One great thing that I did this week (other than filing my taxes, whooo hoo!) was not let the Etsy seller "strike" distract me from my goals. I haven't been making a big deal of it or calling a ton of attention to it because it's not going to do anyone any good stressing over it. However I have been thinking a lot about it. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, just google the Etsy strike!)

I'll give you my take on it and it may not be popular opinion or what you want to hear but here goes:

I don't disagree with the "demands" being made by sellers but I also welcome the transaction fee increase, especially if it is to be used for the reasons Etsy stated (more marketing, more seller support, investments in tech to help weed out shops breaking policies).

Etsy's popularity has exploded in the last few years due to the pandemic and it's simply a more expensive company to run (and hello, inflation!) Plus when you factor in just how many non-experienced sellers have jumped into the game in the last two years causing LOADS more issues for buyers plus the entire HQ being displaced and having to go remote, that's just a LOT for Etsy to deal with. Let's look at the numbers:

The number of Etsy customers increased from 46M in 2019 to 90M in 2021

The number of sellers has grown from 2.5M in 2019 to to 5.3M in 2021

(Source: Etsy Earnings Call and Presentation 2/28/22)

Let that sink in!!

If you have any sense of how a business runs, you understand that with such a huge amount of growth in such a short time period, the status quo simply won't hold. You also know that finding good employees to fill customer service positions is not easy. I'm seeing sellers complain about the lack of seller support without bothering to think for a sec about what's going on behind the scenes. Etsy simply HAS to prioritize support for customers first. And go look at the growth numbers above again.

(As a side note I also want to call attention to some of the really neat things that Etsy has implemented in the last few years - all to support sellers: the Etsy U program in which I am proudly a class of 2020 instructor, The Etsy Market, live shop critiques on IG, Etsy Shop Camp (for the UK and Canada), helpful podcasts and webinars, TV ads, and more that I can't remember off the top of my head!)

The "strike" story has been picked up by all the major news outlets and when I saw that it made my beloved NPR news, I went UH OH.

Not all of us are in support of the strike. We are perfectly happy selling on Etsy because we know that it's still the best platform out there for us to do our thang. Etsy brings us quality customers and still has the lowest fees compared to other competing marketplaces.

Whenever I hear sellers complain about Etsy, it's because they're looking for someone other than themselves to blame. Times change, trends change, algorithms change, technology changes. You gotta learn to adapt and dig in and yah, maybe work a little harder.

I'd bet that a good amount of the "strikers" were planning to leave the platform anyway, or already sell elsewhere. To them I say good luck but also, why do you need to take the ship down with you? Customers do not need to know all the sh*t going on behind the scenes (there's a reason why I don't show my customers exactly where their vintage is coming from. Sometimes it's the trash. Literally) and now some may even be boycotting Etsy.

I'm all for standing up for worker's rights and making a big stink but in this case, we aren't employees and this "strike" doesn't totally sit well with me.

Back on April 1st I released a blog post that you may have already read about the transaction fee increase and how to offset it. Check it out if you haven't already and please do your best to stay focused and not let the distractions caused by others set you off track!

I'm going to leave it at that even though I could go on and on and have like 17 more points to make. But I’m gonna spend my time wisely on creating new listings instead! Do you agree with me? Did you "strike" and what were your reasons?

Sources:

Etsy Earnings Call and Presentation 2/28/22: https://investors.etsy.com/events-and-presentations/event-details/2022/Q4-2021-Etsy-Inc-Earnings-Conference-Call/default.aspx

CEO Josh Silverman’s Fee Increase Announcement: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/our-continuing-investment-in-etsys/1074014040185

Etsystrike.org

Share your feedback on the fee increase with Etsy and read an FAQ about the fee changes in the Etsy Forums: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/FAQ-Transaction-Fee-Update/td-p/137606561

If you’re craving motivation and accountability when it comes running your Etsy vintage shop, then the Etsy Vintage Mastermind Monthly Membership may be for you! You’ll be inspired by listing challenges with prizes twice a month, be given tips to help you optimize your processes so you do more FASTER, all while being supported and cheered on my me and your vintage-slingin’ pals. We meet once a week live over Zoom and connect daily in our private Facebook group. Email me or DM me to see if it’s a fit or sign up today! Open to new and experienced Etsy Vintage shop owners.