Admin's Etsy's Stores - Conflicts of Interest
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Original Post
I don't think it's fair that Admin's stores are picked for gift guides or featured on the front page.
I'm sure you guys have great stuff in your shops, but it's not fair.
Admin can see stats, correct? So you have an automatic advantage in your shops by seeing where your advertising dollars are working.
I've emailed Admin and I'd love to hear what other people think about this.
Like someone said in another thread (sorry I don't remember who!) "It's why radio hosts can't win their own contests."
Posted at 12:37pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
Responses
Come on, everybody knows Etsy threads are more important than real jobs :)
Posted at 12:39pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
Hi there,
Thanks so much for expressing your concerns with admins that have shops and the possibility of them being featured on the site. To be perfectly honest, we have an internal rule that items from admin shops are not to be featured on the homepage or in the gift guides.
This rule has been in effect for close to a year now and if for any reason you see an item featured on Etsy that might be from an admin shop, you are welcome to send us an email to community@etsy.com and we will have it removed.
Thanks again,
Mary
Posted at 1:00pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
I don't have an issue with them having shops, BUT I do think they should not be allowed to be featured anywhere. I feel it's a huge conflict of interest and favoritism.
Posted at 1:01pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
Mary, thanks for the information.
Can you answer my question: Can Admin see stats for their Etsy shops? Because that wouldn't be very fair either.
Posted at 1:07pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
briaberger,
I will repost what RobWhite posted in a similar thread this morning:
"Etsy admin do have access to site-wide stats relevant to their specific roles, so that they can do their jobs for the benefit of everyone. Just like every other member of the Etsy community, admin do not have specific stats for their own shops or the shops of others.
Having a seller's perspective likewise allows some admin to have a more complete perspective of Etsy, and to subsequently be better suited for their respective roles at Etsy. On the occasions in which these admin have access to site statistics, they are only used in the fulfillment of their respective responsibilities."
Thanks for asking,
Mary
Posted at 1:12pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
Also...from another thread...
stellaloella says:
I assure you that staff members have access to info only as it pertains to their jobs. That info is used to benefit the entire site and community, not any one individual and definitely not a staff member's personal Etsy shop.
Etsy staff do not get special perks for their personal shops. Staff have to pay the same fees as any other member. In addition, Admins' personal shops are ineligible for the highly-coveted promotional feature spots on the site such as the front page and the gift guides. That's a distinct disadvantage, actually. I know it was not always this way, but it is a strict policy now and has been for almost a year.
If you have additional concerns about these matters, I ask that you bring them up privately, either via email to community [!at] etsy.com or by Conversation to an Admin.
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I can't link to the thread because it was locked.But this answers the question of what perks Admin owned shops have...at least they have set up rules.
Posted at 2:58pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
Sometimes what one sees on blogs outside of Etsy does not mean that the information is correct or verified; in many cases it's presumed and people run with it. I don't run with it, though.
Posted at 3:25pm Nov 12, 2008 EST
