Given the expense of the Showcases compared with even high traffic shopping blogs which sell space by the month, I'm wondering when/if Etsy will provide some statistics on Showcase traffic, average click through rates, etc. to potential advertisers. This is a very standard expectation when it comes to buying advertising.

It should be interesting to see how this works. I, like simonewalsh, would really like some stats from THE showcase. Breaking it down by category could work well.

yay! thank you!

I can't imagine spending more than double on a showcase spot without some sort of stats. In addition, $7 is well within the average indie artist's budget, while $15 seems to be a bit out of reach for some. I don't see myself paying it.

I understand why the price of the main showcase will be raised, but I would love to see some stats before purchasing. But I love the idea of special category showcases!

I seem to remember a long while ago, that Etsy said that it would never allow someone to buy a spot on the front page. Now they can. Now it seems that it is going to be something that extends to every page in the site. Not in favor of this. Etsy is becoming too commercial and drifting away from their original goal of getting away from being like the big companies (Walmart, Ebay, etc.) Just my opinion.

I am afraid that this breaks the budget for me on etsy. Being able to afford a showcase regularly has been part of what makes etsy a great place to be and do business. But a more than double increase? Shades of other high cost sites.

I'm excited for this change. I think I will definitely try one main showcase and a jewelry showcase if I can nab a spot(you guys are usually too quick for me)!

It's really great to have more ways of promoting our shops on the site!

I have been unable to get a main showcase page as of yet, and with such a huge increase, I definetly won't beable to now! Not in favorof such a big increase. $10 would be a nicer transition. I am, however, definetly in favor of more showcases! Thats awesome for sure!

For those specific categories having an additional showcase will be interesting. It sounds good . . . 15 seems high but to not have to list or relist items in catagories that fly by will be nice. I look forward to seeing how this will work.

$15 for 24 hours seems high to me. In my experience they don't get that much traffic. Can we have some stats?

Interesting to see the upelling go into overdrive. I suppose it's better than upping the listing fees.

*upselling.

upselling?

Although I agree with the idea of categorizing the showcases, $15 and still no outside advertising?? You are extracting the proverbial, my friends!

What a rip off!

Thanks for the info was not sure how to get items into one of your showcases.

$15 is pretty pricey! The front page showcase may become Battle of the Supply Shops, since they're the only ones who can afford it.

Just to clarify- the main showcase will remain the same. It will be linked from the front page, but will not show individual items from the showcase directly on the front page.

Etsy actually does quite a bit of external advertising, and has gotten a number of press write-ups recently as well. To see the press coverage we've been getting, click EtsyinthePress under "Featured columns" on the left.

Martha Stewart even said she "loves Etsy" on her show :)

Having a feature written about you is not the same as paid advertising!

I'm agreeing that the cost is too high. There may be high demand to get one of the spots, but I've also heard a lot of people say once they got a spot, it didn't bring in much traffic, or any sales.

I agree it's great to have more ways to promote our individual shops. That said the wonderful clean look of Etsy seems to be slowly be disappearing.

I'm incredibly disappointed--homepage showcases have been a big part of the way I advertise, but more than doubling the price--without stats, as others have stated--puts it out of my range.

Category Advertising: Good Idea!
However, I haven't seen the value of the showcase doubling. Sure, it's in high demand, but the actual value of the advertising doesn't seem to be on par with the cost.
I could see a $2 or $3 increase in response to demand, but double?

Well, was thinking about doing it. Until I read some of the comments above. Now I am just not sure it would be worth the price? I am new here and trying to get folks to visit. Just not sure if I want to put out that much for a 24 hour spot. When I can make up alot of flyers and print my photos on them and they can see my items along as they keep the flyer. Will be watching to see if anyone says it is worth it or not. But, The ideal sounds good yet to high for me.

