April 6, 2016

Etsy unveils a new, different look for all shops to mixed reactions (mine included!)


But perhaps I'm jumping the gun a tad...

Let's back up just a moment, especially for those who are not Etsy shop owners. Back around the middle of March, Etsy sent out an email to all shop owners informing them that their shops would be getting a bit of a makeover. These changes would be site wide and were not optional (aka, sellers couldn't select if they want to present a new or an old/existing version of their shop).

Those with Etsy shops were given the chance to preview (and edit) how things would look ahead of time, and from the very get-go, my reaction was one largely of slight back-and-forth head tilting and tentative bottom lip biting.

The details of these planned (and now implemented) changes were discussed in this official Etsy Seller Handbook post, and the reasoning, Etsy states, behind them is to try and give shops a great sense of brand awareness, individuality, and creative flexibility (with a key feature of such being the fact that your shop can now have a cover photo, in much the same way as one can on some social media sites).

While shops can still have small banners, the push is towards creating a cover photo, though both are (at present) entirely option.

Where once people visited a shop, saw a small banner and shop announcement, then dove right into your listings, the homepage of each Etsy shop is now (at least when viewed on a desktop or laptop computer) - to my mind - bulky and somewhat less intuitive for those who may be new to Etsy.

In essence, this homepage layout format remains the same, with an exception made for the fact that some shops will now be using cover photos instead of banners. However, the design ramifications of such are that the whole page is more stretched out and somehow, to my eyes at least, less clean and professional looking (the opposite of what Etsy was trying for).

I fully understand the importance of branding and get why Etsy made these changes, but they're the not the only ones that they've unveiled, and there are others that I like even less.

For example, in the past, when a seller renewed or relist an item, that listing would automatically appear on their homepage, assuming their shop was set up to show a seller's newest listings first. Now, the listing remains in the same spot that it was (assuming it was currently active) in one's shop – unless you manually rearrange it yourself.

I can live with that, though I did like the fact that at times when I hadn't added anything new to my shop, but had renewed/relisted items on a given day, they were shown on my first, second, etc pages, thus differing from the items that viewers would have seen there in recent days.

At present, I cannot find anything online yet that says whether or not renewed/relisted items will appears first in relevant searches carried out by Etsy users (who have their search settings set to "most recent") or not. If such is not the case, this will come as a huge blow to sellers everywhere, as renewing listings has traditionally been a way to get your products on the first few pages of a given search term on a regular basis.

Etsy also unveiled two new features that they say (in posts such as this one) sellers have been asking for: an increased limit of up to 15 shop categories and the ability to hide sold orders.

I'm absolutely delighted about the increased shop categories (prior to this, shops had been limited to a maximum of just ten categories), but personally have zero desire to hide listings that have sold in my shop and will not be doing so.

I love the fact that new and returning customers alike can check out the kinds of items that I've listed and sold so far to date. This gives shoppers an even greater picture of what my store is all about and can also be useful for those who may wish to favourite sold items for their own purposes, such as research, blog posts, and wishlists.



{Nearly all of my day yesterday was spent trying to digest and get my head around the new Etsy changes and how they might impact my shop there, while also reading countless Etsy forum posts from others across the world who have a very, very mixed bag of reactions these developments, too. Vintage image source.}


In addition, customers who want to view all of the listings in a given shop do so by hitting the "more items" button below the listings presently shown on a shop's homepage and are thus presented with a longer (continual) scrolling view. This instantly calls to mind certain social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr.

As much as most sites these days want to look like they're a social media hub, it's important to remember that Etsy is not one. Yes, there are Etsy apps that allow you to shop and even upload (as a seller) to your own store, but ultimately Etsy is a communal marketplace and not a shopable version of, say, Pinterest - nor are Etsy shops blogs, which in a way, is what these new changes are making them look more and more like.

I rarely bemoan change in general and am not per se doing so here, as my trepidation about this new look lie far less in terms of how I'll personally navigate and use the site - both as a seller and as a customer - but how buyers will find Etsy to be.

Chances are those who are more web savvy will get along just fine, but those who are not (a demographic that I know for a fact some of my own customers fall into) may fail to find Etsy shops as straightforward and easy to explore as they had previously been.

