Seller Fears Naughty Bits on Etsy a Turnoff to Buyers

by: Zigmund

very true. Thousands of items if not more with naughty and sexual character, which might be handcrafted but not suitable for a site like Etsy. But today is a different world, a world of pandemic with corruption of gigantic proportions. So if Etsy CEO would declare that what Etsy is Today, an eBay associate, then ok...

by: Chicago48

Etsy has a board of directors.  Maybe the OP should contact them by mail and let them know.  Even the Investor Relations Head and cc: the Ceo.  Some sellers are taking to Youtube and TikTok.  I've seen some X-rated products being sold on Etsy.  They should break off into two:  One for the crafters and one for the "others".

by: Vintagecat

Frankly there are "other" venues that more readily purvey the sexploitation trade and if I ever have one of those awful ads pop up on my Etsy pages I'm pulling the plug. Since online venues do follow forums like this, I'm quite confident that Etsy's publicity scanners will see this comment.  

by: LDWCallsOut

Explicit mini thumbnails do show up on Etsy listings selling items that are G-rated without question, including items you might see while shopping for small children.  There's a culture at Etsy corporate that values breaking the rules of good taste more than generating interest that will likely lead to a sale.  

In 2017, Etsy placed a bunch of irrelevant extra tags on items included in a promotion for Father's Day gifts.  Tags like STFU (spelled out), big butts, and sporty slut.  No reasonable explanation was ever given for doing this.  For Christmas 2019 (I think it was), an Etsy ad featuring a 2020 calendar with monthly pooping pups followed me all over the web, appearing in the margins of pages that show ads.  The ad showed a clear image of a dog doing what all animals do, but Etsy is the only site I know of that wants to be known for that type of product over all the other items listed.  (I admit that one was vulgar, but funny.)  Some people who work for Etsy seem to have a thing about finding nasty stuff on the site and ensuring it gets a wide view.

by: Daniel D.Teoli Jr.

As an archivist, eBay was a major source of adult material for my social documentary Archive until they shut the adult section down. I tried Etsy, but their search function is very poor. I'm mainly interested in 16mm cine' film. You may get 10 pages of junk with next to nothing apropos to the search.  

by: Gumball

Ebay had this problem in the first year or so, but they stepped in and banned them. In Califiornia, it is against the Law to sell used underwear. So Etsy should at least ban the items from selling in California as they are breaking the law. I won't touch the subject of why someone would want such filth to start with.  

by: Chalky

I think someone here referred to Etsy as a porn hub.  Sadly, this is becoming true.

by: Stone Cutter

What a stupid company to offend both their sellers and buyers. Etsy says that the majority of sellers & buyers are women..at about 80%. The CDC says that 30% of all women, in the U.S., have been sexually assaulted sometime in their life. Sexual content for those who have had an abusive history will not do business with a site like Etsy.  

by: Snapped

A more effective way to influence an entity that is essentially an advertiser is to not only boycott them, but where possible, those who would advertise on that platform.  And then tell them why.  The challenge is mobilizing a large enough population acting in like mind.  The only ‘morality’ recognized is legal tender with these people.

The rest will likely argue to a standoff in a society that, to be what is claimed, must regretfully provide voice to both the sane and insane - if even that line can be agreed.  

Meanwhile, “Naughty Bits” would make an excellent name for a rock band.

by: songe-d-automne

You know, this happened to me last month after I looked up a dog poop calendar for a friend. Suddenly my Etsy front page had naked lady calendars staring me in the face each day until I purposely looked up several other things to bury it. I am not a prude, but I really don't like to look at porno when looking for a My Little Pony.