Etsy Spams for Showcases

tsk tsk Etsy - spamming your customers every time they spend 20 cents in order to get them to buy those ineffective "promotion" spots you call showcases.

Even your cupcakes are outraged.

Losing some money on renewal fees? Tired of hearing about favoritism and lack of promotion? Well, pushing your showcases isn't going to solve those problems.

For most users, showcases are useless for driving traffic and not worth the $7-15. For almost all users the spammy popup every time they do anything with their listings is a pain in the ass. If you do it once for informational purposes it would be less devious, but this is just blatant desperation and inconsideration.

Once again you're not thinking about what your customers need or what you can do to make them happy (this is the secret to keeping customers and is taught in Business 101).

Get a fucking clue and stop spamming us!

The Price of the Brooklyn Bridge - It’s a $7 “Trial Offer”

Etsy just announced that they have just launched a "trial offer" of New Subcategory Showcases for jewelry (for $7 per spot) in this Forum Announcement.

It’s a "trial offer" because Etsy is NOT telling sellers what they get for their money. And this latest offer to sell sellers the Brookyn Bridge has not gone by without some skepticism about this "new feature"

Etsy is asking sellers to SPEND MONEY on new showcase spots without disclosing any statistics about view and sales from these new showcases. It’s a secret. Sellers can spend their money on this one, measly "advertising tool" on a site that never tells them whether the expense generates actual sales.


And the showcases have proved to be a cash cow for Etsy, so why not add more???

Controversy over this feature has gone on for many months and the forums are littered with questions and comments about the value of a showcase spots over the costs of relisting. Many sellers have commented that the showcases are a WASTE OF MONEY.

It’s odd that Etsy is ADDING more showcases when Etsy itself decided that the Main Showcase wasn’t all that important anymore in the Front Page re-design. It’s a costly $15 per spot, but now it is boxed into a tiny section of the top of the Front Page surrounded by ALL ETSY PICKS for their own promotions.

We wonder if visitors even know what the Main Showcase is anymore. And can anyone actually FIND the existing Category Showcases?

What we do know is that Etsy is asking sellers to spend more money on a "seller tool" that may or may not be beneficial for sellers--because the stats are another Big Etsy Secret.

All they are offering in this "trial offer" is--IF it works-- Etsy will EXPAND to MORE subcategory showcases (for $7 per spot) WITHOUT ever telling sellers what they get for their hard-earned money.

Sure sounds like your re-selling that bridge again, Etsy--on pure faith (and easy cash).

We didn’t know sellers were breaking down doors to get MORE SHOWCASES, because they’ve been asking for a long time if any of the existing showcases WERE WORTH THE EXPENSE.

Is this "new feature" on the Etsy agenda, or on the sellers’ long list of requests for site improvements?

Is it Lazy Hazy Summertime Already, Etsy?

Leave it to Etsy to keep spinning their own reality. Those “updates” to the front page smack in the middle of the holiday season (without any forewarning to sellers) has now been “refreshed”with one new Showcase - with a summertime theme!

Note: We realize this is likely their subtle way of recognizing the Southern hemisphere, but almost none of the items in the showcase fit the theme. It was also unannounced, and since it's a deviation from their normal Brooklyn-centric approach, it appears completely off. How about a Southern Summer showcase for sellers IN that hemisphere? hmm

Did you get fooled into spending your hard earned money for a spot on a “brand new” Showcase that has nothing to do with reality and the real retail calendar? Etsy’s making money, are you? Slap together a Showcase, any Showcase, slap on a wacky title — and it’s a steady stream of money --------- for Etsy.

Did Etsy forget about Valentine’s Day? (It's 5 weeks away and the next showcase on sale is "Feather your nest" instead of V-day) Mother’s Day? Father’s Day?

Nope, they were just too lazy to refresh the Front Page, make it relevant, and work hard to invite and excite their visitors to take a look and see what’s new!!!

Did they get right on the issue of Coupon Codes to help sellers sell in the post-holiday, retail-doldrums (extra negative) slow down in January, February and March? OMG, too much work!

Taking the easy, wacky-way out is Etsy’s motto - and it’s just too much work to update that damn Front Page. If it still looks like the holiday season (which it does) will Etsy ever catch up to reality? Or will they just keep missing important retail dates until it’s way too late for sellers to ship to their customers? Remember Back To School in mid-September? Are we in for another year of missed opportunities on Etsy? Uh huh.

Oh, we know Etsy reads the calendar. Before they took off for the New Year Holiday, they sent everyone their December Etsy Bill 24 hours EARLY!

Remember, ya’all. This is a site that features a picture of 2 white suitcases right under “.......all things handmade.”. Out of touch with reality and more confusing then ever? Yep, that’s Etsy.

Good news, bad news - Fall fashion showcase

ah...the bugs forum

The bad news - there was miscommunication at Etsy corp and the Fall Fashion Showcase did not go up on time.

The good news - they fully refunded those who had purchased spots that day!

The bad news - vintage wasn't allowed until 8 hours (1/3 of the day) into Monday

The bad news - accessories also was not originally allowed though it was supposed to be, and there's confusion and no answers about jewelry

Well, 1 out of 4 is better than usual.

Read all 9 threads here (only visible until they close them)

Back To Stripping...err School

Now, I know kids are dressing sexier these days, but the Etsy back to school showcase has been offering a little bit more than one would expect. Thanks to morrigan_etsy for uploading a screenshot to our flickr pool.