With these changes (which also include just three items per row, instead of the traditional four, being displayed horizontally in all Etsy shops; as well as rather curtly worded boilerplate shop polices - which I'm not happy about at all) having just come into effect yesterday, it's genuinely hard to say yet what kind of impact they'll actually have in terms of things like sales figures in the long run.

Chances are large, highly popular shops will feel little to no negative impact, but I sincerely wonder how true such will ring for the overwhelming majority of shops that are on the tiny, small, medium, and even medium-large side of the scale.

I worry, too, that some existing/returning customers may not realize - ironically given that Etsy made these changes largely in the name of branding - that they're returning to my store, even though my shop's name, logos, and listings are all the same.

Far from making shops look more individual, I fear that the opposite may have happened and that a more homogeneous quality might have been introduced into the Etsy fold (in Etsy forum threads such as this one, the term "blanding", instead of branding, has already been used to describe the new look).

I would absolutely love it if shops could be far more personalized (and no, I’m talking about in the sense of this strange new "is it a third party site, is it not?" paid service called Pattern that Etsy conveniently opted to roll out yesterday, too – a point that I’m not even going to scratch the surface of here, in large part because so little is known about it yet) and if we had the ability to create a much more unique and dynamic homepage.

It would be awesome to edit far more of the elements of my shop's homepage, from background colours to the number of listings that appeared horizontally and vertically, to being able to have subcategories for listings (oh, how I wish!!!). I'd really welcome the ability to list the same item in multiple categories, post more photos per listings (at present sellers have a max of just five photos per listing), and have visible shipping costs alongside the item price itself, too - amongst other points that would only stand to better the Etsy user experience for all involved.

It's possible that some of these features will be unveiled in the future, but for now, I doubt any of them are going to happen on the heels of a fairly big revamping this month.

I adore Etsy and I've always been very, very grateful for the fact that I opted to set up my online vintage shop there nearly two years ago now. I’ve experienced a lot of wonderful success as an Etsy seller so far and am by no means throwing in the towel – nor am I biting the hand that feeds me with this post.

Instead I am exploring and bringing awareness to the big changes that have transpired there for all sellers this week as a way of helping to sort out some of my own thoughts on them in the process (blogging is always hugely cathartic to me in that "get your ducks in a row" regard). I definitely do not plan to leave Etsy anytime soon and will be making the most of these changes as best I can.

I'd really like to know though - if you're an Etsy seller and/or customer - what are your thoughts on these changes? Do you find the new look of all Etsy shops appealing, confusing, unattractive, or something else entirely? Do you think that these moves on Etsy part will help, hurt, or ultimately have little impact on the success of shops?

As with so much in life, time will tell just how greatly (or not) these changes impact my own Etsy shop (be it for better or worse), as well as countless others across the site.

I sincerely hope that most will be able to weather this revamping and come out stronger, with the increased branding helping their sites, not hurting them. There is however, a very rational part of me that wouldn't be putting down any big bets on such - at least not this week.

44 comments:

  1. Interesting post, since I knew you had no choice I didn't really pay much attention to the changes the only thing I did notice was that you can rearrange your items which is nice if you like your items to be color coordinated etc.

    I should check if you can now edit your shop category I made mine when I first started out and don't like the wording and have always wanted to edit them!

    Yes the whole website "pattern" thing is crazy to me most people who have a shop should know how to work/own a private url to host their own site if they wish too:)

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    1. Hi sweet Daphne, thank you very much for weighing in here. I was wondering last night, as I was penning this post, what your take on things, as a fellow Canadian Etsy seller would be.

      Thankfully it appears that the ability to change the names of our categories is still in place. For all the things they do that make little sense, I doubt the fine folks at Etsy would get rid of that feature. Doing so could potentially cause some shops (that have evolved over time) to have to shut down and they're rarely in favour of anything that causes that (as they stand to lose money from such).

      I'm not hopping on the Pattern bandwagon right now at all. I see little appeal and the potential for a lot of damage to your (actual Etsy) shop from an SEO standpoint, something that I definitely do not want to encounter. I'm not saying point blank that I might not try it out some day, but for now, I'm plenty content to stick with just one storefront and (moreover) URL for it.

