but really-- can't people think of their own concepts and marketing?

I suppose imitation is the best form of flattery.

 

[Amber123]

Arent there rules against that :-/

 

[Aline]

Wow - 13,000 sales of unscented soap (in 4 years). That's amazing! I think I will copy him...

 

[citygirl]

Wow - 13,000 sales of unscented soap (in 4 years). That's amazing! I think I will copy him...

ha! ha!:grin:

 

[Dorymae]

I went to see what you were talking about....but honestly... I don't know.

His labels are plain, minimalistic. What is there to copy? His photography is also very simple paper that looks like rock, smooth and flat not like there is a texture to copy.

Really anyone who uses minimalistic labels and simple photography could be said to be "copying" him but in reality it is a popular way to label.

 

[rmljr]

Etsy is not his only distribution channel.

 

[Meganmischke]

I went and looked too. I don't really see it. I know a couple local sellers that have never been on the Internet and their packaging is pretty much the same. Maybe I missed something?

 

[seven]

it's not only about the packaging. by doing a quick google search (w/o naming names), i can easily see a few other soapers that look awfully similar to rockytop. same approach, same rustic look, the whole unscented-all natural approach.

most of them are on etsy too, and it's easy to find out who was there first.

i would love to make soap like rockytop. scents (FO/EOs) are among the most expensive expenditures on my list. how nice would it be not to deal with them. looking at my current market, where the majority of my customer who came to my house, the first thing they did was sniffing the soap, i don't think i can do it

 

[Aline]

I'm just too addicted to scents to do anything unscented

 

[Ellacho]

I agree with Doremae. I also went to see what Rocky Top soaps were.... both soaps and labels are plain and simple. There is really not much to copy....

Btw, I think he is saving a good amount of money on soap materials/ingredients by not using FO/EO...

 

[robosqu1d]

The one that immediately caught my eye was labelled 'dog poo'.
On closer checking I realised that it was a shampoo bar for dogs... :-o

Great label appeal, I'm sure.

 

[lenarenee]

While waiting for my first soaps to cure, I ordered several of his bars and liked them all. There was nothing "special" about them; by that I mean outstanding lather, hardness, etc . What I loved was the fact that they were simple, quality bars of soap made with quality ingredients. The cucumber soap was made with vegetables he had grown. The bars were cleanly cut, uniform in size and simply labeled. All of those things gave me the impression this man concentrated on his ingredients.

The soap itself was not stripping, or greatly superfatted. My skin felt they way I liked after a shower.

Each "flavor" of soap has it's own unique scent. I like perfumed/colored soaps, yes, but there's something to be said for using a soap that you know is about as wholesome and pure as you can get!

 

[TVivian]

I don't see what there is to copy. It's all so plain and even the shape of the bars are pretty standard as far as molds go.

 

[LanaBanana]

I actually really like his etsy soap shop. I go on etsy just to look at these soaps. I am drawn to the simplicity.

I also recently noticed a word for word description of the tip to keep the soap dry between uses...another similar etsy seller has the same exact sentence on their soap description. I noticed this because I was specifically looking at how others worded the suggestion to keep the soap dry.

Coincidence? Maybe.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bex1982]

I've seen his soap, I like the look. Im also on not sure if ppl are copying so much as doing the same thing. I know a lot of ppl who do swirls but not sure if I would say they are all copying eachother. That rustic look has been around a lot longer than he has been on etsy.

 

[Dorymae]

I actually really like his etsy soap shop. I go on etsy just to look at these soaps. I am drawn to the simplicity.

I also recently noticed a word for word description of the tip to keep the soap dry between uses...another similar etsy seller has the same exact sentence on their soap description. I noticed this because I was specifically looking at how others worded the suggestion to keep the soap dry.

Coincidence? Maybe.

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2

The tip about letting the soap dry out is probably older than he is!! It is a standard thing for people who make homemade soap to include. I really don't know how many different ways you could word it but considering how many people sell soap - your going to have some that word the same.

 

[IrishLass]

I agree with Dorymae- the tip about keeping soap dry is probably older than he is. lol I have the same kind of instructions on all my soap labels worded very similar and I've never even heard of Rockytop soap until now.

After all, there are only so many ways one can convey the same idea in the same language about keeping soap dry when you only have a limited pool of appropriate words from which to choose. If you try too hard to keep your wording from sounding the same as someone else's wording, things just begin to start sounding a bit silly.

Seeing as how there are hundreds upon thousands of soap makers out there, it's only natural to eventually run across the same kind wording on a different label. I actually think it would be weird if you didn't.

I can also say the same thing about label design and soap swirls, etc...

Granted, there are copiers out there for certain,- I don't doubt that- but given that there are only so many ways that hundreds upon thousands of people can make a bar of soap and accompanying label (especially if one is going for the minimalist look), it shouldn't be too surprising/shocking to eventually run into someone else who has never before seen or heard of you to be doing and/or saying the same thing. At the very least, we shouldn't be too quick to jump to conclusions.

As the old adage goes, there's nothing new under the sun. The older I get, the more I see the truth of that saying.


IrishLass

 

[pamielynn]

IrishLass, I was going to say the same thing, but you said it better than I would have. I love his soap "look". I'm a sucker for plain soap, even my own, lol.

And yeah, I'm sure he's learned his soapmaking much the same as the rest of us. Is it copying when a youtube swirl video comes out and everyone scrambles to learn it?

 

[lisamaliga]

I'm just too addicted to scents to do anything unscented

I know what you mean! When I used to sell soap online I often sold more unscented than scented!