@ThePurplePuppy OK. I see what you mean, now. It is just that words like "financial disaster" tend to provoke panic, especially when mentioned to referrence to "Plaid".
As far as Seller's leaving the site as a direct consequence of reluctance to use "Plaid" to verify their Bank Accounts, I believe that the vast majority will, and probably already have, completed this verification without incident. As I said, every other International Seller had to submit the same details (in one form or another) to have their own accounts verified. I know that I had to re-verify my Australian Accounts earlier in the year as part of a World-Wide process of securing the Etsy Marketplace in line with current Banking and other Financial updates and requirements.
I do not like to think of anyone as "Churn", but all big businesses do factor this into any decision they make.
We all have to face the fact that, whilst most of us who contribute to Forums could be considered to be of the "older school" where Financial Transactiona and Internet Banking are concerned, we are probably far outnumbered by the "younger set" for whom these types of things are "just normal".
Look at the growth of the Marketplace over the last 2 years. Look at the efforts being made to engage, and cater for, Indian Sellers and Buyers. Look at all the "Tic Tok"/ "Instagram" etc integrations with Etsy.
IMO, the "Plaid" issue will resolve itself by the time the roll out of the requiirement has completed.
What was unfortunate, and what may have caused so much of the concern, was Etsy's failure to explain more clearly that the Manual Method of "Plaid" verification is no different to the current verification process and permits no greater access to Bank Accounts than the previous process.
Etsy should never have offered the "Instant" verification process and they, certainly, should not have buried the "Manual" option so deeply beneath the "Instant" information.
On your last point about "Publicity", you know what they say about that? "No Publicity is bad Publicity".
Storms in Tea Cups eventually Blow Out. I suspect that, similarly, the "Plaid" issue will become a "non-issue.
My only qualification to this is that, if Etsy does have other plans for "Plaid", I may not be so confident. But, at this time, I cannot see what these plans may be and how they would impact the site because all of the other services "Plaid" offers are integrations of financial management which have to be instigated by a personal Account Holder.
