Etsy sellers are striking over fee hikes

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From today until the 18th of April a handful of Etsy sellers are striking by temporarily shutting shop, seemingly spurred on by fee increases and a number of other platform changes.

Etsy is a marketplace for handmade items, making it a hugely unique and popular place for many small businesses. Today Etsy have increased their fees from 5% to 6.5% which they say is a necessary step in making a number of improvements on the platform but sellers don’t agree, feeling that the marketplace is working against them after the fee increase announcement was joined by a record profits announcement.

We plan to make significant investments in marketing, seller tools, and creating a world-class customer experience so we can continue this tremendous growth. To support this goal, on 11th April we will increase our current 5% transaction fee to 6.5%.

– Etsy

In response to the Strike, Etsy defended their increase and told Mashable that it is sellers who have consistently told Etsy they want improvements to be made around marketing, customer support, and removing listings that don’t meet policies, and the fee increase will help them expand investments into those key areas.

If you are taking part (or not taking part) in the strike we’d love to hear your thoughts!

One Response

  1. Signed up to Etsy around a year ago.
    I put 3 items up. (generic good sellers on other channels) to give it a whirl
    Made a sale within an hour.
    Was surprised.
    Noticed a massive 15% ‘ad’ fee that eclipsed all profit on the sale and caused a loss.
    Hunted for information on this ad fee.
    Found a toggle switch in the settings for external ads.
    Turned off ads.
    Didn’t make a sale in the next three months.
    Removed everything and dismissed Etsy permanently or until I do a major inventory category swap, which will probably never happen.

    What kind of company has the external ads option toggled ON by default and does not warn you about the potential related fee prior to creating a listing?

    I don’t like their business strategy either, nor their incessant bulls* PR statements about how they are ‘special’ and ‘progressive’ when they are anything but

    Just another business. Beware of the fee I mentioned if you decide to sign up to this site

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