Would I ever have expected a 1st ed LotR on Etsy?

All three volumes are uniformly bound in the publishers red cloth and are here presented in wonderful facsimile dust jackets.

I wonder if they think they can get a lot more for a set without dust-jackets on Etsy than eBay or Abebooks.

As Etsy has drifted from its original goal to be a marketplace for people to sell their own handmade crafts, it has become a strange clone of eBay in many ways, just without the bidding. (eBay seems to be trying to get away from auctions themselves too, but that's a total digression). I see now that they allow people to sell anything at all that is over 20 years old ("vintage goods"), doesn't have to meet any other criteria. The seller in question here is listing selling old books - perhaps they think they stand out more on etsy than a more typical bookselling platform (hard to find comparison copies if you are shopping directly on etsy). Also, etsy has a very different demographic than other sites as far as visitors, so listing books on etsy is, I suppose, a fine way to get more exposure for a bookseller's stock. It also, as Trotter infers, means the browsers are likely not experienced book buyers who know what to look for (and what to avoid, like paying top price for copies without original jackets).

That's funny that you mention this Urulókë. I too have noticed that Etsy has changed a lot over the last 5 years or so, with more and more non-hand made objects being put up for sale. In terms of Tolkien, I am seeing more and more books being listed. I have also noticed that Tolkien books on Etsy are often A. Listed with incorrect or lots of missing information B. Listed at vastly inflated prices than on comparable other 2nd hand platforms.

Probably chalk that up to the browsers are likely not experienced book buyers who know what to look for (and what to avoid, like paying top price for copies without original jackets). As you said.

I am obviously not an experienced collector as many of you folks are but I do try to learn and pay attention - and because of the time I spend searching on ze nets I do get to see changes in how platforms are being used. The "next best thing on the internet" won't really happen anymore as we do have massive juggernauts in social media and messaging that you can't really get past anymore (exceptions like things as TikTok apply but they are essentially just longer vines and nothing new) so existing platforms need to "reform" to keep relevant.

Etsy seems no exception - and as Urulóke said it really is a different demographic. Good luck in buying that particular edition