Seller Handbook

As 2021 draws to a close, we’re taking time to reflect on some of the many milestones the Etsy community has achieved together throughout the year. This year, we’ve welcomed new buyers to the marketplace, built tools to help your business grow, advocated for creative entrepreneurs with policymakers around the globe, and continued our carbon-neutral commitment for all orders on Etsy. Read on to explore some of the highlights.

Over 24.6 million new buyers joined Etsy this year

From January to September alone, 24.6 million new buyers joined Etsy. Not only that, but buyers now average 3.1 purchases per year, which is up nearly 25% since 2019! That makes 89.4 million buyers as of September 30 who are looking for special, meaningful finds on Etsy.

Here are some of the ways we brought more buyers than ever to Etsy and supported your growth along the way:

• We invested millions in both brand and TV advertising in 2021, including six TV campaigns localised across three different markets, out-of-home advertising and a radio partnership in the UK, and podcast and digital audio campaigns in the US. Together, these placements garnered billions of impressions globally. View the TV campaigns on YouTube:

  • Meant For You (US)
  • Why Buy Boring (US/UK)
  • Etsy Hat Sie (DE)
  • Find Greatness in the Making (US)
  • Give More Than a Gift (US/UK)
  • Gifts That Mean The World (DE)

• We also partnered with notable celebrities and influencers to launch new Creator Collaborations and Featured Favourites programmes to showcase Etsy products.

• In addition to welcoming this influx of new buyers, we continued our carbon neutral commitment, offsetting 100% of carbon emissions from delivery and packaging for all orders on Etsy!

Advocating for microbusinesses

This year, Etsy’s Advocacy team worked with sellers and policymakers to fight for access to COVID relief and resources, inclusive caregiving policies, seller privacy rights, and more.

Some highlights from this year’s advocacy initiatives:

• Throughout 2021, we fought to protect seller’s privacy rights and limit administrative burdens as we saw a flood of bills introduced at the state and federal levels aimed at combating counterfeit goods or preventing organised retail crime. Thousands of Etsy sellers from across the United States joined us in taking action, sharing their concerns directly with policymakers.
• The Etsy Advocacy team sent this letter to the Hill in February 2021 to urge Congress to ensure that creative entrepreneurs have access to pandemic relief in the American Rescue Plan.
• Etsy's CEO Josh Silverman wrote a letter to Congress offering support for key caregiving elements debated including paid leave, an expanded child tax credit, and affordable child care.
• Josh also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to share insights into Etsy’s caregiving policies and generous approach to paid leave while also advocating on behalf of our seller community.
• Etsy joined over 300 companies in March 2021 pressing Congress for paternity and more expansive family leave.
• We hosted a roundtable on female entrepreneurship with UK Minister for Small Businesses Paul Scully, which led to an ongoing discussion between Etsy and his office to discuss the challenges that small businesses and the self-employed face in starting and running a business.

New tools to help your business grow

Running a business is challenging, and we’re committed to continually improving the tools you need to manage and grow your business. Here are some of the tools and resources developed this year:

• We launched a new tool to help sellers keep track of open orders. It allows you to easily see which open orders still need to be dispatched based on the stated dispatch-by date. If you have open orders, you can see them here.
• We expanded into new Offsite Ads channels and millions of pages across the web to drive traffic for sellers.
• For sellers outside of the US and India, we launched a feature that allows you to have one domestic price and one international price, helping you grow your domestic buyer base.
• To give buyers more flexible payment options, we expanded our Klarna partnership from Germany and the US to the UK, Spain, and Australia.

A look back at 2021’s top trends

Trends tell the story of a year. Here were some of the biggest themes we saw emerge in 2021:

• Cottagecore aesthetic: This year had many of us embracing the outdoors and natural elements and bringing them into our homes. We saw searches for "mushroom decor" increase 187% YoY.
• A return to entertaining: Folks started inviting loved ones back into their homes this year and renewed their home decor. Searches for "serving tray" were up 34% YoY.
• Chequerboard everything: Whether buyers were picking up chess pieces or inspired by a punk era, this pattern got a lot of use in 2021. Searches for "chequerboard" increased 89% YoY.
• Focus on experiences: Shoppers prioritised making new memories this year with crafting, baking, and more. We saw a 52% YoY bump in searches for "DIY kit."

For a peek at next year’s trends, check out our Early 2022 Marketplace Insights report!

From welcoming new buyers to advocating for policies that support small businesses around the world, none of it would have been possible without you. We’re ringing in 2022 celebrating how much the Etsy community has accomplished this year. Here’s to continued growth, connections, and empowerment in the new year!