Etsy Messaging Strips Listing Variations and Share & Save URLs — Confusing for Customers

[ThreeStepsAhead]

I ran into a frustrating issue while messaging with a customer who was asking about a specific variation on one of my listings. They didn’t notice the dropdown options, so I sent them a direct link to the specific variation using this format:

https://threestepsahead.etsy.com/listing/1092567060?variation0=2282326486

However, Etsy automatically appended its own thumbnail link below my message:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1092567060/no-soliciting-sign-thanks-triangular

The problem is, these two links are not equivalent. Etsy's auto-generated thumbnail version strips out the variation info, which caused confusion for the customer — they clicked the thumbnail and purchased the wrong option.

To make matters worse, Etsy also strips out the "Share & Save" parameters from the original link, which penalizes sellers and creates a worse experience for buyers. The thumbnail looks helpful but actually undermines what the seller is trying to communicate clearly.

This seems like a design flaw and, honestly, a pretty unethical one at that. If Etsy is going to auto-embed a link, it should at least preserve the critical parameters that were included by the seller.

Suggested fix: If Etsy is going to auto-embed a link preview, it should reflect the actual link the seller used—including any variation or referral parameters. Otherwise, don’t include the thumbnail at all.

[PrimFun]

I've never had any problem attaching photos or giving a link in messages so I am not sure what is happening here.

As to the share and save that is for social media posting.  I have buyer clicking on that with no errors.

So I wonder if the problem may be device driven or browser/app driven.

Perhaps I don't understand your question as I am running on coffee fumes. 

[ThreeStepsAhead]

Thanks for chiming in! I totally get how this might not be obvious at first glance—what I’m referring to isn’t about whether you can include links or photos in messages. The issue is that when you do include a link (especially one that points to a specific variation, Etsy automatically adds its own thumbnail preview of the listing underneath your message. That thumbnail links to the generic version of the listing without any of the parameters you added.

So even though the correct link is in the message, customers often click the thumbnail instead—leading them to the wrong variation.

It might be more noticeable if you’re dealing with customers who aren’t tech-savvy or who miss dropdown menus for variations. I had one who clicked the thumbnail and ended up buying the wrong item, despite me sending them the correct link.

So it’s less about whether links work, and more about how Etsy overrides them with a separate, simplified version that can cause confusion.

[DOKOcreations]

I understand your problem, I would agree that the parameters being lost is a technical issue! Now that I’m aware of it, I’ll make sure in the future to include instructions in a message to remind the buyer that the link will just get them to the generic listing, but they’ll still need to select the desired option - yikes.

As far as the “Share & Save” info being stripped, I can see a certain logic to that. If the prospective buyer messaged you, it means they were clearly already on Etsy, so you did not bring them in. And if you did bring them in because they had clicked on one of your Share&Save links earlier, that fact would still be registered, and you should get credit for it (unless they also clicked on an offsite ad in the last 30 days).