Etsy is pressurising sellers into providing 'free shipping' to customers in the USA. Shops that do so will get priority in search results. ‘Free shipping’ doesn’t exist - either the buyer pays for shipping, or sellers have to bump up their prices to recoup the price of shipping (or not put up prices, in which case they’ll be losing money and may go out of business). Many items sold on Etsy are bulky and/or posted internationally (often with tracking – for added peace of mind for buyer and seller), and it is unfair to put pressure on makers to suck up the cost. As a seller and a buyer I understand that SHIPPING COSTS MONEY; Etsy does NOT have a deal with global postal services that gives sellers a special rate (if only…), and Santa only delivers at Christmas (and not for Etsy).
It’s hard enough for small businesses to make money even without this new policy – many people in the UK still haven’t recovered from the recession, and the Brexit situation has increased the uncertainty and precariousness. Etsy should feel it has a responsibility towards those who sell on it, but it doesn’t seem to. Etsy is the place most people probably think of when it comes to buying and selling handcrafted items, so Etsy should be using that position/platform to SUPPORT the small businesses who sell on it (who keep it going by listing and selling items and PAYING THE FEES AND COMMISSION!). ETSY SHOULD VALUE THE MAKERS WHO MAKE IT!!
While some shops are already announcing free shipping on social media, others are leaving Etsy. As a maker of doll clothes, who doesn’t have a dedicated customer base, I currently have no choice but to remain with Etsy. Buyers can help by seeking out those who aren’t favoured by the new algorithm by not just looking at the first pages of results where the ‘free shipping’ listings will be.
If you’re interested in reading more about what this change means for Etsy shops, click the link below:
To https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/07/13/survey-why-sellers-are-concerned-over-free-shipping-push/
And finally, if you want know more about supporting makers and small businesses in general, have a look at/join the Just A Card campaign at http://justacard.org/
It’s hard enough for small businesses to make money even without this new policy – many people in the UK still haven’t recovered from the recession, and the Brexit situation has increased the uncertainty and precariousness. Etsy should feel it has a responsibility towards those who sell on it, but it doesn’t seem to. Etsy is the place most people probably think of when it comes to buying and selling handcrafted items, so Etsy should be using that position/platform to SUPPORT the small businesses who sell on it (who keep it going by listing and selling items and PAYING THE FEES AND COMMISSION!). ETSY SHOULD VALUE THE MAKERS WHO MAKE IT!!
While some shops are already announcing free shipping on social media, others are leaving Etsy. As a maker of doll clothes, who doesn’t have a dedicated customer base, I currently have no choice but to remain with Etsy. Buyers can help by seeking out those who aren’t favoured by the new algorithm by not just looking at the first pages of results where the ‘free shipping’ listings will be.
If you’re interested in reading more about what this change means for Etsy shops, click the link below:
To https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2019/07/13/survey-why-sellers-are-concerned-over-free-shipping-push/
And finally, if you want know more about supporting makers and small businesses in general, have a look at/join the Just A Card campaign at http://justacard.org/
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