I am shut down again, 2nd time this month. No warning, no explanation and based on their policies for selling I am breaking no rules. The 1st time there was no warning or explanation and I tried calling them and sent in 3 support tickets with no response. Then one day I did get an email and they had turned my shop back on but all they had to say was "we are sorry for any inconvenience." The ONLY thing I can think of causing this is that I have 2 Etsy shops and I used the same computer to open the second one so maybe the IP address is glitching things?
I create 100% original designs from my own brain and NO similarity to any trademarked art out there. I work with a production company that Etsy actually allows for integration. I am 100% transparent about using this production partner. My 2 shops are unique from one another, no duplicate listings. They both carry digital art created by me but with completely different content and focus.
I just wanted to come here and let others know it happened and that it can happen to anyone and at anytime. I wanted to be a part of the Etsy community and see myself as an honest and transparent person who is just trying to make a living making art. I would be happy to fix something if I am doing it wrong but they never tell me why I am getting suspended.
I will no longer spend my time or money with Etsy. I feel like I follow their rules and contribute to their paycheck but I do not feel represented or valued as a seller. I have also been reading to many horror stories from very successful and seasoned sellers who are now frustrated with Etsy, This shows me the long term goals for my shop will be in fragile hands if I stay with Etsy. I will now be going elsewhere.
Source: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/Other-shop-suspended-no-reason-given/m-p/128697758
Etsy shut my shop down too after 6 years of high volume selling. The kicker is t wasn't even over an item I was selling but what another shop was selling. My house mate had a shop too and bought graphics from another etsy shop and made an item using the images. Etsy shut her shop down because they said it was infringement. It's ok for these shops to sell the charms and graphics but not ok to use them I guess. Even though her shop belonged to her with her own personal information and her own bank and PayPal info they shut my two shops down just because we shared an IP address. This policy is so wrong on many levels but it happened. I too had such success that I was able to do it full time so I know your pain! You all of the sudden you have nothing, they take all your listings, feedback and your online existance. It won't do any good to try to get your shop reopened. I tried pleading with them for a whole year and they won't budge. I even emailed Chad Dickerson and he just has their legal department reiterate the poor policies they have. I tried to reopen a shop because I never even got a notice when they shut my shop down. If you try to reopen a shop they find it very quickly and they take away your buying privileges...yep, you heard me right, you are now banned totally. All of this happened to me and I didn't even break one rule or policy! I am now on Shopify, Ebay and Amazon and have rebuilt my business to a decent level but nothing like Etsy. Here are my suggestions: 1. I found that paying for Google ad words was not only very expensive but not fruitful. 2. Get yourself a marketing campaign service such as Mail Cimp or Emma and go back into your etsy sales records and send out a marketing campaign letting your past customers know where to find you and offer a discount on their purchase. Keep in mind you can only go back 18 months before breaking some other ecommerce rule. 3. As others have posted use Instagram and Pinterest. I have been told that Facebook is king but I am not that into it for several reasons, mostly time is very valuable I have to pick a poison and stick to it. I really need a social media guru as my best friend and employ them but again it's money. 4. If you haven't already get your application in for Amazon Handmade and put your efforts into your own site on Shopify and Amazon. I think maybe Amazon Handmade will be a great place for the legitimate sellers that have exiled from etsy to go. 5. Where ever you decide to make your new home on the web just never put all your eggs in one basket. I made that mistake with Etsy and it was a big lesson to learn! I never thought I had anything to worry about but now they are closing shops when they don't even do anything wrong. There are many many stories just like mine out there and they have had to rebuild too. It has taken me over a year to finally get over it but I have and you will too. There is a huge world outside of etsy!! 6. Don't give up and you will persevere! I wish you all the best!
Sincerely, Melissa Glamour Girl Beads
Source: https://community.shopify.com/c/Shopify-Discussion/My-Shop-was-Shut-Down-by-Etsy-How-to-start-over/td-p/203891/page/3
Two weeks before Christmas, Etsy shut my shop down with no notice. I logged on to fill the 16 orders I had in queue, but to my surprise there was a message saying that my shop privileges had been suspended. In a terrified panic I started drafting a message to Etsy support hoping they could fix the error (because this had to be an error). Before I could finish the message I got an email from a member of the Etsy Marketplace Integrity Team. For the purposes of this article we will call him “Bob”. The email read: “…We have carefully reviewed the information you submitted in your outside manufacturing application and concluded that your business does not meet our selling guidelines. As a result of this, we have closed your application and suspended your shop privileges.”
