What's happened to the Keep Shopping button, and why you should care.

Some sellers may have seen this recent thread (started Friday November 12) which asks the question, "What happened to the Keep Shopping button?". If you haven't seen it, you might want to know what it's all about, because it's morally certain that Etsy hasn't communicated with you directly about the issues it covers.

With the two part rollout of the new checkout system at Etsy, half the buyers will see the old checkout, which had a handy "Keep Shopping" button. This button sent the buyer back into the seller's shop after adding an item to the shopping cart. Half will see the new, improved checkout, which doesn't offer an easy way to get back. Apparently Etsy removed the "keep shopping" button to make the page more visually streamlined.

The OP of the above thread describes it this way:

After I added something to my cart to buy, you used to be able to continue shopping, or you could check out right away. Now there is no option to continue shopping. The sellers name is a link, but a new buyer who isn't used to etsy wouldn't know how to get back to your shop if they wanted another item. Instead there is a big Pay now button.

What this means is that buyers using the new checkout without the "Keep Shopping" button may have problems figuring out how to get back to the store they were just shopping in. When they do figure it out, they have been purchasing (and paying for) items individually. This means that shipping discounts are not calculated, and sellers are later having to make PayPal refunds to their buyers for the discrepancy. And, of course, the sellers have to pay their Paypal percentages on those miscalculated shipping charges.

Just imagine what this is like for supply shops.

When the buyers don't figure it out, they just don't buy multiple items from the same shop, at least not without a lot of help.

SteampunkSupply says, in the above thread:

Over the weekend in my jewelry shop a terrific lady wanted to buy four necklaces for her grandchildren for Christmas. It took nearly twenty emails back and forth before we got it completed, and I just couldn't figure out what was going on. I just couldn't figure out why she kept checking out after only one item. Now I know, it was the "new and improved" checkout. Oh, and I had to manually refund shipping on each and every one too. Thanks etsy.

And, as usual, Etsy has introduced these changes as seasonal gift shopping goes into high gear.

In the same thread, aosleather says:

Etsy, this blatant disregard of the sellers who have put their faith in you to work in their interests is unfathomable. Testing, changing and mucking with things may seem harmless to you... "if we break it we can fix it" sort of thing, perhaps?
But everything you screw up can potentially wreak havoc in the livelihoods of the artisans and other merchants that have entrusted their beloved shop spaces to your stewardship. and to do this in the busiest shopping season of the year? WTF?

And what does Etsy have to say? On page 3 of the above thread, Admin lisajune offers a typically helpful canned response which seems to come from some sort of alien planet where sellers are not reporting that they're losing money and customers:

lisajune says:
Thanks for all of your feedback on this!

We are testing the impact of removing the 'keep shopping' button from the cart. It's really great to hear how you have used it in the past.

This, predictably, got many responses, along the lines of "Are you kidding? What did you think the impact of removing the 'keep shopping' button would be? It makes it harder for buyers to keep shopping from my store!" "I'm losing business!" "You're idiots!"

My own favourite response to this was from ThePlayfulNeedle, who said "Testing the impact"? Is that Etsycorp for 'We screwed up and you know it, but we don't really give a damn!'?"

There was a second thread started on Saturday, November 13, which asked for a more satisfactory Etsy Admin response. OP BeachCoveJewelry said:

I think we as sellers deserve an explanation as to why there is no longer a keep shopping button. You did not even warn us that a change was coming. It has made it increasingly difficult to buy from stores and for customers to buy from our stores. It is a pain to get back to someones store to buy a second item. I can only imagine how this is affecting supply stores.

TooSoonOld wrote:

The forums are overflowing with complaints about the new checkout, changes to profiles, changes to the search function, pleas for site stability during this important holiday season, and requests for functionality that seem to have fallen on deaf ears for years. It's like a house with a beautiful facade, but a leaking roof, rusty plumbing, wires that are shorting out, a crumbling foundation and mold in the basement.

There appear to be many talented, hardworking individuals in the organization. I've read in the tech journals about the extraordinary accomplishments of the IT staff. And the marketing people must be geniuses to have built such a positive reputation for Etsy in the media, while sweeping the structural shortcomings under the rug. Finally, my hat is off to the poor forum admins and customer service staff who must bear the brunt of the fallout, and I hereby apologize for my own admin-baiting. :)

The unaddressed issues of 'Coralgate' are a bad omen. Public contempt for the business' customers, a lack of communication (on the structural problems, as well as the Coralgate issues), and the appearance of a total disconnect between Etsy's public profile and its actual agenda, as demonstrated by its actions, do not bode well for the long-term health of Etsy.

