Etsy has sent an UPDATE to their vendors recommending that we offer free shipping to those buyers in the United States who purchase $35 or more in product from a shop. In doing so they recommend that we increase our item prices to absorb this "free shipping" option. So .... in reality, in my reality anyway this means that the "little guys" who don't purchase $35 worth of product will be paying more for an item and receiving nothing extra....but Etsy will receive more money per item. Somehow this just doesn't seem fair. Does it to you?
I keep my items prices as low as possible while still being able to make a profit which is why we have Etsy vendors. Their goal is to make money.
I don't gouge my buyers with excess shipping on their items. Just what the PO requires and I refund excess shipping over $1.00 or upgrade the shipping method to Priority if the product is over
1 pound and then refund shipping overages. This provides them loss protection with free insurance which I am sure is something a buyer appreciates. I know I do.
For right now it is not mandatory so I WILL NOT be offering free shipping on my items because I don't think it is the right seller option for me. I am not a vendor who overcharges for shipping and many times the buyer pays less that the actual cost of shipping and it comes out of my pocket....shipping overages over $1 are refunded back to my buyers which doesn't happen much with US orders but does with my overseas customers because I sell worldwide and have a nice volume of overseas buyers. 95% of them are happy with my policy....those that complain are those buyers who live in countries where shipping is really high....something I don't have any control of. I ship through Etsy but if they make free shipping an option and REQUIRE a vendor to provide free shipping forcing us to increase our item prices to compensate I am not sure what option will be available so that I won't be forced to do something I feel is detrimental to my business and my own personal business ethics.
I purchase nearly as much on Etsy as I sell. I support the Etsy vendors and to be honest; I have not run into many vendors who I feel are overcharging on their postage. AND, as a vendor I realize that there are other costs in "shipping" such as our envelopes, gas to the PO if one is rural, etc. etc. that is reflected into our shipping costs.....vs our product costs.
Personally I don't think Etsy has the "right" to tell us how we must run our business. Bottom line they are just a listing site....WE as Etsy vendors should have the option of running our business the same as we would if we had an actual storefront. If we are not in compliance let Etsy report us to the correct business monitoring system (other than them) and let them handle the situation because Etsy sure doesn't have us as vendors "at heart". Maybe we should all boycott Etsy for a couple of weeks and see how they like that.
One cannot even talk to someone at Etsy as they have NO PHONE NUMBER.... So who is "running the show"? An automated system that is programmed and it just does things based on A B and C without the human contact that is how it appears. You can't TALK to a human....everything is via email... Maybe we all should do some thinking here and maybe even see questioning. Maybe along the way via this blog post there will be an attorney that is willing to step up to the plate with compassion and decide maybe things need to be looked into. As an individual when unfairness occurs we don't have the money to investigate a big corporation....so as a result they win, we are forced to do things that go against our principals...and big corporate wins ... and we get more frustrated in life world.
Their methodology of thinking just doesn't seem in the best interest of anyone except them.
There are times I don't order because of shipping costs and a no refund policy in place to refund buyers postage overages but they are normally the overseas vendors. At this point in time I get to make my OWN decision. Do I want the product(s) enough to pay the postage? Is there another vendor maybe here in the US who offers a similar product where shipping would not be an issue?
Let the buyers make the decisions....not ETSY.
When a vendor reaches a certain "SOLD" amount we receive 1099's which are reportable to the IRS at tax time. With being forced to raise our prices to cover shipping costs ( in a round about deceitful way as they are suggesting ) we will reach this fee threshold quicker..... We can use our shipping as a deduction on our taxes but the way Etsy wants us to do things we will have increased sales with reduced deductions. So as a vendor we are potentially LOOSING money. Has a political sting to it.
I am sure a lot of vendors are vendors such as I am......I have an Etsy shop to supplement my retirement income and help ends meet....and this Etsy "thinking" or not thinking in my books of their vendors is not anything that is going to help us or keep us where we are....it will hurt us immensely in the long run.
\Think about it. Who benefits here? Me as a vendor? You as a customer? Or Etsy? I really don't think it takes much thought or reasoning to come to the realization that customers and vendors are not on the winning end....no matter how you look at it.
I have said that Etsy is my storefront. I pay them rent per item that I list and again when I sell an item. Does that give them the right to walk into my store and tell me I need to increase the cost of my items and not charge postage? Or provide an addendum to our listing contract to that effect that if we don't sign it we will no longer have a storefront with them?
Maybe we need a 3rd eye into reality ....
If you agree PLEASE COMMENT so that I can send my letter along with comments on to Etsy. VOICE your opinion.... or copy my letter, sign it, add your comment and send it on to Etsy so they get the voice of the buyers and not the voice of those who sit on the Etsy board of directors. I really don't think that they are getting ANY complaints from Etsy buyers that the Etsy sellers shipping costs are too high.....I buy a lot from Etsy and that has NEVER been an issue....NEVER.
Thank you.
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