Etsy now announcing some tests

A step forward in transparency

Oh no, another test... Have you ever complained about it? I know I have. It can be hard to navigate a site that constantly changes. It is especially difficult for those of use at a certain (ahem) age...

Etsy is now announcing some tests! That is happy news. Transparency is good.

Here is the page where you can find out what is going on. (You may wish to bookmark it.) Not all tests will be announced this way.

After all of the complaints by sellers I think that this is an improvement. If we see something unusual, there is an official place to go and check.

That is better than reporting something as a bug just to find out it is a test. It is more accurate than just asking around.

😎 Happy Etsy selling. 🍂

Testing Etsy Badges: Popular vs. Unique

It sounds like something from high school: do you want to be

Are these Pyrex bowls really one-of-a-kind?

Most popular?  

or

Unique?

Here is Etsy's announcement. Some are seeing the new badges: "best seller" and "one of a kind."

How do sellers get the badges?

Shop Manager view of an item's past sales

Look at your item using the Shop Manager. (Toggle on your stats first.) Stats are displayed along the bottom of each listing: visits, favorites, SALES.

Quantity: more than 1

If you have a quantity of more than one, then it is not one of a kind. 

No stats are available for how many items need to be sold for a listing to be considered "best-seller." Chances are, most vintage sellers will not qualify for this badge. However, you may receive another designation. Read on.

Quantity: 1, Sales: 0

Bingo! Your item will show as "one of a kind" and get the badge.

Do you prefer popular (only 1 left!) or unique?

Quantity: 1, Sales: 1 or more

If your previous sales with that listing show as one or more, your item may get an "only x left!" badge. This rewards your item that has sold more than one.

Artists report issues

Some art work is not receiving the OOAK designation. Why, who knows?

Here is an example:

Only one piece of original art in this group receives the badge

Here is a forum discussion on this test with a lot of interesting perspectives on it.

Remember, this is only a test.

What can we learn?

So, just like... other things... Etsy is going over to polar opposites here it seems.

Sellers are rewarded for selling:

The MOST, or

One Of A Kind.

Stay tuned for further developments.

Oh, no. Another test!

Oh, no, not again!

"Etsy is rearranging my shop for me. What is happening?" "Etsy is testing yet another thing... Don't they have enough going on?"

Yes, Etsy is testing another new feature. Here is Etsy's announcement about it. Like most tests, only some user accounts see it.

Here is part of the announcement:

"As a continuation of a temporary test we began earlier this month, some buyers may see Relevance as the default sort option in some shops without a custom arrangement. We’ll let you know if changes to default sort options become permanent."

Etsy has now concluded the test and relevance is a new option for shop arrangements.

Shop arrangements

Shop owners have long had the ability to allow their shop to be arranged by recency. The most recent thing listed or relisted will be the first thing in your shop.

To get out of that, many shop owners use Etsy's newer option of custom rearrangement. I put my prettiest things (newly listed first) at the beginning of my shop. Relisted items stay where they were before I relisted them.

Etsy now has an option of your shop displayed sorted by relevancy.  For vintage sellers, this option will probably not work well. It is because "best sellers" are at the top of relevancy. Vintage sell so many different items that this approach likely has no..., well, relevance.

Try to opt out of site testing

If you do not like being in a site, you can sometimes opt out. Clear your browser cache. Change web browsers. For details, refer to point #4 of this article.

Sometimes, we are just stuck in a test. Right now (April, 2017) some sellers are seeing a different profile page. There is nearly always some testing going on. Testing is a way of life at Etsy.

Etsy wants to continue its reputation as the premier place to sell. They work hard to stay ahead of the pack. Testing potential new features is part of that process. All users, including sellers, share in site testing.

Happy selling!

😊