Here’s why I’m leaving Etsy

Etsy makes it so very hard on small sellers. I try to be competitive and price items fairly. Etsy already takes nearly 12% of the sales price in fees, but it is what it is.

Until it isn't. Their 'offsite ads' program takes 12% of the total. Now, this might not seem like much, but when you add that to what they already charge, and think about 12% of the TOTAL, which includes shipping (a cost I cannot control), it's insane. Etsy literally just took 12% + their regular 12% of a small sale that had a super high shipping price because it was going to Australia.

I had to cancel the sale, or lose money.

So here's the thing.

If you use google or other search engines that send you to Etsy, if you buy what you were looking for - or any other thing - within 30 days, the seller pays an additional 12% of the total (and yes, this total includes their other fees also). It's unfair, it's punitive, and it's unsustainable.

Please reach out to me if you're shopping on Etsy before you buy anything if you've landed there because of a search engine. You'll get a much better price on my website, you won't pay taxes unless you live in Maryland, and we'll all be happier.

I've already taken down nearly 300 listings because of Etsy's marketing program, and I'm about 3 days away from shutting it down completely. They may kick me out today, because I’ve changed my email response to let potential buyers know I won’t be able to fulfill sales that came through Etsy’s offsite ad campaigns.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for supporting small businesses.