Etsy.com, a former bastion for those seeking to buy/sell handmade goods, lost approximately 43,600 of its online shops between May 2 and June 6, 2017. This is likely at least partially due to Etsy’s requirement that, as of May 31, 2017, most Etsy shop owners must use Etsy’s combined payment interface instead of letting buyers check out only via PayPal. This number of lost shops represents approximately 4% of the 1,013,270 shops that were active on May 1, 2017.
The largest drop in the number of active items for sale on Etsy from May 2 through June 5, 2017, was in items from the USA. The tables below reflect the number of items for sale on Etsy on May 2 vs. June 5.
| 5/2/17 | All Items | Handmade | Vintage | Supplies |
| Anywhere | 45,275,971 | 33,507,366 | 7,944,436 | 7,847,570 |
| USA | 26,263,422 | 19,283,603 | 4,919,902 | 4,074,385 |
| Elsewhere | 19,013,252 | 14,223,763 | 3,024,534 | 3,773,185 |
| 6/5/17 | All Items | Handmade | Vintage | Supplies |
| Anywhere | 44,740,918 | 33,059,921 | 7,846,887 | 7,837,339 |
| USA | 19,003,509 | 19,003,477 | 4,869,586 | 4,044,472 |
| Elsewhere | 25,737,409 | 14,056,444 | 2,977,301 | 3,792,867 |
USA-produced items have switched percentages with the number of non-USA-produced items for sale on Etsy. The latter now greatly outnumber USA-produced items, as shown in the tables above.
Figures below break down the drops in the number of items for sale in the various categories, showing the approximate number of 5/2/17 items for sale vs. 6/5/17 items for sale on Etsy:
Accessories (3,765,337 items) 3,663,346
Bags & Purses (1,708,161 items) 1,656,260
Clothing (4,272,416 items) 4,262,604
Shoes (244,810 items) 241,701
Jewelry (8,930,260 items) 8,752,747
Craft Supplies & Tools (7,848,251 items) 7,837,306
Weddings (1,694,486 items) 1,677,933
Books, Movies & Music (739,022 items) 731,597
Electronics & Accessories (520,639 items) 510,002
Toys & Games (823,820 items) 810,472
Art & Collectibles (6,196,290 items) 6,073,553
Bath & Beauty (1,603,891 items) 1,572,041
Home & Living (7,651,670 items) 7,605,714
Paper & Party Supplies (3,506,158 items) 3,458,069
Pet Supplies (369,282 items) 367,872
Vintage
Accessories (393,354 items) 389,282
Art & Collectibles (1,238,875 items) 1,224,970
Bags & Purses (159,453 items) 158,812
Clothing (1,160,915 items) 1,140,283
Craft Supplies & Tools (923,029 items) 900,202
Home & Living (1,982,000 items) 1,978,862
Jewelry (1,425,123 items) 1,401,527
Toys & Games (209,076 items) 207,371
Etsy claimed, in its first quarter 2017 financial report, that it had approximately 1,801,000 active sellers as of March 31, 2017, yet the number of total active shops as of 6/4/17 reflects about half that number. On May 1, 2017, there were approximately 1,013,270 shops; on June 4, 2017, there were 969,666 shops, according to Etsy’s online statistics.
The numbers Etsy cites in its financial report are “active sellers at any given time/day.” The number of shops does not equal the number of sellers. Many shops are staffed with two or more sellers. Some single sellers have multiple shops. If a shop has “0” items, it is not counted in the active number of shops on Etsy. Also not counted are shops on vacation mode, shops that have deactivated all listings, and shops that have “0” listings.
Even given these considerations, it appears that Etsy is experiencing a seller exodus, and I am glad to among their numbers. I closed my Etsy shop on May 15, 2017.
