Etsy is an e-commerce platform focused on small businesses and artisans which sell handmade or vintage items. It started life in Brooklyn, New York and quickly expanded throughout the US and into Europe.
In a competitive US e-commerce market with Amazon and eBay, Etsy separated itself with the uniqueness of items sold and the focus on quality. Etsy’s editorial team in the early days also focused on highlighting artistic work, rather than commercially-made items.
That has led to Etsy’s booming creator economy, with millions of sellers who use Etsy as a side-gig to sell handmade homeware or jewelry items. In some cases, the income from Etsy has allowed these sellers to go full-time.
Etsy has increased revenue and usage every year since its IPO in 2010, but the coronavirus pandemic supercharged its growth, from $818 million revenue in 2019 to $1.72 billion in 2020. Etsy also doubled active buyers in that time period.
In 2019, Etsy acquired music equipment marketplace Reverb for $275 million. In 2021, it acquired clothing reseller Depop for $1.63 billion, its largest acquisition to date, which mirrors Etsy in some respects with its vintage community.
We have collected data and statistics on Etsy. Read on below to find out more.
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Get Started NowEtsy key statistics
- Etsy generated $1.72 billion revenue in 2020, a 110% year-on-year increase
- Net profit for Etsy reached $349 million in 2020
- It doubled gross merchandise sales in 2020 to $10.3 billion
- 89 million people are active buyers on Etsy
Etsy overview
| Launch date | June 2005 |
| HQ | New York City, US |
| People | Josh Silverman (CEO), Rachel Glaser (CFO), Mike Fisher (CTO) |
| Business type | Public (NASDAQ: ETSY) |
| Industry | E-commerce |
Etsy revenue
Etsy annual revenue
| Year | Revenue |
| 2012 | $75 million |
| 2013 | $125 million |
| 2014 | $196 million |
| 2015 | $273 million |
| 2016 | $365 million |
| 2017 | $441 million |
| 2018 | $604 million |
| 2019 | $818 million |
| 2020 | $1.72 billion |
Etsy profit
| Year | Net income |
| 2012 | ($3 million) |
| 2013 | ($1 million) |
| 2014 | ($15 million) |
| 2015 | ($54 million) |
| 2016 | ($30 million) |
| 2017 | $82 million |
| 2018 | $77 million |
| 2019 | $96 million |
| 2020 | $349 million |
Etsy GMS
| Year | GMS |
| 2012 | $895 million |
| 2013 | $1.35 billion |
| 2014 | $1.93 billion |
| 2015 | $2.39 billion |
| 2016 | $2.84 billion |
| 2017 | $3.25 billion |
| 2018 | $3.93 billion |
| 2019 | $4.97 billion |
| 2020 | $10.3 billion |
Note: GMS stands for Gross Merchandise Sales
Etsy users
| Year | Users |
| 2012 | 9.3 million |
| 2013 | 14 million |
| 2014 | 19.8 million |
| 2015 | 24 million |
| 2016 | 28.5 million |
| 2017 | 33.3 million |
| 2018 | 39.4 million |
| 2019 | 46.3 million |
| 2020 | 81.8 million |
Note: Annual totals are from Q4 of respective year
Source: Company data
Etsy sellers
| Year | Sellers |
| 2012 | 0.8 million |
| 2013 | 1 million |
| 2014 | 1.3 million |
| 2015 | 1.5 million |
| 2016 | 1.7 million |
| 2017 | 1.9 million |
| 2018 | 2.1 million |
| 2019 | 2.6 million |
| 2020 | 4.1 million |
Source: Company data
Etsy FAQ
How many customers are repeat buyers on Etsy?
40% of Etsy buyers are repeat customers, 8.9% are what Etsy call “habitual buyers”
What is the most popular category on Etsy?
Homeware & Home Furnishings is the most popular category on Etsy, followed by Jewelry & Personal Accessories and Craft Supplies
How much did Etsy pay for Depop?
Etsy paid $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) for vintage clothing reseller Depop
What is the gross merchandise sale of each active buyer?
In Q3 2021, the GMS for active buyer on Etsy was $132, a 20% year-on-year increase
How many times has the Etsy app been downloaded?
We estimate the Etsy app has been downloaded 88.9 million times (Appfigures)
What are Etsy’s seller gender demographics?
81% of Etsy sellers are women, according to the company’s 2020 seller census