It's time for upper management to stop treating the company like a personal playground for themselves and their chums, and either run Etsy like a business or divest themselves before they cause any more harm. And if the objective is to 'Facebook' Etsy, the sellers here deserve to be told, so they can make their own business decisions.

On Nov. 14, on page 15 of the second thread, lisajune replies:

lisajune says:

An update for all who are concerned, I do believe we'll be replacing the link to 'keep shopping' from the shopping cart in the coming week.

Apologies for any consternation, you'll be able to return immediately to shopping from the shopping cart again soon.

On page 16 of this second thread, SanDesign copied this quote from lisajune, from another thread (not specifically cited):

lisajune said:

Long story short, this was simply a minor test done to help us understand how we can design the site to maximize transaction experience. We will -- barring unforeseen circumstances -- be replacing the 'keep shopping' link to the shopping cart in the coming week.

And, finally, later in the first thread (Nov. 15 - page 93) HarrysGirls says:

Just had a "live" chat with "Sebastien". He said "This is part of our transition of the new checkout process" and "We are working on this particular issue and should be able to restore it this week". Unfortunately I neglected to ask why any sort of announcement isn't made regarding this or no admin person has taken part in the forum. When one does respond their words will certainly be chosen very carefully.

So, to sum up, Etsy decided to make serious changes in their checkout just before Christmas. As far as Etsy is concerned, removing the "keep shopping" button was just "simply a minor test done to help us understand how we can design the site to maximize transaction experience." They didn't communicate this with sellers ahead of time and they didn't communicate with sellers when it rolled out. They then apologize for the "consternation" they caused and say they'll put things back the way they were.

I've been at Etsy a long time now, and I've seen this happen again and again: Etsy makes major, badly-tested (even seemingly untested) site changes just as holiday shopping is kicking into high gear without communicating with its customers, the sellers. This causes "consternation" among Etsians, apparently Etsy-ese for "those damned sellers are bitching again about something".

And again and again, there's a total lack of acknowledgment from Etsy Admin that Etsians are upset because Etsy's lack of professionalism is interfering with sellers' ability to run their businesses and earn a living.

There's a great moment in this Xtranormal video, Handmade Headquarters (sent to us via a member of the Auxiliary) when the red-headed Etsy boss on the left explains to the newly-hired Etsy Admin on the right that "Now and then we shake up the ant-farm and watch 'em go nuts. It's pretty sweet".

This is another shaken-ant-farm moment, I think.

Aaaand ... Etsy announces that the new checkout now has a 'keep shopping' button.

*headdesk*

Appendix:

(There are also reports that sellers who do manage to sell multi item orders through the new checkout are getting incorrectly-totalled emails from Etsy -- see this thread.)

Etsy = Confusion Central = Holiday Sales Fail

We all know Etsy has been asleep at the wheel and nearly comatose during the first half of 2010, then suddenly sprung to life (like a Halloween Zombie) by imposing drastic changes to the entire look and navigation in the last 3 months that have driven both sellers and shoppers to complete distraction and utter confusion. And just in time for the holiday season!

Add to this the recent Announcement about the staggered and limited rollout of the “new checkout” which may or may not work, may or may not negatively affect sales, and may or may not turn off shoppers forever to buying anything on the site for the rest of the year.

Sellers are right on the ball when they express alarm that Etsy is rolling out these dramatic changes to the Shopping Cart and Checkout Process at the start of the crucial holiday retail selling weeks ---- based on the last 20 roll-outs littered with bugs and mistakes, sellers and shoppers alike can expect a very rocky end to 2010 on Etsy.

It’s not like Etsy has a reputation for “timing” and “testing” because they just don’t go there.

On top of all this messing around, Etsy is woefully unprepared for the holiday selling season. No plan, no new promotions, no coupon codes, no gift guides, and no acknowledgment that their sellers need all the help they can get for a tough retail season ahead.

Etsy is a selling venue? We doubt that. Etsy is all about Etsy, not about its sellers, not about its shoppers, and not about ramping up for the holidays.

Etsy is about confusion. Confuse your sellers, confuse and lose your shoppers.

Fail on Fail on Fail on Fail

This thread is so astounding I'm struggling to type as my rage is at such immense levels that i can feel fire come out of my nose.

prettypanda says:

Since Sunday, I received the messages from my customers that they can't check out items at my shop. When they click, "commit to buy", it keeps showing error message.

I reported the problem several times to etsy and I know that the tech specialist is working on it. However, it's been 5 days and I'm just waiting for the solution.