      Many thanks & have a wonderful Wednesday,
      ♥ Jessica

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  2. I had not known that Etsy was doing this, but as a frequent browser of Etsy shops, I'm not excited by continuous scroll. I often use shitty laptops, and continuous scroll breaks on my computer. It ALSO makes it impossible to tell how long the list is. If I'm browsing a site with 10 pages, maybe I'll search by category. If I'm browsing a site with 3 pages, I'll look at all of it from the main page.

    Also, the thought of having to click past an opening page seems less than useful.

    I am excited to hear about the larger max for categories though!

    -- Tegan

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    1. Agreed across the board, dear Tegan. I don't mind a bit of scrolling, but continuous holds little appeal on a site like Etsy and, from a physical standpoint, can actually be harder for those with muscle and joint conditions in their hands, arms, or shoulders (I speak from personal experience there), so that's another big strike against it.

      Agreed! The bigger category count is the only point in all these new moves they've made that has actually excited me. I don't per se need all 15 right this moment, but knowing they're waiting there for me if I do is just fabulous.

      Thank you very much for your terrific comment. Have a beautiful week!

      ♥ Jessica

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  3. I'm so glad that you posted this. At present I do not have an Etsy shop, but I do shop there. I stumbled across the 'new look' and felt a bit out of my depth trying to navigate. As you say the new categories are great, and I'm sure other things will be too. Not sure I like all of it though! x

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    1. Yes, I fear that many will - even, in some cases, sellers themselves who are also Etsy shoppers. I think that many sellers struggle as is to have new customers understand that they're buying from an individual shop, not a giant website (alla Amazon in the earlier days before they allowed individuals to sell there).

      Despite these moves to modernize how shops look, I fear that Etsy is accomplishing the opposite and taking steps backwards. Shops should look like such, not like social media pages or blogs, as I touched on here, but that is evidently the direction they're going in.

      I know that some of what I said here was fueled by the moment and the stress I'm feeling right now, but even when the dust settles, I know that I'll continue to long for the old look and to wish that some of these changes hadn't been implemented (or at least made mandatory).

      Thank you very much for your comment and for letting me know that you share my mixed feelings, too.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  4. All things change. It's so interesting to hear this news. I have a shop on Etsy but don't remember ever getting this email. I wonder if maybe I got it and just didn't read it. Also, I don't have anything listed on my shop at the moment so maybe that's why I didn't get the memo... It will be interesting to see these changes in action though shopping around..

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    1. Very much so! I know that my sales have already been lower than usual (in recent months, I mean), despite 126 new listings in March alone, and I'm fearing that these changes (both the unveiling yesterday and on Etsy's back end of things) is playing a roll there. Last spring was fairly slow though, too, so I'm being very cautious not to jump to any conclusions on that front. For now, I'm biding my time and will be truly interested to see the kinds of long term ramifications that these changes may have.

      Thank you very much for your great comment, my dear. Have a terrific day!

      xoxo ♥ Jessica

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  5. From my initial look around today, I'm mostly ambivalent about the changes. I don't really see any better branding for individuals, as it mostly just looks like a different version of what was there before. And yes, I see the potential for bulk if a shop opts for anything larger than a small banner. Of note though, the "more items" button just adds another page worth or so, not all listings. There's a separate link to hit for everything at once. THAT is a major relief. Continual scrolling (ala pinterest) causes all of my now aging devices to about have a heart attack. I'm coming strictly from a buyer's standpoint though, and I can totally see how one might be worried about the possible changes to functionality of renew/relist. That's an entirely different kettle of fish!

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    1. That is indeed, I completely agree. Yesterday I was visiting a shop that usually has about 25 - 30 pages and when I scrolled to the point that it turned back into pages, It think I was presented with about 8, which is still far fewer than before, but I feel more management and appealing (than endlessly continuous scrolling) to most people.

      I really appreciate your impute from a buyer's perspective. Thank you so much for your comment and caring understanding about the potential impact of these changes.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  6. I hadn't even noticed the change. Although I do use etsy regularly, I use the app. It is very convenient to use on my commute to work. It does seems that most sites are pushing their apps much more for an easier usage, using such sights can be difficult on my laptop as they display differently. It will be interesting to see how etsy evolves with these changes and how it effects the sellers.

