My Experience on Etsy

I closed my Etsy shop. I am very disappointed in the changes Etsy has made that make it no longer profitable for me. The necklaces that I created and sold on Etsy were not the same ones sold on this website. They were all one of a kind and often contained unusual gemstones.

Etsy was originally a site where a small business owner or hobbyist sold his/her handmade items. Now Etsy allows large businesses selling mass produced factory made products. Not only do they just allow, but encourage these shops. Often the same owner may have multiple shops with different names selling similar or identical items.

In search results Etsy posts only 1 item from a shop on each page of results. The owner of more than one shop may have an item from each shop on a page. Search places an item at the top of results based on the date and time it was posted, most recent first. A large business with multiple shops could rotate the posting times. An item can be renewed before its time expires. A fee is charged when an item is posted or renewed. An ad can be purchased with price determined by auction. Highest price is placed first in search results.

Etsy has changed search results priorities to favor the number of times the same item has sold, been clicked on in search, or received favorable reviews. How can a one of a kind item compete?

Search now includes attributes, lists of descriptive words that a shopper may click. The lists often do not include a choice that describes my necklaces.

Clicking on an item in search results no longer takes the customer to my shop, only to a description of the item. A tiny link must be clicked to reach the shop.

Etsy is offering new programs that can be purchased to help the success of a shop. Old free programs now have fees.

All of these changes favor big business. My position in search results is lower. The traffic to my shop is lower. As a result my sales are lower. Other small shops have suffered the same results.

Will Etsy lose the customers that liked buying unique items?