Etsy's New API Holds Promise for Better Seller Tools

In April, Etsy announced a pilot program for its new read-write API - version 2. The new version supports OAuth, which allows third-party developers to access Etsy accounts without requiring users to reveal their user names and passwords.

Justin Kerr Sheckler, Etsy's Developer API Lead, said this would allow developers to create sales management and tracking applications for sellers, and would allow uploading of listings via the API, "which will mean better tools for sellers." Apps are also being developed that will help sellers track their sales and manage their finances.

Etsy has also upgraded the infrastructure and launched a new interface for the API allowing developers to specify which fields and child objects to include with every request - making it more flexible than the old system. Etsy is working on additional features not yet in the pilot version, including Advanced Search support; Filtering of fields; and Add to cart / upload listings / other "write" methods.

Sheckler provided AuctionBytes with some statistics about Etsy's APIs:

• There are about 1.4 million requests per day;
• There are 200 active developers;
• There are three apps in iPhone store, one Android app, and at least two iPad apps in the works.

Etsy users can learn more about available third-party applications on this page.