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    1. Hi sweet dear, it was starting to come to light as I was writing this post that Etsy was/is rolling out the new look (Dior reference not intended ;D) over the course of a few days, with sellers seeing the changes before customers in many cases, so it's possible that they haven't been applied to your account yet.

      Very good point regarding how sites are putting an ever greater emphasis on their apps/mobile versions. I enjoy shopping from the Etsy app, too, but can't personally fathom ever using it to actually list, especially since I have a template of information that I apply to each of my listings.

      Thank you very much for your great comment. I hope your week is going beautifully!

      xoxo ♥ Jessica

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  7. Hmmm, guess most of the changes haven't gotten through to me yet (I'm still getting the old look), although sometimes it does take awhile. From a customer standpoint though, I'm not looking forward to some of the things you mentioned, especially the pages changing to scroll. :s I hope it won't have too much of an affect on sellers or customers.

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    1. A lot of customers, and even some sellers, are still seeing the old look. I haven't seen any firm dates from Etsy yet as to when all users will be presented with the new look, but hopefully soon (if we do have to endure a revamping that few actually want, it's probably better to just get it over with).

      I really, really hope so, too. I totally understand that there's going to be a readjustment period and expect (as they already have been lately) that I'll get fewer says for the next little while, but hope with all my heart that when the dust settles, things will get back to normal for myself and everyone else there.

      Thank you very much for your caring comment.

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  8. Great read on how Etsy is changing and stuff. So far I'm only a shopper, but I'll be looking out for these changes while I shop and if I ever sell this will be a good starting guide! XO
    Lauren-Blair
    www.prefertobedemure.com

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    1. Thank you very much, lovely Lauren. If you do ever open up shop there, please feel free to drop me a line. I'd love to be of help to you in any way that I can - and will of course be amongst the first to "heart" your shop.

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  9. I do like that you can now have more categories, but it will be interesting to see what happens with all the changes...

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    1. Won't it though? The increase in categories is the only one of the changes that I'm truly happy about. Even if I don't need to use 15 right now, I adore having the option and am sure I'll fill them up organically as time goes on.

      Thank you very much for your comment. Have a beautiful Thursday!

      xoxo ♥ Jessica

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  10. I seldom bought on Etsy, but I understand that changes are sometimes good, but sometimes provoke mixed reactions, yes. I would prefer to have the new/relisted items at once, but as you said, tech savvy people will be OK with the changes. That is not my case, though :) I am tech OK, but not suuuper savvy :)
    DenisesPlanet.com

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    1. You're super fashion savvy though, dear Denise! Thank you very much for your understanding. I think that a lot of frustration this week centers around the fact that these are not changes that most Etsy users wanted or ever asked for, and they don't seem to ones that many folks are liking either. I'm *trying* not to stress too much, but it's hard at times. I just keep reminding myself that there's going to be a natural transition period and that I really can't call how these changes will impact my business personally until at least a few weeks, if not months, have gone by with them in place.

      Many hugs coming your way,
      ♥ Jessica

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  11. I have to say I agree with someone above that I didn't really see a huge amount of difference in branding! Actually, I hadn't really noticed the changes at all, but I've done much more shopping on Etsy in the last fortnight than I ever did before, so it's quite possible I just wasn't familiar enough with the old way! I really, truly hope that the changes don't impact your awesome shop, Jessica! I have been looking in it just this week and I have to say I found everything that I wanted to :) xx

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    1. Funnily enough, given that such is what Etsy says they were going for, I don't really see a big change either. The largest difference in that respect is simply that some shops have put up huge cover photos now, but in terms of the stores themselves looking more unique on Etsy itself, there's arguably less of this in place now that they look all the more homogenized and are using boilerplate text for some of the policies. There are so many wonderful changes that Etsy could make, but save for giving sellers more listing categories in their respective shops, these are not them (IMO).

      You're such a dear, thank you very much for saying that. I really, really hope that others who visit my shop still find it easy to navigate, too.

      Tons of hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  12. I dont really like the new changes either it seems websites feel they have to change even if its not necessary

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    1. Precisely!!! I'm not opposed to change in general and appreciate when sites want to try and keep abreast of changes in technology, but if anything, the new look that Etsy shops now have seem older to me, than the lovely, neat and tidy shops we had before. I keep wishing on stars that they'll revert or give people the option to have an old or a new layout for their shops, but I highly doubt it will happen (even with all the protest to these changes that is being raised by shop owners).

