Etsy sells Depop to eBay for $1.2 billion, focusing on core marketplace
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 19 2026
0mins
Should l Buy ETSY?
Source: Benzinga
Etsy Inc. shares surged by 6.98% as the stock reached a 5-day high, reflecting positive market conditions.
The significant catalyst for this movement is Etsy's announcement of the sale of its subsidiary Depop to eBay for $1.2 billion in cash. This strategic decision allows Etsy to concentrate on its core marketplace, which is expected to enhance its competitive position. Additionally, Etsy reported a mixed earnings report, with earnings per share exceeding expectations but revenue falling short, indicating challenges in revenue growth amidst a competitive landscape.
This sale is likely to streamline Etsy's operations and improve its financial performance, as the company aims to regain market share and adapt to evolving consumer behavior.
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Analyst Views on ETSY
Wall Street analysts forecast ETSY stock price to rise
26 Analyst Rating
6 Buy
18 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 55.780
Low
52.00
Averages
67.71
High
80.00
Current: 55.780
Low
52.00
Averages
67.71
High
80.00
About ETSY
Etsy, Inc. operates two-sided online marketplaces that connect buyers and sellers around the world. The Company's primary marketplace, Etsy.com, is the global destination for goods made by independent sellers. In addition to its core Etsy marketplace, its House of Brand consists of Depop Limited (Depop), which is its fashion resale marketplace. Each marketplace primarily operates independently, while benefiting from shared expertise in product development, marketing, technology, and customer support. The Company's top six retail categories on the Etsy marketplace include homewares and home furnishings, jewelry and personal accessories, apparel, craft supplies, paper and party supplies, and toys and games.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Legal Proceedings Update: A federal judge has temporarily blocked startup Perplexity from accessing Amazon's site via its Comet AI browser, reflecting Amazon's firm stance on platform protection, which could impact Perplexity's market strategy.
- Evidence Support: Judge Maxine Chesney noted that Amazon provided 'strong evidence' of unauthorized access by Perplexity, with the company spending over $5,000 to respond, highlighting its commitment to customer data security.
- Security Risk Warning: Amazon's lawsuit indicated that Perplexity's AI agents pose security risks to customer data as they can operate within protected systems requiring passwords, potentially diminishing customer trust and affecting Amazon's user base.
- Advertising Business Challenges: Amazon stated that Perplexity's agents create challenges for its advertising business, necessitating the development of new mechanisms to identify and exclude automated traffic, ensuring advertisers only pay for genuine user impressions, which could increase operational costs and impact profitability.
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- Market Opportunity: BTIG analyst Marvin Fong highlights that Etsy stands to gain the most from OpenAI's decision to scale back Instant Checkout, as the company was the most vulnerable to 'agentic disintermediation', allowing Etsy to attract more customers.
- Risk Mitigation: With the de-emphasis on Instant Checkout, consumers are required to use the Etsy app for purchases, significantly reducing disintermediation risk and enhancing customer loyalty, thereby securing Etsy's market position.
- Competitive Advantage: Fong emphasizes that unlike Amazon and MercadoLibre, Etsy cannot offer perks like expedited shipping or easy returns, making the competitive landscape more favorable for Etsy following the weakening of Instant Checkout.
- Industry Response: OpenAI's decision has been welcomed by online retailers, OTAs, and online vehicle marketplaces, indicating a growing market confidence in Etsy's future growth, which could potentially drive its stock price higher.
See More
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- Inflationary Pressures: The core inflation rate has risen by 3% year-over-year, exceeding market expectations; although the market's initial reaction was muted, persistent high inflation could undermine consumer confidence and spending, posing risks to economic growth.
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See More
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- User Engagement Spike: According to Morgan Stanley analysts, Qwen's daily active users skyrocketed from approximately 17 million before the holiday to 73.5 million, indicating significant progress in user attraction and market penetration for the app.
- Structural Ecosystem Advantage: Unlike many Western tech firms, Alibaba controls multiple components necessary for transaction completion, including Taobao, Alipay, and travel platform Fliggy, providing a structural advantage for its AI shopping initiatives, although integration is still ongoing.
- Future of AI Shopping: While Qwen sometimes produces buying guides instead of directing users to specific listings, companies that can enable actual purchases through AI agents may dominate the future of digital commerce as these agents become the primary interface for online activities.
See More
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- Real-Time Data Challenges: Industry observers note that managing real-time pricing and inventory for travel is technically challenging, indicating that OpenAI still needs to rely on traditional intermediaries for complex global logistics.
- Reaffirmation of Intermediary Value: Analyst Richard Clarke states that OpenAI's pivot is incrementally positive for online travel agencies, allowing companies like Booking and Expedia to continue engaging consumers on AI platforms and reducing the risk of disintermediation.
- Positive Market Reaction: With OpenAI shifting back to a partnership model, the threat of an AI takeover in the travel industry appears to be fading quickly, significantly restoring market confidence in travel-related stocks.
See More
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- Sales Decline: Etsy's gross merchandise sales reached $10.5 billion in 2025, reflecting a 4% year-over-year decline and a 14% drop from the record $12.2 billion in 2021, indicating a waning consumer interest in handcrafted and unique goods, which poses a sobering outlook for future growth.
- Capital Loss: Etsy sold the secondhand fashion marketplace Depop to eBay for $1.2 billion, representing a 25% haircut from its $1.6 billion acquisition price in 2021, highlighting strategic missteps that have eroded shareholder value.
- Focus on Core Business: Under new CEO Kruti Patel Goyal, Etsy is refocusing on its flagship marketplace by divesting from Reverb and Elo7, aiming to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen its competitive position in the market.
- Valuation Concerns: Although Etsy's price-to-sales ratio stands at 2.3, 68% below its historical average, the lack of consistent revenue and profit growth suggests that investors should remain cautious and avoid increasing their stakes in an uncertain market environment.
See More
