Etsy's obsession with changing what isn't broken, and ignoring what is.

[TheWestcountryWitch]

I just had an amusing encounter with etsy support. Now, I use the app, I use browser. I am on etsy a lot every day. The biggest issue I have had since the creation of the new app, is that it's not for for purpose. We all know this and we've all told etsy. As a digital seller, the app does not allow the creation of digital listings. Now can digital sellers of made to order digital items use the app to complete orders. 

So we toddle off to browser. 

Problem being, the new etsy listing manager--you guessed it--does not allow for the creation of made to order digital items. You can't list. Etsy's little brain gets all confused with made to order digital items and the big red banner comes up saying error. So like many, I have been having to switch to use the old version. 

Contacted etsy, to check they are aware because if the old version vanishes, am unable to edit my shop. 

Etsy's advice, keep switching to the old version. So, create a new listing manager. It doesn't work. Tell sellers to keep using the old one. But don't fix anything?

Here's the issue, etsy is bringing about 'changes' to fix problems that don't exist for sellers. From changing how SEO works, the new gift thing, encouraging us to spend more with the suggested 25% discounts and advertising. It's all because their business model is failing. Yet, during all these 'changes' they're not actually fixing the broken things. 

Digital sellers of made to order items are still experiencing the glitch where a sale is marked as completed right away with no means to upload the digital file--etsy's response--it's a known issue. The same response for over a year now. 

I can't, for the life of me, understand the rhyme or the reason. It very much is, breaking things that were not broken, and ignoring things that are. 

[PieceByNumberQuilts]

But don't you think moving and then hiding the description under a drop down arrow is more important?  

/s

Even though I don't do made to order downloads, I'm with you!

[GlassyFields]

Hard to say what's more important ... but if they stopped fixing things that work they could use their resources to work on things that don't work

[NancyQstudio]

The customer support group is a contracted group of folks. It sounds like this is something they couldn't resolve so the gathered information was likely passed onto an Etsy team.  Unfortunately this doesn't mean the problem will be fixed.  Hopefully this happens.  It is not uncommon for Etsy to develop programs which are initially invested in and later somewhat abandoned.  This may be the case with the newer listing editor?  What I appreciate is Etsy is allowing sellers to use the older version as I find this application more efficient.  

The new app has been problematic for sellers since it was rolled out.  I don't use it for anything other than notifications.  I'm sorry to hear it won't allow digital sellers to upload items.  That makes me wonder if it was developed for shoppers rather than sellers?

The Gift program was rolled out with the hopes of making Etsy "the" place for online shoppers to come for gifts. It sounds like the expectations  are that this  will create another niche for Etsy where they can dominate a market.  I believe this program was developed for shoppers not sellers which makes sense.  If this is the case Etsy would assume it would also assist sellers.   The same goes for Etsy heavily pushing sellers to run discounted sales.  SEO has been problematic for sellers and shoppers alike.  But Etsy has been transparent about their pride in this area.  So it seems to be working for their needs.  There has been a disconnect between Etsy and sellers for awhile.  Etsy sellers often don't feel valued by Etsy which sounds like what is being shared.  But, Etsy is not fixing problems for sellers.  They are wanting to help shoppers and encourage buyers to grow the site.  

[GlassyFields]

@NancyQstudio

Actually, Etsy having attention deficit disorder explains a lot.

[MouseGarden]

The new "streamlined" listing page is super annoying because it rarely saves changes even though it says it has. Twice I changed a shipping template and it reverted to the old one, and variations just drop out.  Several times I've found they were missing.  On one listing I swear lots of the tags disappeared, even though I was sure I put them in.  I can't trust it to keep information.  

Also not happy with the way they changed the photos to square because 'they sell better' just before my busy season.  I have up to 2000 photos that are now the wrong size, and they still haven't made the photos in the listing manager match the shop front so sometimes they look right but they really are not, depending on which screen you look at.  How can they be different sizes everywhere?

If they are trying to help buyers not sellers, they might keep in mind some of us are both.

