Etsy now choosing the first photo???

[#1]

When searching on Etsy, I noticed that Etsy is showing the 2nd/3rd/4th photo as the main listing photo. What?!? I choose the main listing photo for a reason. Showing a different photo in its place looks awkward; often showing only one small detail. It appears that this is true for other shops as well. It is obvious that the listing photo shown in search is not the seller's choice of main listing photo. What's going on? Does everyone else see the search photos in this way too?

[StainedGlassYourWay]

Why bother changing anything on my shop photos, titles, etc any more if Etsy is just going to do whatever the heck they want anyway???  They just keep taking more and more control away from us at every turn, from how we present our shops to giving automatic refunds on our behalf. 

It's a fact that shoppers like consistency.  That's why they go to the same grocery store where they know where things are, even when they can get better deals elsewhere.  They know what to expect and can complete their shopping efficiently.  Etsy is just pissing both buyers and sellers off with all the testing.  Another fact--pissed off people tell 10 others.  Happy people tell one.  (As is evidenced by the ratio of pissed off people to happy people in the forums!).  When Etsy asks me on a scale of 1-10 if I'd recommend them to someone else, my answer has changed from 8 down to 0 now in the past few years.

[WildCrockophile]

This.  This this this this this this this. 

Well. Maybe not the second part, though of COURSE I can't blame ANYONE for thinking like that.  How the heck can we not feel just a tad resentful and vengeful?  We sellers are Etsy's real customers, where's our consideration and protection?  Hahaha... woops, I see you edited.  I saw that and what I said about that stands, but your edit is also true.  VERY, VERY true. 

[StainedGlassYourWay]

@WildCrockophile Yeah, figured I didn't need Etsy to throw me out for my sarcasm....though true.

[WildCrockophile]

@StainedGlassYourWay Agree on not wanting to take a chance.  My dawg, you can't say ANYTHING straight out these days.  I see certain words, which should be perfectly proper to use, edited by folks so they won't show up in searches.  

On my FaceBorg account, a friend got thrown in FB Jail for saying something about killing a cricket.  A CRICKET.   Gettin' way outta hand everywhere. 

[LeLightFantastique]

Buyers prefer square photos even if they can't make out what is actually shown....

I can't believe that anyone in Etsy HQ thinks this is a great idea and went ahead to approve it.  Could it be just another part of the mess their squaring-up of photos has caused.

[Adorabilities]

And buyers prefer not to see the actual title, too, apparently. They love the challenge of guessing what the item might be. 

[LaMagieDuColoriage]

Idem pour moi, je viens de me rendre compte qu'une de mes fiches en publicité affiche une autre photo que la première, ce qui ne met pas du tout mon article en valeur comme je le souhaite à la base et selon mon choix de 1ère photo ! Et dire que je paie de la publicité pour avoir ce résultat, et sans en être informée ! Je ne trouve pas cela très correct. Etsy merci de n'afficher que les premières photos que j'ai choisies s'il vous plaît. 

[PrettyVagrant]

What the heck is this mess? 

Why??

Is Etsy trying to hurt sales more than they already are??  No wonder I have been dead the past few days.

I draw the line to them randomly selecting photos to show for the item I PAY FOR to list.  I made the listing and selected the order I want my photos to be seen. I selected the photo I want to be the main photo that I think makes my item look best.  Showing a random photo like something that could be the back side of an item is asinine.

[timelapse]

@PrettyVagrant - Exactly! We pay for each listing, and yet they think they can just change it to whatever they think might work instead!  NO.  I paid for it, and that is how I expect it to look.

[LynnsLittleShop]

@DaysLongGone  I don't know why it changes by itself but to fix the nesting

Click on your Avatar top right of this page,

select mysettings

then preferences

next linear layout

choose threaded

hit save

[DaysLongGone]

@LynnsLittleShop   Thanks so much!!

[WildCrockophile]

@LynnsLittleShop 

Thanks, I just tried that, too.  I don't know why it only gave me issues SOMETIMES, though.  ::sigh::  

[PinkBirdCottage]

@LynnsLittleShop 

Thank you for those printed instructions!

[LynnsLittleShop]

@DaysLongGone No problem.  

[decotini]

Geeze.
I just saw this and it is a hot mess! The search results are horrible looking.
After months of the "square test" becoming permanent - - we have all worked hard on our #1 listing photos . . and now THIS???  So disappointing and frustrating.

[lolabeanjewelry]

Is this an actual test with the wrong photo showing during search or a technical issue/bug?

[SmudgePlant]

It doesn't surprise me. Seems that's the way things work around here.

When you don't have a banner and they want you to have one, they give you a peach blob until you comply.

Only have time to change your first photo to square when they want you to change all of them, they start choosing another pic.

Wonder what kind of Alt text they give you when you don't do that.

A good portion of the alternate pics they chose for me was my last photo which is a group photo of an assortment of my products. Really doesn't work when someone is searching for a Basset Hound. Oh well, I guess it will improve Etsy's clicks.

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

I am really loving the idea that one of the close ups of flaws that I show in my photos might be the main photo in search!

Yea for me!! Those dents and scratches are surely going to prevail over the nicest main photos that I've carefully selected.

I didn't see anything in the seller handbook, photography section, that mentioned that it was a good idea to put your LEAST attractive photos first

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/category/photography?ref=handbook

[CaledonianForge]

I complained to the chat help and was told it was a glitch, not a test. Can anyone confirm if it is actually a test? Doesn't seem to be happening to me anymore. 

[leinweberstudio]

It's best to keep in mind that most of the time chat help has no idea what the hell is going on here.

An oftentimes they just make something up to get you to go away.

[ZehOriginalArt]

@CaledonianForge 

I cannot confirm that it is one or the other, but I suspect it is both: a glitchy test - a test that is getting unintended results.

[herflyinghorses]

Let me get this straight, we pay for the listing and Etsy does what they want with it? I guess I won't be adding anymore listings. 

[BeSomethingNew]

the test I am in right now is different, when I hover over an item it goes through each photo in order, which is kind of nice. On the listings that are mine, I am seeing the correct first photo, 

[FunkyJunkyVintage]

Just remember, while they're using us a guinea pigs without any regard to our hard work and livelihood, not to mention the constant strain on our mental health, this is someone's job security to continually screw up our shops.

They don't look at it this way, of course, Mr. Silverman says that etsy gives us what we need, not what we want.

[leinweberstudio]

I just saw this in action when I was looking at a bunch of potholders in search and many of the ones that have different fronts and backs had the back showing.

So the title might say "Calico Cat Potholder" but as the backside of the potholder is a solid blue, all that shows is the blue side, not a cat to be seen.

All those folks with two-sided anything are so screwed; they should be yanking their stuff off this dung heap that Etsy has become.

This must be driving away buyers en masse; I don't see how it will increase sales which allegedly is the goal here. Etsy says one thing but all their actions indicate the exact opposite.