Reports from some UK Etsy users claim that the platform is once again performing a test where it displays prices with shipping included. While this doesn’t seem to be a widespread test, it shows that the company may be considering a change that they tried a few years ago, only to abandon it due to user pushback.
Etsy Appears to Be Testing Displaying Prices With Shipping Included
According to reports, Etsy may be testing a feature where the platform displays prices with shipping included, as opposed to separating product pricing and shipping. It appears the test is only for some items, and may be limited to the UK at this time. The test may also vary depending on things like your browser, app settings, and other factors.
Recently, an Etsy seller made a Reddit post about the test, complete with a screenshot showing the single shipping-inclusive price. While the original poster wasn’t sure what to think about the updates, many of the other comments in the thread were noticeably unhappy with the change.
This test means that products may appear to have higher prices in search, and only once someone clicks on and views the item page, will they see that the displayed price is for both the item and shipping combined.
The Company Tried This Test Before
This isn’t the first time the company has tried to implement this change to show price plus shipping for items on the platform. Back in 2017, Etsy tested the same thing and said that the test would help the company determine if seeing a price that includes shipping costs would affect shopper behavior.
Back when it first tried to add this feature, Etsy also said that the goal of the test and change was to make buyers more likely to make purchases. Ultimately, the change was never fully implemented as there was a ton of pushback and negative feedback from users.
The company may hope that people have forgotten about the first test, or it may simply want to see if customer preferences have changed over the last nine years. But so far, according to the responses in the Reddit thread as well as other places on the internet, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
The Reasons the Potential Change is Unpopular
There are a few reasons why this change is unpopular today and was unpopular many years ago. First, it’ll raise the displayed prices of many items on the platform, which may confuse many customers and lead them to believe a product is more expensive than it actually is.
This may push them away and actively discourage people from making purchases due to the perceived higher costs.
There’s also plenty of concern from sellers who offer a flat shipping rate regardless of how many items someone buys. If shipping is combined with the price of each item, the buyer may think they’re responsible for paying an individual shipping cost for each one.
All in all, the move introduces lots of potential confusion for customers and may lead to more people abandoning their purchases when they believe they’ll have to pay more than they actually do.
While it remains to be seen if the company actually implements this change on a wide scale, or if it’s just an incredibly small test, there’s no doubt that it hasn’t been popular amongst the public so far.