[ByzantineArt]

There is a race among corporate IT workers to make changes. That's what I do on social media as well. Maybe this is what is required of them, to always make changes. They believe that if they move the x button to the right and hide it somewhere, shoppers will be more interested in buying more. Like when you go to the supermarket and find that they have reconfigured and rearranged all the shelves and you no longer know where the product you are looking for is. They believe that on your detective journey you will "stop" other products that you will buy. They treat our products as if they were their own and don't care if they make major mistakes. And they make experiences on us. But they don't make our products, it doesn't cost them anything, and so they don't know how to sell them better than we do. That is why they happen to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of vendors and shops; they just have where!

[ShivaMoonHawaii]

So, true.  I, myself, have become unhappy with Etsy, after years of loving them and supporting them in every way.  I am now contemplating closing my store because I don't like the changes they have made and I don't like the 12% ad fees that I never know will be charged to me until "after" I've made the sale. I love my Etsy customers and like to give repeat buyers a discount but I can't because I never know whether or not I'll end up making a profit.  I can't increase prices because then I'm no longer competitive.  Don't they understand this?

[hopeandjoystudios]

Unless they have updated it..which I doubt.. the new lister is a joke. You had to use shipping profiles which I never use and you had to wait for all your photos to load before you can move  to the next page. I want everything on ONE page so I can work on the listing  while the pix load.. sometimes I finish the listing before all the pix load! Hate the new lister and if they get rid of the old one I will be very upset. It is not about not liking change.. the new lister is a downgrade for me. I don't use the app except maybe to check a message or something if I am away from home. 

[FallenAngelBrass]

---

@TheWestcountryWitch wrote:

I can't, for the life of me, understand the rhyme or the reason. 

---

Perhaps Etsy is not-so-subtly trying to discourage so many POD sellers from selling here.  ?

[GlassyFields]

@FallenAngelBrass 

'Perhaps Etsy is not-so-subtly trying to discourage so many POD sellers from selling here.  ?'

interesting, maybe

but my guess is Etsy likes fees wherever they come from

[ChantillyAvenue]

@FallenAngelBrass 

I crossed my mind as well.

[JeanellePaigeDesign]

Also as a digital seller, it impossible to reach Star Seller status. I've been open since 2015 and have had all 5 star reviews. My message rate is 100% but since we don't ship items how can we reach Star Seller? It just irks me. Also, hiding the description of the item! I sell patterns but I need my pictures to show the finished item. Some people get confused about that and think they are buying a finished product. They get the pattern immediately but if I don't want a bad review I HAVE to give them their money back even though it's against even Etsy's policy! I don't know if this person could be scamming a free pattern either! It's becoming more clear that Etsy's main concern is for it's buyers, not sellers. They should start listening to us. If they are reading this now, please, change what many of us are complaining about. 

Edited to say that I am also a buyer and if things don't change I will just become a seller. 

[FallenAngelBrass]

"When it comes to qualifying for Star Seller, digital orders will not require tracking information or postage labels purchased on Etsy. Because of this, shops who list their items as “digital” instead of “physical” will still be eligible for a Star Seller badge since on-time dispatch & tracking will be reviewed on sales of physical items only. If you make a made-to-order digital item that is currently listed as “physical”, make sure to update the category so that you can be exempt from dispatch stats. Follow these step-by-step instructions to update your listing’s category."

@JeanellePaigeDesign 

[PieceByNumberQuilts]

@JeanellePaigeDesign  I sell only digital downloads, and I've been a Star Seller from nearly the beginning.  I'm not sure what the snag is for you, if everything in your shop is set up for instant download. 

If you do made-to-order downloads, then (I think but don't know, because I don't do these kinds of products) that may be different, because there is kind of a "ship date".   

Please check out the various forum threads about how to help people download their files, and how you can set up things in your shop to maximize buyer self-sufficiency regarding downloads.  The first two words in all my listing descriptions are PDF DOWNLOAD, and I include this in my title as well.  But the best thing I ever did was activate Etsy's "personalization" feature on each listing with a statement that buyers MUST respond "yes" to before the order can go through.  None of my buyers are confused about what they're receiving, and they all know they have to use a browser to download (and not the app).   Take a look to see if something like that might work for you.  You should also add download instructions  to the automatic confirmation emails that Etsy sends out (update in this your dashboard under Settings > Info and Appearance > scroll all the way to the bottom).

