愛污传媒

Business

    • Thousands of Etsy sellers strike over increased fees

    This Jan. 6, 2015, file photo shows an Etsy mobile credit card reader, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) This Jan. 6, 2015, file photo shows an Etsy mobile credit card reader, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
    Share

    Thousands of sellers on the popular global marketplace Etsy have thrown their support behind an online strike to protest what they describe as unfair and costly changes to the platform.

    Sellers began their , opting to either put their online stores on "vacation mode," effectively hiding them, or declaring their support for the effort.

    Tens of thousands of people for the company, among them the cancellation of a 30-per-cent transaction fee increase that also came into effect Monday.

    Etsy announced in February that it would on the total amount of an order from five per cent to 6.5 per cent.

    At the time, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman said active sellers increased their sales by 23 per cent on average in 2021 compared to 2019.

    Etsy previously increased its transaction fee in July 2018, raising it to .

    Kristi Cassidy, a seller from Westerly, R.I., who helped organize the protest, says nearly 23,000 sellers who have signed the petition agreed to participate in the strike in some form as of Tuesday morning.

    "It is taking off like you wouldn't believe," Cassidy told CTVNews.ca in a WhatsApp call on Tuesday.

    FRUSTRATION OVER FEES, CHANGES

    Cassidy, who joined the platform in 2006, currently makes and sells gothic Victorian steampunk wedding dresses, a style she describes as "wearable art for people who refuse to be ordinary."

    Despite singing its praises in the early days, she says she has seen Etsy gradually change over time, focusing more on growth and profits.

    Founded in 2005, Etsy serves as an online platform for people to sell handmade and vintage items. Based out of Brooklyn, N.Y., it currently has .

    The petition, addressed to Silverman, describes the marketplace as resembling more of a "dictatorial relationship between a faceless tech empire and millions of exploited, majority-women craftspeople."

    Supporters of the strike also have pointed to Etsy's , as well as the company鈥檚 recent acquisitions.

    "As individual crafters, makers and small businesspeople, we may be easy for a giant corporation like Etsy to take advantage of," the strike petition reads.

    "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."

    Beyond the transaction fee increase, Cassidy and other sellers have expressed frustration with additional fees charged for offsite ads and payment processing, the company's Star Seller program, auto-reply messages, support tickets and resellers peddling mass-produced items that are described as handmade.

    "Any change that favours cheaper products over more expensive [ones] is going to hurt the people who are actually creating the handmade products that the platform claims to be about," Cassidy said.

    After Etsy announced its transaction fee increase, Cassidy decided to take to the , where the strike began to take shape and the idea of an Etsy sellers' union took hold.

    Emma Kasper, a seller from Montreal who has been on Etsy since 2017, currently makes and sells pins and stickers through her store.

    Kasper joined the weeklong strike, putting her store on vacation mode.

    Although Etsy isn't her main source of income, her frustrations with the platform include the number of resellers on the website, as well as its free shipping offer to American buyers on orders of US$35 or more.

    The latter, she says, can be expensive for sellers, while those who do join the program are promoted more often.

    As someone with a smaller store, she says she would like to see Etsy promote sellers like her.

    And with more people supporting small businesses through Etsy, which at one point in the pandemic saw a surge in sales of homemade masks, Kasper says the company seems to be moving toward an Amazon-type model.

    In 2017, Etsy also .

    "I guess it doesn't affect my livelihood very much, but I do find it quite frustrating, especially with their record profits," she said.

    NEW FEES TO INCREASE INVESTMENT, COMPANY SAYS

    In a statement, a spokesperson for Etsy said sellers' success is a "top priority" for the company.

    "We are always receptive to seller feedback and, in fact, the new fee structure will enable us to increase our investments in areas outlined in the petition, including marketing, customer support, and removing listings that don't meet our policies," the spokesperson said.

    "We are committed to providing great value for our 5.3 million sellers so they are able to grow their businesses while keeping Etsy a beloved, trusted, and thriving marketplace."

    Kasper says, given the amount of money Etsy has made throughout the pandemic, it doesn't make sense for them to charge sellers more in order to improve the platform.

    For example, she says, it is much harder now for sellers to speak to a real customer service representative.

    "They made customer service for sellers worse and then they want more of our money to make it better again, which I don't really understand," Kasper said.

    Cassidy said the company's statement doesn't really answer the demands of those on strike.

    However, seeing the number of people who have thrown their support behind it shows that a 鈥渉uge鈥 portion of sellers agree the way the platform is treating them is "outright wrong," she said.

    "They need to start really being that 'Keep Commerce Human' brand that they claim to be, and that means listening to us."

    With files from CNN 

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    A father and his two children who suffered severe burns in a Springfield, Ont. house fire have undergone surgery.

    Canada

    • British Columbia's highest court has weighed in on a dispute over an inflatable hot tub a couple set up on their condo's patio 鈥 potentially bringing a close to the years-long conflict.

    • A father and his two children who suffered severe burns in a Springfield, Ont. house fire have undergone surgery.

    • Mounties in British Columbia say a second person has been found dead after two vehicles ended up in a river on Vancouver Island when a road washed out amid torrential rains over the weekend.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    • With the B.C. election too close to call, Dr. Bonnie Henry was asked Tuesday how she feels about the possibility of a party that has repeatedly called for her firing forming government.

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

    A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

    • Two Vancouver city councillors are questioning why they鈥檝e been ousted from city appointed roles.

