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Survey Says: International Seller Survey Results Are In
Story by muka
Published on February 25, 2009 in Etsy News 		Photo by

aliette

Thanks again to everyone who took the International Seller Survey, which was live from January 14-26, 2009.  Below are some of the findings.  Please bear in mind that this survey was not scientific and findings are provided for informational purposes only.  Etsy makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the results.

International Seller Survey Demographics

Nearly 1600 people took the survey, and almost all (97%) were women. Sixty-seven different countries from around the world were represented—from every continent except Antarctica!

Here is a quick look at survey takers by country and/or region (e.g., Europe) – no country within a region had more than 3% of the respondents. (Note: Countries are not double counted in regions, e.g,. UK is not also counted in Europe.)

For languages other than English, 20%-25% of survey respondents speak French, Spanish or Dutch with another 10%-15% each speaking Italian or German.  Many other languages, such as Hebrew and Thai, were also represented. Interestingly, however, when asked about what languages other than English respondents’ customers speak, the most common answer by far was French at over 40%, with German a distant second at 20%.

In terms of areas of the site our international sellers would like translated—either for themselves or their customers—Payment/Checkout was the number one choice.  Other areas included Terms of Use, the category list, search and registration. Thanks to all of you who offered to help with translation. It’s something we hope to do longer-term and it will be great to have this information when the time comes to put it on our road map.

 

International Currency, Payments & Shipping

We have heard from many non-U.S. sellers that would like more currency options on Etsy, and that they would also like Etsy to more clearly indicate that prices are in United States Dollars (USD).  We are looking at the best way to make this clearer. Although we don't have an exact timetable yet, we'll keep you posted.

In terms of payment options, nearly 100% of you chose PayPal as a preferred form of payment (multiple answers to this question were allowed), with the next most popular selection being credit card transactions processed by PayPal.  Direct Debit/Bank Transfer was an option that 21% of international sellers would like, especially those in Germany, Singapore and Australia, where these sorts of transactions are most common.

Shipping preferences and standards differ from country to country and region to region.  Almost all survey respondents are using local post offices to ship their items to customers, though the Italians noted their postal service was relatively unreliable.  Not many survey respondents use a premium shipper, but if they did it would likely be DHL.  Our friends in Canada are hampered by relatively high shipping costs—which they often do not feel they can pass on to their customers—and those in Singapore and Israel note that while their cost of shipping is not exceptionally high, home package delivery is not yet entirely commonplace in their countries. 

One thing most survey respondents agreed upon is that buyers often do not realize their orders are coming from another country.  As a result of this misunderstanding, many buyers often "convo" sellers outside their home countries to ask why shipment is taking so long.  In speaking with a few non-U.S. sellers about the possibility of somehow identifying a seller as international (based on the location of the buyer), there were equal arguments for and against this idea.  As it stands now, most sellers find that a "convo" or two is enough to properly set delivery expectations.  Some survey respondents also mentioned that they make a note of their location in the “message to buyers” email that buyers receive after making a purchase—great idea!

 

International Seller Marketing Approaches

The questions around marketing elicited some interesting information.  When asked how they had heard about Etsy for the first time, non-U.S. sellers said “word of mouth” most often (36%), with online avenues such as blogs or other websites making up the vast majority of the balance of answers.

The majority of international sellers also responded that their Etsy shop is their primary sales channel.  Craft or art fairs and their own websites follow in relatively distant second and third places.

In terms of promoting Etsy shops, many respondents indicated that social networking tools are becoming nearly as popular as their own blogs.  Multiple answers were allowed to this question, and Facebook, along with the seller’s own blog, are the dominant online promotion tools. Twitter is also quite popular.

Regional social networking sites like Mixi, hi5 and StudioVZ did not rank particularly high overall. Of the 1,335 non-U.S. sellers who answered this question, 204 (15%) said they do not use any social networking sites to promote their Etsy shops. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many of these respondents came from places (e.g., Israel) where offline sales accounted for a higher percentage of overall sales as compared to the international seller average.  Be sure to check out the Resources area for tools you can use to help promote your Etsy shop!

 

Final Comments

Over 1,000 respondents chose to answer the question: If you could ask Etsy to do one thing for international buyers, what would it be?  We received lots of useful comments and ideas, including several we’ve already touched upon like currency conversion and language translation. We also heard a more general plea for continued attention to issues unique to non-U.S. sellers. Our hope is that this survey is a step in that direction and we look forward to many more conversations with Etsians from around the world!

We also wanted to let you know that we want to make good on a couple of the more common requests, including an effort to add “Europe” as a shipping option. We will definitely keep you posted! 

