What Happened To Etsy?

The online handmade goods marketplace, Etsy, is at a crossroads. After booming during the pandemic, the company's gross merchandise sales have been flat in 2022 and 2023. Etsy's stock is down more than 70% from its all-time high in 2021, and its first-quarter 2024 earnings report revealed another disappointing earnings miss. Some of its sellers say the company's laser-sharp focus on growth has pushed Etsy away from its core mission - to keep commerce human - and instead allows for an increasing number of drop shippers to join the platform.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:46 Chapter 1. A revolutionary idea
5:39 Chapter 2. At a crossroads
9:30 Chapter 3. The future
Correction (May 21, 2024): At 4.27 we misstated that Josh Silverman laid off 22% of the staff. The correct number is 15%. The other 8% coincided with his appointment.
Produced, Shot and edited by: Natalie Rice
Animation by: Christina Locopo, Jason Reginato
Senior Managing Producer: Tala Hadavi
Editorial Support: Jeniece Pettitt
Footage: Getty Images, AP Photos, Etsy, Nicole Aline Legault, Chiarra Lohr
Additional sourcing: FactSet, Oppenheimer & Co., Wayback Machine
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What Happened To Etsy?

[@samanthaball5980]

Etsy search results are flooded with cheap mass produced drop ship garbage instead of the handcrafted and well thought creations that made the site popular. Change it back!

[@mykki.d]

Is it possible for a public company to revert back to private lol

[@Bryan-od1lw]

@@mykki.d yes. Twitter was made public and once Elon bought it he made it go private.

[@sunshine69962]

exactly, so tired of the absolute JUNK. I despise drop ship crap. Scum.

[@Justcetriyaart]

​@@mykki.dthey have to buy their shares back

[@TomNook.]

It's basically turned into Amazon marketplace

[@claudiaimmerzeel5415]

Etsy was supposed to be a marketplace for homemade goods, but now it's just an Amazon alternative. There's no room for home crafters anymore.

[@blackcherry6877]

You can't even call it an alternative to Amazon because they don't have as much inventory as Amazon. I cannot remember the last time I brought anything on Etsy.

[@heathercole2447]

Totally agree! Etsy used to be about the little guy and now it's just another mass produced money maker for the big corporations or those who have found a way to make bug bucks on something that isn't genuinely handmade.

[@Beadsnweaves]

But atleast amazon gives volume in business. Etsy charges a bomb for a peanut of sales.

[@kay-w35]

I bought what I thought was a homemade quilted bag for a knitting project bag, and it was packaged like it came out of a factory. I felt very duped and it was the last time I searched Etsy for something. I try to seek out small sellers who have their own website or shopify page first. I don't buy anywhere near the amount that I used to.

[@deelee4639]

Ebay

[@johannaverplank4858]

I used to sell my handmade silver jewelry on Etsy, but I stopped due to the deluge of fake and counterfeit products being sold. I can’t compete with people selling cheap, mass produced items. They’ve pushed true artisans off the site.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Profits over people. Coin over community. Economy over ethics. 💪😎✌️ THIS IS THE FUTURE. ⚔️🇱🇷⚔️ #Murica #Corporatism #Schlavery

[@claudiaimmerzeel5415]

Same here

[@dklee.01]

:((((( this is so sad. it’s not right !!

[@dklee.01]

@@Novastar.SaberCombat😭😭😭

[@mamapsims]

Same. I've been with Etsy since 2012 but it's really hard now because I can't lower my prices but so much to compete.

[@jordankatz1660]

Josh Silverman completely destroyed Etsy for sellers.

[@monbeauparfum1452]

Greed greed greed

[@ts4231]

For buyers too. I’ve gotten scammed numerous times on products the seller claimed was homemade but was an extremely poorly made Chinese knock-off. The scam sellers even steal other legitimate seller’s photos. How is Etsy not catching this?

[@WorldsEnd84]

And in doing that, he completely destroyed it for buyers like me as well.

[@themeanmachine84]

@@WorldsEnd84 and now all the management will wonder and talk on countless board meetings about "why are we not making more money?!".

[@bluewren65]

..and for buyers, I would argue.

[@ItsMeHammie]

Going public was the nail in the coffin for Etsy. As soon as you become slaves to the shareholders it's all about making soul sucking decisions to increase profits.

[@mykki.d]

When are we going to realize that this is a failed economic system? This “shareholders above all” ideology is destroying the country. Call me dramatic but it’s true!

[@quirkyeerieepisodes.]

You read my mind, startups die in their first few years too

[@the0ne809]

Companies cannot just grow forever. That's what shareholders want.

[@WiscoTricks]

"Who cares about 5 years from now, I want a return NOW."

[@rowinrowinson8455]

you realize private companies also have shareholders right?

[@freedomthroughspirit]

The fact that they consider themselves a competitor with Amazon is a huge red flag... they weren't originally, they were totally different markets. Trust is gone. Sad to see this same old story repeat yet again; corporate profits over all else that ultimately ruins the unique gem that it was.

[@justaname999]

It's even visible looking at Kalin's face when talking about Etsy and then comparing it to Silverman's face. One person is actually excited and honest, the other has no clue about what the platform is about.

[@saint438]

They are using Amazon as an excuse for their failure. Any company that allows counterfeit products is not looking out for their customers.

[@LittleMew133]

Completely forgot their roots

[@piscinaiv7937]

This right here. 'Focusing on growth' where the foundation of the original business was predicated on creators being artisans.

[@jenniferlynn3537]

Etsy has also tried to position itself as a competitor to EBay, with small shops angling to sell vintage goods to interior decorators at inflated prices. And then there’s the elevated cost of shipping which Etsy claims is to “offset its carbon footprint.” Well, I happen to have an exceptionally small carbon footprint already, and really resent having to pay more to have something delivered than I would if I purchased it on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari or Amazon. Why should I have to fund Etsy’s virtue-signaling PR campaign? As if that’s not bad enough, Etsy prioritizes displaying sponsored items over merchandise that actually matches the search terms. It’s very frustrating to shop on Etsy, and who the heck wants to scroll through 25+ pages of 75% inaccurate items to locate something you might be interested in purchasing? It’s not a great environment for sellers, either. My sister makes high quality custom make jewelry for a living, and attracts new clients by displaying her wares at different fairs, bazaars and local markets. I asked why she didn’t have an Etsy shop, and she wrinkled her nose and said that Etsy only shows sponsored items - so if a seller doesn’t pay the extra monthly premium to have their item promoted, their merch gets buried under pages of sponsored items. Since that extra premium doesn’t guarantee a sale (why would it when Etsy will advertise the item to people looking to buy something entirely different) she said it just wasn’t worth her time - and other craftspeople she knew agreed.

[@ykk239]

Etsy went downhill. As someone who sold on the platform since 2011, I finally left the platform after 13 years. Lackluster sales, ridiculous rules, overlooking junk...I am done.

[@ffgarcia]

Where do you sell now instead? I’m looking for options

[@ykk239]

@@ffgarcia not selling again for a bit. Just needing a break. I have loads of friends who have switched to selling in small shops or at local markets and do quite well. Best of luck to you!

[@BestGirlYazy]

@@ffgarciaat this point most artists are switching to their own web stores through places like shopify, which sucks because you loose the customers who were finding you via search :( they really ruined a great thing

[@silverlagomorpha3177]

Plaid did for me. Third party payment system that required access to all transactions past present and future on the bank account I was using… big red flag. They don’t need that to deposit payment. They are selling my data. Boom. All my stuff now resides in a local brick and mortar.

[@silverlagomorpha3177]

I spent more time photographing and listing and researching SEO than actually making. It was driving my hourly income down to pennies. And the crazy “unboxing experience” was insanely expensive to create and pack and ship.

[@tahirisaid2693]

Our economy struggling with uncertainties, housing issues, foreclosures, global fluctuations, and pandemic aftermath, causing instability. Rising inflation, sluggish growth, and trade disruptions need urgent attention from all sectors to restore stability and stimulate growth.

[@GeralynWinnifeld]

With the US dollar losing value to inflation and other currencies gaining traction, uncertainty looms. Yet, many still trust in the Dollar's perceived safety. Worried about my $420,000 retirement savings losing value, I seek alternative security for my money.

[@chriswalter92]

With my demanding job, I lack time for investment analysis. For seven years, a fiduciary has managed my portfolio, adapting to market conditions, enabling successful navigation and informed decisions. Consider a similar approach.

[@JalenBooekr]

this is definitely considerable! think you could suggest any professional/advisors i can get on the phone with? i'm in dire need of proper portfolio allocation

[@chriswalter92]

Angela Lynn Schilling is the Iicensed coach l use. Just research the name. You'd find necessary detaiIs to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment.

[@JalenBooekr]

I appreciate it. After searching her name online and reviewing her credentials, I'm quite impressed. I've contacted her as I could use all the help I can get. A call has been scheduled.