    • The rain has only just stopped pummelling parts of Metro Vancouver, but for the hundreds of residents left with flood-damaged homes, the nightmare is far from over.

    • Cole Mcleod was home with his roommate in their 21st floor apartment on Monday afternoon when the fire alarm went off in the downtown Vancouver building. Then, he smelled smoke.

    • The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and opposition leaders at Queen's Park are calling on the government to reduce, or eliminate, parking fees at hospitals for staff, patients and visitors.

    • Taylor Swift fans from far and wide will head to Toronto next month to see the superstar perform a series of six sold out shows at the Rogers Centre.

    • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's waiting for NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi to declare where he intends to run for office before she calls a byelection in Lethbridge.

    • Bricks along the pathway at Calgary鈥檚 Olympic Plaza have been removed and it wasn鈥檛 by the city. It appears people are coming to grab bricks with their names, family members鈥 name or a saying ahead of the plaza closing.

    • NEW THIS MORNING

      NEW THIS MORNING

      An Orl茅ans property that once belonged to a religious order is now in the City of Ottawa's hands.

    • You will be able to pick up beer, cider, wine and ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages at Costco, Walmart and more grocery stores in Ottawa next week.

    • Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    • Quebec Premier Francois Legault promised on Tuesday to toughen secularism measures in schools, saying he was 'shocked' by revelations about a Montreal public school where a group of teachers had tried to introduce what the premier described as 'Islamist' beliefs.

    • The Quebec government wants to hear Quebecers' thoughts about scrapping the twice-yearly time change, but it isn't promising to act on them.

    • The death of a woman in her 50s in Montreal's Anjou borough is being considered as 'suspicious' by authorities.

    • Police are looking for a man and a woman who robbed an Edmonton jewelry store earlier this month.

    • Edmonton Public Schools (EPS) custodians have voted 97 per cent in favour of going on strike.

    • A new commentary suggests the Government of Alberta purposely pushed false narratives around public safety to scale down safe supply in the province.

    • Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.

    • The president of a popular New Brunswick potato chip company has been arrested for domestic violence in Bangor, Maine.

    • A special weather statement is in effect Wednesday as Environment Canada warns of possible heavy rain and strong winds in parts of Nova Scotia later this week.

    • Folks making the trek to and from Thompson along Highway 6 are once again without a bathroom break鈥 at least for now.

    • The Manitoba government is restoring the 1:1 apprentice-to-journeyperson ratio.

    • A number of Manitoba communities kicked off the week by breaking decades-old heat records.

    • Saskatchewan's Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) has found that former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal violated legislative rules by profiting from hotels while they were party to government contracts.

    • A determined group within Moose Jaw has stepped up to provide assistance to those in need 鈥 following the closure of one of the city's shelters.

    • Saturday's matchup between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders could determine if they clinch the West Division title, however the results from Winnipeg's game earlier in the day could make their matchup meaningless.

    • Waterloo Regional Police are investigating a sudden death in Kitchener.

    • No one was hurt after playground equipment went up in flames at a Kitchener, Ont. park.

    • A bloodstain pattern analyst expert testified Tuesday at Erick Buhr鈥檚 second-degree murder trial.

    • A Saskatoon family is voicing concerns after paying twice as much PST as expected on a recently purchased truck.

    • Hundreds of voter information cards have landed in the wrong hands.

    • A city planning document for the Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) sparked controversy over the weekend, with three civic election candidates alleging Confederation Mall was at risk of being demolished and replaced with dense housing.

    • Greater Sudbury has ended the employment of CAO Ed Archer, Mayor Paul Lefebvre announced suddenly Tuesday evening

    • The Sudbury jury is still out deliberating whether or not Felicity Altiman killed Robert Keskinen, 75, in December 2020.

    • Police said the house is believed to be empty and abandoned and it's not known yet if the driver of the truck is injured.

    • A father and his two children who suffered severe burns in a Springfield, Ont. house fire have undergone surgery.

    • A collision between a pickup truck and SUV shuttered the intersection of Base Line and New Road for several hours.

    • A thriving circular economy extends the lives of products.

    • Emergency crews rushed to the scene of a serious collision in Barrie鈥檚 south end involving a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle.

    • Drivers are asked to be on the lookout for deer and other wildlife crossing our highways.

    • Residents living in central Windsor are calling for after-hours construction to expand a commercial development to stop.

    • NextStar Energy is celebrating the official start of battery module production.

    • The University of Windsor board of governors has upheld its decision to disqualify a motion that aims to pause a pair of agreements with pro-Palestinian protesters.

    • Mounties in British Columbia say a second person has been found dead after two vehicles ended up in a river on Vancouver Island when a road washed out amid torrential rains over the weekend.

    • With the B.C. election too close to call, Dr. Bonnie Henry was asked Tuesday how she feels about the possibility of a party that has repeatedly called for her firing forming government.

    • Premier and NDP Leader David Eby says he's been told by the B.C. Green Party that it's too early to begin talks about a minority government agreement after the weekend's still-undecided provincial election.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's waiting for NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi to declare where he intends to run for office before she calls a byelection in Lethbridge.

    • The health of honeybees will be the focus of a presentation at the University of Lethbridge on Wednesday evening.

    • Alberta is offering infrastructure funding to help municipalities accommodate recent population growth. The province has added a little over 500,000 people over five years, putting pressure on public services.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    • An Indigenous group in northwestern Ontario shut down the highway for a couple of hours Monday morning in protest after ancestral remains were found at a construction site.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