Etsy's new upgrade to bulk-edit tools not received well by sellers

Etsy introduced new and better seller tools on Valentines Day. However, a key change has made tasks immensely difficult for some sellers.

The crafts supply company enhanced its variation feature within listings. However, in doing so, it removed the feature that allows sellers to bulk-edit variations across more than one listing. As a result of this change, sellers are being forced to put in more time and effort in incorporating the changes.

One of the sellers highlighted the problem she has faced in the wake of the new change. This seller says she has 200 types of bags, with each bag having its own variations. With the new change, she is not able to bulk-edit the variation of, for example, a new colour across all listings. Instead, she added, she would now have to visit the listings for each bag and add the new colour as a variation.

Etsy said the new changes allow sellers to add specific attributes to the listings. This, the company said, makes it easier for buyers to “navigate search, and increase the scan-ability of your listing page.”

The crafts supplier said the “old bulk-edit tools are not compatible with our new inventory management and attribute tools” as a result of the increase specificity in the listings. “Attempting to make bulk changes to categories or mass edit variations creates a risk that sellers accidentally delete data from listings. We'll be monitoring the feedback on this matter to ensure we come up with ways to ease the listing process for sellers in the future,” Etsy said.

The company had been developing new features to enable sellers introduce attributes to their listings more efficiently. “W e didn't remove bulk-edit because of any partnerships with third party apps, though we certainly encourage you to use those apps if they're helpful to your business,” Etsy said.

Meanwhile, Etsy recently launched a new addition aimed at craft-supply sellers. Called Etsy Studio, Erin Green, Etsy Canada’s managing director, says the craft-­supplies market is a “$44-billion market in the U.S. alone.”

Some of the features on Etsy Studio will include a how-to tutorial content. Sellers will also have the required materials listed out for them and they will be able to order them all from one place. “There really seems to be this need, or appetite, for combining inspiration as well as shopping in one place, and I think that Etsy Studio is the perfect platform to marry those two things,” Green said.