People from around the world have stepped up to spread awareness on how to assist those affected by the current war, one of those ways is to support Etsy sellers in Ukraine. It has been cleverly worked out that support can be offered through a platform like Etsy, who allow the sale of digital items. Consumers have begun flocking to the marketplace to support shops located in the country.
Supporting legitimate charities and sending items to various collection points has been a fundamental way to help those impacted by the War in Ukraine but consumers are finding more ways to help than what first meets the eye. Digital products are a way for sellers to conduct business without needing to send out any physical items. it is one way that consumers are offering support to sellers who can no longer ship items due to services being shut down and restricted.
How to support Etsy sellers in Ukraine
Etsy allows consumers to amend a variety of filters including shop location. By searching for ‘Digital art’ or similar and putting Ukraine into the shop location box consumers are able to see a range of digital items to purchase from sellers in the country. Even sellers of physical products have started listing digital items in hopes that people will continue buying from them.
Sellers of lower priced digital items often feel the brunt of Etsy fees but thankfully, Etsy have waived fees for sellers in Ukraine meaning anything they do make from sales wont be eaten into.
Being part of a community means that when one part is suffering, the rest of us must step up and offer our support. To do our part, we’ve reached out to sellers in the region to ensure they know how to access help with their accounts or place their shops on hold during this difficult time. We also know that many sellers are facing tremendous financial hardship as a result of the turmoil. To alleviate some of the burden, we are canceling the current balances owed to Etsy by all sellers in Ukraine, which includes listing fees, transaction fees, advertising fees, and more. This represents a contribution of approximately $4 million towards our community.
– Josh Silverman, CEO, Etsy
