Shop Connections in Etsy Tools: Are They Legit?

Of the 18 third-party Etsy research tools I’ve analyzed, 15 ask or require an Etsy shop to be connected:

The remaining tools (Insight Factory, Makerwords and SalesDoe) don’t interact with an Etsy shop and therefore can’t offer the extended range of operations features—like keeping track of the shop, listings and orders, and helping with new ones.

There Are Good Reasons to Connect

Giving an external Etsy tool access to a shop (by “connecting” it) opens up a variety of additional features. The whole process is made very simple by the research tools, and only involves being logged in to the shop at that time and clicking the connect button inside the tool. Confirm, and it’s all done. It only needs to be done once, a shop can be connected to more than one tool, and most tools allow more than one shop to be connected.

Upon approval the tool gains access to detailed data about the shop and its listings (approval can be withdrawn at any time).

When an Etsy research tool is connected to a shop they can offer a plethora of features that help fine tune listings and generate new ones; even track orders and stay in email contact with customers. The extra features can make life as an Etsy shop owner simpler and therefore easier.

But There’s a Catch (Maybe)…

When a shop is connected to an Etsy tool, THAT TOOL KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT THE SHOP IS SELLING. The tool has access to all the listings and their performance metrics—including information the tool cannot get from the Etsy API without the shop owner’s approval (e.g. the actual sales for listings).

Knowing exactly how listings are performing has to be very valuable information. Third-party Etsy tools can only offer estimates of this very data to its other subscribers—estimates they would like to have as accurate as possible to gain an edge over their competitors.

When a shop owner allows sales data to be passed over to an Etsy tool, there are three things the tool could be doing with that data:

Which one (or ones) are they doing?

None of the third-party Etsy tools address this issue openly, so who knows?

What I do know is that the tools all work very, very hard to make shop owners connect their shop—in fact some tools won’t give access to any features until a shop is connected (Crestfull, Seller-Way). Koalanda says it is required by Etsy when it absolutely is not.

(Click images to enlarge.)

It’s required by Etsy if a tool wants access to a shop’s confidential data—it’s that last part that’s left unsaid.

Of Course Their Privacy Policies Clear This Up?

Actually, they don’t.

There is no reference to data taken from Etsy shop connections, or how it’s handled, in more than half the privacy policies: Alura, Esale, EtsyCheck, EHunt, Everbee, Product Flint, Roketfy and Sale Samurai. There are just vague statements like:

They’re all leaving themselves lots of wriggle room in how they use the data.

Of the six Etsy research tools that do mention their collection of Etsy shop data (eRank, Insight Factory, Koalanda, Marmalead, Seller-Way and Toolsy) none make a clear, unequivocal statement that Etsy shop information is only used for the benefit of the shop owner. The common theme is to allow them to use the data to improve their own services.

Here’s what they do have to say:

• Koalanda

• Seller-Way

• Toolsy

• eRank and Insight Factory (curiously use identical wording).

• Marmalead

It is only Marmalead that points out Etsy’s API prohibits storing of listing information, but I wonder how a tool can use the data to “further develop our Services” or “monitor and analyze trends better” if the shop data is washed away when the shop owner closes their browser…

You Choose…

You don’t know just how much privacy is afforded the information you hand over when you connect your Etsy shop. What you can say for sure is that:

• Your shop data is very much sort after.
• How your data is handled is only vaguely addressed in privacy policies.
• There’s and obvious temptation for tools to use your data in ways beyond providing services to your shop.

But the bottom line is you just don’t know. There are benefits in having a paid Etsy research tool support your role as shop owner. But the confidentiality of your data is at best poorly explained and at worst, obfuscated.

In the end it comes down to how comfortable you are with them having your data.

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