Etsy announced yesterday that shops that made over $10k in sales over the last 12 months would be forced in to mandatory, no opt-out, off-site advertising. If someone clicked on one of these uncontrollable ads and buys anything from the store in the next 30 days, Etsy takes an additional 12% of the sale.
This is something I cannot afford.
Last year, 2019, I spent the first six months untangling myself from a failed alterations shop. I wasn't even working on my artwork at home. Despite this, I nearly made the $10k mark. On one hand - amazing! I'm so proud of myself for doing that well! On the other - crap, most of that money went straight back into investing in supplies and more projects, I can't afford another 12% cut on top of what I already give Etsy in fees. Fees I have been more than happy to pay for to use their marketplace and tools. If the new ad system was something I could opt out of I would've just swiped the email away and not given it much more thought.
So here I am!! I have to go through and make sure everything is updated all over the place. Eventually I'll order new business cards that'll direct here instead of Etsy. My Etsy shop will stay open but in a much, much smaller capacity. I'm really looking forward to this new, more independent adventure.
Thank you all for helping me get this far. It really makes my work feel worth more than just pretty things for myself.
Pinky
Ashley Mae