Sellers began noticing Etsy was displaying their listings with price-plus-shipping in UK search results, and Etsy confirmed the change in a post on the announcement board on February 25th.
On February 18, a seller alerted us to the change, writing, “Etsy has launched their “postage included ” price in search, but when you go to an item, it is showing the cost as the original price less the postage. That incorrect price is being carried through to the shopping cart.”
Some sellers explained how the way Etsy now displays items in search was a major problem, especially for low-priced items or for items where buyers purchase multiple items in a single transaction. In a discussion on Reddit started on February 20th, the original poster explained:
“So Etsy has changed how you see prices, where they are bundling the costs of the item and shipping.
“I sell stickers, so that paired with the delivery is now having all me stickers seems like they’re 5.94 each, which I feel might deter customers, because it’s not even like it has a banner that now states ‘free delivery’
“I’m also not sure if this is the case with international sales, where it will look like it will cost higher for a singular sticker sheets.
“I’ve also noticed that if I add one item to my basket, the cost of the other items don’t change and become they’re original price, so to the buyer it will look like they’re still paying £5 for a sticker sheet.
“At this point I’m not sure if I should leave it, or if I should change the price to include the shipping, and at least get like a free delivery banner at the bottom.
“Feel like this change is flawed.“
Another Etsy seller agreed it was a problem for the types of items they sold:
“My big concern is that potential customers who were interested in purchasing several of my listings at the same time will now see the prices as higher than they actually are and be put off from ordering.
“For example, if a potential customer is interested in 4 different listings of mine that are all priced at £20 they’ll now see those prices as £23 each (£3 being the postage cost) leading them to presume the total would be £92. This is totally misleading because they would only be paying for postage once for that order meaning the total is actually £83.”
In Etsy’s February 25th post, it said the update was related to the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC Act) “that requires businesses to clearly show the total price a customer in the UK must pay upfront, throughout the purchase journey. This new requirement means mandatory costs, such as shipping or other required fees can’t be introduced later in the purchase process.”
Etsy went on to say:
“To help Etsy sellers comply with the DMCC Act – and to provide greater price transparency to buyers – Etsy will begin displaying a combined total price that includes the item price and VAT-inclusive shipping price to UK buyers. This helps ensure they don’t encounter unexpected, non-optional charges once they reach checkout. Buyers in the UK will see this total price displayed along their purchase journey, including when viewing a listing. Occasionally, the final total may update at checkout if delivery details change or if items qualify for combined shipping. If this happens, buyers will always see the updated final price before the purchase is complete.
“You may have already noticed this change. While the way prices are displayed is different, the total amount a buyer pays has not changed.
“We understand this is a meaningful change and that it can make a listing’s price look higher at first glance. We appreciate your partnership as we implement this required update.
“We are closely tracking your feedback as we continue to optimize this new experience. For more details, please review this article from our Help Center.”
Ecommerce consultant Cindy Baldassi had alerted her Patreon readers about the change on February 17 and updated her post after Etsy announced the change the following week.
