https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/06/etsy-shares-hit-record-as-it-gets-tough-with-artisans.html > A few weeks ago, visitors to Etsy were being offered discounts on everything from handmade moonstone rings, reclaimed wood chopping boards to vegan tote bags across its website. Markdowns are par for the course in the retail industry, but for Etsy, the basics of retailing have not come easy. > The 13-year-old company only began running sitewide sales last summer, and it was only last month that it increased the cut it takes from merchants, to bring it closer to commissions taken by other platforms.