Hmmm. On the one hand I like the idea of category specific advertising. But I wonder if it will be distracting and draw attention away from the rest of the items on the page-- is it going to be only on the first main category page, or will it be at the top of every page in that category?

And I agree with everyone that $15 for a front page showcase is too high. i did two showcases recently and while I got some views and hearts I didn't make any sales directly from it, so i don't know how worth it is was. I would try again for $7. For $15... eh. Show me stats and maybe I'll consider it.

While I like the idea of more options for advertising, I hope that it doesn't grow to the point of overloading the site and distracting from all the other sellers who can't afford to spend money on showcases. I could see a situation where people are forced to buy showcases or get completely ignored, and that would be really unfortunate.

I guess there's a balance that has to be reached.

Do I understand this correctly, that the jewelry showcase would be displayed when someone uses the Category feature?

That's right, the when you click on the jewelry category, you'd see the jewelry showcase.

We're following your comments and we're working on a followup article to give you some more info.

Interesting development... Increasing the price of the main showcase by more than twofold seems pretty drastic, and the cost is likely to be prohibitive for many.
What is the timeline for rolling out Category Showcases for other categories?
Thanks!

I'd like to see a screen shot of how the category showcases will look. I would not like if if it took the most recently listed too far out of view. How many slots will there be?

I'm having some sticker shock at the $15 showcase prices. I can't imaging raising my prices that dramatically in one swoop. I agree that the $7 was worth getting a few extra views and hearts, but with no stats about direct sales from showcase clicks I'd have a hard time with it.

Here's a stat: I gained 14 hearts yesterday (I had a main showcase). That's 11 more than my average of 3 hearts on a non showcase day. No sales came in yesterday, but I had one convo asking about something that was not featured in the showcase. Hopefully that it will turn into a sale, but not holding my breath, and I have no way of knowing whether that person found my by clicking through from showcase or some other way.

Now just doing a little math: At $7 with 36 slots x 30 days, etsy is receiving $7,560 a month from showcase sales - at $15, that increases to $16,200 - it seems like some kind of outside advertising could come out of that!

My concern is that if I don't buy a showcase, I also won't draw any drop-ins at my shop. It's hard enough to get the attention one desires and needs to survive without being in competition with those willing to pay for the spotlight at the expense of the ordinary shopkeeper.

Uh, 15 bucks for the homepage showcase? What?

Looking forward to the follow up article....

I don't see a link on the showcase page for the category showcases, just the one for homepage, halloween and storque showcases.

I did not read that the homepage showcase will actually be placed on the homepage - am I missing something?

I think it will remain the way it is now, with the banner underneath the top navigation - and with the frontpage being picked from treasuries.

I can't judge the showcase price, since I haven't yet been tempted - but the category approach seems like a good idea, at least for the categories going on sale first.

Some people are mixing up "Homepage" with "Front Page". The front page is picked from the treasuries and has nothing to do with the showcase. The Homepage of the showcase is where you arrive when you click on "Main Showcase" at the top of the page, or "Showcase" in the navigation menu on the left hand side of the Etsy Homepage. Va bene?

Add my name to the list of those suffering from sticker shock as a result of the price increase. And...I would definitely like to see some stats, too.

$15 for 24 hours is pretty darn steep. I have purchased showcase spots in the past...maybe 3 or 4 days total. So far, I have never had a sale from the showcase. As a result, I had already decided that the showcase was not my best advertising route. But seriously...there are some big name shopping blogs that offer more reasonably priced advertising opportunities than this new showcase price. (all of whom provide click through stats for your perusal before paying for advertising, btw.) No, there's no guarantee that one will get a sale from those ads either. But, I'd rather try a new venue than continue to throw money at something that has not worked for me in the past. This price hike is just another deterrant.

Also...with the increase in showcase options, why does the price need to go up?

Kudos to admin for showing an interest in helping artists in the more "crowded" categories get more visibility. I'm not really sure that this particular approach will be helpful to me, but I'm definitely happy to see some options.