We are adding several countries and territories to the shipping options (e.g., Kosovo, Dominica, Aruba) and made a few corrections and clarifications in the shipping profile area. I’m sure these findings are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the learning we can glean from our sellers around the world, and again we really appreciate all of the international respondents taking the time to share your experience and ideas.

Etsy International Posts | Survey Posts | Shop Local



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Tags announcements, data, demographics, Etsy International, Etsy News, information, international, internationalization, languages, Liz Wald, muka, research, selling, statistics, stats, surveys
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212 comments     Login to add your own!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:18 p.m. Sinta

Hurray for us international sellers ^_^ We rock. There's some really good results from this survey :) interesting too.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:18 p.m. pouch

Good to see the results and good tip about adding your location in “message to buyers” section.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:19 p.m. Diffraction

Good info. Thanks for publishing!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:20 p.m. Vanessa

And a bonus tip: add your geo info so people (including admin) can find you! Here's how to specify your location:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/ho...

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:24 p.m. PeriwinkleDzyns

Yeah for international sellers! The world is a smaller place, one Etsy transaction at a time

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:25 p.m. 4TheSparrowsNest

Etsy really is a global community; it's awesome to see all the efforts made to assist and accommodate everyone. Kudos, Etsy! So pleased to be part of it all!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. TheBroochBoutique

Wonderful to get all of the results. I participated myself and loved hearing other international sellers' input. Thanks so much for the information.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:29 p.m. novadesigns

Europe as a shipping option sounds great! Thank you Etsy for putting this together.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. EpicBones

oh wow! very interesting, this was a great idea, thanks!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. LittleCritters00

This is really awesome. I was wondering when the results would be in. Way to go International sellars :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:32 p.m. LittleCritters00

what some great finds. I add many to my favorites

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:33 p.m. AprilsFlowers

Thanks for the information. As a Canadian seller, I've found most customers are pleased to support international sellers and don't mind the extra shipping time.

Great article!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. heidiburton

Yay!
Europe shipping option would be fantastic :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:36 p.m. pandacub

I always thought that I was just being paranoid about having to pay higher postage costs in Canada and I definitely lose money on my shipping since I don't to charge an outrageous shipping cost and turn off buyers, but apparently (thanks to this survey), I'm not alone!

Great info - thanks so much to Etsy for doing this!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:37 p.m. BabbidgePatch

Great information. It's great to see that Etsy is globally focused ~ my first sale on Esty, nearly a year ago, was an international sale.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:39 p.m. therainbowroom

Thanks, Europe as a shipping option is top of my Etsy want list : )

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:41 p.m. TheSeed

And thanks to international buyers for being patient while waiting for items to ship from America!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:41 p.m. worksandfinds

Great article. I put international ship in my tags.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:42 p.m. queenBlingerie

I participated as well. Great to read the final results :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:42 p.m. ImJewelee

Oh this is a wonderful way to get our whole world together as one and in peace and harmony. I do ship internationally to everyone and I have not had one problem at all! Thank you Etsy for making the world a better place to live in! We are the World .....we are the people....remember that song?
♥ Julee

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. AliBaliJewellery

Great article, I took part in the survey so brilliant to see the results. Maybe some action soon too?

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. ellabellamay

Wonderful information for all of us, sellers and buyers, thank you for doing and publishing this survey!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. MysticSilks

Gee, I am going to learn the French language,:Heck I use their dyes and paints--:)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:44 p.m. polkadotsoup

Etsy is such a wonderful place for us all to connect - Thanks for the great article!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. loopityloopglam

Very helpful and easy to read. Thank you.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:45 p.m. waysideviolet

very interesting!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. niTeBecOmEsdAy

How wonderful to be part of such a diverse community here on etsy. I'm happy to ship anything anywhere from my shop.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. BizzieLizzie

Oh, I'm delighted with the results! LOVE having the International folks as part of my Etsy family! One day - I'm going to France - not just my bags!! =0)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. squareware

Interesting results. Thanks so much for undertaking this!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:50 p.m. Theartofcraft

Is it just me or is there NO mention here about allowing international sellers to pay fees via Paypal??

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:50 p.m. laurebelle

I am very proud to be a part of such an international business!

I am going to make it a point to visit more sites of my fellow international crafters!

Thank you Etsy and Blessings to all!!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:51 p.m. Charsbeads4U

What a great survey! =)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. tinahdee

This is very interesting and I thank you for compiling this information and disseminating it.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:52 p.m. mykonos

Great results!! and I am from Hong Kong.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:53 p.m. Sumikoshop

wow great article...

