something weird just happened

[BlueDecore]

Today, I received a message from a customer saying her package hasn’t been delivered, even though the tracking number shows it was. She then mentioned that she’s bought from me before and is upset she won’t have her stocking for Christmas.

When I asked her to show me a photo of her previous order, my account showed no record of any past purchases. She sent me a photo of stockings similar to mine, so I explained that they weren’t from my shop but from someone who copied my items years ago.

Then she said that when she went to her account to buy a new stocking, Etsy redirected her to my website! Does this mean Etsy is sending customers to other shops? My sales are way down, so I’m wondering if, besides this situation, Etsy might be directing people to my competitors.

In the end, she said she found her stocking on Amazon and decided to buy a new one there. So, on top of everything, she ended up going to Amazon. 

In all my years here, I’ve never had such a bad December—it’s completely dead. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

More like someONE weird just happened.

[funkydreamsmosaics]

My guess would be that the other shop is no longer here, so Etsy pointed them to something "similar"?  They do that already at the bottom of our listings, so that would seem plausible.

[bradgoodell]

This would be my guess also.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Just like any other site.  Probably redirected through soemthing similar.

[moonbeamgifts]

What I guessed too.    Some buyers don't realize that there are individual sellers - they think Etsy is like Amazon and it just comes from a warehouse.

[CryzalisMasksUK]

^ this

[UppNorthEh]

I was making Christmas stockings this year in my other shop.  Someone messaged they wanted a smaller one.  Bit of back and forth and she mentioned she already had a few of mine and wanted a small one for their baby.  I said I only started making them this year and hadn't sold any yet.  Never heard from her again.  no oops, thanks, nothing. 

[bradgoodell]

Your most recent reviews are from November 2022, over 2 years ago.  You also only have 2 listings currently up.  Likely your slow sales are due to the fact your shop has limited possibilities to be found in search, and you have lost relevance in search the last 2 years.  With millions of shops competing for sales, shops with more listings and ones who keep their shops active are more likely to move to the front.  

[JustMeToo]

@BlueDecore   Your shop may be completely dead, as you mentioned, because you only have two listings, on a site that has over 6 million shops.  You would be hard to find.  Try to add more listings, and see if it improves your sales.

[vintageNCtreasures]

Not only do they just have 2 listings, the main photo in search just shows a small part of that tree skirt.

If I was looking for a tree skirt, I'd pass this listing by on the main search page over a listing that showed the entire skirt.

And with less than 2 weeks till Christmas, I doubt many shoppers would take a chance and buy a Christmas tree skirt now.

Getting found with only 2 items (that are the same thing) would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

[BootifulLabels]

If a buyer clicks a past purchase and that shop is no longer selling on Etsy, Etsy will show them shops with similar items to the one they bought before.  Sounds like the other shop has since closed, but had been selling something very close to your own item, so Etsy showed them your item instead.

[SemaiJewels]

My shop totally dead for the last week of december. I dont know why and something weird happened. Previous years i had better sales and this year december is too slow. And i dont know exact reason. I try to use maximum budget for advertisement and it only use like 2-3 dollar daily. It is unacceptable and unbelievebale.