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Etsy’s “Response” Falls Short

Last night we discovered a tweet by Etsy’s founder, Rob Kalin. He broke a 7.5 year Twitter silence to come out in support of our movement.

All along, we’ve been saying that Etsy isn’t living up to its own standards; its own stated values. We didn’t need confirmation of this belief, but last night, we got it in the best way possible!

We still haven’t heard anything back from Etsy about the email we sent them on Monday morning. All we have in response from them regarding our entire movement is the blanket statement they keep issuing to members of the press.

Sellers have consistently told us they want us to expand our efforts around marketing, customer support and removing listings that don’t meet our policies. Our revised fee structure will enable us to increase our investments in each of these key areas so we can better serve our community and keep Etsy a beloved, trusted and thriving marketplace.

Let’s dissect that.

Sellers have consistently told us they want us to expand our efforts around marketing, customer support and removing listings that don’t meet our policies.

True. Particularly the customer support, and removing listings that don’t meet policies. Marketing – well, we’d love them to market to buyers. Maybe we would trust them to do so if they hadn’t lied to us in 2018.

Our revised fee structure will enable us to increase our investments in each of these key areas so we can better serve our community and keep Etsy a beloved, trusted and thriving marketplace.

In 2018, we brought Etsy nearly 4 billion dollars in gross marketplace sales.
In 2019, we brought Etsy nearly 5 billion dollars in gross marketplace sales.
In 2020, we brought them more than 10 billion dollars, and in 2021, we brought them more than 13 billion dollars in gross marketplace sales.

The massive growth that Etsy experienced should have been invested back into the platform, at least in part. We – and our customers by extension – should not be required to foot the bill for Etsy’s failure to invest in its own platform.

Our four remaining demands do not match Etsy’s blanket corporate-speak response.

“Removing listings that don’t meet our policies” is a promise with no specificity, and no accountability. After Etsy’s failure to do this for years on end, we will no longer accept empty promises. We want a comprehensive plan that is transparent, so we can hold them accountable for fulfilling it.

Etsy claims their plan to “expand [their] efforts around (…) customer support” meets our third demand. But their promise does not match our demand. We’ve asked for guaranteed support in very important situations where AI is blocking sellers from accessing their shop or their income.

Etsy ignores our fourth demand, that they end the badly designed, counterproductive “Star Seller Program”.

Finally, Etsy mentions expanding marketing efforts first in their statement. This is the exact opposite of our final demand, that they allow us to opt out of the marketing program in which they force us to participate.

We hope that Etsy will respond to the letter we sent them on Monday, and open a dialogue with us. The blanket statement they have issued to members of the media does not address our grievances with the platform.

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