I feel so frustrated because I haven't had any sale since Sunday but just received the messages from my customers about this issue.

I'm not blaming or complaining. I'm just so frustrated that there's nothing I can do but waiting. I'd appreciate the prompt solution.

So what is for SEVEN days now, this seller is UNABLE to make a sale. Not that she doesn't have buyers trying to buy, they just physically CAN'T even add it to a cart.

And what is Etsy's response?

HeyMichelle says: Hi prettypanda,

I'm sorry for the frustration! Have you written to us here about this?

http://help.etsy.com/app/ask

I hope we can get this resolved soon...

For Fuckssake! She already goddamn said she contacted you several times! Do you actually read what people write or were you laughing at some youtube video?

Then when a seller suggests that the seller salvage this horrid situation and just directly invoice the buyers directly...

lisajune says: If your buyer is running into technical difficulties completing a transaction, please ask them to contact us so that we have find out what is going on and help them complete their transaction. Michelle earlier shared our contact link on page 1.

Please do not complete the transaction wholey off of Etsy, this is fee avoidance. We're more than happy to work with you to find out the root of this problem.

And that, my fellow bitches, was TWO days ago - two MORE days of the buyer and seller unable to do business - and the crowd goes wild. Not even a cupcake insight. No one so far is even siding with Etsy, because it's just wrong. (she misspelled wholly btw)


Has Etsy lost it's fucking mind??????

You leave a seller unable to sell, and tell them to tell the BUYER to contact them while Etsy eventually figures it out? How? With fairy dust and a dream? Do they really expect an buyer to contact Etsy to get support knowing that it can take days to infinity to get anyone to even send a decidedly unhelpful fucking form letter? This is the biggest fucking crock of shit I have seen in a longtime out of Brooklyn. I have to believe Lisajune was laughing as she typed it it's so fucking preposterous, and I can't believe they actually believe they have a customer service ability/approach, let alone empathic bone in their ironic vegan asses.

The only thing that surprises me is that there are only 13 pages of outrage at this point - which is why I post this. Go my lovelies, go and dispatch the hell I know you can - Facebook it, tweet it, email it. In fact people are openly recommending Artfire and no one has swooped in to bad talk them... it's as if even cupcakes want this thread to dissappear.

Don't let it. Make this fucking thread burn. Pass the word Etsy doesn't give a fucking shit about anyone, and this is just one more piece of proof.


EDIT: Thread closed on page 23, but it looks like the rush of readers from here in a short period of time might have actually gotten someone working on a weekend.

loosewire says: Hi guys!

We've figured out the glitch and PrettyPanda is back in business.

Thanks for your kindness and patience while we worked this out.

We'll continue to communicate privately with the OP regarding this.

As a reminder, please remember to be respectful to ALL members of the community when posting here in the Forums. For a full list of our policies regarding posting in the Forums, visit our Do’s and Don’ts here:
http://www.etsy.com/dosdonts.php#thecommunity

Meesh

She is now getting sales. They are rolling in quite fast now, imagine how much money she lost with an nonfunctional shopping cart for a week.

Quotables: The tipping point

Ahh, you smell that? That's dissatisfaction, and the Etsy forums are full of it regarding the new Sales Tax feature being rolled out. In fact, some just can't take the nonsense anymore:

First, I would like to say that I never rant in the forums. This issue, coupled with several other changes recently implemented at Etsy, have brought me to a tipping point.

Quoting: ericds says:

"The new Checkout, which will require payment before an item is marked as sold, is one of the most requested features and we think it will dramatically improve the experience for buyers and sellers.

We didn't want to delay the release of the new Checkout until we had released the perfect sales tax tool, which could take a long time.

We decided to start simple and will improve the sales tax feature over time."

Etsy is based in NY State and they are unable to appreciate the somewhat ridiculous tax rate situation sellers have here?! I truly do not understand this at all.

Are you serious when you say "until we had released the perfect sales tax tool, which could take a long time."?!?! Do you have any idea how much trouble this IMperfect sales tax tool is going to cause? It is absolutely 100% useless to me as a seller in NY State. And you are acting like this is news?!

In order for me to collect the correct amount of sales tax I have to plug a buyer's address into the state sales tax online calculator. It is literally done by address - not county or zip code - in some places. Right now I have to refund the whole purchase thru PayPal, re-invoice the buyer with the tax added, and ask them to pay again. It
sucks. There is no way around it until someone writes the magical code for figuring out how to charge NYS taxes by address. Oh, wait... almost every other online retailer does!! My bad!!

