Thousands of Etsy sellers are going on strike in protest against the increase in fees that the American e-commerce company is charging for those who use its platform.
Earlier this year, Etsy’s CEO Josh Silverman announced that starting April 11 the company would increase the 5 percent transaction fee for sellers that has been in place since 2018 to 6.5 percent.
At the time, Silverman said this was being done to help fund “significant investments in marketing, seller tools” and to create “a world-class customer experience” among other things.
According to Etsy, which focuses on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies, its site has 5.3 million active sellers and more than 90 million active buyers.