We’re making a few updates to protect users’ privacy

[MurphyGardens]

Hello and happy new year! 

My name is Andrea, and I lead Etsy’s community team. My team creates and develops the one-of-a-kind programs and spaces where you connect with and learn from other Etsy sellers. We know how important user privacy is to all the members of our community, which is why I wanted to share two updates we're making to keep buyers and sellers safe and secure.

As of March 26, you’ll need to be signed in to view most posts in the Etsy Forums

Today, anyone browsing the web can view posts in the Etsy Forums. We want to keep this space special and secure because we know just how valuable connecting with your community can be. We also want to create an experience that’s tailor-made for Etsy sellers, so you feel comfortable sharing with each other and seeking out support in a protected space. 

That’s why we’re going to start asking you to log in to your Etsy shop account to view posts in most sections of the Forums. We know you need quick access to important info, so posts in the Announcements and Technical Issues sections will still be visible to everyone.

We wanted to give you a heads up that this change is coming, but don’t worry— we'll remind you before we make any updates. 

If you haven’t logged in to the Community space before, it’s super simple. Just click Sign In at the top of this page and log in with your Etsy shop details. Get step-by-step instructions in Etsy’s Help Center. 

As of February 5, we’re limiting the buyer info some integrations can access using our public API

Many companies use the Etsy API to build tools and services for Etsy sellers (we call these integrations). To help protect shoppers’ privacy, we’re putting some additional limits on the buyer info we share with these third-parties. We’ve reviewed this info carefully to ensure we limit the impact on the tools you depend on to run your business. Any sellers impacted by this change will have received an email from Etsy on January 4 about the changes we’re making. 

Thanks for helping us protect shoppers’ privacy and keep Etsy safe!

[MurphyGardens]

Hi sellers,

We appreciate the thoughtful questions we've seen from the community so far about this change to the public API. This is an important update in protecting user privacy and ensuring Etsy remains a trusted marketplace. To help clarify a few things, we’ve addressed some additional questions below.

Q: Did the third-party applications who are losing access to email addresses use them improperly?

A: For privacy purposes, we only share information with third-party applications that’s necessary for them to fulfill orders. If the third-party doesn’t need an email address to fulfill the order, we’ll no longer share that info with them. Losing access to this information simply means that the third-party doesn't need it in order to complete the order and will otherwise continue to operate as normal with Etsy. We’re making this change to better protect shoppers’ privacy. 

Q: Is Etsy going to remove/stop working with third-party applications impacted by this change?

A: No, we're not removing any third-party integrations at this time as a result of this change. We're just limiting their access to buyer email addresses.

Q: This change impacts the third-party integration I use for email marketing. How can I get buyers to opt in to receive my emails?

A: Shoppers must choose to receive emails from you—in the email marketing biz this is called “opting in.” This means someone signs up for your newsletter either on your website, via social media, or by adding their name to a good old-fashioned paper list at a craft or trade show. If you have a website or a blog, you can include a newsletter subscription link on your homepage with a sidebar widget. Post on social media to encourage your current fans to sign up for your newsletter with clear messaging about what they can expect to receive from you. Remember, you may not add customers’ emails to your email or physical mailing list without their consent—that means you should never copy email addresses from your Etsy orders and add them to your email list. Not only is it against Etsy’s policies, it could also be against an applicable law. 

You can utilize the tools we provide on Etsy to help you keep in touch with your customers. You can customize your Message to Buyers to thank shoppers for their orders. You can also use Etsy's targeted offers tool to automatically email a discount to buyers who Favorite an item from your shop or add an item to their cart and don't check out.