My store was closed down 3 days ago along with a handful of others, including 2 stores in Etsy's top 1%! 11 stores in total and counting, turnover exceeding $500,000
We were closed down through no fault of our own, we were closed down because Etsy's algorithm is simple and does not factor in that some Etsy stores use consultants to help optimise their store. There is no tiered login, as oppose to Amazon where there is. So Etsy has no idea which stores use consultants and which don't.
So what happened is a store on Etsy repeatedly broke IP and got several warnings from Etsy before being thrown off the site. Etsy's algorithm then did a sweep for IP addresses associated with that store. It highlighted an IP address owned by a consultant who all the effected stores use. They then searched for other stores linked to that IP address and closed us all down - as we were all clients of the consultants. No warning, no email, nothing. We all found out because we couldn't access our stores.
We all called Etsy to ask what was going on, and we were all met with an extremely rude reply which went something like 'You have broken IP infringement, your relationship with Etsy has ceased, do not contact Etsy any further, I am disconnecting this call'. It felt like I was talking to a robot.
I filed a case and was met with a generic legal email which literally had been copied and pasted. The only personalized bit about it was my name at the top. I felt like I was conversing with a bot. And their final email told me they would not respond to any other emails.
I called a further 2 times and spoke to 2 different agents and both acknowledged the issue and were on my side! yet neither would escalate it to a manager, neither would do anything to help. it was one of their agents in the first place who told me what had happened - yet still they won't act!
The service I have received is mind blowingly AWFUL, I cannot believe that no one will simply open their eyes and look into what we are saying. I personally spent 7 years building this store, I create genuinely hand crafted items, it is my sole income. What, now Etsy can just take it away? Yes they can and they have....
Just this week Amazon have been forced to change their T&C's for exactly this reason, now store owners get 30 days notice. See this article https://tcrn.ch/2SpmThb Etsy must be forced to follow suit.
I'm not going down without a fight. Please support your fellow Etsy store holders by marking up and spreading this news. Strength in numbers. Thank you!
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Etsy/comments/cff0ey/etsys_ip_algorithm_is_shutting_legitimate_stores/