I don't think I would spend $15 on advertising in which I have no way of knowing if that advertising is successful. It kind of seems like ebay--where you pay a ridiculous amount of money to be at the top of listings. I think this is dangerous because it leaves out sellers who are just starting out. I like the fact that etsy is a place that everyone is treated equally--the top sellers as well as the little guy. I hope that never changes.

Well, I for one like both ideas. There is a very high demand for showcases and they sell out like hot cakes. Raising the price is logical - supply and demand. Raise the price and the demand will go down (slightly). I do think it's a big jump though...I can advertise for a month on some decent blogs for around $15.

But I'm excited about the category showcase idea. Sign me up! :)

I'm afraid my main showcase days are over. I was thinking about advertising elsewhere for $30/month. That makes even more sense to me now. $15 for one day is too much for my budget.

I'm curious to see how the category showcases go. It worries me that newly listed items won't get the attention they need when they're new and on the category pages. We'll soon see how it all works out.

Will the jewelry showcase be shown only when they click "buy" and then "jewelry"?

Or will it be showed when anyone just searches for any kind of jewelry?

I don't know if I will pay $15 for a showcase spot. That is a little too much.

Adding to what dotty said:

I usually get about 3 or 4 showcase spots a month and that is $45 or $60. With that amount of money, I can pay for a spot on a good blog for a month and get good sales from there.

I loved Etsy's front page when it was just clean. Now there is just too much on the front page.

As a buyer, I don't like this change. I want to view relevant matches, not 'sponsored matches' first. No no no.

Is there a thread in the forums to discuss this instead of posting in comments?

Honestly, $15 for a spot on the homepage showcase is really reasonable still especially since category showcases will just be $7. Those pages should actually be worth more anyway since you'll be getting better quality views, not just a lot of clickthroughs. A 1/4 page ad in ReadyMade for 1 month in some random area of the magazine is over $600/per issue. With so much traffic, its actually a lot of bang for your buck.

Also, due to the increase, sellers will have to think more carefully and be judicious about posting only their best items because it's more of an investment. The highest quality items being seen on the front will reflect well for everyone.

Just to make this clear - the Main Showcase link will remain exactly as it is now. The Main Showcase will not be ON the front page of Etsy - that stays static with Treasuries, recently listed items, Storque ticker, and Featured Seller.

I know this isn't what you guys are looking for (and we're still working on a showcase article for you with more info), but I thought I'd point out this article on general Etsy site stats:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/e...

Yeeeowch!

Stats are a must. How many sales are coming from the main showcase?

I know that I never look in there, and I don't use the categories page either. I wonder how many other people skip them, too.

I would really appreciate more effort in allowing all artists being found in search (having the search be relevancy based, instead of chronological).

Between the need to renew constantly to be seen, and now huge costs per day for showcases....Etsy seems more and more expensive for less and less. (IMHO) In the meantime, I'm working my tail off promoting myself AND Etsy elsewhere.

Does Etsy need these funds for something, or are these showcases for increasing curated content and filling the high demand for showcases? As people have stated many times, showcases bring many hearts, few sales. I am guessing that mostly veteran Etsy users are browsing in there, thus the hearts. I cannot fathom how that would be worth $15.

Anyway, I thought the mission of Etsy was sales and crafting for the really small business person. From the increasing number of 'How do I close my shop' threads in forums, it seems to not be working out for more and more people.

Bummer, the new categories don't relate to my items and now I won't be able to afford a regular showcase either. Hmmm

I started a thread if anyone wants to talk about it....
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php...

This used to be a free feature for all newly listed items.

It was removed in V2, despite the fact that many people asked for it back.

Now it's back and at a fee!

As for increasing the price of the main showcase - the showcase is often overshadowed by other announcements or extra "special" showcases. I think that if Etsy is really going to start charging for these things they can't just make sweeping changes that affect the showcase's visiblity after the spots have already been purchased.

stamp, we've never offered the Showcase as a free feature for fewly listed items -- are you thinking of the time machine perhaps?

