The holidays have come early for Etsy sellers.
Beginning this month, the handmade marketplace is committing a quarter of a million dollars to advertising Etsy shops on Google Shopping. Product Manager Frank Harris announced that the move was a direct response to sellers’ requests for more publicity.
“We often see questions from the community about why we don’t do more advertising for Etsy,” he wrote. “We’ve invested over a million dollars this year, and we will continue to do so. We’re excited to let you know about our upcoming investment in Google Product Listing Ads where we will be devoting more than a quarter of a million dollars for our sellers!”
Google Shopping is Google’s “product discovery experience,” recently rebranded as a paid advertising platform. Starting Oct. 2 and continuing through the year’s end, many of those ads will automatically direct toward Etsy products.
“What next? Commercials during the Super Bowl? ;)” parachute425 commented in the forums.
Not all Etsy sellers have cause for celebration, unfortunately. Harris said that due to Google’s restrictions, only U.S. based shops can participate.
“Because of Google’s country specific restrictions, international shops will not be promoted in the Google Shopping experience; however we will monitor the expansion of Google Shopping to other countries in the event that we continue these ads next year, to make sure our international sellers are represented,” he wrote.
Still, international sellers criticized Harris for an interview he conducted with Mashable, which some said misleadingly implies the global Etsy community is involved. He told Mashable that the choice to continue advertising in 2013 would be discussed “with the community.”
“Lately I’ve seen Etsy admin talking about the entire marketplace when they are referring to US-based sellers only,” Maria wrote. “I really look forward to Etsy’s ‘talk to the community in early 2013.’ Let’s hope that international sellers are considered part of the community.”
UPDATE: An Etsy spokesperson has informed the Daily Dot that some international sellers will now be included in the advertising campaign.
“After hearing your feedback, we spoke with Google in hopes of working out more inclusive terms, and are happy to announce that we can now include all English listings that ship to the US in Google Product Listing Ads,” Frank Harris told sellers in the forums.
Photo via Etsy