no description

[ArtAndFloralDesign]

I just noticed that my listings do not have any description and i checked out of curiosity other shop and it do not have any description also. 

Does any body have that problem?

Thank you!

[CraftySueShop]

They buried the descriptions on the left margin, under the item photos, a bunch of reviews, and any review photos that people left for you.  It took me a long time to find the description and it's a TERRIBLE layout!  It should be photos first, description next, and all the other fluff below that.  No wonder sales have been so slow lately.

[ArtAndFloralDesign]

Thank you so much! You're right maybe that's one of the reason why the sales are so slow.

[BagmakerSupply · Accepted solution]

@ArtAndFloralDesign: There are quite a few threads in this forum about this test. Etsy tests tend to be account based and apparently you are in the test. Not all of your customers will be and those who are not will see the "regular" layout.

[BettyandBabs]

I will put my two cents in. First Etsy encourages sellers to write a detailed description to be sure buyers know very specifically what they are selling. My descriptions are VERY detailed. A lot of time and thought goes into them. I was a bit panicked when I posted a listing with a long detailed description and saw that the description was missing. I contacted Etsy and was assured that the description was there but was not told  that I was part of an experiment to see if hiding the descriptions would have an impact on sales. So I went back to my shop and was horrified to see that all of my descriptions had disappeared. I spent a good deal of time in my panic looking for my descriptions and finally went to the forums to see if anyone else had the same experience. I learned that the descriptions were still there; they just had been buried way down the bottom of the page with a faint hint of text as an invitation to "learn more." I sell a customized product. Buyers need to know all the details before they commit. I am looking for happy customers; it is not a pleasant experience to tell a buyer that, no, they cannot return or exchange the custom ordered product. If an experiment needs to happen it should be to make a bigger, easier to find and read description. The reviews should be at the bottom of the page. Yes, they are very important to the buyers who will seek them out because they know they are there somewhere. Of course I want they buyers to see all my five star reviews but please put my description back at the top of the page where it belongs.

[EscapeJournals]

This is a terrible layout and it looks like listings have no descriptions. No one is going to scroll all the way to the bottom to look for a description. I didn't and I've be selling on Etsy for three years. Whoever is in charge, please put the descriptions back where they belong!!! This doesn't help anyone's sales!

[JNpottery]

I agree that this is a TERRIBLE decision and should be undone ASAP!

I want my descriptions where they can be seen when a  listing is opened, without having to scroll to the bottom of the page! 

[RavenPrintableDesign]

My listings REQUIRE a description or no one will buy them.  My sales are down 90% and my conversion rate is in the toilet.  I'm losing my mind waiting for the description to be moved back or at least a sentence added there to direct them to the new location!!

[EccentricHandbags]

Even if you do scroll all the way down it doesn't look obvious that there is a description there.  I am having a no sales weekend, which my shop usually does not have.  Before they did this I was having my best year ever.  I do think everything stopped for me when they did this.    

[BlueAgateFarms]

IT fail.  Wish they would test these awful ideas without using us as lab rats. 

[BagmakerSupply]

While there are many things that should be tested off line in a sand box, it is kind of hard to test buyer reaction to a layout change without putting it in front of real buyers. You have to keep in mind that for Etsy it is all about increasing site wide conversion rates not whether it helps or hurts any individual shop. Also, we never know if 1% or 99% of all accounts are involved in a test.

[DaysLongGone]

I am a a seller and a "real buyer" and the layout is horrible!  I read the descriptions before I make a purchase and with Etsy moving descriptions away from the item you are thinking about purchasing is one of the worst tests ever!   The descriptions state information that is needed in order to decide whether I want to purchase an item or not.

[SimpleSilverAndGold]

IMHO, in the real world, a change like this one should not have even risen to the position of 'test-worthy'

[CheekySheepFrames]

Horrible layout change!  You have to scroll past the reviews and then the photos to get to the description.  Customers barely would read the description when it was right under the price! It's important to have all the details easy to see and find, terrible change! 

[NoFrogsAllowed]

There are at least 2 layout tests going on, because my descriptions are below the pictures.  There are no reviews, etc. between the pictures and description.  The only thing I have between is shipping.  Both shipping and description, however, have to be clicked on to be expanded and read.k

[TheGildedGriffin]

Yes!  I am having this problem as well.  Not one description and no matter what browser that I am using.   This is **very** disconcerting especially after reading the seller's opinions this morning as found on the Etsy Seller's App.  Those reviews only confirmed many of my suspicions and yes, I now that we are having this bug without any explanation from Etsy's corporate office, I am truly concerned about my business!   I am using my computer, always, to list items and you are correct, there is no description under the listing.  Hope that this is fixed soon!  I hope that other Etsy sellers will also comment on this so that someone at Etsy sees this and responds!  Thank you!

[BagmakerSupply]

@TheGildedGriffin: Unfortunately it appears to not be a bug but an intentional test and your account is included in the test group. Only those in the test group will see the new layout, everyone else will see the "normal" layout. What we don't know is if 1% or 99% or some number in between of all accounts is in the test.

[CarolBradleyDesigns]

The description is at the very, very, very, bottom of the listing page. Why? Only Etsy knows. 

[ARoseofDixie]

As a buyer I HATE the new layout! I could not find a description on the listings, and the only way to see how much the shipping will cost is to put the item in the cart - really time consuming. I am sure this is designed for mobile devices, but who is going to buy high end hand made jewelery and clothing etc. with so little information. Etsy is screwing their artisan sellers, it used to be a wonderful platform, and it still has many great shops, but the site itself has deteriorated big time.

[metaldreamer]

grrrrrrrrrr. as a buyer i NEED to see gemstones mm size descriptions! As a seller I am fielding a lot questions on size of earrings etc. 

[iheartthehandmade]

the buyers keep asking me for info in the description because it is buried and they have to click to expand.

this seems like a weird thing to ask for but please please please make it easier for buyers to see descriptions.

[kendalcrystals]

This is possibly the worst layout I can imagine and sales are almost certainly being affected. I couldn't see the descriptions at all, assumed this was a technical glitch and phoned customer support. When it was pointed out to me it was down somewhere in terra incognita, you know, the part of a web page that only the web page designer looks at, I just could not believe it. One would assume Etsy is a design literate organisation, clearly not - this is appalling web design!

Obviously Etsy website designers have never heard the expression 'if it isn't broke, don't fix it'..... Now if they want to fix a real problem, they could look at Etsy's diabolical search function, the one designed to promote paid for content, rather than actually help customers find what they are looking for. Just a thought.

[EccentricHandbags]

Whoever thought of this idea and those that helped make it happen should be fired.  

[DaysLongGone]

Etsy needs another site to use as their playground!  This messing around with our descriptions is one of the many bad decisions they have made to test lately.  I need to see the description when I make a purchase to get sizes, etc.  Having to SEARCH for a description is ridiculous!  Descriptions are what can make or break a sale and now with having to jump all over to find the descriptions makes it harder for both the buyer and the seller. 

[EccentricHandbags]

Buyer aren't going to look for it.  They have the whole internet to shop on so why would they?