[@PlastiBots]

As an ETSY seller, I’m drowning in their ridiculous fees. They try to dilute it by separating them out. For any one sale, there are 7-9 different fees.

[@GorgieClarissa]

Etsy is GREEDY AF

[@SuksesSmart]

I’m on the same boat, time ago I had a sale for $424 and just on fees was $140 if they don’t do something that’s gonna be the end of my shop.

[@brandoncecil2303]

I calculated that’s It’s about 35% of the total sale in fees. Sure you can decline to offer free shipping and turn off the “marketing” but nobody will ever find you.

[@bbssxcugc_]

no literally so many ridiculous fees yet still they’re not even pushing our products unless we have to go again and pay for Ads or promotion which really sucks their peak was in 2015-2020, now everyone wants to make fast money and ruin certain things for us

[@captaindingbat]

I joined a few months ago, I made a few sales but the fees have wiped out almost all my profits. I’m considering closing the shop up before I go into the negative again when everything is due to update, another 0.20 per item. 😢

[@chapelknight951]

The fall of Etsy's dedication to locally made, hand-made goods is tragic. The old Etsy was great for gifts and custom crafts.

[@astroboirap]

its funny

[@xlynx9]

Still is

[@kenfern2259]

it still is u gotta know where to look

[@OddWeird461]

@@kenfern2259It shouldn’t be so hard to find hand made items.

[@absolutefreedom8035]

not really, waiting one month for a so called handmade product was horribly annoying and the prices were atrocious

[@marion1490]

As a long time Etsy seller, since 2009, there has been a change in 'customer'. I make linen clothing to order and have a handfull of PDF sewing patterns available in my shop. Since 2023 I regularly receive messages from customers asking why their ordered apron hasn't arrived yet. When I check their order, it turns out they have bought a sewing pattern for an apron for 7.50$ Since this year I have larger orders. No longer one skirt here, a pair of pants there, but customers buying 3, 4, 5 of the same model skirt at once. When the skirts arrive, they contact me wanting to send a few back. Apparently they purchase a few colours and send back the colours they don't like. The tendency seems to be that the current customer simply doesn't realize an item is handmade. And that is what happens when Etsy starts competing with Amazon, Temu and Shein.

[@jeancunha6796]

Etsy is my go to for patterns! I wonder if I have some of yours? That's pretty much the only thing I buy there.

[@lindakossak7248]

I joined Etsy in 2006 when Rob Kalin still owned it and it was fun to be a seller. We all made money back then doing what we loved to do. I shut my shop in 2013 when the fees started ruining our profits and you couldn’t be seen in search unless you bought ads. Eventually sellers won’t be able to afford the fees.

[@CherryBlawesome]

It was great in 2010 for me. Like you said, sales suddenly dropped in 2013 for me as well. I even noticed the competition giving up. I knew it was an Etsy thing because my personal website was keeping pace. I kept my shop open to funnel customers to my personal website, but sales were so bad and the Ads that didn’t even work! I’m convinced Etsy hid my shop from being seen unless I paid. I never trusted Etsy ads again after that. Sales started picking up again in 2017ish. But now in 2024 it is the worse I have ever seen it. Sales are at an all time low. I make more on my personal website. This is the first time in over a decade I actually had to manually pay my Etsy fees because I didn’t make enough profit to cover my listings. That is NUTS!

[@cindybaird9589]

@@CherryBlawesome May I ask how you promote your personal website? I just joined Etsy in fall 2023 and man it is tough but seems the only way to have a venue people will go to:(

[@youngaries8]

I remember the days when Etsy removed my listings for not being handmade enough and now they allow every piece of mass produced junk on there.

[@naturalnashuan]

And bulk counterfeits

[@DrKritter]

I've seen people reselling things from World Market on there. It's crazy.

[@user-bi8ko7kc6h]

Last year they removed my 99% handmade product (excluding the materials), after I contacted the customer service they removed my account 😂. So yeah, they still remove handmade products but let the made in China stay.

[@mountainmisterscraftingwithjan]

Lori copyrighted infringements there too!

[@MsJellyBellyLove]

I miss Regretsy.

[@amandacrowder9783]

a company like Etsy should never go public. Period. The idea that a company must have limitless growth is non sustainable for the majority of companies. If it is profitable, it should be seen as successful, but a company like Etsy who's main demographic was bespoke, handmade items cannot possible sustain growth in perpetuity. Going public and having public investors was the nail in the coffin. It will never go back to the way it was.

[@rawlsrules]

Not only not sustainable, why is it always desireable? What a shame. When will we learn?

[@klee88029]

You are SO RIGHT. 👍🧓

[@salnellen1381]

It seems that unending growth is simply unsustainable and it always boggles my mind why companies only seek this.

[@RecklessFables]

You are right but the problem is a successful company will 1) Be too valuable to the owners to NOT cash out. 2) Eventually be undermined and destroyed by a company like Amazon that will copy/undercut/out-promote or other dirty tricks until you are gone. It is a carrot and stick. Zappos is owned by Amazon now, for example.

[@sueellenmcgoey6095]

Corporations and the stock market are ruining America! Profits above good business practices, and taking advantage of workers to squeeze more profits = low pay and benefits

[@davidjohnson6553]

If there's going to be nothing unique about Etsy, they have no reason to exist. We dont need another Amazon.

[@wednesdayophelia]

I wish this video hadn't understated what dropshipping is. Dropshippers aren't usually designing the products. Etsy shops are selling the same items available on Alibaba at a huge markup. Sometimes they are good at making the item seem "handmade" but a quick image reverse search will show it elsewhere at a fraction of the cost. Even things like pottery with quaint imperfections.

[@starvingbymidnight]

ETSY IS NOT AMAZON! THEY SHOULD NOT BE ASPIRE TO BE AMAZON! THEY NEED TO BE THE BEACON OF INDEPENDENT SELLERS! THEY NEED TO BECOME A PRIVATE COMPANY AND STOP PRIORITISING SHAREHOLDERS!

[@sandragee2864]

Absolutely! Amazon is not Etsy. Etsy is not Amazon.

[@TheAccidentalViking]

too late. It's already happened.

[@kozad86]

Same for Walmart, Target, Newegg, or even Safeway - I hate searching for stuff on their websites only to see 3rd party stuff.

[@telaportofficial]

TELAPORT IS TAKING OVER

[@ThisisCitrus]

too late

[@njay2851]

Etsy needs to be investigated for shutting down loyal seller accounts with no notification and then holding onto their money for 180+ days.

[@hellomsmckay]

How, exactly, does Etsy work? You sign up on somebody else's website for free. You get a little framework to display your items. The website becomes the transaction processor and takes a cut from every sale. Etsy made money off people who have zero common business sense. You have to spend money on your business, there's no way around it. You heard "free" and thought "profit".....ignoring the fact you chose to bring in an unnecessary 3rd party middleman to take some of the money from every sale when the smart move would've been spend the money to build a website catalog showcasing all your stuff. Put a direct purchase link to the actual payment processor on the showcase page. Do exactly the same marketing you have to do anyway to send somebody to your "free Etsy shop" so Etsy can take some of your money it didn't earn, that you have to wait a few weeks to get paid from, but instead, send them to your website so they can buy it right from you, you get paid immediately, all the money. Etsy is the price gullible people pay for being lazy and gullible.

[@jonesfamily1494]

💯

[@Ralph_Kreutzberger-Blumenfeld]

Now it's full of Chinese sellers.

[@AtomicJohn]

Absolutely. If Etsy shuts down your shop for no reason or removes stuff from your shop for no reason then file a FTC complaint and a complaint with your state agency. Etsy is charging for listings, ads, and now just to open a shop. They must provide the product or service that people are paying for.

[@ChristaDoodles]

THIS! My shop was shut down and I wasn't even able to speak to a human being or appeal. I'm a freelance artist and had to go back to a 9-5 job after it was shut down. Yet there are still THOUSANDS of resellers and junk still on the platform. I don't understand how it works!

[@hay13ybay13y]

THANK YOU for bringing more attention to this. As a seller, it feels like we have little to no power.

[@lillybean17]

0 Power! everyday we walk on eggshells knowing our income and business could be taken away from us with no reason and no one to even speak too its awful

[@retardedseizure301]

Yep, especially when Etsy forces you to pay for Offsite Ads. Like, how is that legal?? Absolute garbage. There is nothing that makes me feel more powerless as a seller than not having a choice in it. 🤬

[@breccamerie1]

I've been an Etsy seller since 2008. It's defiantly gone down hill. As an ephemera (collectable paper) dealer who caters to artists who upcycle old paper into art like junk journals, I am now competing with the mass Chinese market that has flooded Etsy with cheap printed journal goods. I'm making maybe 1/4 of what I was before. My stuff is getting pulled mechanically by bots flagged for copyright infringement as I sell a lot of vintage original product labels, but then I find other sellers who actually have copied brand names and logos onto items like clothing and tumblers who still sell their products and are obviously in the wrong. I have to go through a email service to republish my items after arguing how I am in the right and then, half the time they still won't republish my vintage items. And then, Chinese vendors have tons of crap on Etsy that doesn't fit Etsy's hand made/art supplies/vintage categories which make other actual Etsy vendors items disappear in the feed unless we bump our items or purchase more 'advertising'. No, the mass market of produced and Chinese crap is really good for Etsy, but not good for vendors. I'd love a better platform.

