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I think the best thing for Etsy is to have a handmade section separately from mass produced so customers can choose where they want to shop and that way everyone is happy.

Etsy needs 'verified handmade' section with shops that have proven they're legit handmade with a little ✔️ mark. Same with authentic vintage.

As a seller on Etsy, I can say they are truly awful in many aspects. They are extremely passive aggressive. In addition, they refuse to provide phone support, which is badly needed. There are no excuses for them. They don't like direct confrontation. 😡

My opinion, start with the blatant copyright violators. Like you said do it slow, but start to do it. Etsy just needs to own that it is not "handmade" anymore because they made that choice.

I think its really interesting that you (Nik) were able to analyze the affect that Covid had on Etsy's sales and the highly paid CNBC specialists couldn't. I believe that of this AI and poor quality stuff as well as Etsy's attitude towards sellers and buyers come down to one thing - pure greed. Its just a lot of ways to get rich quick (or try to). That's why quality and integrity have gone out the window. Just my two cents.

It looks like ETSY is headed down the same road EBAY traveled-and will become obsolete in the handmade markets-as EBAY did when it shifted away from auction only. EBAY built a platform on auctions, changed it later, and then went to ship. ETSY built a platform on handmade, but in time, nothing on it will really be handmade. But something WILL replace it in time.

Hi Nik, 12 listings today, 1 per day. 30 views, 14 visits and 1 sale so far. The sale was made the second day. So happy with this progress 😊 thanks for everything!

So because they have changed the definition of handmade, we are in fact competing with mass produced items in "handmade". Don't reduce prices on your handmade goods. People should pay more for truly handmade.

Thanks for your input re this vid -- very interesting. I thought Etsy chose the 'go fast and break things' idea early on, when my shop was much more competitive (now: not). I was doing ok, making steady part-time money, and hoping to expand -- then suddenly, like a switch, over a couple of weeks my sales went into the looloo. Completely demoralizing, and I was making actually handmade items. I actually got someone from Etsy to trade emails with me on the matter, and after he looked at my shop, he said 'wow, you;ve done a lot of work on my shop,' like he was used to seeing tons of junk, but couldn't give me any more info. That was years ago. Anyway -- I keep hearing notes like yours from all over, about the current state of affairs and it's good to get another perspective. TY.

Thank you for all your sound advice. Thanks to you, I took the time to prepare for the opening of my store. It took me a few extra months, but I think it was necessary. I could have fallen into junkification because of all those misleading videos on youtube (earn 1 million with Etsy, earn 10 billion lol). But it's not that simple. I've started my 100 days of listings, I'll go to 200 days in a row, if possible, then I'll see, and I won't do any advertising to fully test your concept. I have beautiful, professional images and a product description sheet that's not too long but complete and easy to read. I've prepared my s-sections well in advance and I even have color codes for each heading. I've also filled in all the Etsy parameters. I'll keep you posted on progress 😊

A fair and well balanced critique, Nick. It'd be great to have You, or even this video to be aired on a national network such as CNBC. Especially for the lay person that watched that video and think the absolute worst of ETSY now. Thank you for your insight, Nick!

Excellent. I have to admit I'm one of the newbies on Etsy. I'm certainly here to make money (POD), but my every intention is to create high quality items. I'll do the research and I won't post anything that falls below that standard.

Hi Nik, can you, please, do a short video about whether or not POD shop should mark the listing "made with production assistance" in the product description. I don't mean "production partners", they are listed. Thank you. The reason I ask is because I suspect that this is not as simple as it seems and something happens to the shop as soon as it done. I know that Etsy wants it to be done properly, but after that shop goes invisible.

If they want more customers, Etsy should start marketing more outside the US. For example, there are many countries in Europe where Etsy is entirely unknown, while Amazon has become the primary seller, especially in remote and rural areas (I know from personal experience). If they want to compete with Amazon, they should start thinking globally.

I used to do mostly handmade, I do craft fairs too. I noticed that people mostly want to pay mass-produce prices for hand-made items. Etsy has realised this as a company that has share holders. It has been disingenuous in still touting the platform as 'handmade'. Genuine handmade is not cheap when makers live in a first world economy. They are opening their payments to India and China for a reason - it is cheaper to make items in lower costs countries like these 2.

Etsy has lost its identity, I wonder if Etsy would consider two sides to its platform and perhaps market them separately, Etsy Handmade for the buyers who specifically want an original, handmade and unique item, and Etsy Something Else , for original designed items but may be produced by a production company and not handmade. In my experience people turn to Ebay for cheap products, and Amazon is going down that road too. Hopefully Etsy isn't.

Many thanks for this Nik. If only Etsy were to offer a handmade category.....

As the Etsy Consultant, can you explain why they keep suspending my shop that doesnt have a listing? My partner's shop is also get permanent suspension with NO explanation. Literally no explanation, we have remove all the listings too to fix it. The withdrawal is also not paid. Help please???😢

I love it, so intelligence and interesting reaction, full of knowledge. Perfect for the Etsy knowledge crazy eater I am.

It sounds like it's just a mad scramble to make higher profits at any cost. The first casualty has been their mission statement itself. I hope they have the wisdom to figure it out.

Boy, do we as Etsy seller need a true HANDMADE category…

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said no one working for Etsy is a seller. Just a group of people with dollar signs as a target, no matter how they achieve it! Etsy, as was, has gone. It will only be yet another selling platform!

