Etsy & Blugrin/Tools4Etsy outcome

[blugrinCo]

Hi All,

As most of you are aware by now, Etsy has emailed many of our users (Etsy Sellers) with an implied reason of termination with 60 days notice. Graeme's ability to support our users on Etsy was blocked immediately with our Etsy team being deleted; via replying in the public Etsy forums; and via private convos.

The email that we received gave no clear indication other than termination and we have spent the last 60 days trying to obtain specifics of the violation implied. We have not been given the opportunity to address and resolve the matter. For example, as you may or may not be aware there was a recent serious security/access violation by a 3rd-party app/developer as discussed publicly in the Etsy forums. Their API access was revoked immediately then re-established once the violation was addressed. As Etsy allowed us to continue for a further 60 days, it was our hope that they were open to resolving the matter.

The only conclusion that we can reach, due to the lack of transparency, is that at no time any violations of Terms of Use were ever made to our knowledge in the 6 1/2 years of working with the API. We have always sought clarification and approval for any and all custom work done with the API to ensure that this very situation would never occur.

We always strive to deliver the highest quality with our apps, tools, and customer service. The Etsy API was an integral part of the service that we provided and we did our best to ensure that the Etsy API performed at its optimum on behalf of our users (Etsy sellers). This means reporting and following up all performance issues and bugs, just like we would expect from our own users. It appears that our drive for high QOS (Quality of Service) was not aligned with Etsy's own QOS expectations, and towards the end our valid and detailed bug reports were either being blocked and/or ignored. The situation is that we will never know the truth behind Etsy's non-negotiable decision.

Sadly, on May 18th, on cue, Etsy blocked our access to the API for both our BETSI apps & tools4etsy.com website, deleted our Blugrin business account, and also deleted Graeme's own personal account.

Both Graeme and I are overwhelmed with the support from the Etsy community, both those who have used our apps and services and those who have not. We would like to thank you for your patronage and support over the years and wish everyone much success with their Etsy businesses.

If you are trying to contact us please be patient. We are overwhelmed with the volume of emails that we receive daily and are struggle to reply to them all. We will reply in due course.

Whilst the door closes with Etsy we are busy in the background working on a completely new multi-channel app to support you with your other non-Etsy businesses. Shopify will be the first of many selling channels that will be supported by the new BETSI. Many of BETSI's tools & features were inspired by the suggestions from sellers. We have received many requests for other channels/suggestions already and as users of the app we welcome your input. 

We are excited about the launch of the new BETSI and look forward to continue supporting you in the years to come.

Jacinta & Graeme

[Kelly Neddo]

I am so blessed to have met both of you. My shop(s) have grown huge because of your kindness and intelligence (& patience dealing with me and it's not easy). I just so happened to start a shopify shop :) Jacinta and Graeme, you are the kindest people i've ever met. You helped me when no one else would (or could).

- Please build the new etsy soon ok!

- I've drank a few for both of you tonight so you can keep creating genius apps.

-I may regret posting this tomorrow bc etsy says I am unable to participate in the discussion :/ (pffft) :)

-tell me when donation privileges are restored.

Blessings,
feathers someone.

[unnamed]

So happy to hear from you guys.  So SAD that this had to happen to you.  I am simply baffled by it all.

Please keep us in the loop as we struggle to try to make sense of this all when it will never make sense no matter what.  But maybe something better can come as a result.  :-)

Blessings to you and your family.

[SG]

I am so disappointed in Etsy. Wow. You guys have been amazingly dignified throughout the past two months and even now, and that shows your strength of character. I have no doubt in my mind that folks like you guys will succeed no matter what. And I am so excited you'll are working on Shopify first. I have just begun my Shopify store and can't wait to see what Blugrin comes up with! I am happy to see you are excited about this new chapter. Onwards and Upwards!!! From my own experience, whenever I have been stuck in situations where I am forced to make a change, in hind sight it's always been a good thing. I have a feeling, Etsy's door closing is actually forcing you to broaden your horizons and pushing you towards bigger and better things. I for one am rooting for you guys and will be following your journey :) Goodluck!!

[hanelse]

Thanks so much for keeping us posted. You've gained even more respect through this whole awful situation than you had before, if that's possible. :-)

I use shopify and love it. I'm so excited about Betsi for shopify and can't wait to sign up. Please keep us posted as per the launch date. I don't want to miss it.

Best wishes for much success going forward.

God bless,

Shawn Hanel
EarthWise Organics

[Gabrielle Hinman]

I feel you should sue them. They definitely tried to ruin you reputation and you should let them have it. There was no need what so ever on etsy's part to have sent the email the way they did to so many implying you did something wrong. I think their not telling even you what that was speaks volumes and you should sue them.

[Lenore Berry-Zaragosa]

So far Etsy is not doing so well since going public. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/etsys-social-agenda-clashes-with-wall-street-demands-2015-05-21

[anon1]

I think the real reason may have been revealed in a conference call with Chad and investors (http://seekingalpha.com/article/3200176-etsys-etsy-ceo-chad-dickerson-on-q1-2015-results-earnings-call-transcript?page=5&p=qanda&l=last).

Quote from Chad

" So we really believe that looking ahead there is an opportunity to add more services that save time in those areas like inventory and such, shipping has seen some progress in this quarter with calculated shipping and some of the other services I talked about, we're not ready to announce any service today but you can expect over the long-term and overtime that we build services that help our sellers save time and money."

If the above is true, then Betsi was a real threat to them - take away Betsi, sellers struggle and then "hey presto" Etsy release a new suite of editing tools and sellers say "thank you" Etsy. Ah yes, sellers, we will charging you for the pleasure and it will be more than Betsi was.

[unnamed]

Well, I dunno.  It doesn't seem like etsy has been listening to their sellers.  That's what gets me.  Need more categories?  Need more variations?  People have BEGGED for those which might be a real help to many and etsy just dismisses the begging.  On the other hand, that new listings manager is a flipping joke and many of the changes they've made this past year or so--making everything so BIG and cartoon-like are just ridiculous.  Have you made a lot of purchases?  Try searching for something in the purchases.  It is a nightmare because an entire purchase order does NOT show at once.  One has to click see more or something to see the rest of the purchase order yet clicking that see more so that the entire purchase order (transaction) shows pulls it out of the main purchases area so that if the item you are searching for isn't in that transaction, you can't go back to pick up where you left off.  And that flipping slot machine scrolling crap is ridiculous.  Have y'all renewed anything lately?  "Huzzah, you renewed..."  Huzzah?  WTH is that?  So immature.  It is sad to watch them destroy the site like they have when they had it looking good and working good just a few years ago.  From the onslaught of Browse, they've been going downhill simply because of the stupid decisions they've been making.  I don't know.  This all is so disheartening.

Totally agree, they slammed you guys insinuating that you were breaking the TOUs.  I suspect they feared you because you could see how they were running the site and they knew you could run it better than they could.  This is all such a shame.  I can't see how anyone has benefitted from this.