[@heidi7056]

I sincerely mean this: Can you and other artists start a new platform? Tell me the name and I am there!

[@Nashleyism]

It's not good for Etsy either, in the long term. I'm a buyer who loved etsy but it's getting harder to use it as I don't have time and energy to search through all the mass produced stuff. Also I used to feel safe about the quality of the products, now not so much. And looking at the comments I'm not the only one. Etsy is losing both creators and buyers by their actions

[@ladyfoxboutique1180]

Try to sell on Inspire Uplift.

[@runa0124]

I’m a current Etsy seller, but Etsy treats sellers like garbage! So many copyright infringement happening, Etsy never cares. Etsy just cares about money.

[@luckydayzs9296]

It’s so interesting that it used to be a place for handmade and artists and crafters.. but now print on demand has taken over.. and copyright infringement is so interesting when everything is in similarity designed and created.. it should be layback in sense that things are mostly recreated using certain designs and made into an persons own item to sell.. Etsy used to be an online Farmers Market…

[@breccamerie1]

I've been an etsy seller since 2008 and my stuff, items I've sold for years, are getting pulled by a bot for copyright infringement. I sell vintage product items like old labels so naturally, I list the company name of the label. It's antique, so therefore not copyright infringement but bots don't care. So for all those listings I have to do their email and hope for the best. So far, the only items that have been reinstated for me were my hand made 'tribal' jewelry. My labels didn't make the cut.

[@nicole11823]

Exactly right

[@robinbirdj743]

So sorry 😢

[@peggytoes99]

AMEN TO THAT!

[@kajsagauza]

Why compete with Amazon? Why the obsession with the constant growth? Going public kills most of the companies 🤷‍♀️

[@rok1475]

Going public makes a few rich people richer and nothing else matters. They invest a few millions at the beginning, sell at the peak and move on to the next deal. What happens to the company after doesn’t matter.

[@calimon00]

Yay Capitalism😕

[@dotdash8327]

Greed, everybody wants to be a billionaire these days.

[@J-wm4ss]

​@@dotdash8327not just a billionaire, a billionaire by *being the middleman* while doing no work

[@ManabiLT]

Corporate America, especially tech companies, are utterly obsessed with what's been doing "line goes up." Which is insanely stupid, because no company can grow forever and growth for growth's sake can destroy a company's future. But the CEO that made the decisions that destroy the company will be long gone by the time that happens, so they don't care. They'll have moved on to another company and proceed to destroy it as well, just so they can make their bank account larger, even though they already have more money than they can ever spend in their lifetimes.

[@mansrits]

I had a successfull Etsy shop around 2014-2017 and recently wanted to reopen my shop. I was truly SHOCKED about the increase in the fees and how many of them are there now!! Etsy has definitely changed for the worse. It used to be a beautiful place for sellers and buyers who love crafts. Bring it back!

[@CuteFluff8]

I started with Etsy back in Aug. in 2015. I left Etsy in 2022. I was losing money and was seeing the changes of it becomes egotistical corporate. It disturbed and disgusted me.

[@mcflyfarm]

I am an Etsy seller. I moved a year ago and deactivated my account temporarily. I have not been motivated to reactivate it. It's too much of a hassle. I'd rather spend the time and capital building my own brand and funneling people towards an independent website than to shovel out the endless fees to continue with Etsy.

[@dopemusic6414]

This is good you should never have depended on Etsy the plan should have been to eventually move into your own platform. Good luck

[@oliverolover]

Right on. I quit Etsy when I found out that they were collecting the email addresses of my own independent customers and selling them to my competitors on the platform.

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

Soooo you’re not an etsy seller

[@oliviao2238]

Good for you. Your time is precious, and you're established. Etsy will eventually see more like you leave.

[@wayIess]

If you do sell online again, find a different host site. It's gone downhill for sellers especially in the last few months.

[@mickeyfried9821]

We need a new platform!!! Etsy is greedy. I'm done with them!!! Our new platform cannot be publicly traded!!

[@bubbles2868]

When you find one let us know

[@mickeyfried9821]

@bubbles2868 I will for sure! Will you do the same? I do farmer's markets, and when we all do well, we all do well. We artists are a family. I'm unfortunately not good with social media. I'm old. There are so many creatives out there. I hope someone rescues us. I deactivated my listings. I've been meaning to when I started seeing tools and supplies. Good luck to you. I tell my vendor friends, "sell everything!" I hope you sell everything!!! What do you make?

[@Isabel-of4wq]

@@bubbles2868I just listened to podcast “how I built this” by Guy Roz … business advice show who interviewed this morning a coop of artists - owned by artists - who were the Etsy alternative. Unfortunately I missed their name but u could look it up

[@mickeyfried9821]

@@bubbles2868 Society6 is something I just saw. Will it help you? 🤔

[@vivvoveo384]

@@mickeyfried9821 Selling on Etsy was one of my goal . By the time I was ready (Lifehappens) the platform had lost all of its magic. I too would love a new site to show my artisan pieces. I handnit socks (25 happy years of creation ). My local market is nice but I just love going to the post office to send a pair of socks to an appreciative stranger . I bet you know the feeling 😃

[@MindinViolet]

Etsy is a sad shadow of its former self. It started as a way to buy affordable hand-made crafts. Now it’s basically Wish but at a much higher price point.

[@seriouslywhatever1031]

Oh look, CEOs have no idea what they're doing and profit comes at the cost of literally everything and everyone else, destroying the whole soul of the company.

[@fafnir491]

I used to see Etsy as the safe space where I could buy a wide range of artworks and know I was supporting small businesses. Now it’s become a minefield of mass-produced junk made from subpar materials. Breaks my heart.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Yup. A.I. jank is junk, and nearly every so-called "industry" has been saturated with that type of algorithmic arseness. If you want something of quality, you MUST build, grow, design, or craft it yourself. No exceptions anymore.

[@JingYuans_sparrow]

I feel the exact same, I bought some press-on nails on Etsy thinking I was supporting a small business but turns out it was a dropship from aliexpress selling 2$ nails for 20$

[@mgardner70]

@@Novastar.SaberCombat Its the future. People complained about almost all advances in tech. My college painting professor told me how people used to be sticklers about grinding their own pigments when it came to painting. Love it or hate it tech isn't going anywhere.

[@Nashleyism]

Yes, if I wanted something of quality, something handmade I always went for etsy. Now it's full of cheap bad quality stuff and I have no energy or time to surf through that

[@almas2423]

We still produce 100% of our woodworking items, but it’s hard to stand out :/

[@gulfcoastgirl89]

Im a handmade seller on Etsy and I can’t sell anything because I’m competing against clipartists, drop shippers, aI art, POD and digital sellers who don’t follow licensing rules. True handmade sellers can’t make a living on Etsy like we used to!!

[@faeriesmak]

I had to switch from handmade to vintage. Handmade was not at all selling.

[@marcilk7534]

As a customer, I try to find true handmade stuff, but it’s so hard to tell what is and isn’t.

[@gulfcoastgirl89]

@@marcilk7534 Shops that have real pictures in their listings, their shop sections are filled out, their cover and branding matches, maybe they have pictures at the bottom of their shop that shows them doing their work or their workspace, those are all things to look for. anything that doesn’t look like it was hand drawn or hand crafted, like so many of these tshirt shops or tumblers, hardly any of them are honest artists. Shops that are all mock-ups and the same mock-ups throughout (like the shop they showed with the tumbler cups) usually are not drawing their own stuff and aren’t following correct licensing practices. Cohesiveness is a big thing to look for too.

[@lilolmecj]

It has become very difficult to find handmade sellers. When I put in a search I get page after page of mass production. And even returning to a previous seller for sew in labels, the saved receipt was very incomplete, I had to do quite a search to find what font and size I used before. I don’t order them often, it takes a while to use them up. Good luck moving forward.

[@susanb4816]

My art keeps showing up on other people’s pages

[@LiLiscreations]

First off as an Etsy seller for the last 10 years the problem is all they are geared towards is the shareholder and them having profts forgetting they exist because of the seller. The poor treatment to the seller the high fees and no customer service what so ever is the problem. Until they go back to their original identity this will keep happening.

[@hazyaspect]

AS long as they remain a public entity this will probably never happen. They'd have to go back to being a privately-held company, and doing that would take dedication, creativity, hard work and empathy toward your customer - and that would be too challenging once you've hopped on the "right now I don't have to lift a finger and the money rolls in" train. Profit above all else is a mindset now, a "mission statement" so to speak.