Chris: Not a Showcase. We used to have the categories page where the newly listed items are shown (with pictures). Of course, I don't have a screenshot. But you should. That was in beta.

OOOOOHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Don't change the time!!!

I got out of bed at 6:50 am for this (I live in Australia).

=(

I agree $15 is too high. And I'm Etsy's #1 cheerleader.

...well after FortCloudy and Lollibomb anyway.....

category-specific Showcase ????????
sounds alot like Ebay featured listings.

Great idea! At last a fighting chance for those of us living outside the US!

I like the idea of the cat showcases------I think they will actually be more productive for us than the homepage or storque spots. BUT, $15 for a homepage spot is way too high!!

Oh its moved to Saturday! Heavens! I will have to remember this as it's the week-end for me then!!

$15 is waaaaayyyyyy to steep!!!! Especially lacking stats on effectiveness.

With all the posts about time here, I am getting confused!!
The time is still Friday, Nov 2 @ 6pm, right??

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

I agree that $15 is a steep increase.

I try to purchase the max of showcases every time I am around a comp. when they go on sale. Lately it seems hit or miss with sales/views/hearts. I don't think I will purchase homepage showcase spots from now on. Maybe I will try it once and see how it goes, since it is holiday time.

In beta the newly listed items were featured like this.

For free.

I miss that feature. Now I feel like I am being pressured into paying more money not to get buried in the categories.

I don't think that I would mind spending $15 for a main showcase spot (assuming I can ever be online at the right time to get one). I do, however, agree that there is getting to be a bit too much on the front page. Could be a bit overwhelming for the new etsy shopper.

Grarrrrgh! Tomorrow now?? Suspense kills!

(kidding - I would not normally mind it being 9am on Saturday my time, except that I'll be enroute to the airport this particular Saturday at 9am. Pfft!)

$15 is a little high for the main Showcase, paritcularly since there's no stats available, but with the current demand... I can see the point.

I too am worried about the category Showcases pushing down the newly-listed items. Personally, I think these shouldn't be cheaper than the main ones - people in the category already when they click on a Showcase are already more your target market and I think that targeting is valuable.

i've done showcases before, but i never got any sales from it.
i agree with everyone who says that 15.00 is too high a price for only 24 hours.
for someone who is lucky to have 1 sale a month, that price is ridiculous.
i was able to justify the 7.00 fee, but i wouldn't be able to handle 15. i know there are those who can, and more power to them, but if this site is supposed to be about the artists, and not the commercial facets, then what's with the large increase?

*hides from possible stoning*

OUCH! I'm not understanding why when Etsy creates new showcases=new revenue that they then also need to increase the price of standard showcase. Also, I thought that Etsy was committed to not filling the site with ads, but that is exactly what is happening.

I recently purchased a storque showcase spot and was non-plussed with the results.

poo, i dont want to wait

Also, I thought that Etsy was committed to not filling the site with ads, but that is exactly what is happening.

-----

Exactly! Now it's just a website full of ads!

greedy is the nicest word I can think of...

As a seller what can we expect in return for this price increase? Fixed search function? Outside advertising? Maintenance of a separate site for supplies & vintage?

The biggest reason I joined Etsy was that it didn't *feel* like feebay, and this has a distinctly ebay feel to it. =(

Just want to echo some voices above:

I don't like the idea of paid ads showing up all over the place on Etsy.

I don't like the idea of category specific showcases, but at the same time, I feel like I better buy a spot in one or risk losing the (increasingly dwindling) little exposure I am able to wring out of new listings.

