I am SO over the Problems with the app and the fact Etsy is doing NOTHING

[#1]

Back in September I was having problems with when I created a listing using another listing… It wouldn’t save the information….it took them weeks to fix that!!

Then, once that was fixed, it would not let me take photos through the app anymore, I had to take the photos of ahead of time on my own camera, and then upload them into the app!! 

Seeing as how Christmas is coming and I have about 600 listings that I should’ve already had listed, I started just taking the photos ahead of time and uploading them, until recently when the photos that I was uploading …uploaded sideways!!!!! So I have to edit each and every one now to put them back straight as they are in my camera. So much time wasted!!

The amount of money I am losing from this technical team who seems to have no clue what’s going on ..is immeasurable. When I said something to customer support about that, they offered me $6.86 for my troubles  

I am beyond frustrated!!! I have $15,000 worth of merchandise I need to get listed before Christmas. I have over 400 listings in my store and I have about 600 more than I need to get done in the next week or two. 

Etsy is NOT holding up their end of the bargain and they’re not doing anything about it to help the people that they’re hurting!!

What is another platform that I can start moving all of my listings to? I have only had a store now since this summer and since that time it has been nothing but technical issues costing me so much money and time.  

I have other businesses in real life and I have never had to deal with situations like this. This is Etsy fault and they’re doing nothing to reimburse their sellers for the money that they’re causing them to lose. I am not used to working with such amateurs. I have always loved Etsy as a customer but after reading some of these forums, it looks like Etsy is going downhill quickly because the sellers are so disappointed in how things have changed over the past few years. It’s only a matter of time before the customers die out if the sellers aren’t there. 

END. OF. RANT. 

[digitaldoodlebug]

@dayspringcollectible 

How can you do that? Many categories are gated. And most items need a UPC to be listed. I know there is an ability to sell certain items as used, such as electronics and books, but not most things nor vintage old items. 

Jewelry is one heavily regulated/gated category. Which is most of what I saw in OP shop. 

Here is a list of categories you can sell used. 

• Amazon Device Accessories
• Amazon Kindle
• Automotive & Powersports
• Books
• Camera & Photo
• Cell Phone & Accessories
• Consumer Electronics
• Home & Garden
• Industrial & Scientific
• Kindle Accessories and Amazon Fire TV Accessories
• Major Appliances
• Music
• Musical Instruments
• Office Products
• Outdoors
• Personal Computers
• Pet Supplies
• Software
• Sports
• Tools & Home Improvement
• Video, DVD & Blu-ray
• Video Games

policy "The item cannot be dirty with mold, heavy staining, corrosion, or other signs of uncleanliness.
The item cannot have damage that impacts the ability to use it.
The item should not be missing parts or accessories essential to it (not including instructions)
The item should not need repairs"

Due to all of the above I don't think they are appropriate for vintage. 

[dayspringcollectible]

@digitaldoodlebug 

I just looked up half a dozen categories of vintage items and found every one of them listed on Amazon.  It would appear you don't know how to use Amazon to list.

Yes, you have to abide by Amazon's rules, but that is not difficult.  I don't list on Amazon anymore because they try to control your shop even more than Etsy, with higher fees.

[digitaldoodlebug]

@dayspringcollectible 

I was genuinely interested in your answer. Not what sellers do or what is listed. There is no vintage category. Of course there are a few circumstances where vintage items following the rules could be listed (per the lists I provided). I bet there are many more listed not following their rules. Just as etsy has rule breakers and tons of resellers (I guess they look at what's listed and figure they can too). There are tons of RA on amazon too, even though that is against their rules. Sellers can list and sell until they get caught. You can also find non handmade items in amazon handmade. Finding items listed doesn't mean it's following rules or allowed. I'll admit to not being familiar with vintage. I am familiar with amazon, but am always willing to learn more. Most of it I learn through their forums, but don't visit that as often since the change. My first blanket statement of "you can't sell vintage there" was not the right wording, but it's definitely not like ebay or etsy where you can sell any vintage item you want.  Edit: just looked through their "collectible" category. 90% of it is gated. Amazon can also at any time, or if a buyer raises an issue, request invoices from sellers for proof of authenticity. Vintage would not be able to provide that. 

Etsy is leveling the ground with control over your shop. 

[dayspringcollectible]

Amazon has never had a vintage category, but that doesn't mean it isn't allowed.  Vintage has been sold since long ago when Amazon expanded out of just being known as a book seller.  Vintage has always just been mixed in with newer items of the same type in the appropriate categories.  I sold vintage for years on Amazon, but left Amazon probably six years ago or more when I got fed up with the way they treated both sellers and their own employees.

