I see sellers using low prices as variants to rank high

[BlueDecore]

I see a lot of sellers using low- priced items as variants so they appear as the lowest price and rank high & appear on the first page. Is this ok by etsy? Some go from $3 to their main item at $35 or more. 

[NanaLetha]

I never heard of item prices affecting your search ranking. How do you know that’s the reason?

[BlueDecore]

Yes, etsy uses your lowest price in your listing to determine your place. Etsy prefers low prices. Some sellers use this tactic of adding a very cheap item so their listing appears as if it is indeed very cheap but they are actually not because their t-shirts or whatever they are selling is actually a lot more expensive. So it's not fair for the rest of sellers who are also selling t'shirts.

[BagmakerSupply]

@BlueDecore: Even if Etsy factors price in search enough for this tactic to make a difference, it will eventually backfire. When people click on the listing and don't buy because they realize they have been gamed, the algorithm will learn to not show that listing.

[GieseDeseiGns]

I guess it is ok as long as the item is listed, some pull you in with a t- shirt at $5 but then that’s just the scrunchy which may or may not be available at this time (sold out), and then there’s the $35 or $50 shirt. If that is what you are seeing, deceptive, bait and switch.

[moonbeamgifts]

That's been a thing since variations came out.   If you offer a sample, that's often under $1 or for some, even less and some postage so it's going to display the cheapest price.   

I don't care for how Etsy displays my own items because of this but what are you going to do?   I offer 1 yard to 5 yards and 1 is a lower price than 5.   

[Natalya1905]

"Etsy uses your lowest price in your listing to determine your place"

Could you please provide a source?

[LaRenaissanceGirl]

@Natalya1905  Probably referring to buyers sorting by lowest price

[Natalya1905]

@LaRenaissanceGirl  OP says about Etsy, not about buyers, as far as I understand. "Etsy uses", "Etsy prefers low prices" and so on. 

[Former_Member · Accepted solution]

Etsy does not prefer lower prices  and does not rank for price in that way. Consistently in my experience they give 'etsy's pick' badges to items on the higher end of the scale, and of course the higher the order value, the more fees Etsy gets.

Search results aren't fixed - they're in constant flux and will change depending on many things including who's looking at them. Etsy's AI remembers your history and uses that to alter what's displayed. Perhaps it's more to do with you clicking on the cheapest ones more than others? Or perhaps shops using this technique are also giving free shipping, which is a boost factor? 

The technique you're describing is called 'bait and switch'- it's not illegal, but it only works if the customer ends up buying the item at the true price anyway. A click from search results is only as good as the activity that comes after it (likes, carts, purchase, reviews in that order). If they're getting a lot of clicks and then buyers are bouncing out again, they only end up eventually damaging their rank. Etsy's deliberately built this into ranking to stop people click-baiting their way to the top.

[PlatypusDream]

Say you're a shopper looking for candles.

You see a shop with a photo of a really fancy, large container candle and the price says $1.

You like they way it looks... so you click on it.

But WAIT, the $1 price is for a "sample" and it is SOLD OUT. The next closest item is $29.99!

You click away without purchasing, feeling angry and led on.

The shop's listing now has a LOWER conversion rate and placement in search.

This is deceptive market practice and highly frowned upon!

[BlueDecore]

but what if their listing actually sells well? then should the competition start doing the same? 

[PlatypusDream]

@BlueDecore 

You have to test that with your own shop.

You have no idea what's giving that shop sales. Or how long that deceptive pricing has been in place. 

There are hundreds of factors that go into search placement (the most important are sales and photos).

You can't hang everything on a guess.

[MondayMoonDesign]

It is not always bait and switch! People who sell art prints for example may have 5 size options and Etsy shows the price for the smaller-cheaper one. I sell 4 sizes and I. The last as many as 8. To list that many variations of the same print as single listings would be confusing for the buyer and cost the seller much more in listing fees. Once people click on a few prints they understand how prices change for larger sizes. Otherwise there is no point in being allowed to offer variations.

[Former_Member]

@MondayMoonDesign  you're doing it the right way, and yes that's how variations work.

It's the people selling something huge which they show in their pictures, then you get into their listing and find out the smallest price is for a sample or a quote or a digital download version. Those are the click-baiters. One day I hope Etsy will start doing what eBay does and show the whole price bracket.

[VintageRescueSquad]

It only places high in searches when a buyer filters by price. Any savvy shopper on etsy knows to ignore the first page or 2 because they are invariably samples, sold out, or digital files.

[hopeandjoystudios]

To me variations should be used for say clothing sizes. If the listing says $5 and that's a sold out sample or smaller item I'm  not happy and not buying from that shop as I see that as bait and switch. If it's a print, it will look the same if 5x7 or 16x20. What's pictured is what you get. If I want a blue hat and the thumbnail shows a red one I  am not clicking to find if out that's an option or not. I think some over "variate" to save 20 cents when that 20 cent listing with a good actual item photo and relevant niche seo would sell faster. I'd put money in more listings instead of buying ads in most categories. .