20/09/24
I have some news guys.
After leaving my Etsy store to sit and run on it's own for a while this year, I've been informed that I will lose access to the funds I make on the site in 6 days until I submit my taxpayer ID which for me is my social insurance number. This is where I've decided to draw the line and pull my business from Etsy. I don't feel comfortable giving that info over to a site that can be hacked. I'll be taking down my store very soon and making arrangements elsewhere as there is no point in collecting funds I won't ever receive until they shut my store down in 60 days themselves.
This is all very abrupt and not at all how I was planning on the rest of the year going but you've got to roll with the punches and not sell your morals or gut feelings short. And I have a bad feeling about this.
It's a bittersweet moment because I really did love my little Etsy store and it was a big move for me to create my shop in the first place in March of 2020. However as time has gone on, Etsy has put out more and more questionable policies that I've never agreed with and until now been able to opt out of getting involved in. I can't opt out of this one as it comes from the Canadian government. And while looking into this policy I properly saw just how much money from sales I've made. To give you and idea, from a $3.00 purchase (which I was told was actually $3.30) I made $1.00. I also didn't realize that I can't opt out of paying to be in offsite Etsy ads anymore so I was automatically put into it and a lot of my sales have come from offsite ads this year so a lot more of my income than I thought was going to Etsy for that (nonconsensually).
And while I have you here, here's another issue I'd like to draw your attention to. This year they rolled out an offer to all sellers to get a discount on their fees if they shared a trackable link to their social media for their followers and friends to click on where their information would be tracked and essentially bought out by Etsy at the price of 4% off their Etsy fees. So just be careful out there. And my advice to anyone still selling on Etsy, pay attention to these offers of trading some of your personal information or doing a favour for them with your name on it in exchange for their basic service or an inconsequential deduction of fees. It's not right. Your income and your hobby shouldn't ever be treated like a bribe or a game.
At this point I don't care if anyone thinks I'm overreacting, these are my morals and principles and that's all I have to act on. And I know that people have been saying that Etsy is evil for a while to which I still don't agree with them. I have just been very passive about my income while my shop was up since Etsy took care of so much of the job and I justified the fees in the beginning because I saw it as paying them to do the stuff I didn't know how to do. That all changes now. The work I put out is worth more than my passive attitude towards it.
More updates to come ✌
