Can you PLEASE HELP US ETSY!!!

[Marbrykers]

PLEASE HELP US SELLERS ETSY!!! Your IT Dept. is causing more and more Technical Issues that is making it hard for us Sellers to sell our products!!! Your constant changes are only making things worse! Before you changed your Listing Format things were Great. Now in the past twp years or so your changes are totally ridiculous for us sellers! We listen to your suggestions but they are not helping at all! Why do us sellers go thru a phase that our sales are great and then  a month or so later we go to hardly any sales if any at all. Etsy, you make money off of our shops by us listing our handmade and vintage items and then us sellers making sales.  I know this is happening because I see it all the time in the Sellers Forum. Does anyone from the IT  Dept. ever read these comments? I sure hope so! Also, why do I have to keep clicking so much??? I am getting carpral tunnel due to all the clicking, constantly being sent to the Home page. Etsy, you claimed you were going to make listing items easier and better. You have made things worse. Much worse. Get rid of AI or whatever you think is helping us sellers sell our items because it is NOT working! PLEASE fix your SEARCH buttons! I have not received any replies to my emails I have sent to my buyers in the last month.  I have not seen any new items going into the shopping cart. The views are very little. I have not received any ratings at all in the last month or so. This is all Etsy's fault. You contantly want us to give you more money by using Offsite ads, sales for items the few people have our items in their cart (99% or more of these get no sales) and for Return Buyers. A lot of sellers depend on the Etsy website to bring us customers. If we have to do every thing you want us to do with these why are we using the Etsy website? Many people have gone elsewhere and I can understand why. Especially due to all these Technical issues. PLEASE go back to the way it used to be. When your website actually was a nice place to be for buyers and sellers and more profit for Etsy. Thank you for your time. 

[PlatypusDream]

When Etsy makes changes they never look back.

AI is here to stay. It is omnipresent.

Adapt or suffer.

Sorry to sound so grim. I'm a Luddite myself but have tried to roll with the ever present changes here.

[Marbrykers]

I have made the changes as requested per their rules. AI is not needed in my opinion. Etsy sellers did much better with sales before AI was present.

[NanaLetha]

You need to adapt to Etsy changes or move on to another site.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

But you don't need to like them.

[Marbrykers]

I have made all the changes they have requested us sellers to do months ago and whenever they ask us to.

[BrooklynStVintage]

Etsy is always changing and the sellers are the recipients of the good and the bad changes.  Etsy rarely listens to sellers. As sad as it is and as my fellow sellers stated above, we have to live with the changes and try to figure out a way to live with them.

[MartiqueTreasures]

I sympathize with you @Marbrykers. It is frustrating and difficult to operate a shop and the creative process that goes into that while trying to get answers from the people who own the platform. But the fact seems to be, as stated above, that Etsy back office is doing what they feel is best without first checking with the sellers. We are so often left in limbo over the problems, questions or suggestions we may have. The cold truth is that Etsy will do as they see fit and we can try to survive or get out of the game on this site. There are still positives to be said about Etsy which is why I am here and other sites also have their issues that sellers have to deal with. 

[MrsDsHandKnits]

C'est la vie!

Accept,adapt,adjust and carry on! OR not..."elsewhere" isn't always "greener pastures"!

Best of luck whatever is decided...Have a great week all!

[SugarTaffySoap]

Think of sellers as lab mice. They have to test and experiment. 

[VintageRescueSquad]

Would you rather be at a site that never changes or adapts to things? Take a look at Craigslist, and see how few items are listed. Now, no one uses it.

[bradgoodell]

I used to use Craigslist often to sell stuff.  Last time I used it, I didn't get a single inquiry.  

I remember a time at eBay and even Etsy, people sent checks in the mail to pay for stuff.  

When I joined Etsy, MySpace was big and Instagram was still a dream in someone's head.  

In today's world, it is "adapt or die".  

[GlassyFields]

I remember life before the internet, before mobile phones, before malls ...

Change is as prevalent as air and brings good and bad and then when we look back, the bad wasn't all that bad after all.

[bradgoodell]

I remember when smoking anywhere on planes, restaurants, etc. was 100% acceptable.  I remember when "smoking sections" were a new and not entirely welcomed introduction.  I remember when smoking was later banned in those places.  

Some changes are definite improvements.

Remember when a buyer could check-out on Etsy without payment?  A time before variations existed?  Remember the 5 page long listing page?

I have plenty to be annoyed at Etsy about, but I wouldn't want to sell on Etsy circa 2009 again.   

[FallenAngelBrass]

I'm grateful that Etsy keeps up with all of the variations and changes in sales tax. New York State alone has 62 counties, each with a different sales tax.  Sure glad I am not responsible for knowing all of that anymore. 