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. OhFaro

Nice read, very informative.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:56 p.m. zombuki

@ theartofcraft: As is no one can pay Etsy fees via Paypal, most of us would love to be able to I'm sure!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:56 p.m. Karmacrochet

Great info! Interesting results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:56 p.m. PipocaHandmade

67 countries! That's incredible. Thanks for this interesting survey.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:58 p.m. dogties

Amazing items...
So good to hear from those internationals out there.
Rock on Etsy!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:58 p.m. leolucaescobar

This is great! It's fab to know what % of people are international on Etsy.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:58 p.m. PaperLeaf

Really interesting survey and it's great to know that Etsy is so committed to international. A "europe" shipping option would be fantastic so I can't wait to see that happen!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 12:59 p.m. dbabcock

Good information. Thanks for sharing the results of the survey!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:02 p.m. mrowe

Thanks for the info! I think in my short time on Etsy I've sent more internationally than within the USA.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:05 p.m. carboniferous

Given that Canada and Europe make up nearly 50% of the international shoppers, I'm not surprised to see French as most common non-English language. C'est bon a savoir pour les promotions de shoppes :).

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:06 p.m. amiescardshoppe

great article, very interesting!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:06 p.m. BalaboostaBaby

Thanks for keeping us up-to-date. As a participant of the survey, it's nice to see the results and the similarities between international sellers. :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:09 p.m. ChocolateBeachFlower

this is a really interesting survey:) great to know that people around the world is here at etsy!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:09 p.m. FeltandWeave

As a complete new comer to etsy I found the responses very reassuring and look forward to stocking my shop in the near future.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:10 p.m. LaireMarie

Wow, impressive numbers...I had no idea!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:11 p.m. EmmaGordonLondon

Thank you from England! All sounds great!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:17 p.m. lsad

Thanks for this info!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:19 p.m. bonspielcreation

I &hearts pie charts! Good info.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:20 p.m. VAharoni

"Well wrote" "Well read"

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. karuski

Thanks for sharing the results! The first improvement could be the currency stated as USD, not only $

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. tortillagirl

I answered that survey and I'm happy to see the results of it. WOW. We're really growing internationally. In 2007 most of my buyers were in Europe, Australia and the U.S. with a sprinkling in Asia but in 2008 I had even more French buyers as well as others from countries to where I had never shipped before, like Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong. We're getting the word out!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. SteampunkMagpie

As a newbie this information is very interesting. I've just sent a package to USA, my first Magpie sale.
Etsy seems to have a high profile now. Thanks for the survey.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:22 p.m. brownbunnybyiris

VERY WELL DONE!!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:23 p.m. HibouCards

hip hip hip Houra! like we say in French! I'm French and I live in the US but I hope sell to my people back in France so all this info is very useful! Thanks a lot!

www.HibouCards.Etsy.com

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:25 p.m. BlueTerracotta

I participated too! I'm an American living in France, and I'd like to get the word out about etsy here in France! Thanks for publishing the results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. blynkenandnod

love it!

FYI- the language graph doesn't agree with the related text regarding German, Italian, and Dutch

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. cherrycreek

Awesome info! Thank you Etsy and international sellers!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:27 p.m. sweetbcosmetics

One!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:29 p.m. emcisaac

And perhaps the article could be translated into French immediately so that even more international clients can understand what you found more easily. Shouldn't cost that much to do.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. MGMart

Well done everyone :) Thanks for the article. Nice to see some of my friends works here!!
Best Regards from Hungary ~ Marianna

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. bbbennyandthejet

WOw.. great information!

Thank you for this survey, it's results AND the obvious concern for us international sellers/buyers!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. Snowberrylime

Great article! I also took part in the survey and love hearing the results. :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:40 p.m. PinkLemonadeBags

Very informative article and thanks to all who took the survey!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:41 p.m. MJBee

Great to see Etsy is such a global community, the results are really useful too :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:42 p.m. worksofwhimsy

Very interesting results. I'm a bit surprised Asia only represented 6.4% of survey responders--maybe the language barrier is to blame. I would think they make up a larger percentage of sellers than that.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:42 p.m. Clarikay

I actually think it would be a great idea to add paying Etsy fees via Paypal, and I'm not even what is considered "international". Having such small amounts charged to a credit card sometimes incur penalties by the credit card companies, particularly if you don't sell too much.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:42 p.m. syko

Yay for Europe as a shipping option! Thanks for doing this! A currency converter to Euros would be great too :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:44 p.m. SEOWebDesign

A GLOBAL WORLD OF ARTISTS UNITED BY THE AMAZING WORLD OF THE INTERNET! HOW WONDERFUL THAT ETSY IS REACHING ARTISTS IN EVERY CONTINENT.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. BlueStarlight

As buyers, we should indicate what country we are in, and buyers who are inquiring about shipping costs should be sure to advise what country they are in so they get correct information.

i.e. While I can ship many of my items in the US for $5.95 via Priority Mail, the same $5.95 will buy 1st Class mail to Canada, as Priority wuold be closer to $20.00.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:45 p.m. retrothreadz

It's fabulous to see the different cultures of Etsy..

