Etsy wants a place among the giants of online commerce.

The handmade and vintage item marketplace has seen sales explode during the pandemic, doubling since 2019 and passing $12 billion US last year. CEO Josh Silverman says it's competing to be "the starting point for your e-commerce journey."

But some of the creators and sellers on Etsy say, amid this growth, the site has been shrinking their profits and devaluing their labour.

Thousands of sellers are on what they call a "strike" this week, pausing their shops to protest growing fees. Today, a conversation with an organizer behind the effort, Gothic and Victorian dress- and costume-maker Kristi Cassidy.