      Thank you for your thoughts here, dear Kate.

      Wishing you a sunny, wonderful rest of the week!
      ♥ Jessica

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  13. I think Etsy could have done well by just allowing a larger banner size for those who wanted it. I get better graphics and resolution with that than with the very small banner they allowed before. I would have liked to have kept the sidebar navigation. I am glad they expanded the number of shop categories, but the only other thing I think they needed to do was maybe update graphics a little bit, but keep the same layout.

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    1. Agreed! Shops looked so neat, tidy and professional before. Now they're this strange scrolling sorta social media, sort blog looking things that are no where near as polished, IMO. I get that some some sellers, perhaps those who sell modern offerings, will find this is appealing, but for a vintage shop like mine, I strongly prefer the old design.

      Thank you very much for sharing your take on the changes with me, honey. I really appreciate it and hope that both our shops fair well still once all the hubbub has died down.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  14. I only opened my store just before Christmas and was still working on policy wording and things so I've put my store into holiday mode so I can have a breather - two looks in a few months was too much to cope with . I wish they'd hinted this was coming as I might have waited til after so I had only had one design to deal with.

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    1. I'm really sorry you're in that boat now, dear Rhiannon. I was thinking big time about new Etsy shops while penning this post. On the one hand, it might be easier for such folks because they don't have years of experience with the old shop version, but on the other, as you wisely pointed out, it can mean a lot of work on top of the blood, sweat and tears one may have already poured into their shop in recent years. So little about these changes seem needed or wanted (by site users) in my books and I genuinely wish Etsy hadn't revamped in the way they did (save for the addition of more shop categories - hurrah there!).

      Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts on these changes and how they're impacting you, too, lovely lady.

      Tons of hugs & understanding,
      ♥ Jessica

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  15. Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the new Etsy features. And for educating us about them! I didn't know about the relisting thing. I relisted some items last week, but I didn't hop over to my store front to see where the items had appeared - guess I'd better go check on that!

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    1. You're very welcome, my friend. I realize that this post isn't going to be for everyone, but as I know I have many Etsy shop owners and oodles of customers alike amongst my readers, given how fueled up on thoughts (and stress) I was earlier this week, there was just no way I could refrain from delving into some of my thoughts on this topic. I'm still a bit worried/stressed, but am trying to think positive thoughts and keep on reminding myself that once the dust of these changes has settled, hopefully things should return to their old selves (in terms of things like sales, views, likes, etc) again for most folks on Etsy.

      Big hugs & happy Friday wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  16. I definitely enjoyed hearing your thoughts on all of these changes, as I'm still trying to suss out how I feel about it all as well! One thing I can say for sure is that I agree with you that it just doesn't look quite as clean and professional as it did before. Honestly, it reminds me a lot of the jumbled look of our home pages - another 'improvement' that made a clean, pretty, and useful front page into something that I just don't even look at anymore. Overall, though, I'm with ya - I love Etsy and will be sticking around even if they do make changes that I'm not 100% behind.

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    1. It truly doesn't, and the more time that passes, the greater that point is troubling me more than most of the other new changes. I loved the concise, sweetly elegant layout that Etsy had always had and am still reeling over the fact that just up and changed that so drastically. I completely agree with the parallels between how shops and the Etsy homepage look now. I've been thinking that as well - especially since I've never stopped missing the old (wonderful) homepage - and the days when Treasuries held so much more ground than they have in recent years.

      Thank you very much for your great comment, Nikki. I really appreciate it and love knowing that you'll be sticking around on Etsy for the time being, too.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  17. Generally, I'm not a fan. I love that I have 15 categories to choose from (and I would also love subcategories just like you) and I love that I am able to move my listings around. Previously, I have given much thought to sorting my listings before listing new items or renewing, and often it went wrong. Now I can just move them, as I understand it. But if new listings doesn't come on top anymore, I am afraid that my little shop will never be found. I hope this is not the case, because it is not fair that new items aren't the first you'll see when searching. I also loved the continous scroll in the Etsy app on my iPad, which is now gone. Now I have to click "more" every now and then, why!? I think Etsy should have a board of members/sellers to discuss such changes with before implementing them. And I work in the IT business, so it's not like I'm not used to changes. Let's hope the best, and perhaps we get used to it. And I really have to remember to make a new logo jpg for my shop this weekend. Have a lovely weekend, dear. :)