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:47 p.m. janicej

Very interesting information. Will be good to see what comes of the results. Thanks!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:49 p.m. WHSKR

You are kidding me right 'about people not realising their stuff is coming from another country'?

If so I would put the blame squarely on the shoulders of those sellers who just put e.g. 'Shoreham' or 'Boston' or such like on their bios. Sorry, this is not enough. Not everyone in the world lives in the US (where the bulk of these mis-named locations come from) it should include their Country. Mine does.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. CutieDynamite

Really great info!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:51 p.m. FlanneryCrane

Interesting Article...thanks for sharing it.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:53 p.m. JessicaDoyle

This is wonderful. Yay for International sellers. Thanks for posting this. I wish Canadian shipping were cheaper but it isn't once you surpass the dreaded 2cm rule they have in place.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:57 p.m. millionminds

great article...thanks :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 1:59 p.m. theeye

interesting summation... now let's see some changes

p.s. not one Canadian artisan featured :(

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2 p.m. galit

I love being an international seller, and I'm always excited when my jewelry arrive to a new country!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2 p.m. thymbyldesigns

Thanks for wrapping these stats up!

A "Europe" option would really be helpful - better yet, a complete revamping of the shipping section, which would give sellers more freedom and make everyone here happy. Many good discussions on the forums 'bout that lately. ;)

And question: where did you put Ireland? Europe or UK?

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:05 p.m. quirke

If you will be adding more countries and territories to the shipping list, can you please please please please please consider adding an "eastern Canada" and "western Canada"?

The cost of shipping to the other side of my country is nearly twice the price of shipping to somewhere on this side.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:05 p.m. rubywren29

I'm really excited for the future of international sellers!

The best thing for me would be a way of having the buyer's currency as a default site option...eg. if you're in say Europe, setting Euro's at default currency.

I'm in the UK and feel my 'native buyers' are put off by dollars...I've had to set up my own UK shop to sell in GBP£...which of course, you lose the fabulous benefits from selling on Etsy.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. 1dream

Good info!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. yourfabricplace

Thanks for sharing the survey results. Very useful info!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:06 p.m. kittybblove

Love the visuals, Thanks muka!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:09 p.m. PointyPaws

Thank you for gathering this info for us!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:13 p.m. dragonhouseofyuen

pleasure to take part!

I already mention in Notes To Seller that I ship from Scotland!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. Nikifashion

GREAT INFO! THANKS!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. oritdotandolls

Thanks-very intresting to know

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:21 p.m. crochetgal

Thanks very much. There is so much that we take for granted here in the USA. Its nice to see the world through someone elses glasses for a change.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:22 p.m. Enthral

So now that you've seen the results of the survey, and they pretty much mirror what international sellers have been saying over and over again in the forums for the last few years, do you have a time line to do anything about our concerns, or will this all be tucked away in some file folder?

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:25 p.m. reqbat

interesting about the french!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. AnvilArtshop

That's a great tip to add my shipping location in "notes to Seller"... off to change that now! :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. annarubyking

great to see the result! can't wait to see some of the planned updates!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:36 p.m. knittingpanda

I'm going to get on this train and say YES to Europe shipping option. Thanks so much for the international interest.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:40 p.m. danitashop

Very interesting... Now I know I need to learn French =)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:40 p.m. Jealousydesign

Thanks for doing this! great to see the result.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:44 p.m. Stemellina

GREAT info! Many thanks!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:48 p.m. bylynnkrestel

great to know we're not alone out here!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:49 p.m. hoganfe

thanks!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 2:54 p.m. WeeCuteTreasures

Very interesting and lots of food for thought. Also great to know that we 'internationetsyists' are not alone. Thank you.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:12 p.m. dvawolk

I am new to this great place. If i would be here before, one more male would add to this survey :-)

Anyhow it is an interesting survey, i have read this article with a great interest!

