Is Etsy Cyber Week Sale Too Rich for Sellers?

by: maxmad

"Interestingly, Etsy told Wall Street analysts on October 30th that sellers were absorbing more of the "free-shipping" costs than its pre-launch testing indicated,"

translation,,,,,,

The suckers fell for it.

by: Life During Wartime

''Discover one-of-a-kind items''?  Etsy doesn't promote items that are OOAK handmade or only-one-available vintage.  On Etsy, OOAK almost always means a mass made product that has been personalized.

by: The End

I used to be proud to have my invention on Etsy.

by: Garcia

I wonder what Etsy thinks of a 20% off sale with a minimum purchase of $100.  That way I would be running the sale and guaranteeing that no one would use it, but still I would be doing what Etsy asked.

by: Tiffee Jasso

This is not Etsy's fault. It is the sellers for buying into this nonsense touted by CEOs who get million dollar bonuses for driving the lemmings off the ledge of sound economics..The carrot jumpers are the ones that are bringing down the house for not only themselves, but for all of us. You cannot be both a sound business person and a carrot jumper. Why? Because the company you work for will just keep upping the ante until you fold.  

by: SellerGirl

Free shipping AND 20% off too?  Nope. I will turn off free shipping on all items before the cyber sale starts. I considered not even taking part in the sale, and I still might not. My prices are already good for the buyer and my items are usually in greatest demand in Jan and Feb, so I don't want to sell for pennies before Christmas just to make Etsy feel good about their year.

by: SellerGirl

The chances of being featured in Etsy online and TV adds is literally 120million to 3.  There are approximately 120 million products listed on Etsy and in any given video ad 3 or 4 are featured, and Etsy doesn't mention the name of the shop or the title of the listing, so even if you are featured, Etsy makes it impossible for buyers to find your exact item. Net result of being featured in Etsy video ad? Zero.

by: Fusion

I refuse to raise my prices to offer free shipping. I think consumers can see right thru that.
I keep my shipping prices to a bare minimum as well as my prices.  

by: hawk

i did not offer free shipping on my items either , as i hand make large heavy items. of course , etsys blackmail to me was we'll bury your listings , and they did. so very corrupt and cowardly.  most of my older buyers can still add 2 plus 2 , but the so called genius generations can't add 2 plus 2 , so they fall for all the corrupt crap these venues feed them. that ruins business for everyone.

by: Flying Childers

The last two “incentives “that the Etsy thugs suggested destroyed literally thousands of shops.  TJ comments that it is now the fault of the sellers for being so desperate that we are willing to try ANYTHING to get sales.

Excuse me, but that’s like blaming someone who just got mugged for walking down the street!  The fact is that in many ways Etsy has become a giant Ponzi scheme designed to rip off older women of a certain age who comprise a majority of sellers.
Funny how none of the Feminists or other social justice warriors who supposedly defend the rights of the downtrodden, are stepping up to help their sisters.
Meanwhile, Josh and the Etsy Crime Family just keep raking in their millions while claiming to help humanity and save the planet.  They are as greedy and avaricious as any corporate raider they pretend to abhor.
Etsy does not make or own any of the inventory sold on its site.  It is the sellers who made Etsy the success story that it is.  Instead of rewarding us or even trying to help us make sales, all they can do is to think up more ways to screw us seven ways to Sunday.

by: SammyCat

Etsy shares have plummeted by a staggering $28+ a share starting in October.  

Its seems that few have faith in their gimmicks to make money and investors know, if Etsy doesn't that you can only bleed the money out of your sellers / customers so much.

They've reached the end of their money sucking abilities.  

And yes, to some extent I do blame the lemmings for falling for these criminal initiatives ... they've had plenty of information for seasoned shop owners on why the 'free shipping' gimmick was wrong, why it wouldn't work, why it would hurt them and everyone else.  

They didn't listen and jumped off the cliff.

In my experience the more you let people get away with bad behavior the more they will do it, and come up with new ways to screw you.  

by: SammyCat

Shopify is selling at $412+ and up over 11 points.
Bravehost and Ecwid who I use for my shopping cart is private thank goodness (knock on wood)

Here's the crazy long link sorry:

https://www.google.com/search?client=mobilesearchapp&sa=
X&rlz=1MDAPLA_enCA870&source=mobilesearchapp&hl=en&channel=iss&v=86.0.276299193&tbm=fin&sxsrf=ACYBGNQf6SMg034TCpvOKtU5d8DF7nVB_g:1573737271860&q=NASDAQ:+ETSY&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgecRowS3w8sc9YSn9SWtOXmPU5OIKzsgvd80rySypFJLmYoOyBKX4uXj10_UNDZOSzY3SkwxMeBax8vg5Brs4BlopuIYERwIA9pfbSkwAAAA&ved=0ahUKEwjf3LuY5OnlAhXmYN8KHeQjCxgQlq4CCDgwAA&biw=1536&bih=760&dpr=1.25#scso=_QFPNXd2ELNGzggem64XwDg9:0

by: SammyCat

Hmmm ... and it looks like some key Etsy people have been dumping shares:

https://slatersentinel.com/news/2019/11/13/mason-street
-advisors-llc-takes-position-in-etsy-inc-nasdaqetsy.html

