Etsy I love you really...but..

[YellowT4Studio]

I must have been bad in a previous life! I get banned from the general forum for asking Etsy to justify some of the changes that have annoyed lots of users, then they tell me they don't like the wording on some of my products (far worse all over etsy!), put my account on a trial so postage disappears from the site for some users, and now I log in and everything has moved because I am on the trial for a new layout.

I don't mind trying things out, but it would be nice to be asked, and only one thing at a time. How can they judge which bit alters sales if they are doing two things at once?

Nothing wrong with the new layout, nothing great either, so neutral there.

I like what Etsy offers but they are not very good at customer communication. Onwards and upwards I say. Now how do I earn my fortune from Etsy...all answers on a postcard please.

Janners

[LynnBaileyPrintmaker]

I feel your pain Janners.

If it's any comfort, only a small proportion of potential purchasers will see your shop in this annoying test form with hard to find shipping details etc.

Regarding not being told - apparently these things are "told" to us via the rather hard to find "Announcements". I've only just found out about this and it took be some searching to find where they hide the announcements. Go to the top of the page and find “Community”, choose “Forums”, then look over to the right hand side and click on “Announcements”.
https://www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/

I’m not in the test so I’m not seeing what the new layout might look like.
But I’m very concerned about the hidden shipping costs. This is against European law. People in the test can only see the shipping costs when - or rather IF, they place the item in the cart. It's not visible and upfront from the start.

I've been searching but can't find anyone from admin acknowledging this question.

If they decide to run with this, us EU types are being trapped into breaking the Distant Selling Regulations?
www.google.com/#q=Distance+Selling+Regulations+Litigation+EU
I’m thinking about adding a line to all of my listings saying something like this –
“If your Etsy account is currently in a “test” you might not be able to see my shipping costs very easily. Rest assured, I do ship worldwide and you will be able to see my shipping costs when you place the item in the shopping cart. I endeavour to keep my shipping costs as moderate as I can”.

For a bit of light relief, you might find this shipping themed treasury a bit of fun.
https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTc2NjAyNTN8MjcyMzYxNTY0Nw/etsy-shipping-were-i-n-k-i

Etsy perpetually conducting test is part of Etsy life….. Sometimes there’s an improvements, sometimes it’s just a pain in the a***…

Oh yes – re getting yourself temporarily banned for the odd forum. Sometimes they just don’t ‘get’ the British humour…

Onwards and upwards indeed! Still more good things than bad things here I recon… But I’m still prepared to tell Etsy in a number of discussions that they have it wrong if they hide the shipping costs.

[CLMCovers]

Haven't seen the new layout but have the problem with shipping. love Etsy too but my website is my main selling portal.

I concentrate on moving any potential sales traffic there not to Etsy. However, I do like using Etsy (its cheap and usually very efficient) and I do get some good sales here.

Janners, I don't understand why small businesses with their own websites (and I think every small business selling something should have a fully functional e-commerce website) direct traffic to Etsy though. Am I missing something?

[mazedasastoat]

Hey Janners, sounds like you're having fun!

As far as the trial lay-out goes, at some time you must have volunteered for it. I've just finished about 3 weeks' trial & the worst thing is that you have to view your own shop the same way as everyone else's because it's still in beta. In my trial, the shipping costs remained visible, but the featured items disappeared from the top of the page. Hopefully, when they ever roll it out across the board we'll keep the ability to choose how to view our own shops... I need to see it as a seller, not as a buyer! There should be a feedback button somewhere at the top of the page, for you to tell them what you think... be gentle, our colonial cousins often mistake heated debate for personal insults. I have yet to decide whether it's because they're naturally polite or because they're slightly dense. ;-)

I once left a comment on one of the Etsy blogs & got banned from leaving comments anywhere, with no explanation. It took about 10 emails to discover exactly what I'd said that had so upset them (I found out that the person posting the blog entry has control over mediation, so presumeably some people are more tolerant than others) & another 15 or so before I got a written apology from the blogger in question. The whole process took about 4 weeks. It would have been a lot easier to just shut up & go away, but if they invite comments then I don't see why they should simply ban anyone whose opinion doesn't agree with theirs.

I'm not convinced ANYONE makes their fortune on Etsy, I'm always sceptical about the "Quit Your Day Job" articles... but it's still a hell of a lot better than working for someone else!

Most of the problems seem to be because they're an American company, based in America, & speaking American. Poor dears, they're at a disadvantage out here in the civilised world!

[LynnBaileyPrintmaker]

Unfortunately your account can be subject to an Etsy test/experiment without volunteering or even knowing its happening.

Just a little while back I found the gallery layout of my shop kept switching from four items across to three items across. Took me a while to realise what was happening. It was irritating because I arrange my items so that they are in sets of four. When seen in gallery view, I think of them as being shelves in my shop and I like to keep them tidy.

It’s part of your agreement when you sign up, that they can mess around with how your shop is viewed. – Don’t think it’s expressed quite like that though...

There may be some people who make their living off selling from Etsy, but for most of us it’s probably best to see it as part of a wider plan. It definitely helps me get my stuff out there and sell more artwork that I was doing before having my Etsy shop.

[YellowT4Studio]

I love the way they ask for feed back, I gave it...banned. Allowed back after 7 days. I was promptly invited to join a closed team where most members have been banned permanently. That's quite interesting, as when something good appears they push it, when something bad appears they look at the implications. Some very straight talking, not just gushing or bashing.
As Lynn said the Etsy terms are that you agree to testing and anything else they wish to do.
There are some very high sales figures for some, but I am certainly in the camp that in the UK a living off of Etsy alone may not really be possible. Hence shops on other sites.
It does offer a good outlet that is simple to get to grips with. I do see the sales figures as a game to be played and thus have really started get my teeth into how it works beyond the basics....haven't cracked it yet though!