Etsy does not detect "collages" very well

[#1]

I use a consistent pattern for my listings for coins which place the front and back (what us coin nerds call the "obverse" and "reverse") side by side on photos. Since Etsy has gone all square in their image formats, I use black bars at the top and bottom of the image to stretch this to something that is at minimum presentable.

In the new view today for customer service standards, Etsy identified 45 of my listings as "collages". For example:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1708636616/1933-lincoln-wheat-cent-higher-grade

is a "collage", but 400+ other listings using the same format were not detected as collages.

I also have a bestseller listing which is tagged as a "collage" which is concerning.

I legitimately have some "collage" type photos for supplies which I can individually photograph and list, but even amongst those collages, not all of them are detected.

I'm hoping Etsy can dive into this. Using text on images has never been banned from my knowledge, though I know it can affect offsite ads due to Google policies. I like to keep this format because it's useful for my store in identifying small features on a coin which dictate importance which are quickly represented as text on the image.

[weekendjewelry1]

Well one of the two "collage" listings that Etsy pointed out I should change the first listing pic... sold out this morning.  Well whaddya know...(and by the way, I had *not* changed the photo). 

[GlassyFields]

I had quite a few listings with collage photos.

I went through the ones with 0 visits in the last 3 months and used a photo of one of the listings ... it was a little test. Today those listings showed up as needing more specific categories. So I tried to find more specific categories and nothing fit better than what I was already using.

Then I started playing with the collages themselves ... I redid a handful so that the individual pictures all had the same background and no photo spacing. It does look more like a bunch of items laid out together that way. Those listings are no longer flagged as needing a different primary photo or needing more specific categories.

But I am curious about why a listing ... lets say buttons ... with the individual photos of buttons presented as a collage ... when changed to a listing with a single pair of buttons would then be flagged as needing a more specific category. And then with an improved collage ... the category is no longer flagged at all.

[YouLookAmazing]

I am not about to stop using collages as the main picture in my listings (unless, of course, Etsy bots actually start penalizing us for them and not showing the listing to viewers ... which wouldn't be a surprise considering that every Etsy change I can think of since 2019 has hurt sellers). I just checked my shop YouLookAmazing, and of the last 24 items sold, 18 had collages as their main photo! Checked my DownShifting shop: 25 of the last 50 sales used collages as the main picture. Etsy has no clue is so absolutely obvious. 

[ScrubLub]

I will also continue using collages because my customers like to see the options.  I find it interesting that even though my collages are "flagged" the last 9 mandatory off-site ads Etsy uses has been collages.  They are making extra money off my collage listings--so why is it a problem with search visibility? 

[MarstonDesign]

Seven of my 19 cane listings were tagged as "collages" , and yes, all 19 of my listings are formatted the same. I went back to two of the offending  main images and altered them a little-I reduced the size of the border around the inserted image; and Etsy didn't flag them anymore. Not terrible to fix, with only 7 flagged images to deal with in my case, but I feel for others with dozens of listings. I am curious to see if my "corrected" main images stay unfledged. Etsy's criteria seem pretty arbitrary.

[TomCatBazaar]

I have lots of "collages." They are for vintage clothes, showing front and back of item or different views of the item. The way I take it is that they may be harder for people to see in search results? I didn't take it that etsy would lower their position in search results. Am I wrong about that? In any event, I am not changing--they help my sales. But am I wrong in the way I interpret this?

[ScrubLub]

 I like to think the BEST about the company, that they are making changes on how customers can search etc.. But if their algorithm/bots are flagging collages in a negative light (which as a seller I consider it an advantage to my buyers) then it appears it will affect our search visibility on collage listings????

Esty's explanation dated Aug 28, 2024"to ensure a smooth and trusted shopping experience for your buyers. That's why shops that consistently follow our customer service standards are prioritized in search."

So if I still have 139 collages on my listings, will Etsy eventually consider I'm not following customer service standards?

[PayneHollowPainted]

I sell transfers and decoupage sheets and they are all being flagged. None are collage photos, the are photos of the transfer sheet. Good grief this is frustrating! 

[7WondersDesign]

I am experiencing the same "collage" problem. My images show a set of 6 prints, which Etsy is classifying as "collages", I'm hoping they'll work out these kinks as my image is displayed correctly for customers.

[7WondersDesign]

I need to reiterate the problem for my "collage" listings. I sell sets of prints, sets of 3 and sets of 6; for example Eat Drink Love with 3 matching flowers. They are sold as a set of 6. I'm not trying to get around not paying any extra fees, I'm just selling these items as a set. And the ONLY way to display to the customer accurately is to show all 6 prints together which is flagging them as collages. I do hope this is not hindering my shop due to this problem or causing lower views in the search algorithms. Does anyone have any additional information on how "collages" designations impact shop performance?

[TBaxterShop]

I just got two of my listings taken down and I can't figure out why. The first pictures are more of a "collage", but I didn't think they were removing listings over that. They couldn't tell me why. So frustrating!

[ThreeLittlePirates]

I have one listing with a collage photo.  It's  a listing for multiple items.  I do not wish to pay separate listing fees for each item so the collage is staying.  It's getting views, so I'm not too worried.  If it was more than one listing, I would probably make some changes though, as the "problems" that Etsy are highlighting are going to affect your placement in search.  Best to keep the Etsy bots happy if you can.

[AmoreTreasure]

I have several collage first photo listings that I have kept but have changed many.  I don't think we know for sure that collage as first photo is/will be a factor included in the search algorithm however.

[GlassyFields]

I've been changing the first photos that Etsy flagged as collages.

While doing this (I started with almost 200), I noticed that some photo collages aren't flagged ... I can't figure out why some are flagged and others ... made the same way ... aren't. 

My main objective with the collages is to give potential buyers a peek at some of the variations ... but I get that a bunch of tiny photos might be difficult to see on a cell phone ... seems a lot of people shop that way. So I've been making first listing photos with one of the items and then a little strip of the variations on the same photo. Those aren't flagged by Etsy. No idea how they'll affect searches, views and purchases. I'll have to wait and see I guess.