And here it is! Etsy's Pricing Strategy Guide!

[leinweberstudio]

Just as promised, here is the rollout of the new help pages to aid us in setting our prices.

The Ultimate Guide to Pricing (etsy.com)

And, coming soon, will be the optional tools to achieve our best pricing goals.

Gee, Etsy, you could just buy all my inventory, and then you can do with it as you please. Set the prices you want, ship it the way you want, and refund any time you feel like it --- just give me the money and we can be done.

[MissPussinBoots]

ugh

Why do all their marketing and emails and blogs sound soooo condescending?

...and perky. Obnoxiously perky.

[DeviantDollDesigns]

---

@MissPussinBoots wrote:

...and perky. Obnoxiously perky.

---

It's that classic 'MLM hun' tone.

"We're here to help, we're your friend, we can do this together"

*Cough* Money *Cough*

"Sorry what?"

[YarnOtterHandmade]

If they just buy everyone's inventory, they'd be free to put it all on sale for 25% off, too.

[DragonflyDreams1]

This is the part I find very upsetting. I just adjusted some prices down. If they seriously insist on a minimum of 25% off I have to raise prices to participate in sales. I have found participating does help me on etsy. 

All I can do is laugh. One section states I need to increase my prices by 14%, the next section states sales with a minimum of 25% off, and then the next section compares my items and shows basically I am charging too much (comparisons are so far off in product type it is delusional).

So let me sum it up. Increase prices that are already too high so I can give a 25% off discount. Sounds like a marketing department's dream. Also, I thought inflating prices to give a discount was prohibited by the FTC?

[LorettasCottage]

Another batch of Etsy's multiple embedded links upon links to read. No thanks, I'll just ignore as usual. Etsy makes everything so convoluted and confusing.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

You forgot the third 'c'....

clueless

Why is it that Etsy blithely insists on handing out "advice" about things that they quite obviously have neither the knowledge nor experience to even begin to preach on?

[HollysCollageCorner]

I am being instructed to update 4 pages of listings.  What I can figure out is they want us to choose a shipping service?  Some were just listed recently.  What could need updated?  I don't want to decide which delivery service prior to a sale.  Why is this happening?  I cannot believe the pricing strategy BS.  They want everything the same in our shops.  All picture perfect POD digital and pretend antique.  No sincerity

[ChillwolfArt]

@HollysCollageCorner  Hi, Here is another Thread about this.  It has to do with having "Other". See the post by WitticismsRus.
https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Update-required-shipping-profile/m-p/143490861/highli...

Hope this helps.

[TwiLdCapitHog]

Unbelievable! Truly unbelievable!

I know what the response would be if I went shopping and said – this potato cost 10p next door but your avocadoes are £2! Or this oak wood dining table is £1000 but that plastic side table is only £15!  People would think I’d lost the plot!!

But this is what Etsy deems time worthy over fixing what is not working on the site. Lol

[PlatypusDream]

Well then!

My Simplicity Retro Wedding Gown pattern, priced competitively at $9.99.

Etsy says:

"Your price is below the median range of $242.89–$268.45."

Uh... a modern sewing pattern for a vintage design =/= a real vintage 1950s gown!

Oh... I just looked further. Some are resold vintage "STYLE" Aliexpress gowns.

Completely useless, just as I suspected.

[NotOnlyButtons]

I sell a lot of vintage supplies that are no longer made.  How can they give me a comparison price for what that should sell for???  Also are they allotting for the condition of items??   

[PlatypusDream]

They can't.

It's for all those identical POD t shirt and digital downloads, I guess.

[GalleryAntiques]

Well, you know where they can shove that.......

[JustMeToo · Accepted solution]

Etsy has absolutely no idea what my (or anyone else's) costs are.  Their "pricing strategy" is implying that we're all stupid, and can't manage pricing for our own businesses - many which have been successful for years.  It's a shame they keep coming up with these useless ideas rather than fix the obvious problems.  This started out as MY business and I will keep it that way forever, which means that I will decide on MY pricing, MY shipping rates, and anything else that concerns MY business.  I pay the fees I have to pay.  That is my only obligation to etsy.

[CoquetteBath]

IMHO, if you can't figure out how to price for profit, then you won't be in business long...

and that's good for the rest of us.

if someone needs to be told how to price...oh wait, folks come in daily asking stuff as simple as that. Maybe some do.

I sure do not.

[OniOniOniArt]

I pay the fees I have to pay.  That is my only obligation to etsy.

It really should be that simple. It can't be easy to be this continually obtuse.

[digitaldoodlebug]

To be fair they got a lot of new sellers during covid. Somewhere around double. Many new sellers don't know business or pricing or profit and could benefit from it. So many find out come tax time that they are making little to nothing. And I'm sure etsy plans on drawing even more sellers. 

[ImmerseArtStudio]

@JustMeToo Great example to follow. Thank you for your comment

[LilMissSweetPea]

I was included in the test on the pricing. I had SO MANY stupid comparisons. For one, I sell the same item in many colors, they put some as under priced, some at over priced. They were at one point asking me to double pricing. WHY? It is multiple items with different color fabrics.

One seller message me, she sells a men's tie (Cavat, think that is the spelling) and it compared her item to my baby blanket and headband set.

NONE, of their recommendations on my items were accurate. WASTE of my time even looking at the list.

[MouseGarden]

From the same people who always tell me my shipping through Canada Post is "too expensive" even though it is the actual rate.

[VINTAGEnfinity]

Even when I post a shipping cost that is LESS than the actual rate i can purchase through Etsy I am told it’s too much! 

[leinweberstudio]

Even when I post a shipping cost that is LESS than the actual rate i can purchase through Etsy I am told it’s too much! 

You could go as low as 25 cents and it'll tell you it's too much.

Any amount over FREE is too much in their eyes.

[PeachyChicBoutique]

Gee, my recommendation is some prices are lower, some are higher than similar products.  Wow, what insight, etsy, LOL.

[CryzalisDesigns]

It is extremely flawed as per usual

2 the same masks, same size, same design I just have the hieroglyphs in a different place

Both state that I am way under the recommended price, but they recommend 1 at 123$ and the other at $160

well done Etsy.. Makes perfect sense!

And they price my huge limited edition pieces at 98$ less than my basic pieces? It is clear to see that no human is setting these prices... AI has gone completely mad!