TallTayl Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/introducing-etsys-risk-free-advertising/729663416588 Introducing Etsy’s Risk-Free Advertising Service We’ll pay to promote your items across the web—you only pay a fee when you get a sale, so there’s no risk of paying for ads that don’t work. yikes.... Looks like it will now cost sellers 20%-ish to sell items on etsy that benefit from that “risk-free” advertising. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 I saw that, I'm not quite sure what to think about it yet. The part that bothers me up front is where it says if you have "More than $10,000 USD in sales in a 12-month period" then you are "Required" to participate in the program and pay a "12%" fee. Required Participation, really? That bothers me. The other 15% fee option is only Recommended. This sounds like a good way for them to lose some of their sellers that have high sales. 🤷♂️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 Not only required, but required forever. We can never opt out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franu61 Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 seems to me if you have more than 10K sales on etsy, you don't need any advertising. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 46 minutes ago, franu61 said: seems to me if you have more than 10K sales on etsy, you don't need any advertising. Lol. I’m not confident in their “proof” of where someone found me to place an order. The bills can be really confusing, and have been wrong many times. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 1 hour ago, franu61 said: seems to me if you have more than 10K sales on etsy, you don't need any advertising. I know, right? LOL. Or why would you still need etsy? At that point shouldn't you have managed to direct your customers to your own online store anyway, so you can control all aspects of your business? I don't know but it sounds good. 😄 I think of platforms like Amazon, Etsy, etc. as a starting place for launching an e-commerce business and along the way growing your own online store so if something happens with those companies then you & your business are not SOL. 🤑 I have read articles in the past about Etsy sellers that outgrew the platform for one reason or another and moved on to their own online store. If I remember correctly this company was one of them https://www.threebirdnest.com/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 37 minutes ago, TallTayl said: Lol. I’m not confident in their “proof” of where someone found me to place an order. The bills can be really confusing, and have been wrong many times. Oh wow, that's disturbing. 😲 Hadn't thought of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) . Edited February 27, 2020 by Laura C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 49 minutes ago, Laura C said: I know, right? LOL. Or why would you still need etsy? At that point shouldn't you have managed to direct your customers to your own online store anyway, so you can control all aspects of your business? I don't know but it sounds good. 😄 I think of platforms like Amazon, Etsy, etc. as a starting place for launching an e-commerce business and along the way growing your own online store so if something happens with those companies then you & your business are not SOL. 🤑 I have read articles in the past about Etsy sellers that outgrew the platform for one reason or another and moved on to their own online store. If I remember correctly this company was one of them https://www.threebirdnest.com/ What is weird is how loyal etsy customers are to that platform. People can get my same stuff at much better pricing on my site, but they love the “protection” and familiarity of etsy. I send my own cultivated customers to my site, but those gained through etsy by and large stay there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 9 minutes ago, TallTayl said: What is weird is how loyal etsy customers are to that platform. People can get my same stuff at much better pricing on my site, but they love the “protection” and familiarity of etsy. I send my own cultivated customers to my site, but those gained through etsy by and large stay there. Hmm... that's interesting. Definitely points to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) I am in the "Mandatory Club" with Etsy right now. BUT I get a discount. 12%. LOL In the past I have used advertising in 2 ways. One was to increase sales during slower times, and other times I have turned it off to curb sales. In the past year I have done NO advertising as I haven't needed to. I haven't wanted to. Why would I want to spend $1-$10+ a day on it when I haven't needed it. Secondly I do advertising on Facebook, Google, and Google Shopping for my own website already. Now I will be competing with my own ads on Etsy. SIGH! @Laura C I do not see myself leaving Etsy. The user base they have there is enormous. I will continue to adjust my prices to accommodate their fees. I will try to continue to grow my own website. If I am doing $10k+ a year on Etsy why would I stop that revenue stream? One interesting thing that Etsy has started that has tremendously benefited me is an Affiliate Program. (https://www.etsy.com/affiliates) I have a few websites that every now and then promote my candles and I get a ton of orders from them. They are Etsy Affiliates. I pay nothing for the advertising and they make money with every sale they push to my Etsy site. Edited February 27, 2020 by MilosCandles 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) 12 minutes ago, MilosCandles said: I am in the "Mandatory Club" with Etsy right now. BUT I get a discount. 