Etsy Launches Test of ‘Make an Offer’ Feature for Vintage Items

Etsy has launched a test of a “Make an Offer” feature for vintage items.

The feature, which is being piloted for a limited time, allows buyers to make offers on items that sellers have opted to include in the test, Etsy told PYMNTS in a Wednesday (April 5) email.

Thousands of vintage sellers have opted in more than 1 million items in the two weeks since the test was announced to sellers, according to the email.

The “Make an Offer” tool aims to streamline and formalize the price negotiation process that was already taking place through direct messages on the site, the email said.

The tool will help sellers manage the offers they receive from buyers, allow them to choose the items to include and give them the final say on deals, according to the March 22 article in which Etsy announced the then-upcoming test to sellers.

“We know that every Etsy seller has their own unique approach to pricing their items,” the firm said in the article. “Some of you have also told us you need more flexible pricing options. That’s why, for a limited time, we’re testing out a new tool that will give shop owners the option to receive price offers from buyers.”

The “Make an Offer” lets sellers opt in some or all of their vintage items, choose to receive all offers or only those above a price threshold they have specified and, if necessary, continue negotiating through the platform’s messaging tool, according to the article.

The feature aims to help sellers manage offers, make sales they might have missed, get feedback on prices, clear out stale inventory and connect with customers, the article said.

The test involves only vintage items from shops in the United States. Etsy is inviting feedback from sellers and will decide after the test whether to fully launch the “Make an Offer” feature, per the article.

Etsy-owned Depop, a luxury resale platform focused on apparel, jewelry and beauty products, has seen both a boom in sales and a greater frequency of consumers haggling over prices to get the best deals.

Both trends have been driven by inflation, CNBC reported March 24.