BACKSTORY
Almost a year ago, Etsy made an announcement to all sellers that if a seller was working with an outside manufacturer, they had to prove two things:
- Sole authorship over the item
- A role in the design process from start to finish
When I saw the announcement I thought – Great! My socks and handmade labels will definitely qualify. I designed the socks from start to finish – I designed the dimensions, dictated the colors, fabric and sizing to the manufacturer. Surely if Etsy sellers can justify selling t-shirts with slogans printed on them, my socks that are unique to my shop will pass the test!
Months after I submitted my information to Etsy Marketplace Integrity and I got an email from Bob asking if I could send more information, photos, and screenshots to help them further understand my role in the design process. I sent the information he requested and hadn’t heard anything back – until now…after my shop had already been shut down.
I was baffled. I could not believe that Etsy would shut my shop down with no warning at all! No grace period. Nothing. I had 16 orders in queue that needed to be filled and with my shop privileges suspended, I couldn’t even fill those orders. I practically had to beg Bob to reinstate my shop privileges so that I could at least fill the 16 orders. In exchange for my shop being reinstated, I had to submit more information, and take all of my sock listings down until they reviewed the information further.
ISH GETS REAL
After reviewing my additional documents, Bob told me my socks still did not qualify…but he never gave me a specific reason why. I had SO many questions. Below are my questions and Bob’s paraphrased responses.
- What specifically am I missing to convey authorship?
Bob replied that I needed to provide more images to convey authorship of the sock design process. - How are my socks different from other Etsy shops that sell printed t-shirts, or day planners? These sellers do not make the fabric for the shirts by hand nor do they make the day planners by hand. They design the items, buy shirts in bulk and print their designs on them. For the day planners, the sellers design a planner and get a manufacturer to print them. If my manufacturer is the issue, why doesn’t it qualify? Bob told me that using supplies such as t-shirts and printing on them is okay, so if I were to buy socks in bulk and dye them it would be fine.
- Why was my shop closed down so suddenly? I would have appreciated it if you would have just asked me to remove all of the listings in question until I could at least ship out the orders I had pending. I would have also appreciated more time to gather the information you needed and a detailed explanation of why my submission was insufficient. All I received from you was what sounded like a canned response you send to all shops that get suspended.
Bob stated that Etsy reserves the right to suspend my shop privileges within 24 hours of receiving the outside manufacturing application.
I replied to Bob and sent more documents along with a written verification from the manufacturer. At this point there are 2-3 day gaps between responses from Bob. I finally got a response from Bob’s boss saying that they decided that my items do not meet Etsy’s qualifications and they were sorry they couldn’t provide a more favorable outcome.
Still no specific reason why my involvement in the design process didn’t fit the bill.
ISH GETS WEIRD AND HARD TO BELIEVE
After several emails to every Etsy support email I could find, I got an email from Bob’s supervisor. I will call her Beth for the purposes of this article. Beth told me that since the argyle pattern is already an existing pattern that I did not create, my items are not suitable for Etsy.
So now the issue is that the argyle pattern is an existing design. But Bob said that if I was buying socks and dying them myself, they would be appropriate for Etsy. What if I dyed the socks in an argyle pattern? Do they still qualify? Since the argyle pattern being an existing pattern is the issue? That’s like saying an Etsy seller can’t sell a polka dot print skirt that they sew by hand because polka dots are an existing pattern. Weird.
The Epiphany
Needless to say this entire ordeal was super stressful. I lost sleep, lost money and I’m pretty sure I lost some hair…but most importantly I lost my focus. I was so focused on getting answers from Etsy, I lost track of the most important part of being entrepreneur – perseverance. Success means rising above obstacles.
After two weeks of emailing back and forth with Etsy, it hit me – why continue trying to fight this battle when I could just branch out and build a standalone site? From that day on, I put all of my effort into creating a new site, which led to the idea of creating a new brand, which led to the idea of creating new products. This experience it gave me the push I needed to get out of my comfort zone and take my business to the next step. For two years I had much success on Etsy – over 3,000 sales, 5 star reviews, and little competition…but I was just coasting along. I wasn’t moving toward anything.
I am a firm believer that what is meant to be will be. If a door closes, it’s closed for a reason. I am SO happy with my new brand and the new direction that my business is headed. THANK YOU Etsy for shutting my shop down!
Sincerely,
Kendra Barnes
Source: ladypreneurleague.com/why-getting-kicked-off-of-etsy-was-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-my-business/
Etsy closed my shop today due to copyright infringement. I have filed a claim, because I received two fraudulent infringement reports. Long story short, someone was using the lawyer's email address from Jack Daniel's and repeatedly reporting my listings. I did have 1 claim from her previous to those that was valid in which I immediately contacted her and made it right (I was not aware the actual bottle shape of JD was trademarked and had used a picture showing the cornders of the bottle).
I have spoken with the lawyer in question, she confirmed I am and have been in compliance and that she has let etsy know. Etsy did confirm with me that they had confirmed the infringement claims were unauthorized and that I could relist.