[@user-qt8lk9um7w]

I'm also an Etsy seller. I make niche and unique products. Etsy has been increasing its cuts which leave no margins for sellers. So, I had to increase the price but less buyers. I am now thinking of closing down on Etsy and creating my own page.

[@santanartist]

I am a long-time Etsy seller and I’m DONE. Income dropped more than 50% since 2022-23.

[@MissShembre]

I'm down 80% from my 2020 high. Now I'm at the almost same level I was when I first joined in 2012 😂😂😂🥲

[@Play4keeks]

Where do you sell your items now?

[@OutOfHereSoon]

Your income dropped and whose fault is that? Perhaps its the product?

[@marlenejennifer3514]

@@OutOfHereSoonnot necessarily. Take Stanley for example it’s been around for decades but look at it now. Sometimes it’s other things like the target market or the marketing itself. But Etsy isn’t that great for targeted marketing . It has algorithms as well and these platforms push people to pay to play by not giving exposure. Plus you don’t have your customers information to retarget them. On Etsy you are always hustling for the sale yet getting lost in the sea of listings. Someone who bought from you might not be able to find you if they choose to purchase again. That’s why forget Etsy and setup your own site so you have more control over your money and customers

[@Play4keeks]

@OutOfHereSoon you must be new here 😂😂😂

[@the_dapper_scrapper]

Etsy has made it all but impossible to search for what you want.The search functions have became a sick joke.

[@tiffanymaw7033]

Absolutely, totally

[@FrackMeister]

I hate how you can't even search categories anymore.

[@dfc3425]

@@FrackMeister Exactly! I chatted with an Etsy rep about it and I asked her if she would explain why and she said yes, and then I said, ok, why? And she said, oh, I'm not allowed to share that with you. So fine. I went on strike. Haven't purchased anything from Etsy in 6 months and I used to buy several times a month. I've found other platforms where I can buy direct from the artists, and they are the ones I wanted to support by shopping on Etsy in the first place.

[@luv2design]

Yes!!! It's so frustrating!!

[@hellomsmckay]

So why can't you put your stuff on your own website and all the work you do to send somebody to an etsy shop to they can see all your competitors and you can give an arbitrary 3rd party money for intercepting your sales flow, you could be sending them to your own site instead....so they buy from you, only you, and you make all the money per transaction. What, exactly, was Etsy actually doing for you that you couldn't do yourself?

[@yolandasotolopez]

I closed my shop. I made and sold hand knit and hand crochet items. Then I saw all of these shops selling mass produced machine knit baby sweaters selling thousands of sweaters everyday. I can't compete with china mass produced cheap junk. It makes me sad to see this happening. These china sweaters are cheap and fall apart so quickly. Still they had great professional photographs.. so they sell well. Hand knit sweaters for $20 basically throw away fashion.

[@nofood1]

Where will you sell now?

[@yolandasotolopez]

@@nofood1 Mostly word of mouth... Doing mostly custom orders. Facebook marketplace has worked good as well. I had great reviews on my shop, but still impossible to compete with all those junk selling shops

[@lulueusebia5789]

@@yolandasotolopezI wholeheartedly agree about the cheap stuff.. Everyone is getting cheap stuff from temu and reselling.

[@folklorestuff1743]

As soon as a company goes public, it all becomes about the shareholder. So sad.

[@Saraphina_Marie]

Etsy's a MESS. I have a visual artist friend who is not on etsy, but sellers have taken his imagery and put it on their laser-burned wood products and etsy doesn't care. Plagiarism and theft is just so rampant, and now we are adding AI to the mix. It's awful. I have my shop paused because it exhausts me and I know there's zero recourse if someone copies my stuff and sells it because etsy DOES NOT CARE who is selling what, as long as they are making money.

[@WobblesandBean]

Yup. My friend has had her clothing designs stolen, another had her knitting patterns stolen, and I have had my art pieces stolen.

[@rks5457]

100% what Ive thought about Etsy for a while. Idk how many sellers just straight up take IP and sell it. I've seen images of celebrities, album covers, brands etc. in countl as different "art" forms being sold. I've seen these thieves (no other word for them) basically draw or trace a popular photograph of a famous person and act like they actually have a right to profit from it. It's places like Etsy that allowed this behavior to be accepted by the general public. It's nothing more than theft and cheapens art and discourages actual artists from sharing their creativity.

[@tater4ever]

@@WobblesandBeandid they copyright or get there lawyer involved ?

[@Dakiniwoman]

I had my own photos of my one of a kind items I made myself stolen by other Etsy sellers and offered for sale by them. It was horrible trying to get them removed. There is very poor seller support from Etsy. I used to sell but not now, none of my items are selling on Etsy this year.

[@WobblesandBean]

@@tater4ever The problem with that is, you can copyright a knitting pattern, but you can't prohibit the sales of items made using that pattern. Same with clothing designs, they're selling cheap knockoffs using photos of the real deal. And the photos my fashion designer friend used on her site were taken by a professional photographer, who has to be the one to submit the claim, not her. As for me, no, I unfortunately didn't copyright my illustrations cuz it's like $85 just to file one application, so if I did that for all of my work it would be thousands of dollars. And even then I wouldn't have the money to go after some Chinese reseller who stole my art for their phone cases. I could go after Etsy itself, but again, it's expensive to do so, and Etsy knows it. They rely on us small artists not having the funds to take legal action.

[@suzy7301]

I was an Etsy seller. Made really great money YOY where I was able to support my family with it. Then they started trying to be amazon. You had to try and ship next day, which is hard to do when you make things by hand. You get penalized if you don't have "free shipping" and don't ship next day. It's too much pressure and they are burning handmade sellers out.

[@DimaRakesah]

It's really crazy to me that they started penalizing if you don't ship next day, even for items which are handmade after an order is placed!

[@basic9254]

That’s crazy - I remember all the great experiences when the seller has reached out personally to discuss personalization.

[@butterflymuse2707]

Yeah, I took off the free shipping over $35 because I was taking losses from it and my YOY stats are down 62% 🙃

[@Dakiniwoman]

I also have been on Etsy for over a decade and used to sell fairly well considering my one of a kind items are costly, but this year I have sold nothing at all on Etsy... same goes for Ebay... I used to sell as fast as I could make them, but not anymore. I am having a hard time buying food these days.

[@desiertoscacti5388]

Exactly. They have made Etsy a bullying site to sellers.

[@kiraph]

I was selling on there briefly a couple of years ago. Left when I made a sale and ended up paying Etsy more than I got for the sale. It was very unfair.

[@elmadi7805]

Etsy was for makers. Regular people who love their art or craft and wanted to share it with the world. Then they started allowing mass-produced junk at prices makers can't compete with. Then they took an even worse turn and spent all their money drawing celebs in to hawk their mass-produced, overpriced housewares that you can walk into any department store and spend too much money on. All while raising fees to continue pushing out the makers who made ETSY. I can't even remember the last time I got an ETSY notification that wasn't some celeb that I don't care about shilling something I'd never buy.

[@Lhene9]

The desire for infinite growth is one of the worse parts of the modern business approach. When will we accept that a business is successful when it can sustain itself, rather than it continually making more?

[@down-to-earth-mystery-school]

it's the 'never enough' crowd we have to contend with

[@wildflower1397]

When consumers care enough to only purchase from sellers with good ethics. As long as there are people willing to give their cash to greedy uncaring merchants, it won't stop.

[@WobblesandBean]

Welcome to capitalism. No one cares. I doubt humanity will survive to see the end of the century because of greedy people like this.

[@tropistan7735]

​@@wildflower1397op asked a sensible question because infinite growth is just not possible for any business. But hoping people will buy "because of good ethics" is such pipe dream I don't know if it's coming from naivete or out of touch privilege. "Good ethics" sellers are also charging an arm a leg because "it costs more to make a principled product". Have you seen the economy? It's just that buyers are uncaring. A lot of times buyers don't have a choice!

[@ALynn-wp9gb]

Probably around the same time our country as a whole stops telling everyone we’re in a recession simply because our economy is not quadrupling. GDP is embedded in the culture ‘grow or die’. :(

[@itgetter9]

Hey Josh Silverman: TECHNOLOGY can never replace the creativity of HUMAN ARTISTS. Bring back the artisans. (Boycott Etsy until the artisans regain the respect they deserve.)

[@ejcostin3070]

I have so disappointed

[@Cassie-xx5fb]

As an artisan on etsy 😭

[@user-uw7cr4os4r]

I agree OP but at the same time "artisans regaining the respect they deserve" is so vague.. How do we know if and when it happens? Is that only up to Etsy or also, ultimately, the buyers?

[@Angie-in8wc]

It’s just Aliexpress now.

[@curtismaize]

Yes it can, and it is.

[@callmemothermercury]

Etsy seller here and I am experiencing a surge in cancellations because the customers want me to ship a handmade item within 1-2 days which is insane!! Buyers are also treating sellers as if we are mass manufacturers. Etsy is not fun anymore and has become very expensive.