I liked the clean look of Etsy 6 months ago. IMO, the home page is cluttered looking now with several showcase/contest banners, the storque ticker, etc.

first off: i love the category-specific showcase idea, and will probably try to purchase a spot there. but as much as i'm feeling the hurt from being a jewelry seller in an overcrowded category, i think that a more discreet banner for a category showcase is more etsy-ish. similar to what is already in place for the main showcase on the homepage.

sponsored links are sponsored links -- people will respond poorly to what is effectively unwanted advertising. as one buyer-only in this thread has already pointed out.

and i am disappointed regarding the price hike on the main showcase. i used to really advocate the showcase as a marketing tool. but honestly, the price is MORE than doubling. i won't pay that. i can't afford to spend so much on so little (the hope of a sale? the potential for new hearts? nah).

i think my new plan is to take the money i would have invested in the main showcase and look for marketing tools elsewhere -- which is too bad, because i would love to support etsy's efforts with a part of my budget.

my small business is just too small to partake in this part of etsy anymore -- and that troubles me.

Seems the general concensus is "NOT"-excited. I agree with them. $15 is TOO steep for 24 hours. I can get 3 months worth of advertising on another site for $14.
Also, attempting to get a showcase is like a crap shoot. Kind of like trying to get a Treasury spot. Both cut into valuable real-world work time or require the alarm clock to be set at a ridiculous hour in hopes of aquiring said spot.
I really would like to see something to prove to me that I was spending my money wisely...isn't there a way to for me to see if someone found my shop via a showcase? Can't you come up with some tiny code that reflects which views are a result of a showcase and which are not?
Also, I think category specific showcases are great, BUT if you are a jewelry artisan like me, you don't need to go head-to-head with jewelry supply shops or stores that are not selling handcrafted, made from scratch, i.e, fabriacted jewelry. Like avionmaille asked, will this increase provide a separate site for supplies and such?

I was already debating on whether or not to even keep my etsy acct. It seems like i would be dishing out more in the long run than what I would be making considering the fact that there is so much competition out there. Now fees for the showcases are going up. I had my items on a showcase once at the 7 dollar price and it never helped me with a sale. So i know I would never pay 15.00 for a showcase!!

i really don't understand why etsy can't concentrate on basic website usability instead of 'COOL NEW FEATURES!'
when can we have an advanced search? when will we have a price search available to potential buyers?
seriously, slow this roll of java craziness. hire an informational architect who knows what they are doing and once the site works for buyers then worry about all these nifty cool showcases and search methods.
and stats should be given on showcases, just like they are for treasuries. that's not asking for the impossible either.

Category Showcases are a great idea. More than doubling the cost of the Main Showcase, not so much.

very interesting idea! i hope it works well and i will actually be considering buying a showcase spot!

mrsm- The people that work on the Showcase, treasury, etc. are NOT the same people that work on search and Alchemy.

I wouldn't pay $15 for a Showcase spot...I paid $7 once and it did nothing for me. To be honest, I never look at the Showcase and I often forget that it's even there. :\

What! A price increase! Just in time for the Christmas shopping season. How creative!....
... Merry Christmas to you too!

Back in the day...when there were only 100 Treasuries... getting featured in one was so special, it could cause a big uptick in views, hearts, and even (gasp) sales. Now, often there are 300 Treasuries. The people who love to build them are thrilled, but it's my perception, that their impact for those featured has been vastly diluted.
I predict the same for showcases. The demand is there (just as it was for more and more Treasuries) but as the site becomes saturated with them, the benefit to those featured will be diluted/diminished.
Disagree? Show me the stats that prove otherwise.

I've been accused of being an Etsy cheerleader at times, but I won't cheer for this. This isn't supply and demand. This is greed.

Abacus has a great point about Treasuries. I don't even look anymore, there are just too many. Competing for them was part of the fun. JMHO.

Buying "Showcase" spots has always snagged a sale or two for me... but at $15, I can't justify the splurge. It would eat up half a day's profit. I never even check out the "Showcase" to begin with... I prefer Etsy-shopping through the Time Machine 2.

