Why I no longer sell my handmade goods on Etsy
Posted by Kate Rachel Lozier on
I pulled all of my goods from Etsy on August 31, 2022.
Why do you ask? I was tired of being "used" by Etsy. I was forced to pay for their marketing campaigns that I had no say in at a tune to another 15% in fees. I had no idea which products were being promoted nor any data that proved to me that a buyer click on my link (remember, I no say in which products got advertised). See # 4 in the excellent article below.
Etsy expected sellers to offer free shipping on $ 35 or more. This is just not sustainable for a small buiness!! I had to raise my prices to be able to sustain this, (which I have now lowered them again).
Etsy started allowing non-handmade goods / non-vintage goods to the platform. These sellers were reselling goods from other sites, such as Temu, Amazon, and B & M to name a few. This has hurt the truly handmade market, since these resellers offer the goods for much less (nor are they handmade).
After I closed my shop I learned that Etsy was withholding real sellers a money, around 75% of sales, with no valid reason. The bank failure of Silicon Valley bank did not help. Etsy also implemented the "best offer" option...again, cheapening handmade goods. There were also many other policies added that that eroded the seller's control over his/her products.
Lastly, I have had my independent web site since 1997! I am now only selling my work on my web site and at handmade in person markets.
I urge you to continue to support handmade small business, even if the seller is only on Etsy. However, if this seller has an independent web stie, please shop on that site. Also, I strongly urge you to read the descriptions, read the sellers policies, as well as look at the pictures!
I hope you will take the time to read this article.
https://spy.com/articles/lifestyle/gifts/etsy-downfall-1203000173/