[hopeandjoystudios]

If you can afford to, get a Notebook type device. You can take the photos and list from it. The app is crap, It doesn't even chaching for me any more and that was about all it was useful for.

[nineteen27]

@hopeandjoystudios 

the cha-ching still works for me.

but.

sometimes it makes a sound like outdoor cats mating in the middle of the night.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Lol..  I need a sexy voice telling me Hey darling..you have a sale! Go girl!

[CanningCrafts]

I'm just curious how support arrived at a $6.86 reimbursement for your troubles?!? Such a specific number! And of course so very low. They obviously undervalue a seller's time & could care less how much longer their "improvements" actually set many sellers back. They constantly rework the site to make more clicks for sellers.

Did they actually give you this $ for your troubles??

When I said something to customer support about that, they offered me $6.86 for my troubles  

[TheEtherealMenagerie]

I was doing a chat with customer service and after explaining things to her and how frustrated I was, she told me that the problems I was having we’re all known problems and I said well I’m losing money and I’m wasting my time. Can I get any credits for this and she told me to hold on when she came back that’s the amount she offered me at that point I just laughed and exited the chat. 

but apparently this is a known problem and I said well if it’s a known problem, why are we going over two months now and we still have problems.

[moonbeamgifts]

I no longer use the app for anything other than notifications.      Even if I'm out of the studio, I'll figure out what the sound is and then renew from a browser page on my phone or send a very short note that I'll be back in touch when I get to a real keyboard.

I'd love to have a chat with whatever seller Etsy is convinced asked for some of these changes because they're really not conducive to running a shop.   Functionality went by the wayside in favor of something, I just haven't figured out what that is yet.   
Same with the "new" listing page on the desktop version - every time they try to switch me to the new one, I swap right back.    I will hang onto that old page until it simply no longer works anymore because I despise that too.   There was nothing wrong with the old version where the layout flowed.    And I'm not someone who is averse to change - usually if it's new, I'll get used to it but I just cannot get the process down and spend more time scrolling around looking for either what I missed or the box I was trying to complete.

ARGH!

[PearlGlassesVintage]

I gave up on the app.  It's useless.  I cannot upload pics for a listing for the life of me which would cut my time in over half.  

[hopeandjoystudios]

Etsy does not even have vintage categories. They got rid of them years back. They have a vintage FILTER. Sometimes a hand picked vitnage section. There used to be separate vintage categories and a lot more of them. Same as things like "handmade Pottery" category. They went to calling it a mug whether  it was vintage , handmade pottery or a POD mug. Chucked them all together.

[ClayCrayCollective]

The app literally ruined my Holiday Season. I am still recovering & I’ll be lucky if I still have a shop after this mess! I’m an independent small shop, so it’s just me. I lost so much money this year, got my first few bad reviews, and countless hours of work trying to make up for it. I was ridiculously backed up in the Fall, more so than usual, and no matter what I did or how far I extended processing, I could not get caught up. What I saw coming in and what I was making just wasn’t making sense/adding up. I started noticing duplicates in my order log towards the end of November- the worst possible time for an issue. If I would just look at the order log it was fine. When I went in my orders to search a specific item to see how many needed to be made, or type a customers name in, that’s when duplicates would appear. It’s not uncommon for me to have 30 orders for the same item. Status was different as well- one could say “pre transit” while the other said “complete” (?) depending on what I clicked on. I shouldn’t be counting on the app alone for complete accuracy, that’s my fault. And I should’ve been keeping better track myself- but I’ve never had a single issue in the last 3-4 years. Nothing! I make polymer clay jewelry so some of my items can take 2-3 hours to make- it’s a tremendous amount of time and work. Customer support was no help. Initially I was told there was a bug, they’d send the info to tech, and for me to delete and reinstall the app. Luckily I had taken screenshots of the orders I had found, but who knows how many times this happened! The damage had been done though and I’m still trying to dig myself out of a hole, it’s so frustrating!  A lot of customers have been super kind and understanding, others not so much. And I totally understand! Some accused me of making it up and asking why other shops weren’t having issues. What do you do? I’ve refunded countless times but still sent the items, sent freebies, offered future discounts- everything I can think of but it’s so frustrating bc it’s something that I had zero control over. I don’t enjoy doing it anymore and I hate feeling that way. But that’s my novel/rant. I suppose it’s somewhat comforting to know I’m not the only one who has had issues but I hate it for all of us!