Cheers,
Klemen

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:12 p.m. art2theextreme

Thank you for the useful info! It is always nice to see graphs (since I am an art teacher and like to SEE things)!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:13 p.m. dvawolk

Oh, one more point for adding Europe shipping option :-)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:14 p.m. DeliciousCrochet

Oh, thank you so much for sharing this great info!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:32 p.m. lazygiraffe

Nice to see the results back, looking forward to seeing the comments being acted upon, I did notice a lot of 'we'll keep you posted' in this article rather that 'we are doing this.'

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:33 p.m. Aerisjewellerydesign

Interesting info, thank you for sharing!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:35 p.m. cherbie

thanks for reporting this!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:37 p.m. BetaBoutique

That is very very helpful, thanks a lot for summary and i am looking forward for some improvements for us - international sellers.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:38 p.m. EJPcreations

SUCH GOOD INFORMATION!!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:38 p.m. beatrixmoldesigns

Very informative survey. Great to see Australia represented so well, Thanks to all participating ...Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:38 p.m. AMIdesigns

very interesting! thanks

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. LianaKabel

Thanks for taking that extra look at us. Interesting to see what happens as a result.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. MaribelleCampa

Yey!!!! Viva el planeta Tierra!!!! Go Planet Earth!!!!

There is no limit to imagination!!

There are no limits on Etsy!!

Smile!!!

MaribelleCampa

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:43 p.m. ennadoolf

Great information! Thanks for constantly improving the Etsy selling experience.

...it's a small world after all...
[smile]

Feb. 25, 2009 at 3:58 p.m. nicoletter

Thank you for this real interesting informations.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:01 p.m. PurplePeony

Great to see 'official' information, cause we havent told you any of this in the forums right?

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:04 p.m. Lissa1031

I have always been amazed by the diversity on sellers on Etsy and I love that I can shop internationally without leaving the comfort of my own home or still shop locally if I choose.

Although this information is very valuable, it would be even more meaningful to know what percentage of sellers are from the United States to compare it with these stats.

Just a thought.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:14 p.m. iomiss

Thanks Muka! so interesting!!!

Gracias Muka! que interesante!!!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:30 p.m. percivalroad

thanks for thinking about us International users!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. fraeuleinherz

so good to know that etsy also takes care of the international sellers! thank you!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 4:42 p.m. raisinlike

More people use LinkedIn than Flickr?? Thst is so strange. I can't remember seeing any Etsian I know on LinkedIn..

Feb. 25, 2009 at 5:17 p.m. sweetpea4kids

Great article, makes interesting reading.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 5:46 p.m. FascinatingHobbies

thanks for collecting and giving us all the information, big work very interesting results and hope this will help to buy and sell internationaly, overall about shipping terms.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 5:51 p.m. meringueshop

We have heard from many non-U.S. sellers that would like more currency options on Etsy, and that they would also like Etsy to more clearly indicate that prices are in United States Dollars (USD). We are looking at the best way to make this clearer. Although we don't have an exact timetable yet, we'll keep you posted.
--------------------------------------------------------
You've been told this for over three years. You've always said it's something you're working on. Frustrating. Very frustrating.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 5:52 p.m. beaulyben

thank you for all your hard work it was interesting to read the results

Feb. 25, 2009 at 5:54 p.m. Mossmottle

I'm really looking forward to seeing a more internationalist etsy! If so many other sites allow the individual user to click on location or choose currency with ease right at the start, and have done so for years, then why not etsy? I think it will be a tremendous step forward.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6 p.m. 2BellesBeads

Very interesting. I never would have guessed some of those numbers.

We *heart* our international customers!! :)

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6:10 p.m. rejenerate

Fingers crossed for some positive actions from these survey results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6:20 p.m. OneHundredYears

I love selling from Australia to everywhere in the world. It's great to say to family and friends 'I've just sold a dress to a girl in Canada' or Seattle or where ever! (They are always impressed). Thank you Etsy for making a great international community for buyers and sellers. I'm sure the improvements that you're working on will make it even better! :-) Carli.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6:39 p.m. bluewhitejewelrywear

Great info - Thanks for the conducting the survey and posting the results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6:42 p.m. skully

Quote:We have heard from many non-U.S. sellers that would like more currency options on Etsy, and that they would also like Etsy to more clearly indicate that prices are in United States Dollars (USD). We are looking at the best way to make this clearer. Although we don't have an exact timetable yet, we'll keep you posted.

Well I would have thought this was a no brainer and that you have already answered your question as to the best way of indicating that the prices are in United States Dollars... You just put USD before each dollar sign

How hard is it? USD$ .... see it's easy!

