As creatives flee Etsy over fees controversy, Hampshire-based British Craft House and BuyIndie feel the benefits

There have been growing calls for people to boycott Etsy after it was revealed that it has been withholding sellers’ money, making it difficult – or even impossible – to trade.

The Etsy reserve system holds 75 per cent of a seller’s earnings for up to 90 days. Sellers are placed on reserve with often very little or no notice making it impossible for them to continue running their businesses.

Susan Bonnar, from Lee-on-The-Solent, runs The British Craft House and BuyIndie – online marketplaces for British small businesses selling handmade and bespoke products.

Since the news broke, she has received hundreds of applications from sellers who are leaving Etsy and looking for an alternative.

Susan charges a monthly subscription, with packages to suit different budgets, whereas Etsy takes around a 20 per cent cut of all takings – including postage costs.

Susan said: “I put a post on Instagram to offer support to sellers who have been affected by Etsy’s reserve system and it blew up. I had almost a thousand likes and hundreds of people commenting. It’s obviously something that affects a lot of small businesses.

“I think people have lost trust in Etsy. Sellers struggle to be able to communicate with a human to get their case reviewed. For businesses where their Etsy shop is their only source of income this is devastating and destroying their businesses. Part of the issue for UK sellers is that Etsy is set up for the American market.

“At The British Craft House we are small enough to be able to review any issues on a one-by-one basis. If you ever were to have an issue with anything on our website, at worst you’ll be able to send me an email and at best you can pick up the phone and I’ll sort it there and then. Over the last four years we have had no issues whatsoever with refunds needing to be forced through the system which is effectively what the Etsy Reserve is there to do. The financial contract is between the seller and the customer and if there was to be an issue it would be the banks that sorted it out. We would never withhold any money from our sellers.’

Susan first joined Etsy in 2010 to sell handmade photo albums, before having issues herself and setting up The British Craft House in 2019 to provide an all-British alternative.

She is still accepting applications for new sellers to join the platform. Sellers can import their items directly onto The British Craft House straight from their Etsy shop with little admin involved.

Go to thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk.