visited a shop, was added to their website email marketing list automatically

[TheColoredPixel]

Yesterday I visited a shop for the first time in a couple of years and about an hour later I received one of their marketing emails. How is this possible? I had to physically unsubscribe....

Was not an Etsy email, it was from their www.website.com

Loomi

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

They have probably signed up for Etsy's automatic emails as they wouldn't know who you are from just visiting and looking. 

[TheColoredPixel]

I should clarify the email was from their internet website, which I have never visited at all before.

It was not from Etsy but from the web email..

[FallenAngelBrass]

Etsy has no dominion over stand alone websites.  The website owner is beholden only to local laws regarding the use of their email list.  Every Etsy shop that we purchase from has our email. 

[JDTotesnDolls]

@FallenAngelBrass   If the sale occurs on Etsy, the seller is under obligation to follow Etsy rules and not add the person to their email list.  On their website fine.  A sale through Etsy no.  Unless Etsy has changed this that is what I was told when sellers were adding me to their website list when I purchased only on Etsy,   

[AAANativeArts]

@JDTotesnDolls

That is not an Etsy rule, it is a law for the whole US at least, I'm not sure about other countries.

If it was their private website, that is not an Etsy problem. If you wish, you can report them to their web hosting service and they will get in trouble for it. If they continue sending unsolicited emails, they will close their account. You can find who their webhost is by doing a WhoIs search for their domain on Google.

They can only email you without permission if it is related to a current order. To be legal, they have to set up a landing page where you can give them your email if you want to receive their promotions.

They should then send you an email letting you know someone signed up to their list with your email. If it was you, you click the link provided and that is the double op-in part that satisfies the law.

[Adorabilities]

That doesn't seem possible. We have no idea who visits our shops here, let alone their contact details. How strange. 

[FallenAngelBrass]

I'm guessing that the OP has previously made a purchase in that shop. 

[Adorabilities]

@FallenAngelBrass 
That would make more sense. However, if the OP only visited the shop, there still would be no notification given to the shopowner.

[AAANativeArts]

@Adorabilities

If you have your own website, you can set up a cookie that collects all kinds of information about them. Google does it, Facebook does it, pretty much all websites that know what they are doing will be able to do it. They are supposed to have a Privacy policy that tells you what they collect and how they use that information, but hardly anyone reads it. 

On your order page on Etsy where it gives the address to ship to, on a desktop, click the arrow to the right of their name and it will give you their email address.

[Adorabilities]

@AAANativeArts 

For our websites: I thought we could only get personal (email address) information from visitors if they had previously purchased, or gotten to a certain point in checkout before abandoning it.

In any case, the OP said they only visited the Etsy shop. We have no idea who just visits our shops here.

[Vintorious]

Did you "favorite" anything in their shop? That's the only way I can think of that would have let them know that you had visited their shop on Etsy.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

If you favorited something and your favorites are public, they can get your email from your listings. 

[JDTotesnDolls]

Email address for sellers is not present on listings.  Only through a sale is the email given.

[WitticismsRus]

@JDTotesnDolls 

Not always. Sometimes the email is in the seller details bit with their contact info. I know I have seen it on a few shops when I looked on desktop but can't seem to find on the app at the moment. Either way, the contact info is there on many shops.

[DivineCrossings]

I thought buyers had to formally sign up for promotional emails, whether through a website or not…isn’t that the law? Unsolicited emails are considered spam, no? I know Etsy sends out emails for abandoned carts and favorites, but it sounds like this is different.

[DesertChains]

In the US, that is the law.

[NoFrogsAllowed]

If all you did was visit their shop then there is no way they would know, so it must be coincidence that they decided to go through their past purchases or favorites and bug those with whom they had previous contact on the same day you were in their shop.

[JDTotesnDolls]

If you purchased on Etsy and they added you to their website list, I would first remove name and then complain to Etsy.  A purchase on Etsy does not give the seller the right to add a person's name to their website list without permission.   

[Amaradorn]

I can see your email address in the Seller details at the foot of your shop home page. This info is shown to buyers in the UK and EU as part of the regulations. If that seller was also in the UK or EU then they would also be able to see your email address and harvest it. I'm assuming you favourited something and that's how they found you. You would be quite within your rights to complain to the seller.

[TBQSC]

"Can Spam Act"  https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

This happens a lot on Etsy, especially with new sellers who don't care to read/abide by the site policies or the US Law for Can Spam Act ... those Etsy sellers are harvesting their customers email addresses and then start sending them marketing material.  It is not legal for any seller to do this to their customers, so you should immediately notify Etsy and let them take care of it.  Unfortunately sellers who have their Seller Info shown at bottom of shop page (required for certain sellers) may be targets for receiving such unsolicited email. You can file a report for such incidents to ReportFraud.ftc.gov

[BagatellesFrance]

In Europe at least, you should have permission from the recipient before sending unsolicited emails

This is a useful link: It explains regulations in different countries.

https://mailtrap.io/blog/email-marketing-laws/#:~:text=It%20prohibits%20sending%20unsolicited%20emai....

[PowderBlueBijoux]

If you favorited something in their shop, they probably checked your shop out and found your email in the sellers information section of your shop. I recently had to remove my email shown in my shop because I was getting way too many scammer emails sent to me from people finding it on Etsy.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@TheColoredPixel  Why don't you ask the shop??

[GetLuckyVintage]

I don't want to get dragged into the Etsy mire on this, but I do want to clarify that cold emailing in the United States is LEGAL. The CAN-SPAM Act outlines the rules. Here is a link about cold emailing and how to do it following the rules. https://mailtrap.io/blog/can-spam-cold-emails/