Defend the rights of European small business owners

You may be aware that the European Commission has proposed legislation called the Digital Services Act (DSA), which includes new rules for how digital platforms like Etsy operate.

We’ve been working with EU policymakers as the DSA is being drafted and negotiated, as part of our ongoing commitment to running a safe and fair marketplace.

Unfortunately, some members of the European Parliament have recently proposed additional rules for the DSA that threaten to negatively impact our marketplace and sellers’ businesses.

Will you join us in urging EU policymakers to stop adding these disproportionate burdens on small businesses like yours?

For example, some of these new rules would result in:

– A slower, more bureaucratic process for creating a new shop or updating your account information. Marketplaces would have to verify that all information provided by the seller is correct before allowing them to sell, and also verify any future changes.

– Your listings are more likely to be blocked or removed. Because the new rules would hold marketplaces strictly liable for items sold on their platforms, there’s a greater chance that legitimate listings might be removed. This would also divert marketplace resources away from where they’re actually needed—fighting bad actors trying to harm consumers.

– Less choice for sellers and consumers would also result from the proposed rules, as many sellers are likely to be discouraged from the increased complexity of selling online. For example, marketplaces like Etsy would have to check every listing for full compliance with labelling and certification requirements before the listing could even be posted.

Etsy’s CEO, Josh Silverman, has been speaking up against these unnecessary and misguided rules with EU policymakers because he knows they would negatively impact the creative business of every seller who wishes to sell online in Europe. But the reality is lawmakers won’t protect small business owners unless they hear from you—their constituents—directly.