That's utterly laughable that you are still fobbing us off with this rubbish!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 6:52 p.m. hempandmore

Thanks for the report! The social networking stuff was pretty interesting just alone! Also that French is the 2nd most common language.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:17 p.m. bonspielcreation

Aha! That's why my Bun changepurse was getting so many views. I'm in Canada, now I am off to the post office to mail stuff to people in Lithuania and Greece (exotic places to me).

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:32 p.m. HansenSoapCo

I am glad that the survey showed some positive results.

I am also very happy that the shipping issue in Canada I brought up many times was mentioned, but I'd love to see more posted about our issues with ridiculously high shipping costs here so people don't think they are being ripped off.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:44 p.m. wildcatdesigns

It's great to hear the results of the survey - and interesting too. Also glad to see familliar issues raised by others!

I'm always grateful that etsy enables me to reach such a global audience from my Scottish home, and as OneHundredYears says, it's such a thrill to be able to say I'm posting a scarf to someone in New York, Berlin or Taiwan to my friends & family!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:55 p.m. bhangtiez

So interesting 2 c it all graphed out...ETSY is such an awesome global place...thanks ETSY & ETSY-N'S!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:56 p.m. peoplescouture

very useful info, thanks.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 7:57 p.m. pleasurearts

thank you for the information, it is helpful!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:03 p.m. indivisual

truly fascinating information!
thank you etsy.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:06 p.m. myetsyshop

cool! wonderful results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:07 p.m. AISHAX

very useful information indeed. i should pick up french as a third language lol

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:15 p.m. strawberrycouture

I really appreciate this information. I had a buyer from Vancouver, british Coloumbia,Canada. Its been 3 weeks that her package has not arrived. i explained to her and in my shop policies that the package has to go through customs. So on and so forth.

Also, I expected the common most second language here to be Spanish. I'm surprised it's French. LOL!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:15 p.m. beckababe

great info, TY for sharing the results!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:23 p.m. bunnyboutique

Fantastic, raising awareness about international sellers issues is going to help the etsy community grow and flourise.
I took the surver, so thanks etsy for caring and releasing the survey.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:29 p.m. zakkaArt

thanks muka for featuring my MiniDuo Owl!!!!^_^

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:39 p.m. angelene

YAY! Thank you etsy for this survey, can't wait to see some of the recommendations implemented.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:44 p.m. 3dots

Useful info! Thanks for sharing the results! Merci beaucoup! :D

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:52 p.m. bettula

I love surveys!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 8:53 p.m. KellesKitchen

Great info! I wish more sellers would list city and state (and country!) in their location. Sometimes just the city is listed and if you click it will come up with many locations across the world. This could assist buyers in locating the origin of the seller prior to purchase as well!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 10:33 p.m. foxaz

I love surveys!
I especially love it when information from surveys actually is used to shape the future.
Guess you folks have some work to do now!

Feb. 25, 2009 at 11:15 p.m. rubyjo

First priority should go to making it clear that etsy is in US dollars. End of story.

This would have a major impact for International sellers and the current situation is really hurting us. Everything else cam come later but this can't wait.

Feb. 25, 2009 at 11:38 p.m. AKjapan

I agree with KellesKitchen. I would like to see the COUNTRY in all locations. USD specified would also be useful.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 12:12 a.m. artdecadence

It's always good to be able to see the results of surveys taken...and I do like some visuals such as graphs! Issues raised were ones I expected...surprised at French as opposed to Spanish but maybe that's because most usa sellers wouldn't have participated..look forward to some changes in the future tho still surprised at the number of usa sellers who don't have an international shipping cost.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 12:42 a.m. celebrationinclay

Interesting results and informative article! Thanks, also, to those of you who are making comments, because I have learned some surprising things from you all (I am a new seller)... making updates to my store information right away!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 1:22 a.m. mayney

Interesting!! very useful indeed. Thanks for sharing.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 1:27 a.m. pinkdesigns

Thanks etsy admin for continuing to improve the site. We are all working together to really make this work, and I'm glad I'm a part of this creative superstore!! Let's make 2009 our best yet sellers!!! Let's make the effort to promote each other and buy from each other. Go etsy!!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 1:33 a.m. ArtMind

YaY! So great to read about the results! Thanks heaps!
Can't wait for the Europe shipping option! :)

Feb. 26, 2009 at 1:52 a.m. handmadeinisrael

Great article! Thanks for all then info!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 2:30 a.m. argonzales

This was so useful! Thanks so much for paying attention to us non-US sellers!!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 2:50 a.m. cathysavelspaintings

Great information!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 2:54 a.m. Yoola

Super !!! it was really interesting to read the results, thanks for thinking of us. Keep it on and let us pay our etsy bill using Paypal.....