[@LemonLimes99]

can the item be made in 2 days? how many days do you require?

[@callmemothermercury]

@@LemonLimes99 3-5 days, despite that I am receiving cancellations :(

[@fireinateacup89]

We need a new Etsy. Pluralism in commerce is the key to quality products and fairness and protections in the workplace! If you don't have competition, you can get away with poor quality and demoralizing workplaces. This is the danger of big corporations having a monopoly (like Amazon and Walmart).

[@goatsandroses4258]

Etsy is facing the problem that real artisans confront: you can't compete against mass-produced items/sites. It might take an artist a week to crochet something that a machine can make in a few minutes. Etsy was NEVER supposed to make its sellers compete against the "it's-handmade-because-someone-pushed-a-button" type of product, and an artistic site is NEVER going to make the money that an Amazon will. Etsy's problem was thinking it needed to do what Amazon, Ebay, etc. already did.

[@kaylaphillips7949]

There is no machine that can crochet fully put together items, but I agree with you.

[@goodgrief888]

I hope all of the sellers open their own Shopify. It sucks, though, because then individuals can’t compete with these larger websites SEO.

[@denverdubois5835]

The irony is there are probably more artists selling vintage and handmade stuff back on EBay again now. LOL.

[@Lipstickandchampagne]

@@denverdubois5835 I have noticed this as well

[@hellomsmckay]

Etsy isn't the problem for the sellers/creators. The problem for the sellers/creators is they welcomed an unnecessary 3rd party middle man to take a cut of their profits for the "privilege" of having a "shop"...Etsy might have a nicely built site or marketplace but the model should've been a big red nope for any seller/creator with common sense. You create this handmade thing. You bought supplies. You spend time creating it. You spend money on marketing. You spend money on a website. You spend money to ship orders. You forfeit a percentage of every transaction to your payment processor (PayPal, Stripe) because you didn't get a business account at your bank. You were already doing it all, footing the bill. Along comes Etsy and says hey, sign up and open up a shop, it's free...we'll process all the transactions so you can create. We'll only take a percentage of each transaction. Sellers/creators flocked to it and can't figure out why they're going broke and not making any money. They want to blame it on copyright and bots and dropshippers. NO. It's because you chose to build your business in another entity's house and give them a chunk of your money so they could do what you were already doing on your own. Marketing all over social media and instead of sending them to your personal site with a direct link to paypal or stripe to buy it, process your own orders and get on with it, you're now sending people to an etsy shop like that's unique, to let another entity take more of your money. If you'd gotten a business account with your bank, got your own website or social media option and posted purchase links yourself right to the paymet processor, you would be making ALL the money...doing ALL the work because it's your business. That's what happens when you decide to have a business. You have to run it.

[@Holly-he6ho]

Of the top five t shirt sellers on Etsy, four are wall to wall IP violations: counterfeit Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, etc. merch. And nothing happens to those people, while legitimate shops are banned for no reason. In the quarterly earnings call Silverman ran his mouth about using AI to get rid of sellers who "lack the skill or the will" to make their own designs. What a bunch of BS. The person who lacks the skill or the will to fix Etsy is him.

[@ciaociara]

I have heard from many sellers on Etsy that they were shut down and had no way of getting their shop back - some not even selling copyrighted materials.

[@Denise_954]

I dont sell tshirts but they shut me down right after I set up my acct (doing all the work of setting up) and after Etsy ppl approved my shop. I sell handmade items

[@THEDOORIZCLOSED]

THISSSSS!!!!

[@mobstercrow7515]

They also banned people that sale custom made service dog gear. My service dog is medical equipment and he has to have properly fitted, high quality gear or else he could get hurt. He does light mobility so he has to have a custom made semi-rigid handle of a specific size and material, you can't find those anywhere except for people that specifically make them. Now I have to spend hours searching on instagram to find a seller that makes high quality gear. I have enough stuff to deal with daily, this makes it even harder for me and my service dog.

[@rltreasure]

And Etsy does nothing about it!

[@shhh_quiet]

Etsy has just become a ridiculously expensive Shein or Wish. We all hate it now. It’s absolutely destroyed now.

[@kachinadesigns]

The fall of Etsy began years ago, when they stopped policing the site based on their original policies, and opened up to businesses using manufacturers.

[@honeylis7]

"What happened to Etsy"? They went public. Once you're accountable to shareholders, it's all about money, capitalism, profits. The very "heart" of Etsy was individual artists sharing their skill and talent, and earning money from it.

[@TheGoldenCapstone]

Of course you would say "capitalism". Capitalism involves supply and demand. No one is demanding mass digital products and foreign merchant dropshipping.

[@honeylis7]

@@TheGoldenCapstone Sounds like you agree with me, so I'm not sure what's the purpose of your comment

[@ALynn-wp9gb]

Public or private, companies still have boards and often have CEOs who prioritize profits over ethics. I worked with a lot of tech startups who behaved exactly the same way, most who never went public - rather, they chose to hire executive leadership teams and compile boards who would push them towards profits above people, above mission.

[@KamilDeKerel]

​​@@ALynn-wp9gb if ypur startup only works to make a profit it'll probably fail, usefull products don't come from having to make money

[@KamilDeKerel]

​@@TheGoldenCapstone of course it is capitalism, if the company doesn't go public they don't have quota's to make, they don't make changes to grow sales and you still have a home made crafts website

[@Mark_R_Tho]

My Shop is Mark Ross Jewelry. It has actual handmade items by me, which is what Etsy should be!!!!🤨 Lots of us truly cannot compete with this surge of people drop shipping everything. Thank you to those who continue to support us!!!

[@butterflymuse2707]

Oh, I like your style! :D Your jewelry is pretty!

[@naturegirl2110]

That's what I'm saying. If a customer sees the "same" item for $5 that you handmade for $40, make a guess which one they're gonna pick. I've seen stuff and thought, how can that be mad for $5?

[@AllThePeppermint]

Found your shop and am following. Stunning Swarovski crystal jewelry!

[@AlohaLowah]

Thank you! I try sooo hard to search for actual shops that aren't cheap overseas crap. Definitely going to your shop!

[@thomeg492]

I spend so long searching for shops like yours! I'm bookmarking for later because your work is beautiful 🙂

[@ceostudio]

Ask any seller who was there before they went public, I was on there for 8 years, very successful, and the fees literally priced my customers out of my work. If the Govt wants taxes from my work and if Etsy wants actual handmade items and not drop shipping they should be working harder but we all know everything is about profits so we can't have nice things anymore. Pretty tired of everything being about shareholders, literally don't want to support someone else's yacht habit while I struggle to function.

[@drnicolestewart]

I had an Etsy shop and they randomly closed it without warning and no explanation. When I tried to inquire, I got a clearly automated message with no real explanation. I’ve heard this happen to MANY others!

[@Emily_Gray73]

They stopped caring about their artisans when Silverman took over. Ruined my business.

[@jennifers1040]

Yep! The same exact thing happened to me.

[@cloverring]

What’s an alternative? I’ve been only doing trades at local art meet ups but would love to sell online.

[@jrod1577]

Looking for alternatives as well here.

[@SewingBoxDesigns]

For those looking for alternatives, find a Web site service. There are plenty out there. Then start a KZbin, and Instagram or whatever to advertise.

[@annmarieknapp]

I'm so sorry. I love Etsy,but fewer folks are doing their own creative products. I see a lot of AI prints they charge you to download and they charge too much for something they aren't really creating and then the onus is on me as customer to print the images out. Screw that.

[@youtube7076]

anytime shareholders are involved its a loss for humanity.

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Succinctly said! 👏💯

[@riskypugga]

So true

[@stoneneils]

You guys have to see Tim Hortons, our #1 coffee shop. It used to be so good until some foreign company bought it. Now they have ONE person to serve all day..lineup can be 20 people long. One girl. Half the people leave, they don't care..its about real estate holdings now not profits. We went from 25 flavors of doughnuts to about 8. :)

[@Sandy-oe5mh]

They ruined themselves. They overcharge sellers to the point where they either make no profit or they have to price items so high to make a profit, they aren't selling anything. They try and force you to offer free shipping. They don't pay any attention to the mass-produced crap that is listed on there and aren't handmade. Real handmade items are so buried in the middle of all the crap and look overpriced in comparison. I know a lot of sellers who had to shut down their shops because of the mess Etsy has become. I had two stores at one point but ended up losing money when they charged me advertising fees, but I wasn't selling anything.

[@aamerdol01]

When they opened up to China, it was over for Etsy sellers.

[@SaseiMoon]

Etsy is not a website for a handmade products anymore and they don’t care about small sellers. They became another money hungry company.

