Why Etsy Customers are the WORST.
Etsy. The platform small business dreams are made of. Or is it? If you are or ever have sold your products on Etsy you’ll know one thing for certain. Etsy customers are the worst to deal with.
Many home crafters and others that focus on handmade items turn to Etsy as their primary source of distribution and income. What they don’t expect is the entitled attitude of an Etsy customer. Beyond anything you would normally experience on any other platform including your own website. More about that later.
Etsy has put so much power in the hands of the customer that many Etsy sellers simply give up and close their shops. Recently Etsy made it worse with their feedback system to be a “Star Seller” on their platform. If a customer does not leave the seller a 5 star review, the little Star Seller badge will not be displayed on the seller’s store. (Be sure to read: How to be successful on etsy 2021)
That’s right. Even if you have 4 stars, on-time shipping and message response rates, you’re not a Star seller. Below are the parameters. Two you can control. What you can’t is the opinion of an Etsy buyer.
- Message Response Rate (Target 95%)
- 5-Star Rating (Target 95%)
- On-Time Shipping and Tracking (Target 95%)
As a marketer, I have many Etsy sellers as my clients. Believe me when I say that many Etsy customers are entitled, I know first hand. Demanding. Unfair. I’ve read the messages. I’ve read the reviews. 99% of these? Invalid. Yet there is nothing, NOTHING, an Etsy seller can do about it.
In my experience over the past several years, an Etsy seller truly cares about providing the best to their customers. Yet Etsy has taken control away from these sellers time and time again.
The most important thing EVERY Etsy seller should know is that you will never be able to contact the customer or see their email addresses. Etsy has made it so that you are completely reliant on their platform and not able to build the most important resource your business needs to succeed – a customer email list.
What can you do about it? Launch your own ecommerce store. I recommend this immediately to all my Etsy clients and it’s something that should be done sooner rather than later. You want to be able to contact the customers you’ve worked so hard to reach.
My favorite platform is Big Commerce and there is an app that will connect to your Etsy shop. Why is this important? Because your customer information, order shipment, inventory management will all be handled through Big Commerce. HUGE.
From me to you? DO IT NOW. Take back control of your business for your future growth and success. You can get info on Big Commerce here: Big Commerce Platform