All I keep hearing is "the new checkout will require payment before an item is marked as sold". Blah blah blah. Do not placate me with something that should have been done ages ago in order for me to swallow the bitter pill of indescribably poor sales tax collection implementation.

If you were quoted, congratulations and thanks! You can find your celebratory "I've been Quoted" avatar overlays by clicking here.

Update: Checkout rollout has been pulled back to address the sales tax issues - bitching does help!

Checkout roll out coming soon

The new checkout Etsy had to halt during the first 5% rollout is coming back, and they're fucking it up even more!

Sales tax...you need to set it in your Etsy...but if you live in a state where you have to charge different rates depending on location - well, you're fucked. Etsy is overriding any Paypal settings you may have for the tax rate.

Etsy is once again ignoring legality and just speeding forward because it's shiny. Remember how long it took for international sellers to point out that the currency needed to be noted. I'm currently taking bets on how long it will take to make Etsy say "hmm maybe overriding existing tax rate calculators with our own bogus, thrown together bullshit is a bad idea"

Cosmic Yuk said it best in our previous post

Looking for feedback? Are you fucking serious? You're rolling out another half-assed feature that screws with a huge segment of your membership!!!!

Does no one do any research? What are people supposed to do during the time you are 'figuring it out'? Overcharge? undercharge? refund the overage? eat the underages? You do realize that Paypal intends to charge for refunds, right? That you can't keep accurate tax records if you charge more or less than you're supposed to? And that it is illegal to do in some states?

Are you FUCKING SERIOUS ETSY??????????

Edit: As of 1.5 hours before rollout they have not sent emails to all sellers - only to the EtsyNews subscription list

Update: Checkout rollout has been pulled back to address the sales tax issues though many are reporting checkout problems and seeing a new layout/Paypal interface.

Did the world stop spinning?

Now we're not dead, but according to some of the comments if we go two weeks without a post you folks get downright uneasy. Excuse us for having a busy summer.

So, here you go.

The news of the week:

ETSY SENT OUT AN HONEST TO GOD SELLER NEWS MAIL! I mean it! It had informative updates of changes for the rest of the universe who doesn't go to he forums for their lifesource to feed this withered vampire souls for sustinance.

Treasury Keeps Getting Better

Treasury, where members create curated lists of items, is growing fast! No longer confined to the East as "Treasury East," Treasury has gone global, expanding in new directions and sprouting new features. You can now:
Add Tags To Lists

Clicking on a Treasury list tag will take you to a landing page with all the lists that contain that tag, sorted by hotness. Look for the latest trending tags on the main Treasury page, and similar trending tags on tag landing pages.

Set Preferences

We're rethinking the meaning of mature on Etsy and looking to the community's curators to lead the way. Curators of lists that contain mature content are asked to tag them with the keyword "mature." Etsy members who wish to view lists tagged in this way can do so by adjusting their preference in the Account section of Your Etsy.

Set Treasuries to Private

Select the "Only you" option under Privacy when creating a list if you'd like to keep it to yourself a while before showing the world.

Search Treasury!

Our new Treasury search will search for lists by list titles, list tags, list curators, shops in lists and items in lists. It's a seriously fun way to discover curators that share your taste.

Now Browse Etsy in Multiple Currencies

Oh my goodness! In a big step toward supporting global commerce on Etsy, we just launched support for viewing prices in multiple currencies! You can now view item prices in Euros, British Pounds, Canadian Dollars and more.

OMFG. Can you believe it? And actual step of behaving like an actual caring responsible company? Our Etsy? They grow up so fast. Sniff. Sniff.

If you didn't get one it could be you aren't signed up for emails, so they still haven't learned that they need to have a regular mail that goes out to all members. This is important info that everyone needs.

And like clockwork, Etsy has announced incoming much cried for changes to the checkout. Only a small amount of shops are seeing this new cart in the first tests. Any bets if the expected fubar and bug fixing will be fixed before the Holiday season? But when you read that posts over you can tell they are looking at the competition's carts playing catch up.

Here is hoping they pull it off the first time this time. Godfuckingknows it would be a refreshing change .

Oh wait...

Lisajune says:
We've been keeping up with feedback on Express Checkout in its initial deployment to 5% of users. We've found a few substantial issues, not least of all being a difficulty charging sales tax via Paypal when using Express Checkout.

We've decided to roll back the use of Express Checkout for the time being while we work through these initial concerns. We'll update further as we have substantial solutions. :)

FUCK.

Yep, the forum is buzzing about all sorts of problems with the new checkout. It really gets to be hilarious after a while that they can't ever roll out anything even close to not failing on release.