Not a fan of category showcases either. I'm glad we can use the Storque for this discussion though :) It's nice to know that our input is considered and requested.

I was thinking of trying a showcase, but I just can't afford the 15 bucks. I seems too steep.

Maybe, I will just try to catch one tomorrow before the price goes up.

I'll stand with those who say that the increase in the main showcase is a lot all at once....but for those who say it is too much---well, there will just be more chances for me to score a spot.

I must admit that I haven't checked into other online ad prices, but if you compare to buying just one inch for one day in the newspaper---black and white---there is no comparison. My local paper charges about $30 for ONE inch---and it doesn't link to my store, show several items, etc. And it may get buried on page 19.

Most marketing pros will tell you that it is a good idea to spend up to 30% of your yearly expenses on advertising in your first year of business....so go and get your name out there!

I had pondered grabbing a showcase spot, but as I'm still new and haven't made enough sales yet to justify the splurge this price jump makes it out of reach for me.

It depends on stats I suppose.

$15 for 24 hours of exposure that is just a link on the front page puts the pricing into professional category. To see whether this tool is worth the price tag, I will need to see some detailed stats.

Please say it isn't so! I feel really sad about this turn of events.

My name is Jill. I'm not a complainer, nor am I a rah-rah Etsy cheerleader.

When the very first Showcase was offered up for sale, I participated because I felt it was a way to support Etsy. I appreciated the low listing fees and a fair fee on sales. I felt this was a way for you fellas to make a buck or two - okay with me! And it was fun to see my jewelry being showcased.

As time went by, and other types of Showcases were added, I began to wonder what was being done with that revenue. It really isn't any of my business, but I just started to wonder. Showcase money may not be huge, but it ain't hay, either. After the Lab parties started, I thought maybe they were being funded by these fees, especially since it became well known that it wasn't going for outside paid advertising.

Showcases bring in a continuing cash flow. I remained a supporter of the Main Showcase, even though I have never received a sale through that venue. To me it's sort of like an author that pays to have his work published through a vanity press. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . .

Now there will be three more added. I'm no math major, but between the new price of the main Showcase, the Storque and the new category showcases - I think it adds up to over $39,000 a month or $474,000 a year, but like I said, I'm no math major. Of course that doesn't include any additional income from the holiday promos.

I've admired the creators of Etsy for being smart, savvy, entrepreneurial and above all, seemingly dedicated to the indie crafter. In my opinion, this action does not seem to support the crafter, I have no published statistics or personal Showcase success to support spending $15. I'd feel like a sucker doing it! Guys, nobody ever said it's wrong to turn a buck! Admin has a history of being forthcoming. You don't owe it to us, but that's the precedent you've set. Just tell me that you need the additional funds to help out with the larger payroll. Tell me that the funds help to pay for promotional trips in the US and abroad, or for some really cool parties at the Lab.

Tell me something! Tell me the truth! Just don't ask me to believe that "As Etsy continues to grow, we're looking for new ways for sellers to promote their shops". In my opinion, there must be more to it than that.

Respectfully, Jill Q

I think Jill Q said it all and I also would like to know more. I think $15.00 is too much for the smaller shops to pay. I paid $7.00 and have seen no increase in my sales or views.
So having a small shop I would really have to have a good reason to pay the higher amount.

Thats insane, I'm not happy about this at all.

Maybe if it was on the VERY front page of etsy, but since its not.. I'm not sure it's worth it.

you can count me in on the side of 'not impressed'...

I don't plan on purchasing at that price as I have yet to see an overall success from getting a showcase. I think the increase is too much too soon.

It makes me wonder at what else might be coming...

I agree. I don't see a reasonable justification for pricing them at $15.00 when many people are not seeing a profit after they pay $7.00. Simply because there is a demand for them doesn't sound to me like this is beneficial to the artist's bottom line.

Alot of people are really desperate for sales right now and the showcase seems to me tantamount to playing the lottery.