[@stoneneils]

N they didn't became another money hungry company. They evolved into a money hungry CORPORATION. I'm appalled how in 2024 so many people in the west don't know the clear distinction in motive. See Boeing? That's what happens all the time when a company rests on public funds. Always. 100% of the time. Private companies work, public companies do not

[@daisydollsandstuff]

true

[@MsStephaniie]

I sell on Etsy and their policy says that they are against selling mass produced products.. but Etsy is full of those drop shippers which makes my handmade items almost unsearchable because there is so much amount of mass produced products, it cannot filter my products anymore. They don’t give a sht about the real crafters with their small business, they only care about the money.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Correct. "If you ain't rich, you ain't nothin'." --J.P.

[@lynnc5649]

I'm sorry, I know the feeling. I ended up moving to selling my work on FB, but I had to work hard at building my following. I really loved Etsy in the early years. Always sad when something sweet like that withers away.

[@meganwalker27]

Truth ...😢

[@MindinViolet]

It’s tragic. When I go on Etsy, I am looking for hand-crafted items like yours, not mass-produced garbage.

[@juwster]

I hate that this happened. Etsy has done a horrible job! I used to love shopping there. It would help if they would make the filter actually work! When I search for “handmade” I want handmade not mass produced from a factory. I want original items. Searching for hours to find those items is not an enjoyable experience. I have done so recently and received some beautiful things but I would have appreciated a better experience. And to find out now how they are treating their sellers? Horrible!

[@ptcglass]

Etsy is supposed to be handmade and vintage. Import sellers have always been a problem but once they allowed drop shipping it took it to a whole new level. I believe they stopped that but it’s still out of hand. It’s been tough getting my work seen by shoppers when they allow import sellers to be “5 star sellers”

[@NYMArts]

Fee # 1 Processing fee 3% + .25. Fee # 2 Transaction fee on the Item price 6.5% Fee # 3 Transaction fee on Shipping 6.5% Fee # 4 Forced off site ads (Success Penalty Fee) 12% and if you cancel the sale, he charges your card for the ad fee anyway. That's 28% + .25 and that's BEFORE income tax. Josh Silverman must go to prison.

[@BobSure_AKA_PotatoSmasher]

I gag EVERYTIME someone says "AI is the solution."

[@Jasongy827]

The issue with AI is anyone can do it, no skill, secondly since it’s easily accessible anyone can sell it for profit and almost calling it their own

[@user-fs4rx5og3n]

lol they overglorifying what's basically a theft indeed

[@Abby-ug4xc]

Generative AI is theft. The goal is ending human creativity to concentrate all artistic wealth in the hands of a few companies

[@homethatilove4595]

Don't let 🤖 replace humans AND don't let digital Gvmt "currency" replace 💵 real money

[@jen9297]

As a buyer, I’m sad to see the handmade sellers leave the platform. It used to be where I went to find unique gifts and decor. I don’t shop on it much anymore. I’m hoping another platform pops up to replace the original Etsy.

[@SatumainenOlento]

YES! This is the solution!

[@bettyparker3317]

Me too. I want unique things now-pottery, small furniture items, jewelry, holiday decorations-the list could go on. I know it costs more, and can take longer. That’s what it takes for what I want. Even saying “handmade” doesn’t mean anything now at Etsy. The last few items I’ve searched for-a lamp, small tables and shelves-the “shop” assured me it was “handmade” by local artists, “one of a kind.” BS. I found the exact same thing in mass amounts on other big internet sales sites, marked made in China, at a wide range of prices. I really wish someone would develop another site that does what Etsy started out doing.

[@mickeyfried9821]

I just deactivated my listings. I've been meaning to as soon as I saw tools and supplies. I hope someone smarter starts another site for us. No vintage would be good, in my opinion. As soon as it becomes publicly traded, then we move on. We are a team. Let's stick together. I'm boycotting Etsy!!

[@EveInTheMachine]

Jesus Christ this has been such an eye-opening experience for me. I've been buying on Etsy since the earlier days of the platform. I've been boycotting Amazon for a few years until recently and was shocked by the change in the sellers on there too... what the hell has happened to online shopping? I live in a rural area, I would suffer financially if I can't buy online! 😕

[@RayLabs]

Etsy kicked an Artist friend off the platform when she owed 15 cent on a sale she had made. With NO ability to challenge it. Just kicked right off. No way to get ahold of a human to discuss this with. No Customer Service is a huge issue.

[@user-hg4rj8wj6x]

Это просто позор, как Этси относится к продавцам! Немотивированные баны, невозможность связаться с техподдержкой, которая либо просто шлет штампованные ответы, либо отвечает просто бот. Они не несут никакой ответственности за то, что ломают бизнес тысяч людей.

[@AnnaLee33]

Yeah, and be aware of what you say in the forums.

[@ayannababii]

I've been scammed by people multiple times, either via being hacked and people making big purchases, or buying something from a scammer and never receiving the item. There is no customer service. I had no one to explain the issue to and they would direct me straight to the seller, who was likely the scammer and so wouldn't respond. I had MY account frozen after it was hacked and my money was stolen and there was no one to reach out to. I gave up on Etsy.

[@artsdragons2779]

I was kicked off when they decided a deer painting of mine was copyright infringement. No warnings, no nothing. Just banned my account 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@justbdsd4569]

They will not even talk to you before banning you

[@GilaMunster]

As an Etsy seller I am so frustrated that sellers have no way to easily contact support. Automated responses to everything.

[@thehomeeclady]

yes. Their seller support is garbage. Not even worth the effort to contact them most of the time. And yet they are cutting those positions?

[@sararichardson737]

It’s the pits.

[@Saraphina_Marie]

100% YES

[@FallenAngelBrass]

This is my biggest sadness about selling on Etsy. I am OK with the fees and even AI, but the fact that there is no human customer service support is heartbreaking.

[@sararichardson737]

@@FallenAngelBrass I think it’s incredibly rude and cheap of them to not employ some human customer support for their sellers. As a newbie vendor, I have been trying to get help with an issue since January, constantly writing to them with the problem. They have suspended my shop yet not answered any of my pleas bar automated responses that do not address the issue . It just doesn’t work. I’ve effectively left Etsy a a consequence. Lousy.

[@WillowCreative]

I used to sell on etsy until they increased fees and then randomly decided to hold my money for 90 days (thats a full financial quartile) for no reason other than i didnt handmake my stuff quickly enough. I was also forced to pay for ads i didnt need, i was already overloaded on work and didnt need more sales

[@ellebrodie1906]

The best bit of this was when the one seller said Etsy is taking up the space of vintage/handmade without offering it. I sold only on Etsy from 2011 til last year. Now I have to list all my vintage items on Ebay and Poshmark as well to make less money than I did for years. So glad they used our fee $ to buy a SuperBowl ad :/

[@patrickp8315]

Etsy is becoming like Amazon; treating sellers badly and focus more on corporate profit.

[@ovh992]

And eBay!

[@fvr12345]

Yes! In order to actually rank in search results you need to provide free shipping to customers. They push sellers to offer discounts if an item remains in a buyer’s shopping cart. If a product is late, the buyer can request a full refund and get to keep the product as well. Advertising is a must in order to rank in search results and it’s very expensive. They’re basically trying to be Amazon where they squeeze the seller so that buyers receive their mass produced junk as quickly and cheaply as possible.

[@tephwilliams]

And the irony in all of that is Amazon has a handmade section, and at least for the handmade sellers the support is at least 10x better than Etsy’s.

[@sapeefy]

Fact

[@hamsterama]

@@ovh992 I'm shocked Ebay is still around. It used to be awesome, like an online garage sale. Then they started treating small sellers like trash. The only reason Ebay was fun was because it was so easy for anyone to buy and sell. I haven't shopped there in years, because if I can't sell, there's no point. It's just another Amazon.

[@misslinda772]

What I liked about Etsy was the sale of products I could find nowhere else! That is what made it famous. Take that away, and they can’t compete.

[@absolutefreedom8035]

handmade sellers are still here! sheesh!!

[@sharonharris9782]

​@@absolutefreedom8035you may still be in Etsy as someone who makes handmade goods, but it's getting increasingly more difficult to find you.

[@goilo888]

@@absolutefreedom8035But very, VERY difficult to find in the glut of Asian imports, AI crap, and so, so many trademark and copyright infringing products.

[@Julia-bg4rm]

​​​@@absolutefreedom8035 they are but the trust towards the site having reliable sellers is gone so now you are left with the job of figuring out whether a seller has genuinely handmade their products or not- which is often hard to tell.

[@yankis.]

​@@absolutefreedom8035 Yes, buried under pages and pages of cheap mass produced junk. Last time I visited Etsy it was almost impossible to find an authentic seller. So I just left.

[@GalacticTradingPost]

People don't value human labor anymore. Contractors are charging $150 per hour to unclog toilets but when the craftsman or craftsgirl wants $15 per hour to make handmade goods, people turn up their noses and demand a discount.

[@Custom-Art-Nook]

As an Etsy seller I can say the worst part is not being able to contact a HUMAN support, bots are not able to help in so many cases. And second worst is the absence of truly HANDMADE category of products. Comparing with POD and drop shipping is bad.