[TastefulArtisan]

"I remember when smoking anywhere on planes, restaurants, etc. was 100% acceptable.  I remember when "smoking sections" were a new and not entirely welcomed introduction.  I remember when smoking was later banned in those places.  "

Oh my goodness I forgot about that one. I used to smoke. For 30 years before I quit and when I was 15, my mom would book me and my sister (who also smoked, she was 13) into the smoking section. lol

Casinos, at least the ones in Vegas, still allow smoking on the casino floor but that may have changed since I haven't been since 2019 when I lost my gambling partner. I haven't been back to a casino since.

They did have "smoking areas" but they were always right smack in the middle.

Like putting a urinal in the middle of a buffet.

After I quit I couldn't, still can't, stand the smell. I also couldn't walk down a laundry or candle aisle because the smell was so overpowering. I started smoking when I was 11 so my sense of smell was tainted until I quit.

There was a smoking section at high school I went to!!

[PrairiePrimitives]

@VintageRescueSquad Social media killed Craigslist. 

[RusticBucketsSouth]

Etsy does make changes, they don’t ask the sellers.  We adapt or move on.  Maybe you would be happier with your own website.

[Marbrykers]

It is aggravating when I have adapted to the changes and I have 18 sales in one month and then nothing in the next month or so. I have 5 Stars in all 4 categories. I get sales on items that show my pictures are not good enough according to AI. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

One thing that stood out to me in your post was when you mentioned, "I have not received any replies to my emails I have sent to my buyers in the last month." That made me wonder about the reason for contacting your customers. In general, it’s best practice to only message buyers when there’s a specific need—such as clarifying details about an order, addressing a problem, or responding to a message they’ve sent. Unsolicited contact can sometimes be viewed as intrusive and may lead to customers ignoring or opting out of messages altogether.

Regarding Offsite Ads, it’s important to keep in mind that you’re not charged unless someone actually clicks the ad and makes a purchase from your shop. If a buyer clicks but doesn’t buy, there’s no fee—that’s just additional exposure at no cost to you. However, if you haven’t crossed the earnings threshold for mandatory participation, you do have the option to opt out. Here’s a link that explains how the program works and how to remove yourself if you choose:

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000338367-How-Etsy-s-Offsite-Ads-Work?segment=selling

As for sales and discounts, they’re completely optional. If running a sale isn’t giving you the results you want, there’s no requirement to continue offering one. Every shop is different, so it’s perfectly fine to adjust your strategies based on what works for you.

[Marbrykers]

I Always Thank my customers personally with an email and let them know when their item is being mailed. Sometimes I do have a question and I usually get a nice response. For me to not have any answers in a month is very unlikely to happen in my past experiences. - I totally undetstand about your other comments and I am fully aware of this already. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

@Marbrykers

I understand the desire to connect with customers and show appreciation—that personal touch is part of what makes handmade marketplaces special. That said, many buyers today prefer minimal contact after making a purchase, unless there’s a specific question or issue that needs attention.

Etsy already sends an automatic notification when an order ships, including tracking information if it’s provided. Because of this, some customers may not feel the need to respond to additional follow-up messages. In fact, some buyers consider extra messages to be unnecessary or even intrusive, even if the intent is kind.

A thoughtful alternative might be to include a thank you card or personal note inside the package. That way, your appreciation reaches the buyer without adding to their inbox.

Of course, every seller has to find the approach that feels right for their brand, but it’s worth considering how buyer expectations are evolving. Silent feedback—like a customer who chooses not to repurchase—can sometimes be their way of expressing discomfort with too much communication. Just something to keep in mind as you build those relationships.

Wishing you continued success with your shop!

[PrimFun]

I echo that we adapt to the changes or if we can't we decide what the next step is for us.

I'm not fond of every change and even shudder at past changes that bring up bad memories but I still want my shop so I adapt.

[TrulyOoak]

Yall...im new here so im trying to learn Etsy...that in itself seems overwhelming. I guess its good that im coming onboard now and will only know this version,  i can also feel how it must be frustrating having to relearn it after years of being on here. As with all things in life we must adapt...and that means looking ahead not looking back...you cant quit now! give it a chance maybe it will be better than youve ever imagined once everything is in place and running smoothly and then you will look back and think wow! me...im just trying to get my shop open. 

[TrulyOoak]

Yall...im new here so im trying to learn Etsy...that in itself seems overwhelming. I guess its good that im coming onboard now and will only know this version,  i can also feel how it must be frustrating having to relearn it after years of being on here. As with all things in life we must adapt...and that means looking ahead not looking back...you cant quit now! give it a chance maybe it will be better than you've ever imagined once everything is in place and running smoothly and then you will look back and think wow! me...im just trying to get my shop open.