There will always be confused buyers for various reasons, but it's worth learning as much as you can about how the downloads process here works and how you can proactively set things up efficiently.  I also make a habit of buying an Etsy download at least twice a year just to see how the process works, since Etsy is forever changing things.

[GlassyFields]

I have a feeling that you're missing ss badges because you also have to sell a certain amount within a review period to get any badges

[JeanellePaigeDesign]

I've got 48 listings. I just checked them all and they are all digital. I do not ever create made to order listings. So I have no idea why I'm not getting star seller. It shows up in my shop manager taunting me everyday saying that my shipping is not "up to par" but I have no clue how to fix it. I've reached out to etsy. I just don't know what else to do.

Edited to say that I do buy other designer patterns on etsy and they are all set up the way that I have mine set. Also, I just added that personalization "yes" to acknowledge that they are buying a patten not a physical item. Thank you for that advice. My download instructions are in every single listing description and if someone is having trouble I work with them and help them through the process. I'm just confused as to why if all of my products are digital, why is my app telling me that the reviews and message response are at 100% but my shipping is at 0%. 

[NoFrogsAllowed]

@JeanellePaigeDesign 

I sell only digital and since the 3rd or 4th month of the Star Seller program I have not even had a shipping section.  I only have messaging, reviews, orders and sales.  You should contact Etsy to find out why you still have the shipping section in SS.

I don't have SS (not that I want it) because I never have 3 good months in a row, so never make the $300 in sales.

[PieceByNumberQuilts]

@JeanellePaigeDesign   I remember at the beginning of Star Seller, a number of people had the same problem.  There’s something in at least one of your listings that’s not quite right.  Did you ever sell physical items?  It could be that you have one inactive or expired physical item - check this out on your listings manager and delete that listing.  Better to add it back later if you think you’ll want to sell it again.

I remember one user saying that she had copied a listing for a physical item and then updated it to be a digital item. It was as if the transformation wasn’t complete in the system and  Etsy still somehow thought a shipping section was needed. She deleted that listing and relisted the item starting fresh, and not copying a previous listing.  Things finally worked correctly in her shop.

If you still don’t find the problem, then reach out to Etsy and keep asking for help.  Hope you get it figured out soon!

[BagmakerSupply]

@JeanellePaigeDesign: A 100% digital shop should show an on-time shipping and tracking of "---%" (nothing to calculate) not 0%. Have you looked at the applicable CSV file from your Star Seller page to see if there are some orders Etsy thinks required shipping and / or a tracking number?

[VintageRescueSquad]

It's the same at my day job. We have a looooong list of wishes/fixes we need the developers to do, but the "business" ones take precedence.

In etsy's case, the bells and whistles take precedence over functionality and search.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@TheWestcountryWitch   I am able to make a made to order download on the new.  I simply selected made to order.  The wording is showing that it is made to order.  Are you saying when you use this that when published it does not show nade to order?

I like the new format.  Prefer it over the old. I don't have digital but I do check to see what the new format is capable of.  So far as I can tell there is the ability to make a made to order digital listing.

[TheWestcountryWitch]

@ArtDollsbyJD 

Since the new app, there's been an ongoing tech issue which I've reported for ages, as have others. Copying existing listings via the new listing page doesn't work and it seams to glitch every now and then and not register its a made to order digital and just says the listing cant be created. Etsy's response is to use the old listing manager. 

There's also the issue that randomly made to order digital listings, when purchased are marked s instant digital download (which makes no sense as there's no file to download as it's not been uploaded) each time, my reports are passed on to the actual people further up just come back saying its 'known issue, and my report has been added to help them fix it'. 

[OldBeautiful]

The new form is a nightmare.  The cluttered, cramped layout is in no way an improvement over the old, but the real problem for me is that it uploads all of my photos out of order.  I contacted a support rep who didn't address this problem in any substantive way and told me to rearrange the photos manually.  And this is being billed as a time saver?

[Duckwells]

It makes no sense to update a form that was working well, give almost 1 year to "fix" all that the new form doesn't do and force it upon sellers.  All during a time of low sales, low reported revenue, low stock price, and a well documented messed up search.  Even if the new form was an actual improvement, not a reduction in ease and functionality, Etsy's priorities are skewed.