Etsy is adding news tags to products to further clarify a seller’s role in the creation process.
The online marketplace is requiring all items to be listed as either “made by a seller,” “designed by a seller,” “sourced by a seller,” or “handpicked by a seller.” For example, a seller who finds vintage shirts would fall under the “handpicked” umbrella, while a ceramic vase from a pottery studio would be listed under the “made by” label.
The e-commerce giant is enacting the change in an effort to appease buyers who feel confused or mislead about the purchases they make on the platform.
“[W]hen people come to Etsy, they sometimes want more clarity about why the things they’re seeing are allowed,” Etsy CEO Josh Silverman said in a video post meant for sellers. “And, we’ve also heard that you want us to be clearer about our rules and enforcement. So, we’re taking the opportunity to articulate our policies in a simpler, easier-to-understand way.”
Silverman stressed that this isn’t in any way a change to what’s allowed on the platform. Rather, it’s about “reinforcing and clarifying” what can be listed.
Etsy was founded in 2005 and quickly separated itself as a place to buy handmade or unique pieces for people who wanted to avoid the seemingly never-ending aisles of big box stores. But a rapid rise in product inventory since the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some to worry that the platform simply isn’t what it used to be due to the massive influx of bulk, drop shipping, and competitive pricing, as Modern Retail put it.
The brand’s creativity standards come alongside a renewed focus on policing content that violates its policies. Etsy said it removed four times the amount of items that violated their handmade policy in the past year alone. It’s hoping the new, clearer policy will aid in that mission. (The company also recently enacted a ban on certain sex toys and explicit content, which goes into effect July 29.)
“We understand that a policy is only as good as the efforts to enforce it,” Silverman said in the video. “And we feel an enormous responsibility to remove items that don’t belong on our site. We know this is also incredibly important to you, and is one of the top things you’ve asked of us.”