Searching items on PC limited to 20 pages??

[McVeanPhotography]

When I search something it doesn't allow me to continue looking past 20 pages. Please tell me this is a glitch and not by design? I know there are 10s of thousands of listings for my search but after 20 pages the arrow to continue looking doesn't function.

[DianesK9Creations]

I see the same thing. No wonder I'm not selling anything.

[McVeanPhotography]

Right, i mean consensus below is that people won't go past that but there are a lot of times i scroll beyond that to find just the right piece. there are some categories you can narrow down depending on what youre looking for, but for others - say digital backdrops, maybe i'm not exactly sure what i am looking for and just want to look for something unique - i could easily scroll 40 pages before I find something that is unique. I don't know. I was about to start listing on etsy again and starting to change my mind.

[heavyistheheart]

Yeah, I only work from my PC and I see the same

[TylerGraceCo]

I'm seeing the same.

[DaysofYoreTreasures]

Discounting the Ads, that would be approx. 1,000 listings. Maybe they are matching it with the first 1,000 of the 1,000+ results they indicate at the top of the page.

It doesn't really worry me as a seller because I doubt many customers would ever navigate that far.

[McVeanPhotography]

no it shows 1000+, i searched digital backdrops, i guarantee there are 10's of 1000's it used to show the actual number I think, but not getting past 20 pages is annoying for both buyers and especially sellers. 

[PoochandTabby]

I see it too, but I mean, how many buyers are looking past page #20? If a shopper hasn't found what they want in the roughly 1,280 listings on the first 20 pages, it's time to start a new search. Most customers probably stop way before that unless they're really looking for something specific.

According to the new Q2 report, Etsy is reducing the amount of listings from a single seller that are coming up on page one and they are reducing the amount of similar looking items overall, to increase diversity. If as a buyer, I'm going to get a smaller offering that is more diverse and less of the same thing over and over for 40 pages, I'm here for it, personally. 

[McVeanPhotography]

then if thats the case, they should allow free listings and only charge when you sell something. 

[AAANativeArts]

It used to be 240 pages were the maximum shown for any search.  It's been like that as long as I can remember. They may have recently changed it. Or it could be another Etsy glitch or test. Sometimes when I look at my own store, I can only see the first page of results, and other times I can see all the pages I have.

If you are ranking lower than that, your listing won't be included. If you are beyond page 3, or at most page 5, it doesn't really matter anyway. 90% of sales occur on page 1, and most searchers only look at 2 to 3 pages. If they are really persistent, they might get to page 5.

You should be doing something outside of Etsy to bring in some of your traffic yourself. Social media accounts are the most common free way. You can also drive traffic from your own website or paid ads. A weekly opt-in newsletter is also a great way to drum up repeat business.

[McVeanPhotography]

Yes and even at that you could go to the search bar and change 240 to 241, etc and keep going. i tried that now and it's just repeats of whats on the first 20 mainly

[CraftyCornishMaids]

If I get to page 3 or 4 and haven't found what I want, I change the search, or limit the price range, or location,

Not sure very many would ever get past page 20 anyway, I don't think that would limit sales to any noticeable degree - Etsy definitely doesn't, or they wouldn't do it.

[McVeanPhotography]

When I am searching for clothes for my pup, i may search 50 pages, I want to see as much as i want to see, not as much as etsy allows, that is't right and sellers ARE missing sales because of it. I rarely find what i am looking for in the first 5 to 10 pages.

[McVeanPhotography]

I often search past 20 pages when looking... doesn't matter what site I am on, even if i find what i want on page 5 i am goig to keep scrolling...

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@McVeanPhotography   You are in the minority if you search more than 20 pages.  Some buyers will search only 10 and many will stop at five and either quit or change their search.  There has been plenty of studies on this for years by different groups that study Internet marketing and have found that 10 is usually the most people will search and most around 5. 

