A video: “What Happened To Etsy?”

The online handmade goods marketplace, Etsy, is at a crossroads. After booming during the pandemic, the company’s gross merchandise sales have been flat in 2022 and 2023. Etsy’s stock is down more than 70% from its all-time high in 2021, and its first-quarter 2024 earnings report revealed another disappointing earnings miss. Some of its sellers say the company’s laser-sharp focus on growth has pushed Etsy away from its core mission — to keep commerce human — and instead allows for an increasing number of drop shippers to join the platform.

Here are key timestamps linked to significant moments in the video:

1. 00:00:00 – Introduction: Etsy’s Financial Struggles
2. 00:00:35 – Declining Sales and Stock Price
3. 00:01:07 – Seller Complaints Against CEO Josh Silverman
4. 00:01:49 – Etsy’s Public Company Status and Market Pressures
5. 00:02:20 – Etsy’s Origin: A Platform for Artisans
6. 00:02:53 – Growth of Etsy as a Marketplace
7. 00:03:25 – Etsy’s IPO and Leadership Shifts
8. 00:03:58 – 2013 Rule Change Allowing Outside Manufacturing
9. 00:04:33 – 2017 CEO Change and Profit-Driven Strategy
10. 00:05:01 – Pandemic Boom and Its Short-Lived Impact
11. 00:05:31 – Recent Earnings Misses and Stock Decline
12. 00:06:02 – Etsy’s Relationship with Sellers and Fee Increases
13. 00:06:33 – Controversial “Star Seller” Program
14. 00:07:06 – Dropshipping and AI-Generated Items on Etsy
15. 00:07:37 – Seller Discontent Over Platform Changes
16. 00:08:08 – Etsy’s Increasing Dependence on Mass-Produced Items
17. 00:08:40 – Efforts to Remove Non-Handmade Listings
18. 00:09:12 – Struggles Balancing Growth and Etsy’s Original Mission
19. 00:09:43 – Increasing Investor Influence and Future Challenges
20. 00:10:14 – The Uncertain Future of Etsy