Favorites changing from Public to Private unexplained

[SageAdviceShop]

About 2 weeks ago, I noticed my stats were suddenly very diminished. I changed, pictures, updated titles etc.

I also play team games of faving and such when someone pointed out to me that my Favorites were set to private!

I changed it back to public as I've always had it and saved and thought that it was just a one time problem.

Now I've noticed that this change from Public to Private on my faves is happening multiple times a day without me changing it, or doing updates on my computer or restarting my computer. It just random flips it back to private.

Does anyone else have this happening and is Etsy aware of this?

[PlatypusDream]

"I also play team games of faving and such"

Just an FYI, this can be BAD for your shop. It lowers your conversion rate - all of those looks and likes without actual purchases can lower your listing quality score instead of boosting it. You would do better to spend your item off of Etsy advertising than playing those games.

I looked, and yes, your Favourites are locked. I can see all 3466 of your Favourite shops, however.

[OurBoudoir]

yes my favourites are private now

[UppNorthEh]

It's a sign from the universe.

[PlatypusDream]

Or Etsy finally enforcing its' rules around click manipulation.

They may actually think that there are so many clicks so fast that it's bots manipulating the algorithm (as we saw mentioned earlier this week).

[SageAdviceShop]

I have not had any problems with teams and games hurting my shop. It exposes to other people on Etsy my productsa and I often look at their faves as well. I also advertise on my one on X, FB, IT, Threads, BlueSky, Tribel and Pinterest - I bring in more of my own traffice than Etsy ads have ever done for me. 

And, the stats are wrong. I can look at the 'views' and 'visits' and it will show 83 views and 5 visits, yet in the activity stream I can see more than that for the past 4 h ours that can be seen their. Their 'conversion rate' is wonky too. Duh, you won't have a high conversion rate if you only make 1 or 2 sales per 1000 visits, but if you don't bring in the visits, you won't find your clients. 

I just want Etsy to FIX the settings on my account where I don't have to go back several times a day to reset them to Publis it's ridiculous.

[AutumnHollowStudio]

@SageAdviceShop many factors go into Etsy's algorithms for search placement, and those team games will hurt your shop with regards to search placement. It may not tank yours, but it won't help.

Etsy does factor in clicks and favs that actually lead to sales.

[NoFrogsAllowed]

@SageAdviceShop 

You have to realize that visits are not in real time and only update a couple of times a day.  There are at best 4 to 6 hours between updates (lots of times way more) and a lot of activity can happen during that time that you won't see in Etsy stats until an update.  Also people don't have to actually visit your shop or view your item in your shop to favorite.  Bottom line.... favorites don't have all that much relation to Etsy stats.

[cherrylippedroses]

T H I S ! 

[SageAdviceShop]

Their whole idea of trying to prevent teams seems very evident, but it still is a great way for people to look at others shops that they may not necessarily search for. For instance, Platupus, you sell vintage patterns. Very cool, and normally I wouldn't bother to search for patterns, but because I viewed your shop, I discovered some things... that is what teams helps with in part...

When are favorites are public, we can look at things randomly that we may not be searching for, and discover something that we'd love to have or would love to gift someone. 

Anyway... regardless or their algorithm - Etsy needs to test and ensure their 'features' are working as designed. We do pay fees and such ...

[BrokenGhostClothing]

This would explain why I am getting 25-ish favorites per day and none of it shows up on my dashboard feed. I wonder how much exposure we typically get from others seeing favorites? My stats from "Etsy app & other Etsy Pages" have tanked by 42%.

[AutumnHollowStudio]

@SageAdviceShop I am throwing another possibility out there for you with regards to diminished stats... Etsy has been cracking down lately on listings that do not meet their revised creativity standards. Selling metaphysical services such as spells, or a service that guarantees an "outcome" is a violation of Etsy policy, and your tarot listings are either in direct violation or dangerously close. Read this: https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/services/242665313101

Etsy does limit shops in search that violate policies.

Here is their creative standards, and all violations fall under this revised policy: https://www.etsy.com/legal/creativity/

[SageAdviceShop]

Yes, BrokenGhost, your favorites are set to private right now. (cute shop by the way)

[BrokenGhostClothing]

Thanks:)

I intentionally set mine to private but I get quite a few faves from buyers every day and my dashboard feed isn't showing any of it. If everyone is now set to private that would explain it. 

[SageAdviceShop]

I do not sell Spells, or potions. I do tarot readings which are listed as for entertainment purposes only. I sell essential oils which have no promises, or sell various Sage's which are used for home clearing, freshening etc.  so... since I've been on here since 2016... and I keep up with their rules... And the buyer of tarot or pendulum readings do receive a tangible item including their photos and a complete written document of their specific card, readings, meanings etc. So that is not the issue. Unless of course, as Etsy has done often where they use 'bots' to check items for sale and misread people's listings.

I remember when people were getting their 'amber colored' items removed because Etsy bots thought they were selling amber which was banned. 

[Natalya1905]

Right now, you have 677,203 items in your (public) favorites. I hope it was worth all the time and effort. 

At least it is not about carting games. 

[RustyCrustyRepurpose]

I like the pics you use. They are different than most use. 

[OurBoudoir]

My favourites become private when I heart something.  I then have to change it back to public and it stays like that until I heart again.

i like teams because you promote similar items and as several of you mention it’s only when you go in a shop you réalise the breadth and beauty of the shop’s listings.  There is an awful lot of rubbish on Etsy which would drown your shop without teams.  I have over 600,000 favourites because I have been on Etsy 15 years.  

it has crossed my mind that Etsy has done it deliberately although I hear from other shops that Etsy clears the bug if you report it to them so I have opened a query.

i think that if you heart a shop then you can follow their activity on one of the menus dotted around the shop, but that might be just new listings.  You used to see favourites in your feed and some people bought those suggestions.  

i think at the internet search level, favourites still counts as it’s seen as growing your shop.  Active.  We don’t know what shopping apps get populated around the world so it’s worth continuing for that.  

[SageAdviceShop]

Someone has told me that if you are also on Threads, that there is a conflict between the applications and as you go between Threads and Etsy, as soon as you fave something, it flips back to Private. I hope they fix this. It's very annoying.