12%. LOL In the past I have used advertising in 2 ways. One was to increase sales during slower times, and other times I have turned it off to curb sales. In the past year I have done NO advertising as I haven't needed to. I haven't wanted to. Why would I want to spend $1-$10+ a day on it when I haven't needed it. Secondly I do advertising on Facebook, Google, and Google Shopping for my own website already. Now I will be competing with my own ads on Etsy. SIGH! @Laura C I do not see myself leaving Etsy. The user base they have there is enormous. I will continue to adjust my prices to accommodate their fees. I will try to continue to grow my own website. If I am doing $10k+ a year on Etsy why would I stop that revenue stream? One interesting thing that Etsy has started that has tremendously benefited me is an Affiliate Program. (https://www.etsy.com/affiliates) I have a few websites that every now and then promote my candles and I get a ton of orders from them. They are Etsy Affiliates. I pay nothing for the advertising and they make money with every sale they push to my Etsy site. Interesting info from someone in the trenches, thanks for sharing. 👍 And congrats on your success, that's awesome! Edited February 27, 2020 by Laura C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 Thanks for the affiliates reference and feedback @MilosCandles. im in the same boat with that super generous “12%”, and have been continually adjusting pricing to fit their wishes and demands for the platform. I gave in to the $35 for free shipping, adjusting pricing as they recommended and my order volume has slowed a LOT, so back to the calculator to crunch some more. you are absolutely right about not wanting to end that revenue stream. It is still cheaper overall than craft shows and fairs! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, TallTayl said: im in the same boat with that super generous “12%” Cool, congrats on your success too. 👍 Since you and @MilosCandles are living the Etsy adventure and are successful sellers I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge and experience. 😊 Edited February 27, 2020 by Laura C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted February 27, 2020 Author Share Posted February 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, Laura C said: Cool, congrats on your success too. 👍 Since you and @MilosCandles are living the Etsy adventure and are successful sellers I appreciate you all sharing your knowledge and experience. 😊 It changes every single month, honestly. You have to find your niche (and be prepared for a LOT of copycats, lol). Keep your offerings fresh, and always, always, always provide premier customer service And packaging and product to those boutique shoppers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura C Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, TallTayl said: You have to find your niche (and be prepared for a LOT of copycats, lol). That's for sure, I was looking at Candles on Etsy last night and I saw at least two different companies using the exact same graphics on their labels and either the same or similar jars. The graphic was cute but it's confusing to the customer. I thought it was the same company until I clicked through to the store front and they were different. I was like what? In fairness, it did look like the product labels were the generic kind you can purchase from graphic artists that sell that same label to anybody all day long. That's a good example of why you should have custom labels made. Lots of times those same graphic artists will do custom work for you. And I'm not saying that is your situation, just using it as an example. I'm all for not reinventing the wheel and I know what I like when I see it but it's just not right to completely steal someone else's style, look, brand, etc. It's one thing to get a few ideas from somebody that impresses you but being a complete copy cat is tacky. 😜 Edited February 28, 2020 by Laura C 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted February 28, 2020 Share Posted February 28, 2020 I will say Etsy does cater to their bigger better sellers. I will admit that 100%. How do I know? I did a test a few months back. I did not offer free shipping. When I did a search sure enough my items were very low on the search result list. This hadn't been the case a few weeks before that. So I adjusted my pricing and offered free shipping on orders over $35. About a month later is when I was being promoted on Social Media and the order started to pile in. To curb sales (and make more money) I stopped the free shipping. I haven't offered free shipping since Nov. I can do a search for some of my products now and I am often in the 1st few search results (just below the paid one). I do not pay for advertising either, well I wasn't paying for it, now they will force me to. It is interesting, I am thankful. I do not always agree with their changes. BUT as long as I am still making money I will just keep rolling with the punches. I would like to think they know more than me.. I just make decisions on a whim. LOL. Now I would like I think I know how I want to spend my money, and forcing me to pay another 12% may be bad. 2020 is another year and more challenges. