Josh Silverman, CEO of Etsy. Adam Jeffery | CNBC When Etsy launched almost two decades ago, the site attracted artisans and craft makers, who finally had a place online where they could sell their niche products and reach a large audience. But in recent years, Etsy has found itself overrun with mass-produced, generic items from resellers who have learned how to game the website and crowd out handcrafted products.
Now Etsy CEO Josh Silverman wants the company, whose stated mission is to "keep commerce human," to get back to its roots. The company on Tuesday is launching a major overhaul of the policies that govern its site to make it "crystal clear" to shoppers what products belong on Etsy, Silverman said in an interview with CNBC. The changes include new labels on its website and app to show how each seller created a particular item.
"We're positioning ourselves to answer the call for original goods and real people by dialing up the things that make Etsy, Etsy," Silverman said. Etsy is rolling out a new marketing campaign around the policy changes, including a TV spot that shows ceramicists, clothing makers and other artists, followed by a smashed robotic arm. The platform's new rules require all items to incorporate "a human touch" as outlined by its creativity standards.
Each product has to fall into one of four categories: made by a seller (either by hand or using automated tools), designed by a seller, handpicked by a seller, or sourced by a seller. With the changes, Etsy.