Local Etsy sellers join in strike against platform

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Etsy’s sales sky rocketted during the pandemic as a result of people starting to shop online more. Now it recently announced it’s hiking it’s transaction fees by 30%.

Many sellers say this feels unfair to the businesses that made Etsy get so much attention during the peak of COVID, by using the platform to sell their goods. Several people say they’re losing money and time given up for hard work to the platform.

Now, over 70,000 people have signed a petition to put their sites into “vacation mode”, or to not buy on the site, boycotting the company’s decision.

Etsy Seller Caroline Lotzer of Rockford is one of these people. She says although her site is not big, she feels it is her duty to stand against the platform for other sellers who use it to profit their everyday lives.

“Etsy is great because people who are creative can go and make things they love, and give them to other people that love them too,” said Lotzer. “But, you need to treat your sellers like a community, and not just people who get you money.”

Other sources I spoke with say they do not believe Etsy is going to lower the transaction fee despite the backlash they are facing. The company’s CEO also says the increase is geared towards funding improvements in seller tools, customer support, and marketing.

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