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzyK Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Between this and their ODR policy, I'm so disappointed with Etsy, It used to be such a great place to sell. The last couple of years have been rough on there and it doesn't seem to be getting better. I opened a stand alone website and am pushing all of my sales and advertising to that site and we'll just see what Etsy does. I really wish I had opened a stand alone site a long time ago. People who can opt out of those ads will become invisible. It has already felt impossible to be seen on there lately. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty1_AJ Posted April 9, 2020 Share Posted April 9, 2020 My Etsy sales are up substantially since the country basically went on lockdown. But according to E, only 2 of my sales have been the result of those new ads. Things that make you go ?? I don't like being forced to pay the 12% commission either, so I'll likely make some adjustments to my biz plan accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 Orginally Etsy was made for the home crafter to be able to easily sell things online. But as the site grew and and profits for them, they needed to adjust their service also. 4 years ago I would of been happy to personally drive a candle to someones house for an order. Now if someone is not willing to pay the $6 shipping I charge, SORRY. Go to one of the many stores that carry my candles or find me at a fair. Etsy is no different. They cater to the top 10% that generate 90% of the revenue. (I am making up the numbers) I really do not do anything different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 18 minutes ago, MilosCandles said: Orginally Etsy was made for the home crafter to be able to easily sell things online. But as the site grew and and profits for them, they needed to adjust their service also. 4 years ago I would of been happy to personally drive a candle to someones house for an order. Now if someone is not willing to pay the $6 shipping I charge, SORRY. Go to one of the many stores that carry my candles or find me at a fair. Etsy is no different. They cater to the top 10% that generate 90% of the revenue. (I am making up the numbers) I really do not do anything different. Totally agreed about weeding out the less desirable customers. I used to offer small sample/trial sizes. After spending several days in a row shipping out orders that made no profit for the time spent I cut that off hard. I like orders of all sizes, but needed to treat the whole of my life more fairly as the shop was robbing my family and farm of their most precious resource: my time. Where things really changed was when etsy went public. Pleasing Wall Street results in changes that cater to the mass sellers as you noted. It, like most craft fairs around here, has become reseller flooded. The dismay from many hand made sellers came from the lies made by both etsy and resellers that were eventually called out. got to talk with a big etsy honey shop at the ren Faire and my eyes were opened about the game. I need to check my personal opinions about it at the door and start using their lessons. it is what it is. I sell enough there still as the market was carefully cultivated, but it is far less profitable per order than orders placed on my own site. At least I can reach customers I would not otherwise have. And it for certain beats setting up at craft fairs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 12 minutes ago, TallTayl said: Totally agreed about weeding out the less desirable customers. I used to offer small sample/trial sizes. After spending several days in a row shipping out orders that made no profit for the time spent I cut that off hard. I like orders of all sizes, but needed to treat the whole of my life more fairly as the shop was robbing my family and farm of their most precious resource: my time. Where things really changed was when etsy went public. Pleasing Wall Street results in changes that cater to the mass sellers as you noted. It, like most craft fairs around here, has become reseller flooded. The dismay from many hand made sellers came from the lies made by both etsy and resellers that were eventually called out. got to talk with a big etsy honey shop at the ren Faire and my eyes were opened about the game. I need to check my personal opinions about it at the door and start using their lessons. it is what it is. I sell enough there still as the market was carefully cultivated, but it is far less profitable per order than orders placed on my own site. At least I can reach customers I would not otherwise have. And it for certain beats setting up at craft fairs! TIME... I find people do not put enough value on this. Of course in the beginning when you have more time you do not have as much as a value on it, but as your business grows you find you have less time, which then makes that time more valuable. Times of the year also change my time value. Slower times I do more for people. Try to cultivate some new customers. But there is just your time, do not forget family and friends time. I no longer offer discounts on my Etsy page, only on my website, cheaper shipping also. Every month sales on my own site are increasing. It is hard for me to imagine that I ever leave Etsy. Maybe I end up getting to the point I have to charge so much that people just stop buying from me there and it just is not worthwhile to maintain it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 Time is my currency. -Jenna Kutcher, Goal Digger Podcast. time is my most valuable resource. You can’t manufacture or buy more hours in a day. If you get my time, man you are one special person to me! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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