By Peter Berton

LOS ANGELES – Ah, Valentine’s Day, when lovers’ fantasies turn to … whips, chains, ball-gags and fancy rope work. At least they do in the world of fetish artist Jay E. Moyes.

Moyes has designed a line of BDSM-oriented valentines to set dominant and submissive hearts aflutter. The designs were not a problem: Moyes has one of those minds that’s always dreaming up something devilish — and painful. The problem, he discovered, was how to market the cards.

Enter Etsy.com, a mainstream website allowing artisans to sell their wares directly to consumers. Unlike many other mainstream marketplaces, Etsy welcomes artists of all kinds, including those who specialize in erotic creations. Moyes’ valentines, which depict Femdom, shibari bondage, shemales and naughty archers, fit squarely within the erotic category.

“We’re marketing the cards through Etsy to gauge demand,” Moyes told YNOT.com. “Consumers feel more comfortable paying through a name they know, and we like how Etsy’s ‘mature’ filters handle the artwork.”

The market’s filters allow shoppers to search for what they want without encountering adults-only materials if they’d rather not deal with that kind of subject matter.

“Here’s the line Etsy has drawn: Mature work has to be tagged as mature, and the thumbnail has to be, at most, PG-rated,” Moyes said. “I’ve seen a lot of boobs, but not much else. They have a ‘no pornography’ clause, but that’s a little vague. I’ve taken it to mean either no hardcore penetration, or no photographic hardcore. Chances are hardcore photography would be an automatic ejection.

“The irony is, Etsy may not be a good fit for the industry per se, but it’s a perfect outlet for small businesses creating bondage and fetish gear,” he added. “There’s a whole group on Fetlife dedicated to kinky crafts on Etsy. The site has filled a great niche that many retailers and distributors don’t understand.”

Moyes had quite a bit more to say, as well.

YNOT: Why create kinky valentines?

Jay E. Moyes: I’ve been doing fetish art since the 1990s and have created holiday art for friends in the adult industry. I’ve done a few valentines here and there over the years, and this year I wanted to see how well they would sell.

What themes did you start with?

Right now, there is a Dominatrix card, shibari bondage card, sissy/shemale card and two archers, one in latex riding a vibrator.

Who is the market for this kind of unconventional greeting?

Anyone with a pervy sense of kinky humor — especially those into leather and latex.

What gave you the idea of going to a mainstream site like Etsy.com? Why not a more specialized marketplace?

I’ve been thinking of opening an Etsy account for more than a year. They understand that art, nudes and erotica do go together. I’ve seen quite a few examples of erotic art for sale on the site.

Another reason for going to Etsy is trust. Many consumers, myself included, like to go through a trusted site like Etsy, Amazon or eBay rather than purchase through an individual’s site.

In fact, you’ve described Etsy as a “perfect fit” for selling erotic art. Why?

What makes Etsy a perfect fit is they reach a demographic that prefers a handcrafted touch, and artists — and consumers — don’t have to deal with the high markup of an adult store.

For example, a typical fraternity-style paddle runs about $40 to $70 through online adult retailers and in adult stores. On Etsy, you can find handcrafted paddles of equal or better quality for around $20, made by the artists who market the work.

Social networking also provides another boost. There’s a team of kinky vendors on Etsy and Fetlife has an Etsy group. Etsy also has a way to post your items on Facebook and Twitter for extra exposure.

Sounds like Etsy encourages adult vendors. Is that true?

Etsy actually has a small community of adult artists who work in fetish fashion, jewelry, pleasure products and, of course, fine art. The way Etsy handles mature content is great. Your first pic must be PG-rated, because that image is public. However, additional images can be uncensored, as long as the product is tagged mature. They do have a no-pornography clause, but that seems to be aimed at hardcore photography.

What are your goals for selling these kinky Valentines?

It’s not so much a goal, but an experiment. If these take off on a direct-to-consumer level, I’ll create a kinky Christmas line for retail stores.