‘Vacation mode’: Etsy sellers protest vs fee hike, close shops from April 11 to 18

Thousands of sellers decided to put up a “vacation mode” sign and close their online shops for a week in participation in the Etsy Strike – a movement opposing the online marketplace’s fee increase from 5% to 6.5% that was implemented on Monday.

Kristi Cassidy from Rhode Island, one of the leaders of the movement, put up a petition calling for five demands from Etsy and its CEO Josh Silverman, but mainly highlighting the cancellation of the hike.

“Work with sellers, not against us!” she wrote.

“On April 11, 2022, they plan to increase our transaction fees by 30%. Etsy’s last fee increase was in July 2018. If this new one goes through, our basic fees to use the platform will have more than doubled in less than four years. These basic fees do not include additional fees for Offsite ads – which started during the first wave of the pandemic,” she further explained.

According to Cassidy, sellers have no control over how their money is spent, and this can take more than 20% per transaction.

Other demands floated are a comprehensive plan to deal with reselling which is not allowed by Etsy, a faster ticket support system, and an appeal to end the Star Seller program, which she described as “counter-productive.”

“We’re going on strike on April 11 to call on Etsy to hold itself accountable to sellers and buyers. Sellers will put their shops on vacation mode in protest. Buyers can show support by agreeing to boycott Etsy from April 11-18,” Cassidy wrote.

As of writing, the petition has reached more than 70,500 signatures. The movement has also posted a copy of the letter the organizers sent to Etsy.

“We haven’t heard back yet from Etsy, at least not as of posting this today,” as written in the post on its website.

Etsy Strike is organized via Reddit and has active socials and following on Twitter. Several sellers who are participating are also talking about their personal experiences, as well as, giving ways for non-sellers to show their support as well.

On another note, while the movement is calling for the strike, some users have shown concern about not being able to afford to close their shop for a week-long or for even a number of days as selling their goods is their main income.

Twitter user Crow, one of the sellers putting on vacation mode, supported the other reality of some sellers. “I support the survival of creators even if it means using platforms that frustrate you,” they said.

I'm closing my Etsy for the upcoming week (April 11-18) in support of the strike BUT I also support all sellers who cannot afford to be closed for the entirety of this period or at all. I support the survival of creators even if it means using platforms that frustrate you

— Crow ? Friday floral ? (@crowlines) April 10, 2022

On the other hand, other participants of the Etsy Strike are also saying that buyers can try direct purchases or commissions for the duration of the week to continue supporting the sellers.

Etsy, an online platform was built for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade and vintage items. Founded in 2005, Etsy now houses a community of about 1.9 million sellers and 31.7 million buyers according to its website.