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Etsy today announced its intention to give priority to items and stores offering free shipping, and sellers are not thrilled. Effective July 30, Etsy will prioritize ranking in US search results for items shipped for free and for stores that guarantee US buyers free shipping for $ 35 or more. An e-mail sent to vendors by the company's CEO advises them to include shipping costs in their selling prices, a change that many vendors worry about on the platform, which focuses primarily on manufactured products handmade by artists and small businesses.
Etsy justified its decision by saying that Etsy shoppers are 20% more likely to buy items with free shipping. But the news sparked a strong reaction from sellers and buyers on Twitter and during a question and answer session about the Etsy ad, which received more than 1,300 responses.
Etsy was not meant to be a big box retailer. Its appeal lies in the fact that it is a market where individual artists could offer their products. Something original, handmade, one of a kind. It's unfortunate that sellers are following what big giant corporations can afford. 2/5
– Expo Kitty Crunchyroll (@Kittygorian) July 9, 2019
The imposition of fixed shipping charges in prices can be a challenge for international sellers who ship worldwide. The Cambridge-based artist Katie Fuller, who runs her Etsy shop since 2015, says that including shipping cost in her products would put her at a disadvantage. "If I [raise my prices]so I will make my prices uncompetitive for customers elsewhere. Most of my clients are in the UK; it makes no sense to do so, so it seems to me that I can say goodbye to my American sales. "
Etsy CEO Josh Silverman acknowledged that the change may be difficult for some sellers Internal business interview, saying, "We know that sellers will have to absorb a lot of problems – it radically changes how they think about prices." The new policy is aimed primarily at a US audience, but Silverman's letter includes a line on We bring more support to international sellers: "We will continue to invest in your success by stepping up our digital marketing efforts to attract more people. 'UK buyer on Etsy.', said an Etsy spokesperson. The edge that the company begins with the United States, its largest and most mature market at the moment, and in the meantime provides guides on international shipping strategies for non-US vendors.
As a buyer, I find it annoying because I do not care about free shipping. I use Etsy to find unique, handmade items … I do not want them to give priority to free shipping stores! It will be more difficult to find quality objects while many artists lose money:
– Samantha (@choppadowick) July 9, 2019
Many of the ads on the first page of search results already offer free shipping, and buyers can enable the 'free shipping' button to search for items for which they will not pay for additional shipping. The new policy, when it comes into effect at the end of the month, would display a majority of articles with free shipping on the search results, in the top most visible rows. Etsy also states that it will prioritize these elements in its advertisements, through email marketing, social media, and television.
"Most of us are small businesses – we are neither Amazon nor eBay, we can not compete with the rest of e-commerce" and it would not make sense for all of us to absorb our costs. shipping in the overall price, "says Fuller. "But Etsy is going to penalize us for that."
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