Etsy Sellers: Curation Trumps Algorithm

by: Rexford

"Each visitor sees items depending on what Etsy has determined they may be interested in."

This is the HUGE mistake that companies like Amazon, Etsy and eBay are making.  As a buyer I want to see what I am looking for, not what they THINK I am looking for.  When they take it one step further and favor certain sellers over others when using this technology it makes it even worse.

What a shame that a site that so many thought truly cared about those who built it from the ground up seems to be following in the footsteps of eBay.

Money and greed corrupt.  The minute this company goes public, small sellers might as well pack it up and leave.  

by: OnlyPollyPocket

Maybe I don't understand the psychology:  Showing me things that I might like because I was looking at or purchased similar items?  I find that I was looking at a similar item because I wanted one...and I bought one.  Now I am no longer interested in the items(s).

However, Sometimes I see something I didn't know I wanted/needed and I click 'n buy.

So the point is, don't show me things I already bought, I don't need it anymore.  Show me random things that I might discover I need.

Oh, and don't THINK for me!  In spite of what these companies imagine, I CAN do that on my own and it insults my intelligence when they think I need them to do it for me!

by: ebay refugee camp

Buyers should be allowed to shop and see what they put in the search....
If you are on the internet searching on google and shopping for a item. You get pounded with ads for that item it is absurd, you may have already bought the item and in most cases it has been the case. Show buyers what they want not what you want them to buy

by: Rexford

OnlyPollyPocket, you make a good point with "Oh, and don't THINK for me!".  

These companies still assume machines can think.  They can't.

I've heard many of my friends and relatives tell me that they "just gave up" searching for what they want on eBay and other sites due to the fact that they can't find what they actually want---they are seeing stuff the algorithm "thinks" they want to see.

by: aim04744

Ugh. As soon as these programmers finally realize that they can not replace the human brain things will be better.  

by: Russ

Save curations for after a search...I don't want to see MeMaw's vintage Tupperware collection for sale and if I did, I would key the word into ''Search'' and take it from there.

Since the popularity of Pinterest, every ''venue'' had to get a piece of the action...let it be.  A mere testament to the ''brains'' behind venues such as eBay, etsy and all the others that beat the same drum...to death!!

Thankfully, trends such as ''curation'' rise and fall...this too shall pass...until the next trend takes hold.

by: COH

I don't understand when they show you stuff based on stuff you looked at or bought previously.  If I already bought ONE thingy, I don't need another of the same thingy.  ALSO - I never buy on line - rarely, anyway.  Most of stuff I look at is for research on stuff I already have and want to sell.  The thought that they can mine your mind is ridiculous.  NOW?  Every webpage I go to - I get an eBay ad banner showing what I last looked at and to come to eBay to find 'more like this'.  And I clear my cookies and temp web pages all the time, yet, they are still there.

by: COH

Russ - I don't get how Pinterest works at all.

by: shabbychick

Yesterday I searched Etsy for ''Miriam Haskell pin'' one of the foremost designers of vintage costume jewelry. Maybe 2000 listings showed up. I was thrilled. Until I came to find out that more than half did not have Miriam or Haskell anywhere in title or listing!  The listings had nothing to do with Miriam Haskell. I am disappointed to find such a poor search engine at Etsy.

Although I really like selling on Etsy I definitely do not like the stealth paid for ads snuck in as listings at the top of the page and again smack in the middle for the page of listings with a tiny ''AD'' in the picture that looks like a watermark. You can hardly even notice it until you see that that row is out of synch with your search method...high price to low or ending soonest to oldest.  

by: The End

Listen CHAD : I told you cut out the Stupid Useless "Busy Work" that occupies the wholesale TALENTLESS PEOPLE you've let in.
Now you've gone and Done It !
My viewership is LESS than 10% of what it was. I used to receive over 120 views A DAY ! Now it's almost nothing.
I must say, THIS STINKS ON ICE !
Good thing I can mow lawns, plow snow, and garden, among Several other talents I have to bring in the much needed dough.
ETSY is on the brink of irrelevance.

by: artbits

The following post was put in the etsy forums, linking to the petition at change.com. An admin quickly removed the link to the petition. LOL. https://www.etsy.com/teams/7718/questions/discuss/15352242/page/3

by: Anonymous Annie

--- ''Each visitor sees items depending on what Etsy has determined they may be interested in.''

Ugh! --- Yeah right... because when I'm shopping for Christmas gifts, I'm *only* ever going to give things that *I* would personally like to have.

Let's see... that would be: A handbag for Uncle Joe, a pink-quilted housecoat for my grandson, an antique oil lamp for my infant granddaughter, etc.

My! Christmas shopping is SO EASY when they simply *tell* me what I'm interested in! Why didn't someone think of this sooner? :-/

by: rhawk

UGGHH.

Seems they have gone off the crazy train rails as ebay did.

My Etsy sales have tanked because of this.

Programmers need to wake up.....THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO RUN ECOMMERCE SEARCH!!!!

iDIOTS!

by: FREDDY

Views and sales are gone.

Why mess with something if it isn't broken???

How about spending the money on advertising instead of changing ''constantly'' the way the page looks or what a computer thinks you ''want'' to look at.

Why have listings pop up of sweaters when you type in silverware??

Appears that this is another company that cannot think for themselves. Looks like they are copying ebay.  Wonder if or when they will be hiding listings also???

by: lostinohio

I recently (this month) started adding to my etsy shop.  Sold some, then it stopped.

They are doing a lot of testing.  I hope they figure it out soon.  If they handle this right, etsy will really take off.

My ebay sales have literally stopped and I am a TRS with over 10,000 feedbacks, 100%.  ebay no longer works for one of a kind sellers.  Sad, really, since it was once such an awesome site.

Maybe I should move to China and sell cell phone covers.

by: RCL

The Etsy search logic is COMPLETELY screwed up. Every time you select a category, like vintage, each search term requires you RE-select vintage. Antiques and collectibles are indistinguishable to the search engine; they should be two separate categories, not nested. Search logic is SO basic, and they blow it at the basic level. It is cumbersome and clumsy.

by: RCL

LostinOhio, I am lostinny. Same situation exactly.

by: The End

HOLY COW ! THIS JUST IN : In the category of "Mid Century" items,
ETSY has CLOBBERED Ebay by a Whopping 2 THOUSAND One Hundred more listings ! That's a milestone folks.
Everyone (Ebay) selling vintage items of All Kinds > get over to ETSY right now and list your stuff.

by: fashionlove

Another beyond brilliant Etsy innovation.  The Front Page/Treasury concept was becoming dated and useless on many levels.

by: Rexford

Freddy states "Why mess with something if it isn't broken???"

Would love for someone to tattoo this on John Donahoe's forehead.