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    1. Your feelings mirror mine so closely, dear Sanne. It's fabulous to have more categories at long, long last, but the other changes have left most sellers feeling broadsided and like our shops have taken a step backwards, not forwards. I'm sure, as time goes on, most folks (especially sellers) will adjust, but it's staggering to me that Etsy would make such mammoth changes to a site that looked so clean and lovely before. You are incredibly right when you said that they should have a large panel like that. I highly doubt these changes to the layout, policies, listing renewals, etc would have happened - or happened in the same way at least - if they had. If Etsy did have a panel like that, I'd nominate you for it in a heartbeat, my smart, insightful friend.

      Here's to the hope that we both fair well and make it through these rocky times on our beloved Etsy.

      Tons of hugs & happy Sunday wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

      *PS* Thank you from the bottom of my heart for you incredibly awesome feedback on your latest order. I appreciate it immensely.

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    2. Oh, thank you, Jess, for nominating me to the panel, and I would do the same to you. And you're welcome (the feedback). I will send you a proper thank you e-mail soon. Have a lovely day, dear. :)

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    3. Thank you sweetly, my very dear friend. Is spring out on your end? We're getting the first tastes of it here at long last. No lilacs yet, but one of our neighbour's honeysuckle trees is blooming unusually early in the season and filling our street with the most sublimely pretty scent.

      Big hugs & joyful mid-April wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  18. Oh my, I have an Etsy shop but have taken a break from it for the past few months. I am completely oblivious to all this, I must go check it out! I don't often take kindly to change on the internet! Haha!

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    1. I think these moves caught a ton of people, especially customers (who, as far as I know, didn't receive an email giving them advanced notice of such) off guard. I hope that your shop isn't heavily impacted by them (in any sort of negative way) in the future, sweet Sarah.

      Big hugs & joyful weekend wishes,
      ♥ Jessica

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  19. I chose the small banner for now ... and I actually like the new (normal)site, because it let your photos appear bigger then before. As my helath is bad for months and months now, I kind of ignored the changes a bit and just did what had to be done. I'm more conserned about the taxes they want to add in special countries to the normal costs ...
    When Instagram does it changes and Etsy takes more money from seller I really have to check, if a little micro busines like mine makes anymore sence.

    XX
    Ms. Falcon

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    1. Definitely! There are so many nuanced complexities of running a small business, let alone one where you're the sole employee. If you aren't making enough to justify your time and effort, it isn't logical after a while to keep at 'er, unless one wants to do so on more of a hobby level.

      I really appreciate your comment and hope that your beautiful Etsy shop is able to weather these changes, too. I'm pulling for you!

      Big hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  20. I am not a fan of the new changes. I find it much more confusing (as both a seller and a buyer). I really miss having "pages" and find myself much less likely to peruse a shop's entire offerings. It's just too much bother to navigate, especially if a shop has a lot of listings. I like the larger banner/cover photo, but agree it's a bit too big. I think that's why a lot of sellers are opting out of using any sort of banner, but as a buyer I hate that. I'm a very visual person, so if a shop doesn't have a banner I have a hard time remembering it or differentiating it from other shops. I do like a couple changes such as the way new "reorganize listings feature" works and having my shop policies/reviews on the front page (although the layout is a bit too cluttered at the bottom). I think Etsy is trying to appeal more to buyers browsing on a cellphone, but on a computer it just doesn't work.

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    1. Precisely! They really are, and while I get that a sizable amount of their traffic comes from such (and that number of cell/tablet shoppers will only stand to grow as more time goes on), certainly, by no means, to all Etsy users. Though I have used the Etsy apps before, both as a seller and a buyer, I much prefer to interact with Etsy on my laptop and bet that many others do, too. IMO, if Etsy wants to make the app shopping experience better, have at 'er, but leave the web version alone (too late for that now, sadly, I know). It was classic, fairly straightforward, easy to browse through, and so (!) much nicer, to my mind, than the current look. Which a couple of weeks on, I still find myself jarred by each time I see it.

