New Etsy Shops and listings get a boost in search

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman has admitted to merchants in an online chat that new Etsy Shops and recently listed items win prominence in search so they can attract buyers over already established sellers.

He said in the web chat with sellers (that you can find here) that newly listed items and recently registered sellers and new Etsy Shops do get a boost in search prominence. (The full comment is made at 14:52 on the 13th December.)

Silverman said to a long-standing Etsy seller: “We boost new shops and new listings in relevant search for a very brief time to give them a chance to be seen. After this quick boost the new items will appear as they normally would in search results. This practice, which is common in ecommerce and retail in general, has been in place on Etsy for the past few years.”

Needless to say the seller asking the question is unamused that loyalty isn’t being rewarded but rather new sellers are getting a perk of greater prominence in the marketplace search. What is not clear is the extent to which other marketplaces do operate in the same way but it does seem likely.

That said, Silverman says that the period is brief and it does also make sense to give new sellers some early success to keep them interested in keeping selling and, in due course, become more accomplished and successful merchants.

And if you’re an Etsy merchant, take a moment to look over the rest of the chat to see some of the answers Silverman gives.

He’s thorough in his responses and there’s lots of interest. Etsy continues to evolve and 2017 seems to have been a watershed year for the craft and vintage marketplace and the early results seems successful.

But it does seem that some sellers on Etsy are discontent with the progress. Are you an Etsy seller and what do you think of the changes?