Certain prices, such as those that end in .00, .50, or .99, seem to be more attractive to buyers, Etsy said. It’s running a “Round Up Pricing” experiment that had sellers buzzing.
On an Etsy help page, it explained in part:
“Etsy.com is currently running an experiment that allows sellers to round up their prices after a currency conversion, helping to make the converted prices more consistent and attractive to buyers. Sellers can opt in to this feature, and the prices for all of their listings will be rounded up after conversion into currencies that use decimals.”
Not all of the sellers discussing the feature were aware of how it worked, some having gotten only a pop-up message about the feature beginning last week.
The feature would only change the way a listing’s price displays for non-domestic shoppers.
One seller wrote, “Keep in mind: Any price increase means more earnings for you.” But some sellers called it a ploy by Etsy to get more fees due to the commission it charges.
One seller wrote, “I got the pop up, I declined, purely for the fact that it would increase the item price for overseas buyers, I know it may only be a small amount, but it is an increase.”
It’s also unclear whether charging buyers in other countries higher prices might run into legal or regulatory issues. Etsy stated on its help page, “Participating sellers are required to comply with all laws and regulations that apply to pricing their items,” but it provided no guidance.
Today, a seller reported getting an incentive for participating in the test. An excerpt of the email the seller posted on the Etsy forums follows:
“To sweeten the deal for you, we’re offering you 10 free listing credits when you turn on rounded pricing in your shop. This special deal is just for you and it’s only available until August 26, so turn on rounded pricing now!”