I believe a lot of people are attracted to Etsy not necessarily because they are into making huge sums of money but want to pursue their passion for making handmade things and have an outlet to sell them, making some extra money concurrent with a day job for example, or looking after family, the well-known ‘side hustle’. Etsy has been great for people like this, and I class myself in this category, but as low earners for Etsy could we be in the firing line for being shut down?

I have been on Etsy since 2010 and NEVER have I seen it this bad. I am one of the old time artisan makers and my business has plummeted since last year. Views down 70 %!!! I’m m really asking myself hard questions - is now the time to leave? I feel they have abandoned me

We need a new "Etsy" Who is it going to get it done. I wonder what it'll be called. Maybe its already out there. Ive seen a few alternatives 🤷

Hello sir, I am from India. I am selling digital products on etsy sibce last year. I am facing major issues in my business. Do you provide your services and consultation to Indian sellers?

People should remember that Amazon started as a book seller that evolved into the giant that it now is. Yes, you can still buy books on Amazon, but that is no longer the focus. Ebay start as an online auction yardsale of old junk, but now you can buy cheap, new crap from China, even though the hard-to-find relics are still present. I think Etsy will always be known for hand-made treasures even if they continue to evolve and offer other products. My two cents is simply have a giant search filter button that says “hand-made only” for people who truly are only looking for hand-made products, if they want to filter out the rest. Problem solved, and let’s keep evolving.

Maybe they should separate POD and handmade on a little deeper level. Separate marketplaces all together under one name.

I make my products myself and am looking at other platforms who have a much more strict definition of "handmade" because pod and "production partners" are not "handmade" that's a fraud and anyone who genuinely hand makes their products cannot compete with factories.

I think Etsy needs a ‘Handmade’ section on their site

Etsy is definitely not geared to handmades anymore, and have no interest in working with the sellers. It's impossible to talk to a real person when any issue arises, and their policies change and make no sense. Trying to become another Amazon or eBay is exactly opposite from what Etsy started out as. Why don't they break off and have two Etsys - one for handmades and one to be the Amazon clone?

I am very curious how they will define handmade. Most of my products are made in-house, but I sometimes utilize my printer or 3D printer to create the physical product. Few products I send out to be printed. I really think allowing customers to fine tune their search to support business in their state/area could help Etsy. There is a huge growing desire to support local, and giving Etsy customers that reminder 'hey, you can find local sellers in your area!' could be a good pull.

Etsy closed out my shop for no reason at all 😢 I didn’t do anything no reason at all.

We should make a new Etsy, set up as a cooperative.

👍

This situation with etsymake me anxious 😢

I've seen so many sellers have their designs stolen and manufactured. Etsy is just another online shopping website. Not quite a general store but...

I list vintage jewelry and vintage artist made collectibles on Etsy. I don't sell many items. The items sell on Ebay. I don't think that Etsys algorithm is structured to push one of a kind vintage items. As silly as it sounds, I will not continue to spend .20 to list an item on Etsy. My experiment is about to reach the 6 month mark. I will quietly fade out.

Loads of people buy the junk. There are loads of ai prints and crap mugs and jpeg sales that make thousands of sales. And people who say they can paint original pieces on demand in any size, selling them as hand made but actually they are print on demand and sell loads. It is all crap.

It gives the impression that etsy is looking to get rich one moment and then they don't give a damn the next. They're doing this because they have a certain monopoly at the moment. If another company comes along and offers a better service than etsy, we'll see how they react. Even if the company offers exactly the same thing as them, but with more support for sellers, for example, and lower fees, or let's say, a gradual reduction in fees depending on the amount. It's a shame they're doing this.

As someone who sells AI generated art on Etsy with 9000 sales in 12 months. I definitely agree there is a lot of crap out there. To do well, you need to be a leader. There is far too much copying and producing generic art, encouraged by the get rich quick youtubers. The key is to make it look like art and not AI and put in the work, it's a demanding space to be in 99% won't make it.

Hi Nick, I saw most of your videos, and to be honest, your opinion regarding Etsy and that video is not at the point that I was expecting. First of all, if Etsy is supposed to keep only the " hand-made " sellers, then all the suppliers should disappear. Second thing - regarding AI. , I believe everyone should have an opportunity to make money no matter how, as long they do not copy-past other products on the market. Don't forget, we live into a world where we must improvise to live the life we want. None of us have been born with skills, but this doesn't mean that we have to stay stick on what we can do and stop searching for different possibilities to accomplish our dreams. If some ppl have this mindset, then they will die poor, working their whole life for a society they don't want to. If Etsy remained all this time only with hand-made sellers, at this point, their revenue was a maximum of 40% from what they have now. I believe it is time for everyone to evolve , to accept the changes, and let the others live under the same sun ( etsy platform ) with all king of other sellers, no matter what are they ( hand made, suppliers, POD, etc ). As a last thing, if we have to categorise " at literam " the items as a hand made creation, then, all of them will failed. Ofc we can say as a finite product it is hand made, but all the components aren't ( like rock, cristals, engraving boards, the crochet machines who makes their job easier, and many more ). Have a good day! 🌞

The economy is going to get progressively worse, not better. I'm grateful for the few sales I still get here and there.