Etsy Runs Digital Download Test With Printify & Shutterfly
Etsy is running a pilot test in partnership with Printify and Shutterfly to offer printing and framing services for digital download products purchased on the marketplace.
If you sell digital items in your shop, we wanted to let you know about an exciting test we started running today with buyers in the US. Buyers on Etsy have told us that they can have a hard time finding printing and framing services for the digital purchases they make on Etsy.
To help make this process easier, buyers who are part of our test will now have the option to print or frame digital downloads bought on Etsy using Shutterly and Printify, two leading printing and framing services.
We believe that providing a more seamless shopping experience for buyers will encourage them to come back to Etsy and purchase digital items without having to worry about printing or framing, which could ultimately mean more sales for your shop.
Here’s how it works for buyers:
- A buyer purchases a digital item on Etsy.
- After purchasing, the buyer may see the option to try Printify or Shutterfly for their printing and framing needs.
- We’ll direct the buyer to Shutterfly or Printify’s website to explore different printing and framing options and to place an order for that service.
We’ll use the learnings from this test to determine if we’ll expand and improve this program in the future. If we decide to move beyond this pilot, we’ll be sure to let you know.
There’s no action required on your part, and if a buyer has a question for Printify or Shutterfly we’ll encourage them to reach out to those vendors for support. If a buyer reaches out to you with a question for Printify or Shutterfly, you can recommend they reach out to that company directly and share a link to their customer service website.
Have questions? Check out the FAQs below!
Q: Where will buyers learn about this? What’s the buyer experience?
A: After a buyer purchases a digital download, they may see the option to have their purchase printed or framed through Printify or Shutterfly in places like the order confirmation page. It’ll be clear to buyers that this service is offered via a third-party, not Etsy or Etsy sellers.
Q: What if a buyer reaches out to me with a question for Printify or Shutterfly?
A: We’re making it clear to buyers that their printing and framing orders are being placed with a third party, not your shop or Etsy, and they should reach out to Printify or Shutterfly directly with any questions. If a buyer reaches out to you with a question about one of these services, we’re here to help you manage it.
If a buyer contacts you about an order from either Printify or Shutterfly, please recommend they reach out to that company directly and share a link to their customer service website (Printify, Shutterfly). An easy way to do this (and help save you time while responding to buyers quickly) is by using the Saved Replies feature in Messages. Since buyers will be ordering directly from these services you won’t have access to any of the order details.
Q: Is my shop part of this test?
A: If you have a digital item listed in one of the following categories, it’s possible that a buyer in the US could see the option to frame or print your digital item after they purchase:
Arts & Collectibles>Prints
Arts & Collectibles>Photography
Arts & Collectibles>Drawing & Illustration
Home & Living>Home Decor
Please note this experiment is being run for US buyers and not shop or listings specifically. This means some buyers may see this option on eligible digital purchases and others may not.
Q: What if I receive a negative review related to a Printify or Shutterfly order?
A: If you receive a review that’s only about Printify or Shutterfly, you can report it to Etsy and we’ll review it for removal. While our policy states that a flagged review will be investigated by our team within 7-10 days, we review reports as quickly as possible—typically, agents review reports within 24 hours.
Q: Do I have to pay anything for this?
A: No, there is no cost to you or any action required on your end.
Q: Why can’t I see this option on Etsy?
A: This test is only visible to some US buyers after they’ve purchased a digital item. If we decide to launch this more broadly we’ll be sure to let you know.
Sellers expressed concerns over the test in the Etsy Seller community, with one common issue being brought up - partnering with Printify and Shutterfly may undercut sellers who sell both digital and physical versions of their art on the platform.
There was a survey not long ago about this. I couldn't talk about it because confidential but I can talk about the test. It was clear in the survery etsy was going to do it for their benefit (not buyer or seller but commision for etsy). The only reason for the survey was how they could best spin it to make it sound useful for sellers.
I'm against it because most people who buy printables do it to print from home and save money (and speed). If they want to take it to be printed I offer printed versions of most of my stuff so it's actually taking sales from me by pushing them to big companies.
I sell digital printables and prints of the same designs. Now people will buy the cheaper version and print it themselves through these 2 places instead. My print's quality is way better so mine will be more expensive. Looks like Shutterfly and Printfy will make a lot of money off my shop
I'm thinking about writing a CEASE AND DESIST to Etsy over this new test. I have a print partner that I make a COMMISSION on since they are making money off of printing MY WORK. How DARE Etsy take away yet another source of revenue for me. And as all digital sellers know, customers ALWAYS have questions about ordering prints, and now we have to field these questions, because you know it's going to happen.
Will add-on services help boost sales of digital downloads or will this cause confusion for buyers and customer service headaches for sellers?
Do sellers trust Etsy to protect them from negative reviews related to these services?
Is it fair for Etsy to allow partners to undercut sellers who offer art in both digital and physical formats?
Let us know what you think about this test in the comments below!