I would like to see some effort put towards making the showcase a more effective selling tool (or other things developed that increase artist's odds a little better than that).

People used to say:
"For $7, you're better off renewing 35 items."
And suddenly renewing became very fashionable.

Now they would say:
"For $15, you're better off renewing 75 items."
Will more people resort to renewing? I think they just might.

15!

that's enough to buy 75 listings.

or get flick'r pro for 3 years.

or pay for your own domain for like 5 years!

or your own external advertising at LOTS of places!

Holy cow!

I think it's up to individuals to decide if a $15 showcase spot is the best bang for their buck advertisingwise. I'm sure there will still be a lot of takers, even with no official word on what traffic the page gets. It also has the effect of making the new category showcases seem a very reasonable price.

Money in is good for all of us, in the long run. It'll be spent on the site, not on training weeks in the Bahamas ;)

At that price it's also an encouragement to look outside of Etsy for places to advertise. It's real money, not play money. People are already thinking up alternate ways to spend a comparable amount on advertising. This casts a much wider net than Etsy can reach itself. Again, good for all of us in the long run.

err...

i miss-mathed.

75 = flick'r pro for 3 years.

but my point is....too much for too little!

hey i didn't even notice the category showcases.

no THAT is a good idea; and may be worth 7 bucks.

IF it's on the top of every page if the category.

is it?

wow. this is a real bummer...

When all the Shock wears off... I hope administration takes time to talk to us about this...

I am not against a price increase... heck, I have never bought a showcase. But I have shopped them, and hope that this change doesn't "kill off" the showcase positives that it has now, at $7.00...

Why the jump in price? ( I know, you don't have to tell us, but ... it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on this... and an answer to this might help people come out of shock slowly... ( Seems the "talk of the town of Etsy, for the past few days in the forums)...

Thanks, Debi

Due to health reasons my shop has been basically sitting gathering cob webs for the past couple months. Now that things are improving for me I decided I needed to start working it again so I just bought 2 showcase spots for $7 each for the first time. My own fault, I didn't exactly understand them so I bought them in the Storque, one for a weekday and one for a Saturday. Now I am wondering if I might have thrown my money away, will just have to wait and see.
I know I would not have considered a showcase spot if I had not been in an unusual situation or if the price was more than $7 no matter where it was going to be placed. After everything I have read here I regret buying the 2 I have and will be doing the rest of my advertising off Etsy.
I have budged a nice amount of money to make up for the down time I have had lately, guess I better do some research. If anyone has ideas please do convo me. I won't be spending it on $15 dollar showcases.

woops...budged should be budgeted. My fingers still don't want to work right.

At this point, I dont think I would pay for a showcase spot at that price. The ones I have done in the past really havent paid off as it is. I might try it once during the holidays as I have yet to be active on here a year, but if it doesnt generate any sales, then no more. I will just renew.

I really like the idea of having showcases for individual categories - I hope the experiment goes well so that it will get expanded to all of the categories soon. In my experience, showcases have paid off in getting my shop noticed by more people as well as generating a few sales - I like to check the number of people who have my shop picked as a favorite - it typically goes up on a day I'm in the showcase. I'm hoping they'll come back and make a purchase!

Wow, I would have expected the showcase atop the individual categories would be more expensive because you're targeting those who are looking for said item! I think they've mixed their prices up for sure.

Not to mention the price. On a daily basis vs monthly like you can with other advertising avenues (blogs, etc) you're paying much more period. yikes

moxiedesigns:
my small business is just too small to partake in this part of etsy anymore -- and that troubles me.

I was shocked when I saw the new Showcase price!
I'm with moxie. That would also double my monthly bill at this point.

I think the catagory showcase might be a good thing, though. I will try for those.

I just accidentally paid $30 for two showcase spots. And at the check out, it said that I would be charged $7 per spot. Ugh!