Feb. 26, 2009 at 3:45 a.m. SWANclothing

yey Canada! yey French! that's such nice news. being an english/french speaking Canadian who does suffer from ridiculous Canadian shipping rates. i take the cut usually, and doing my taxes this year it added up to $700 in shipping charges i covered myself. unreal. this seems unsolvable, canada post doesn't seem to care. it is reliable post though.

thanks for the great information. i wish i had taken the survey, i was offline at the time gearing up for spring!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 4:52 a.m. Iammie

Nice article ^^

Feb. 26, 2009 at 4:59 a.m. AnnLuise

thanx a lot. The whole survey is realy interesting. Didn´t know that there are so many germans joining in here. Maybe I see some of them every day and don´t know that we belong to the etsy community, ;-).

Feb. 26, 2009 at 5:47 a.m. nichan

oh...i wish i could participate in this survey...
it's very strange that some people don't notice where their goods come from (^.^)'...
i hope this survey can be useful for all countries around the world, to the smallest one...

Feb. 26, 2009 at 6:24 a.m. allthosethrees

Great info, thanks guys. :)

Nice to hear that you're taking it all on board - especially currency conversion! WANT. lol

Love xxx

Feb. 26, 2009 at 6:56 a.m. PALEOLOCHIC

Great to see the results! way to go, and hoping to see the Europe shipping option soon, Thank You Etsy!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 7:10 a.m. BugsInRugs

Glad to see this here, thanks for mentioning the currency issues.

However, the two points I didn't see which concern me
1. A ship to destination filter so that buyers can filter our seller who won't ship to them, and can see the ones who will
2. When oh when will we be able to pay our fees with paypal and avoid paying two lots of currency conversion fees.

Thanks for what's there.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 7:15 a.m. BugsInRugs

Forgot to add, it says where the item is being shipped from in the item description...

Feb. 26, 2009 at 7:24 a.m. sassalynne

All very useful information. I look forward to seeing future developments.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 8:09 a.m. RelovedDecor

Thanks so much for the opportunity to shape etsy's future... the article was very informative.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. licgifts

Wow! No wonder we are getting a lot of International Orders from CANADA & Europe. Thanks Etsy!!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 8:35 a.m. cowboycustom

Welcome, bienvenue, bienvenidos, international buyers! We have had some fabulous international buyers of our Cowboy and Horse tack. We have sold gemstone jewelry overseas, too. Thanks Etsy for the great statistics!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 8:52 a.m. StudioDeanna

Thank you for compiling these results, I was curious about other international sellers here on Etsy =)

Feb. 26, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. junquerevival

wow...quite an eye opener!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. LaBandadeiCalzini

Great. Thankyou!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 11:07 a.m. SpringColors

thank you for the interesting information

Feb. 26, 2009 at 11:10 a.m. matilou

thanks a lot for this article muka !!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 11:25 a.m. squarejane

thanks so much for this, i will now add to my store, "on parle francais."

Feb. 26, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. Glitzer

Thanks for collating the data! Very helpful!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 12:42 p.m. bonspielcreation

I encourage all you international (especially Canadian) sellers to not undercharge for shipping. My buyers don't mind paying it when they know it is the actual shipping cost, not gouging. They are usually pleasantly surprised how quickly they get the item, too. and, Theeye, I'm Canadian and my green bun purse is featured here!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. danugs

Very good analysis of the survey and quite interesting results. I was quite pleased to participate and find out that etsy is trying its best to deal with all this diversity!
Thanks a lot!!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 1:46 p.m. babytogo

Great article. Very helpful.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 2:38 p.m. sorellina

Very interesting, thanks for this article!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 4:13 p.m. stitchknitsew

Good choice for a survey, very helpful information.

Feb. 26, 2009 at 4:59 p.m. mpaperarts

So interesting! Thank you for informing us sellers...we love it!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 5:52 p.m. HansenSoapCo

Like Yoola said, to pay the ETSY BILL VIA PAYPAL!! This is super important. I can't believe this still isn't an option! Very annoying!

Feb. 26, 2009 at 8:50 p.m. OpusMuse

Thank you for the stats! Interesting read. :)

Feb. 27, 2009 at 3:21 a.m. lesthings

Really interesting,I answered to this survey and was waiting for the results.
On top of my suggestions was and still is a currency converter to euros,please:))

Feb. 27, 2009 at 4:04 a.m. MicroCirqueRinka

Wow, that's amazing how international Etsy is growing!! I'm so proud to be a part of this community!
Thank for all this information, this survey and I hope Etsy will keep on growing and expanding =)

Feb. 27, 2009 at 5:45 a.m. BusyBeeBumbleBeads

Thank you for this fabulous article. Very important information to know. Thanks again!

