Etsy Sellers Go On Strike Following Increase In Transaction Fee

Words by Retail Bum

Etsy Sellers Go On Strike Following Increase In Transaction Fee
Etsy Sellers Go On Strike Following Increase In Transaction Fee
Many Etsy sellers are shutting their stores as part of a week-long strike to protest against Etsy’s decision to raise its transaction fees.

The strike comes days after Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman said that the company was planning to increase its 5% transaction fee to 6.5% to help fund marketing efforts and offer additional seller support and technology.

The announcement was met with an immediate backlash, with many independent sellers on Etsy speaking out against the change and starting a petition, which has so far received 61,500 signatures, according to FashionUnited.

“Rather than rewarding the sellers whose hard work has enabled Etsy to become one of the most profitable tech companies in the world, Etsy gouges us, ignores us and patronizes us,” Etsy seller Kristi Cassidy said.

“As individual crafters, makers and small business people, we may be easy for a giant corporation like Etsy to take advantage of. But as an organized front of people, determined to use our diverse skills and boundless creativity to win ourselves a fairer deal, Etsy won’t have such an easy time shoving us around.”

Sellers that are going on strike are asking for a reversal of the transaction fee increase, an option to opt-out of offsite ads and recent improvements to the site that are aimed at improving its support system, as well as a crackdown on mass-produced sellers.

The petition is also reportedly calling on Etsy to put the kibosh on its Star Seller program, which sellers argue is a “passive-aggressive” attempt to influence their behavior.

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