[@nkhiuyitfdx]

I’m a Etsy seller who sells hand made crochet hats and bags, all of which take me a day to make (I also work full time). Similar items from dropshippers sell for $20 a knit hat and people tell me my $35 crochet hat is “too much”. People want retail prices for hand made items when it takes us way way longer to make, as well as developing craftsmanship and skill to create and supplies. It’s absolutely crazy.. has me thinking to just get a bi weekly farmers market booth to sell instead.

[@annamossity8879]

20 bucks wouldn’t cover the cost of yarn!

[@janama303]

Farmer's Markets are the new Etsy

[@THEDOORIZCLOSED]

No but fr youre on the right path. And then get your own website

[@izzydeadyet7336]

A lot of people still appreciate a hand made item and will gladly pay more for the quality.. Etsy is combining customers that would normally be aware of that, with customers looking to bargain shop.. it’s affecting artists along with the increase in the cut Etsy was taking from artists

[@WobblesandBean]

That's the problem with business models like this. It panders to the lowest common denominator, and when it comes to humanity, the lowest common denominator is *_really_* low.

[@NYMArts]

JOSH SILVERMAN ruined Etsy JOSH SILVERMAN killed everything we depended on. JOSH SILVERMAN takes 28%. JOSH SILVERMAN uses Etsy for his personal piggy bank.

[@amystreasuresdesign]

Chad Dickerson was the one that opened the site to resellers. This downfall started under him.

[@SomethingSomethingg]

It's always the people with man or Berg at the end of their names

[@CJ.1998X.Y.Z]

@@SomethingSomethinggmy surname is lerhman and I am not Jewish

[@NYMArts]

@@amystreasuresdesign Actually the removal of Chad Dickerson began when "They" suggested he get a Board of Directors together. That's how "they" perform takeovers to remove the business from the founder. They do it to movie theaters, playhouses, selling plaforms, etc...NEVER EVER have a board.

[@NYMArts]

@@CJ.1998X.Y.ZWhat does that have to do with the price of pickles in China ?

[@NachoAE360]

I used to love buying vintage clothing and handmade items on Etsy pre 2013- it gets harder and harder every year to dig through all the junk and find real good quality vintage or homemade products. I have a shop as well selling vintage household items and clothing and think it is harder for buyers to find my items now and have considered moving to eBay.

[@Dakiniwoman]

I sell on both and you won't find it better on Ebay... both are really bad now, and I am a very long-time seller on both.

[@NachoAE360]

@@Dakiniwoman as a buyer I prefer eBay at this point which is why I thought as a seller I may. We will see

[@Dakiniwoman]

@@NachoAE360 Hello, as a buyer from Canada I can no longer buy on Ebay as most sellers do not sell to Canada and if they do, they have Global shipping and that has costly extra processing fees and Import fees for me, so I stopped buying anything on Ebay unless it is something very special, but I rarely look there anymore. My own art I only sell out of my own Country. I sell to Russia and to Australia a lot and all over the World really.

[@jezreel.chesed]

I am considering selling vintage items on Etsy, since searching for vintage treasures is something I love doing. I actually have a few items already and was looking forward to selling. So, you’re saying that competing with knockoffs makes it difficult for customers to find what you have for sale?

[@Dakiniwoman]

@@jezreel.chesed I sold nothing on my Etsy store for the first years but then suddenly I did sell and lately not again, but most of my items are 2 or 3 thousand dollars... I would definitely give it a try. I am keeping my Etsy store it only costs 20 cents per item per month to list, so I can't lose. Try it out... I have both my own handmade items and lately have listed some Vintage and Antique items. You won't sell if you don't at least try... just go for it with a good attitude!

[@stephaniekay112]

As an Etsy seller since 2008, it’s unfortunately gone so far downhill from what it used to be.

[@SandraEvans-sr1rh]

Did you also experienced the suspension?

[@mariavc7421]

Etsy literally blocked me out of my shop without notice or explanation. What was once a safe haven for artists and crafters, is currently a money sucking vampire. Glad I'm out anyway.

[@douglassmith215]

We had a similar experience. We will never go back

[@bringtheseo]

where do you sell now?

[@mariavc7421]

@@bringtheseo just locally, i haven’t found an alternative yet

[@cinsationaldesignsbycindyb7405]

Same.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

'Zon, EFlay, and Eetzovaries all have one thing in common now: INSTA-BANS. 😂 They hold the power to destroy people's lives in an instant... and they use it. Legally. The CEOs probably enjoy it, too. Those who bow to their will may remain. Else, those people get ERASED. Obliterated. 💪😎✌️ #cartels

[@masoodrazaq]

Sometimes when a small town becomes a big, bustling city, it loses its charm.

[@mademsoisellerhapsody]

Truth

[@EverythingWithNikRich]

‼️

[@rstokes9630]

As a long time Esty customer, I HATE sorting through the junk, mass produced crap. It's a huge turn off and I don't shop as often as I used to.

[@Sobrien724]

I’m an Etsy buyer. I have been happy most of the time. Watching this and reading the sellers comments is saddening. Unfortunately I don’t see Etsy lasting because it has to make shareholders happy. Not the sellers and buyers. We’ll always have markets and fairs to buy these products.

[@livingandlearningeachnewday]

What he said is total crap about removing items, Etsy is flooded with Disney and other copyrighted products, just search disney and you'll get pages of stuff, all of which is illegal. There are items with swear words, nudity, the place is so far removed from what it was. Plus youtube makes out like everyone can just set up a store and make a quick buck, but it's not that easy, for most people it's their full time job and it's hard work. That's why it's so flooded with low quality items now, people are are just wanting a "side hustle" and believe they can do so without actually having to put effort in. It's so frustrating what Etsy has become.

[@wildflower1397]

It's art, so I have no problem with nudity or profanity. I would argue that art is really the best public place for most nudity. However, stolen artwork on cheap crappy items is both illegal and nasty.

[@THEDOORIZCLOSED]

Thissss!!!!!

[@auroratsukari1367]

Agree about copyright and trademark laws. I would estimate it’s over 60% of sellers do this.

[@kaylaphillips7949]

Got these N.P.C’s out here just trying to make a quick buck with no originality or taste. They are the cash hungry bots of society. I wish they’d just sell on Amazon and leave us creatives alone.

[@allisont.6878]

I do believe they've removed 115% more than last year, or whatever the number he said was... but drop-ship listings are being added so much faster now, that this number is useless. It's like trying to bail out the Titanic with an ice cream bucket.

[@theairportstuff]

Etsy has not decreased their fees they are grifting from the sellers. Stores $$$ has plummeted but Etsy is still taking their lavish cuts. Etsy is dead.

[@HeatherValentineMsFoodie]

They even take 6.5% ON SHIPPING COLLECTED!!! But expect us to do free shipping on $35 😳 Etsy hates us now!

[@elizabethwitt2621]

​@@HeatherValentineMsFoodieThey learned that from the eBay grifters.

[@ChristianBaleNutjob]

No it’s not lol

[@CherryBlawesome]

GREED ruined Etsy. I’ve been on Etsy since 2010. My sales continue to drop recently since they started mucking around with it and raising their prices. Etsy continues to turn a blind eye to copyright infringement and drop shippers. They blindly ban shops for no reason because their AI is incorrect. There should be a class action lawsuit against Etsy for shutting down shops without reason and holding their money hostage. Now would be a good time for a rival platform to be created that was like the old Etsy everyone knew and loved.

[@karenbigwood1517]

Etsy has lost sight of who they were. It’s sad. I miss the old Etsy. The amazing artists & products, the supplies I needed for my art.

[@poetriot]

mistreatment of its sellers by closing down their shops without notice and no communication. also not protecting sellers when their work gets copied. etsy has become another version of Shein, but still masquerading as a place for homemade crafts

[@amystreasuresdesign]

That happened to two friends, one of which got back into her shop, the other was still trying, as of the last text to us about it.

[@thehapagirl92]

Just like dating apps

[@richardnavratil9661]

Yup, we had our store suspended for ZERO reasons and explanation, and appeal process was ignored. We set up our own website, but what a shame that this is what Etsy has become.

[@desiertoscacti5388]

Not a seller friendly site for sure. For many reasons. Sellers are always anxious in there, and cannot support creativity this way. Pressure to compete, pressure not to lose bagde, pressure to ship next day, etc etc. And technical support is totally worthless.

[@crownprincesslaya2]

Etsy’s search bar isn’t functional because the results don’t show only the keywords searched, let alone allow you to omit words. And the results show the same things multiple times, it’s ridiculous. Also, the last quote in this piece wasn’t about the artists or even their buyers, it was about cutting more employees from the company- WTF?

[@stoneneils]

Now you know why remote work is not really viable. Same thing happened everytime i left the office to work at home too as a senior dev lol...site would acculmulate bugs until they had me inside for a week straight to iron them all out.