Feb. 27, 2009 at 9:22 a.m. enfantjoli

would be nice to add europe as a shipping option. one buyer did not convo me for shipping costs and as he kept trying to make the purchase it would say you cannot buy from your country. I had not filled in the everywhere else. Once I got the shipping costs and inserted it the purchase went smoothly. Fortunately it was a friendly buyer and I learned something too.

Feb. 27, 2009 at 9:23 a.m. Timeless

Seeing how this survey did not even cover half of the problems non-US sellers (and not 'international' as we are all international..) have to deal with, I was hoping to at least see a time line for the problems you did manage to get into this survey.

But no, it's another 'we are hearing you, we are working on it' line. How very Etsy of you... (and no, that's not a compliment.)

*sigh*

Feb. 27, 2009 at 1:42 p.m. ThePurpleHouse

Good stuff. Thank you!

Feb. 28, 2009 at 3:33 a.m. skully

Timeless I agree with you. The "We are working on it" Line has worn to thin with me. There are only so many times you can say that without producing any resultant changes before it becomes a meaningless exercise of blowing smoke up an orifice it doesn't belong in.

The 'USD$' symbol next to every price on the site is basic, not hard to achieve and of utmost importance in the global market, yet still they say "We are looking at the best way to make this clearer. Although we don't have an exact timetable yet, we'll keep you posted."

It is utterly laughable that people are still thanking them for this exercise in smoke blowing!

Feb. 28, 2009 at 3:35 a.m. leatherprince

Great information!

Feb. 28, 2009 at 3:59 a.m. TheNebulousKingdom

Thank you very much for this article Muka :)
It sounds so exciting for us International sellers!

March 1, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. MySerenityWay

I'm fairly new to ETSY and had no idea!! The comments so far are from one end to the other. I don't have enough experience here to have much of an opinion, but am glad for all the opportunities there are to learn. Thanks to everyone for being my teacher. I've had a few contacts with overseas sellers and was so excited. I'm a small town kinda lady with little travel experience.
Thanks, Cathy

March 2, 2009 at 8:44 a.m. nenufarblanco

Thank you for this article. Great information!

March 2, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. WindmillHillArtisans

Great article. Thanks. I've had buyers from Canada and lots of lookers from many other countries,
Laura

March 2, 2009 at 7:12 p.m. AliceStroppel

Very useful information, thank you.

March 3, 2009 at 2:12 p.m. Vivantestudio

Fantastic to read how people learn about the Etsy shops...especially how important the blogs are in promotion...a great survey . Thank you.

March 3, 2009 at 3:45 p.m. missyarpington

Great article!
One of the things I love about Etsy is getting to see geographically where Etsy members are practicing their craft and creating, and what variety of items sellers around the world offer in their shops. It's always exciting when a purchase from Etsy arrives, but when that purchase arrives from far, far away, there's something special about knowing that you've personally supported the creativity and vision of someone at a great distance from where you live.

Maybe it's fanciful, but it delights me to think that in spite of what may be the political climate of the world today, through creativity and community we can all act as ambassadors in a way, sharing ideas and enjoying each other's contributions to the arts and crafts. I've purchased incredible items from Italy (Mireloom's gorgeous scarves!), Belgium (Enfin, La Voila's precious correspondence cards!), China (innovative, graceful, OOAK clothing from Idea2lifestyle!) and Canada (bigyellowtaxi's well-curated vintage items!), to name a few, and I cherish the contacts I've made around the world through Etsy. If anything, meeting Etsy sellers in different states and countries from myself has only served to futher inflame my wanderlust! Purchasing from and meeting Etsy sellers who live beyond my own neck of the woods gives me a delicious sense of being a part of a 'global village', one I am so happy to be a member of. Hooray for Etsy for bringing so many diverse and creative individuals together from around the globe!

March 9, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. risingphoenixtoys

I've been trying to appeal to international buyers. This information will be very helpful! Thank you!

March 13, 2009 at 5:39 p.m. redpossum

thanks so much Etsy for including the rest of the world! i hope that etsy will soon become truely international!

March 20, 2009 at 9:26 a.m. vividcolors

Thanks! Hope to see more shops shipping to Europe from now on!

Nov. 11, 2009 at 5:43 a.m. kettlestitch

Thanks, Could you please also add 'Asia Pacific' to the shipping destinations? (this will be very helpful for Australian sellers!) :)

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