I am guessing because I hit three strikes in their system, they shut me down automatically without recognizing that the past two were invalid. I have two questions:
-Does anyone know roughly how long it takes for them to get back to you once you file a claim to get your shop reopened?
-They say I can still fulfill orders, but everytime I click orders it goes to a blank page. And I can't log in to the app because it says I am not a seller.
HELP PLEASE. I have about 10 open orders that I need to ship out, and am losing business while my shop is closed.
Source: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/Etsy-closed-shop-can-t-fulfill-orders/td-p/17951087
I’m sharing my story because I am so incredibly frustrated!
So both of my parents had their own Etsy stores that were decently successful. I had my own that I had just started a little less than a year ago. My dad was selling these digital downloads that you can use to print on vinyl and what not. He was designing them himself and some of them he was using sports logos within his design. He got a few copy right infringement notices because of the sports logos so he would slightly change them. In the end he was definitely in the wrong and I’m not denying that! The problem is that when he got banned from Etsy so did my mom and I.... we were both making our own hand made items. I’ve never once received any sort of warnings nor did she. We each had our own social security numbers and bank accounts linked to our separate accounts but the one thing that was the same was our addresses.
I received an email from Etsy basically saying I’m suspended and they didn’t tell me why. I’ve just assumed that it’s because we share our address with the person that actually violated Etsy’s terms. What really upsets me is that I have emailed Etsy at least 3 times asking for an explanation and every time they respond saying they will not speak to me on the matter.... what?!? So I’ve also requested a phone call (because you have to request to speak to them, you can’t just call customer support) about 3 times now, haven’t received one. I don’t even live at my parents address anymore! I’ve just been to lazy to change it. I was hoping to get a chance to talk to them over the phone about this so I could explain myself.
I’m so shocked and upset with the way they handle things. I’m not even able to purchase from other sellers anymore...
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Etsy/comments/9grd6g/etsy_banned_me/
I am a mother of six young children, and my husband is legally blind. My husband was diagnosed with a rare eye condition called cone dystrophy 12 years ago, which is a type of central vision loss. One year later he was laid off due to the recession and lost not only a job but his career to his poor sight. We started a shop on Etsy in 2010 and found much success over the last 10 years. We've tried several other venues over the years but expertise was on the Etsy platform. We were able to employ 12 contracted employees to allow other local mothers to work from their homes.
Etsy saved my family, it gave us the privilege of providing for ourselves despite our circumstances. I've always supported Etsy, I have always followed their rules and guidelines. So imagine my shock when my shop of Ten years was permanently suspended on February 13th.
I had no warning of this, and the email Etsy Trust & Safety provided was vague and only led to more questions than answers.
We frantically tried to email Etsy Trust & Safety as instructed with no luck. We called Etsy support several times, but every time the customer service verified our account, they read a written message and hung up on us.
This was our sole income, so this situation is devastating to my family. To make matters worse, Etsy locked up hundreds of dollars in my account, leaving me unable to use Etsy shipping labels. They continued to run ads and collect funds from my deactivated listings, winding those locked up funds down to nothing. So the orders tied up there are my loss as I still will be loyal to my customers.
They also used my images on their ads on Facebook to drive traffic to Etsy. I also have hundreds of thousands of Pinterest pins that have had the URL locked so it could not be changed to my new site but rather continually funnel traffic to Etsy. That ultimately puts me in competition with my own images.
Out of desperation, and posting my story to my Instagram page, I have found my account flooded with countless stories of sellers in the same boat. After several days of high activity and no contact from Etsy, I received a message from the Senior Director of Etsy Trust & Safety. She informed me that one of her team members would send me an email.
After checking our email, the only explanation was that we were closed down over 2 cases and 2 low reviews. I am still shocked, I am a high volume seller, I was just shy of 30,000 sales and 5,544 5-star reviews. They gave me previous dates of contact over the last 4 years. After searching through the email these "said emails" went to, I was only able to find one automated email in November, I was not able to find any other such emails, this email has nearly 500,000 emails, as it is the email for my Etsy account.
I highly doubt my shop was reviewed by a human as Etsy Trust & Safety claims, as any human would see that I reached out and worked with each customer for each low review and case. All cases were closed in my favor or by the buyer themselves and many cases resulted in 5-star reviews.
Many buyers admitted they thought the case system was the only way to contact the seller. Does this not prove my success in customer service? Most of the women coming to me with similar stories were never able to contact Etsy or never received an answer. So they are coming to me, simply to be heard.
I don't know where to take this, I feel as if Etsy has become a huge machine that has been programmed to eliminate every shop on Etsy.
Thanks for your time.
Source: https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/letters/blog.pl?/pl/2020/2/1582477876.html