"In other Etsy news, SVP Goyal Kruti Patel sold 3,754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $200,013.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,406 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $607,711.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Michael T. Fisher sold 5,194 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total transaction of $259,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 17,387 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $869,350. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 17,460 shares of company stock valued at $928,789. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock."

by: purpleiris

Do these sites really expect us to offer free shipping AND discounts? Isn't there supposed to be some room for profit in there somewhere? Oh yeah, that's right...they're getting theirs and that's all that matters.

by: littlesaint

@Flying Childers This ''Ponzi Scheme'' you refer to wasn't designed to impact any particular demographic. And referring to ''older women of a certain age'' as ''downtrodden'' is offensive and suggests that these sellers are victims, which they are not. This feminist decided not to adhere to what I agree is a scheme, which is how I respond to most obvious arm twisting tactics. Women of a certain age have the same ability to say no and understand there is power in numbers. There are no victims in this alleged scheme, only heros who refused to follow the sheep. You can thank the sellers who refused to participate for the rapid decrease in Etsy stock prices. Foresight is far more impactful than victimization. Feminists learned that well before we began selling our blankets on Etsy.

by: Life During Wartime

I doubt the behavior of shop owners is largely responsible for the slide in Etsy stock prices.  Instead, I credit the management's crazy thoughtless way they do business.

Someone above mentioned how remote the chances were of any Etsy listing appearing in an online ad.  But a few weeks ago, the line up of half dozen or so thumbnails shown in Etsy's online ads featured a dog squatting for a bowel movement.  Everywhere I went online where Etsy was purchasing page space I saw the pooping poochie, an image from a calendar that featured a dog doing doo doo for every month.

Personally, I think it's a fun gift for the right person, but not truly representative of Etsy.  Yet it was curated into the site's online advertising.  Maybe I don't see enough online ads, but I can't think of any other business that has shown me an image of an animal relieving itself.

by: Flying Childers

Responding to Little Saint- my point is that the hypocrisy surrounding Etsy is breathtaking and that goes for social justice warriors who are quick to jump on any bandwagon for the "oppressed"  or who suffer alleged wrongdoing.

According to etsy's own user stats, women comprise the vast majority of sellers.  One would think that one of the special interest groups would come to their defense as women.  Why do you insist on defending the indefensible?  Stockholm Syndrome maybe?

by: cvsharkey

"Let's keep tweaking it until we hear them scream, and then we'll twist the wheel some more."

If all of the Chinese sellers on Etsy want to give their junk away to take advantage of this--then let them.

Does Etsy not realize that they are slowly destroying their brand????

by: Anjya

My sales have been going downhill for a longtime now no matter what I try. I drank the kool aid and very reluctantly participated in the free shipping nonsense and have been losing money on the few sales I do get. Now they want me to participate in the sales too!  I can't do it, I would literally be making no money at all.  Their greed knows no bounds,  what was once a great venue is now just a scam to steal whatever profit we could make.  It's obvious they don't give a flying if we work for nothing just so long as we are lining their pockets.   I no longer have any trust or respect for this company and am starting to move my inventory back to eBay, which is where I started back on the early 2000s.  Yes, I know - from one theif to another, but at least they don't demand you take money from your own pocket to sell your items or they will bury your listings.  Anyone not selling super lightweight items on Etsy is doomed.  It just has gotten so bad that they literally make greedbay look good - who ever would have thought that possible.  List your item, and give us our twenty cents, then pay us more money for promoted listings,  oh and don't  forget to participate in the sale and give at least a 20% discount - you're offering free shipping of course, because if you're not we will just bury your listings and you can keep paying and renewing and paying and renewing - that's o.k. FOR ETSY.  I can't wait to be done with them, thieves the whole lot of them.  

by: Whatever

I just let all of my listings run out - I'm so disgusted with etsy.  I'm a shopper there - the other day I went in and all the money was showing euros - then I tried to search for a specific item - tried several different searches using slightly different works - shocked at what pulled up.  How the hell are any of you selling anything over there???? start your own website now! Backpedal thru paypal and get your buyers emails. Do something because that hot mess over there is the worse thing I've ever seen.  What's that saying about the light at the end of the tunnel being a light? As a buyer trust me the train has already run over you.