Etsy held an in-house holiday market featuring wares from a select group of sellers who had one thing in common: they were also employees of the online marketplace.
Etsy called it the annual Admin Maker Market and shared a video in a post on LinkedIn on Thursday.
“This holiday tradition showcases the creative talents of Etsy employees who are also Etsy shop owners, and doubles as a festive gathering to connect with one another.”
Etsy had hosted the event virtually for the past two years, but it returned to an in-person event for 2022. Etsy also included remote workers in a shoppable virtual catalog, “allowing our community to peruse unique wares crafted by fellow Admin around the globe.”
“Regular” sellers have long advocated that employees of online marketplaces also sell online so they better understand the challenges they face – commonly referred to as “eating your own dog food.”
Etsy posted a video to go along with the LinkedIn post.
I’ve mentioned this before when the idea of marketplace employees selling and/or buying on that same marketplace comes up. It seems that most sellers love the idea. I understand what they’re thinking – if these employees actually use the site as customers do, they will be more knowledgeable about the issues, and how the actual site functions. There are certainly some potential upsides. However, what I’ve always pointed out (and many/most sellers seem to overlook) is that it also creates a conflict of interest. If there is a dispute between the buyer and seller, and one of them is a company employee, that company should not get to decide the outcome. There needs to be a neutral party making that decision, and an employer is not neutral (in theory, they could be biased for OR against their employee, but in either case, it is not a neutral party). Again, to be clear, I do see the positive end of employees actually using these sites, but I think the downsides are too often ignored.
But the employees can’t make stuff out of the ordinary.
I understand the psychology of the online buyer.
It’s scary.
Just thonking bnb out loud!!
Gee, business ” conflict of interest” , hmm!
Do their employees get preferential treatments in other areas of the business.
Not a good corporate look.
@Lessthan- i mean, i’m naive, WHO cant figure out that they also get priority for online listings….
…gee, arent they lucky, dont i want to be in with that group! i’ll have to ‘try harder’ on Etsy