It's one reason for years sellers on Etsy clawed and scratched to get seen on the first few pages.  Very few people will go through more than 10 pages.

I have upon occasion because I am only browsing and curious.  Otherwise usually 5 max before I change the search  

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

I noticed this in some testing I was doing, it seems to have started some time last week.  It may be only a test, although I see it in all browsers & incognito, which sometimes indicates a change rather than a test.

I'm guessing it's related to Etsy's search testing around improving the "buyer experience" by better curating search results, and returning to more of the old "quota" system (reducing dominance of a single or a few sellers at the top of search results) ... essentially trying to better match the buyer's intent, without overwhelming them.  Sort of a pullback from Etsy's loading up of search results with so many loosely related results.  It could end up being a good thing, if they get it right, and it improves conversion.  But it does mean that sellers who have previously done well in large searches are now going to have less visibility there, and will need to perform well in more diverse/smaller searches too, if they don't already.

I emphasize "if they get it right", because that's a big if, IMO.  I agree that most buyers won't go past page 20 anyway, but it's up to Etsy to make sure those 20 pages really return what the buyer is looking for, and gives them better ability to filter if it doesn't.

[McVeanPhotography]

So here's the issue, there is one seller I really like, her stuff is amazing, I couldn't recall the name so searching dog outfits I didn't see her in the first 20 pages and that's odd because she has a lot of sales.... so between the ads and the few listings in between, a lot of sellers aren't even seen that way...maybe not on even the first 5 pages.

[McVeanPhotography]

Here is another issue, if you are paying for an ad, which from the page i looked at 64 listings are on a page and 16 of those are ads, 16 x 20 pages is 320 ads, I guarantee there are people paying for ads that aren't getting seen if that is the case.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you only pay for etsy ads, if someone clicks on it,

no-one will be paying for any etsy ad, if it can't be seen and clicked on

[GlassyFields]

Sometimes I'm looking for something specific and I will obsessively go beyond 20 pages. It doesn't take long to scan a screen of images when looking for something specific.

The other day I was looking for lampworking mandrels in a certain diameter ... the most common diameters took up all the slots on first pages. There was also a lot of stuff taking up space that was NOT what I wanted (e.g. ring mandrels). So 20 pages really doesn't do it when doing a targeted search. But since Etsy's search isn't very sophisticated at drilling down, I ended up buying my mandrels elsewhere.

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

@GlassyFields, this is an example of what I meant about Etsy "getting it right" ... if they had actually shown you 20 pages of lampworking mandrels in the diameter you were looking for, 20 pages would likely have been enough.  But they're still showing all the other loosely related fill - ring mandrels, other diameters, other materials, stuff like that - with no adequate way to fine tune/filter your search. They have a long way to go to make a 20 page limit work.

[GlassyFields]

@BlackSheepDyeworks 

Yes ... you're right.

20 pages would be fine if I could search on lampworking stainless steel mandrels and a specific size.

This has also made me realize that sellers who have the most unique stuff that is bought occasionally might get pushed right out of searches altogether. Sad

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

@GlassyFields, it's not just those with the most unique stuff that are hurt by Etsy's highly manipulated search results - I've felt for a long time that supply sellers would eventually die a slow death from it.  People buying supplies are naturally often looking for something quite specific.  Etsy is determined to show them (almost) everything but.

[GlassyFields]

@BlackSheepDyeworks 

Totally agree. It's supplies with specific requirements that I have the hardest time finding. Seems like with all the attributes in a listing, search could capitalize on those. Sad to think that the supply I want to purchase is just out of reach on page 20-something while the supplier needs the business. 

[ADKArtsBoutique]

This is why I don't depend on Etsy search.  I use social media to bring people to my shop.  Otherwise I would never be found.  If I'm looking for something special and unique (its never on the first 20 pages) I'll keep searching until if find it.  Why? After being on Etsy for years I know the unique is there just well hidden in the back. Unfortunately now I'll never find it and have to look somewhere else.