[@lunacouer]

THIS!!! Searching is a *nightmare* now. They're allowing all these junk sellers to game the system with however they do their keywords, and now even the buyers hate the site. Screw your sellers, screw your buyers, screw your business. Not that it'll matter to the CEO. They always get cushy bonuses even when a company goes belly-up.

[@a.l1249]

Essentially it seems that search keywords and filters are not applied to "advertised" items. Which are close to half results shown. They are still using your keywords to pick stuff to show you that's broadly related to what you're looking for. But unless you know exactly what you know and squeeze the last drop out of all filters available, you'll drown in advertised listings rather far from what you're looking for. Even if you filter for shops based in the US, the advertised listings are not bound by it 🤦 Forget about just browsing. You'll drown in an ocean of cheap repetitive mass produced junk.

[@TheGoldenCapstone]

​@@stoneneils remote work has nothing to do with any of this. Solutions to these problems don't require anyone to work in an office. You just don't know anything about the Tech industry.

[@stoneneils]

@@TheGoldenCapstone You're right. As a 55 years senior dev who spend the last part my career programming Magento for ecommerce companies taking in millions..i know nothing!! lol You kids are SO CUTE!!!

[@CritterKeeper01]

Time for someone to create a new platform. No, I don't know how, but some kind of artist-owned site is needed. Like the employee-owned grocery store chain.

[@trexo3263]

as an etsy seller fees are terrible, then ads are mandatory to succeed. then i’m over here charging 60% more than i do in person just to make a profit. i feel bad for charging how i do, but i cannot make money after it takes 30% of my monthly revenue just to run ads to be seen then another 10% in direct sells fees. i’m a newer shop (1.5 years) and i continue to grow every month but this whole business model limits our sales because we have to charge so much just to make a profit after etsy takes their part.

[@AlohaLowah]

I still love Etsy, but it drives me crazy in the worst way trying to make sure I'm shopping from real artists, and not getting cheap crap from overseas, or not getting scammed by a lieing listing. It's super frustrating to spend so much time trying to purchase things.

[@calisongbird]

*lying

[@Leguminator]

I was on Etsy recently looking for coffee mugs and the majority of selections were the same mass produced crap you'd see in any of the countless tourist souvenir shops --- and the mugs are just one example. I'm sorry for the artists and independent vendors, but I find it's no longer worth wading through the garbage to find the original, quality products.

[@ashleyw.6702]

So true!!! That's how I feel. Now, I seek out legitimate handmade companies on Instagram. I don't even bother to search through the Etsy junk.

[@breccamerie1]

I'm finding the same stuff on Temu for a fraction of the cost....

[@svetlanasvirid4690]

As an artist I def. noticed that my hand made treasures not in search anymore. My sales 80% down compare to 3-4 years ago. At the same time I see how "made in china"sites thrive. They put a fake location to make customer think it's local artist, then people surprised where it came from.

[@relevantelevant8203]

Same. I sell vintage items and the last two years sales dropped like crazy!

[@SatumainenOlento]

I think that if somebody did an alternative platform and then circulated a invitation to sellers in Etsy, there would be mass exodus from Etsy to the new platform! Anybody hears this! Do it!

[@Dakiniwoman]

I for one, would definitely go to such a platform. I used to sell my one of a kind items, made by me, fairly well, and it is my living, but I have sold zero on Etsy this entire year.

[@desiertoscacti5388]

@@Dakiniwoman I would also. I miss what Etsy started as, supporting small bussinesses and true artisans.

[@homethatilove4595]

The time to do this is NOW!! Come help us, programmers!

[@phillipavincent]

NZ has a site called "FELT"

[@WalkthruSEO]

The problem with this is that typically, the way these platforms grow is by attracting venture capital to fund them at a loss for the first few years, with the expectation that they will eventually go public and the investors will get a few more gold coins to add to their limitless hoard. Etsy got something like $40 million in venture funding over its first 5 or 6 years of operation. And then, the endless need to expand and return more & more ROI to shareholders leads to the "enshitification" of the platform. There is a lot of power in collective labour - perhaps a coalition of artists could get together and create some sort of co-op that would create an Etsy replacement, but without something like that, we're left with relying on individuals who will go out and find venture capital to compete with Etsy under the promise that they will someday go public and return an ever-increasing ROI to the investor from the sales they take from Etsy......which will inevitably be made easier in the short-term by doing the same anti-consumer anti-seller anti-advertiser tactics that Etsy and every other mature online platform employs.

[@TomNook.]

The enshittification of another company, another industry.

[@MagicWuf]

Didn't you hear? It's called junkification 7:37 😂

[@freedomthroughspirit]

Well said. Junkification - enshittification

[@Ckl61380]

The most frustrating part about this is that they are saying they’re using AI to help sellers, but they don’t realize is, it’s hurting sellers. I have lost my star seller badge solely because multiple items were flagged by Etsy box. It took me months to get items reinstated and I still didn’t get my star seller badge back. I’ve been penalized for Etsy having bad AI. What does CO doesn’t realize is we a store owners cannot get a hold of anybody to speak about our stores. Speaking to a human seems impossible. As a store owner on Etsy. Not only do you flagged items that should not be flag. You shut down stores that should not be shut down you take away peoples entire incomes in a flash. And then you don’t even let them speak to a human. This entire platform is going down the drain. Don’t let AI run your platform if you don’t have a good AI. How do they not realize this?

[@YogaBlissDance]

There CUSTOMER SERVICE for SELLERS IS non-existent basically...waiting weeks for an answer???

[@karuniafischer2551]

i feel the same. i have so much anxiety related to my store, afraid it will get shutdown because my store gets flagged when im not shipping ontime or a dont follow their new updated systems . I then cannot call any etsy representatives. No more humans. ETSY is going down because there is no customer service.

[@auroratsukari1367]

Agree and same circumstances and will be focusing on creating my own site with Etsy as a backup. They can no longer be called accountable.

[@goodgrief888]

Nobody has a good AI. I live in San Francisco and we have AI cars driving all over. Everyone uses AI customer service now. It’s a dystopian nightmare. AI should never have replaced people as it’s not as smart as humans and never can be. No matter what they claim. These stupid cars stop for everything except living beings and have caused road blockages. I watched one stop mid intersection recently, and it didn’t know how to go across the road, so it blocked 4 way traffic, nobody could go. AI customer service doesn’t understand how to deal with the unique challenges of their own websites, how things can get complicated and weird. So it gives you a few options and that’s that. You can never reach an actual human. These companies save so much money by firing all of their actual human workers, they don’t care that they’re hemorrhaging customers. It’s impossible to exist with this and I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry your shop is being effected. It’s all terrible and these organizations don’t care!

[@randomlyswatching9481]

eBay is same. Closing accounts on random

[@DARKINBLADE.]

I have a family member who sells on Etsy, has done since early 2020. She’s in her mid 50s and she has been doing at least 80% of the business by herself. This year she’s questioning if she will continue doing it in 2025. Fees, hidden fees galore, plus dropshippers invading a space supposed to be for authentic handmade goods, plus a massive increase of ‘customers’ trying to receive free products by claiming their goods have never arrived, and then even more fees. Despite lowering her prices and having frequent discounts to try and get more sales, she’s now struggling to make a profit each month. People simply do not care for quality products, only what has the cheapest price tag. I know this family member well. She works hard. She does 12 hour shifts 5-6 days a week because she loves her craft that much. She’s pushing through her health conditions for the name of art. She uses quality products, I’ve seen the invoices and researched these companies. But despite all of this, she’s constantly fighting with Etsy to the point where it seems like it’ll be a battle she will never win. All these corporations are just soulless. All of them.

[@katandbaldi]

We need to stop giving them our business, if artists still use their website they won’t give a flying flip what anyone says. If anyone knows another good place to sell art please let me know. Etsy has been a pain 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@jowiens32]

I have been an Etsy shopper for so many years, it’s my go to place for gifts and original decor. It’s very disheartening to know this, and to have this concern that I may end up receiving some drop ship garbage. I want handmade, and I want to support the creator, not a manufacturer

[@cindybaird9589]

Thank you for being out there supporting real artists on Etsy! I hope we can survive all this and grow, it's a struggle for sure:(

[@sasstewart1222]

Etsy went from a curated artist, one of a kind, to a mimic of temu, amazon, ebay. I used to use it monthly, now its maybe once a year.

[@justaname999]

Not just a copy of Temu etc. They will pretend that a product is genuinely small-scale production and sell it for 90$ and then the same product will be on Amazon for 30$

[@iLoveLeatherNYC]

The problem comes from the top down. Mr. Silverman has probably never made anything in his life, never been a home crafter and then tried to sell enough product to make a living. The thing that is missing from Etsy is the "personable" element. Its like going to a street fair, pop up shop or flea market but online - - the reason you are there is for something cute and unique. They should not try to compete with Amazon.

[@saschab.5154]

Etsy became such a dump. I can't see them recovering from that.