      Thank you very much for your detailed, terrific comment, sweet Kate. I sincerely appreciate hearing your take, as both a buyer and seller there (too), on these significant recent Etsy changes. Fingers crossed that we'll both be able to pull through and make the best of things once the dust has revamping dust has settled.

      Many hugs,
      ♥ Jessica

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  21. These new COSMETIC changes have brought with them another less transparent change, -- DYNAMIC SEARCH. eBAy implemented it about 2.5 years ago or so. Basically, the system profiles both sellers and buyers into categories with quite a large number of attributes, and then DECIDES the number and content of the search results of, say, Buyer A, to be a menu of choices for any given item (black gloves, for example), DIFFRERENT than, the menu of choices for the same type of item for Buyer B. In other words, Sally at 233 Sherman Ave. in NY, will NOT HAVE the same menu of items as Bob at 234 Sherman Ave. in NY.
    1) The make-up of the searches for Sally will depend on:
    a) which Sellers the market-place prefers to market and support, be it because they are larger and bring in more revenue, or what not, or which sellers do not represent well the marketplace, or the market-place will want to give sellers who buy their special services more visibility (this will be a VERY IMPORTANT DISCRIMINATING ATTRIBUTE of a Seller, in the coming future)
    b) on the assiduousness of the buyer’s shopping habits.
    c) What time of day
    d) What time of year
    2) Basically EACH SELLER is ASSIGNED a SEARCH ALGORHYM – that is, how Many Times A Day, or even a week, AND What Time of Day, each of their products actually shows up on a given search conducted by any given person. So for instance, small seller Sally will have her product A show up ONLY ONCE PER DAY, at 2:00 AM. And Bob may have his show up every 20 minutes during 12:00 noon till 9:00 PM, --- a much better deal.
    3) Some sellers may have their products not show up at all for days – blackouts. Small Sellers will suffer them most.
    4) Because dynamic searches use MACHINE LEARNING – the system knows YOUR IP ADDRESS, so this is camouflaged – that is, the system knows you are the one conducting the search and will LIE TO YOU and let you think that your item appears on page 2 or 3. The ONLY WAY you CAN TEST this, is to use another computer with a different IP which you NEVER USED to go on ETSY for ANY PURPOSE, or have friends help you – and tell them not to log into Etsy.
    DYNAMIC SEARCH has been implemented for many uses:
    1) It can siphon traffic from the small seller to the bigger one, in times of slow business cycles, in order to keep the larger seller happy. In this way, the small sellers subsidize the bigger ones with their fees, and what not.
    2) Saves on memory/capacity – when a marketplace has become too large, it uses to much capacity and also makes searches too cumbersome. (So there is benign reasons for it – but because of its DNA, DYNAMIC SEARCH – is ripe for ABUSE.
    3) It allows marketplaces to ULTIMATE CONTROL of how the network gets used. It allows them to camouflage ABUSE, -- a seller may pay for visibility, but get little, and will not be able to prove that he/she is getting little. So – a CASH-COW for the marketplace.
    4) There is another very big and popular marketplace which has this implemented, and small sellers have basically been relegated to the status of folks at a Nevada Gambling Machine – that is SUCKERS.

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    1. Thank you very much for your highly detailed comment. I've definitely noticed big changes in terms of search results (both as a buyer and a seller this year) and truly wish that Etsy wouldn't create such needlessly complex algorithms.

      The "time slot" element that you mentioned is something in particular that I noticed within weeks of the changes last spring. I now tend to get a more sales early in the week (especially on Mondays) and early in the day as well. Like many though, I've noticed an over all drop in sales numbers since the spring and am feeling the financial ramifications of such for sure.

      While I'm not pleased about these things - and still am not wild about most of the points that I touched on in this post itself, I still very much adore Etsy and enjoy selling there. I do worry though about the long term impacts of slow sales figures (this despite that fact that I list new items multiple times throughout the month and always have several hundred to 1k+ items in my shop at any given point in) and have already begun periodically assessing if Etsy is still a viable option for me and my business. At present the answer is still "yes", but who knows in the years to come. It's definitely going to be interesting to see.

      Thank you again for your comment. If you're a seller on Etsy, too, I sincerely hope that you haven't been hit too hard by these challenging changes.

      Have a great rest of August,
      ♥ Jessica

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