10 Days to enter tax information

[ScottishWoodDesign]

I logged into Etsy just now and started filling out all my company details as requested, and they have locked my shop into holiday mode even though I gave them everything they asked for. 

Be warned when you upload your government ID they will lock your shop while they confirm the ID! - so you will lose money for giving them the info, even though you do it within 10 days - ETSY could have had a system set up that lets you continue selling while they verify, since they already have my ID and numbers. 

Seemingly it wont let you NOT add your VAT ID even though you dont need to be VAT registered if your revenue is below 90K - yet Etsy seems to not let me continue using my shop with out registering?

Ill also be taking France and Germany off my mailing list due to these other licensing requirements which seemingly are totally unnecessary. 

They say give them the details within 10 days, so I do it immediately, the UI is a bit clunky but submitted it and it said "Unable to update" and locked my account. 

I wonder how much money I will lose while Etsy fixes this wonderful new issue. 

Amazing, to top it off I have now lost the ability to speak with Etsy help centre/customer service as when they locked my shop for uploading the ID they asked for they also took away my ability to ask for help. 

AMAZING

I reckon this is me done with Etsy, their IT changes and glitches are too much

[PoochandTabby]

Perhaps @CraftyCornishMaids can help with this one. She seems to know about the EU/UK seller verification stuff and what to put where.

The verification process is all AI run, so if anything doesn't match or is in the wrong place, you'll get flagged automatically. If you have to wait for Etsy to manually (a human) look at it, it may be a long while. 

Regardless how you feel about it, the packaging laws in Germany and France have been in place for a couple years by now, and there are now many other countries that are implementing these fees. If you haven't researched it or are not in the know yet, you might want to take a minute to search in the forum, as there was a really great post that listed every country in the EU and what, if any, registration and/or fees are required. It's not Etsy that is requiring licensing, it's each country that needs these marketplaces to collect that info from sellers. 

[ScottishWoodDesign]

Thank you, 

I make around 2 sales to Germany a month, 2 to France, most of my customers are UK and USA, so I removed EU shipping. Not interested in complicating my life even more with extra requirements. 

Outside of Etsy I run an engineering business and as a small business owner I find all this extra work frustrating, they don't pay me for my time and right now my time has such a high value that I have to choose what I spend my time on, Losing a couple of EU customers a month is easier than signing up to some extra fees that if you are busy and make a mistake they screw you for it. Have enough trouble with UPS and their incredibly bad IT and admin, 

To be fair, I am in the process of changing my business and if all goes well ill be diversifying. 

I am already registered with the German thing, when I saw that France added one I just thought, nah, this is getting silly. 

The governments should treat small businesses differently to how they treat large corporations, we operate with completely different margins and time constraints. there really should be different rules to separate us, including tax bands. 

This is something in wide discussion and many believe governments are lobbied by corporations to deliberately make life hard for SME's because we compete with them, I keep restructuring to avoid all this stress. 

Eventually ill buy a boat and live out at sea following maritime law only. Ill then be in peace!

[PoochandTabby]

Don't get me wrong, I've stopped shipping to most countries in the EU and also the UK because I'm not a fan of all the regulations and the requirements and fees, etc. It is what it is and I simply choose not to get involved. 

Hopefully before you buy that boat, Etsy will finally be able to sort out your verification issues. We all know they are completely swamped and take forever to do anything that requires human involvement. Good luck!

[ScottishWoodDesign]

They just emailed me saying they will switch my shop back on when I send them my company number. 

The company number that I sent them 3 times already. 

This is ridiculous. 

[GlitteramaCrafts]

If I remember right from when I had to do it,  you don't add a VAT number if you don't have one, but further down the page you need to add your UTR number from when you registered with HMRC.

[ScottishWoodDesign]

Aye I did everything right its just the system gives you two chances then locks your account, some "glitch" on Etsys part made it seem like I uploaded 2 times so they locked me. 

Really unfair as I am being punished financially for providing them the info they asked for, 

what's worse is they checked it and approved it then locked it again to ask for another document (LTD company details), and because of the time difference I now have to wait until the IT staff go to work in which ever country they work in, last night they responded at 2am. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

If you are sole trader, you put UTR in additional taxpayer ID, you do not put anything in the primary taxpayer ID

If you are incorporated business

If you do not have a VAT number, do as above

If you do have a vat number, you put that in primary taxpayer ID, and your NiNo in additional taxpayer ID

[ScottishWoodDesign]

I have already filled everything out correctly - Etsy has made a mistake and has locked my shop while they find a human to read my paperwork, 

In the meantime I am losing my livelihood for doing everything they asked. 

[MadMaxTheDog]

Hello- I have the same problem as Crafty Poster. But they are not taking / recognizing my Articles of Incorporation nor my City License. Can I ask you, what do you mean by UTR and HMRC?

[BagmakerSupply]

@MadMaxTheDog: Those are United Kingdom entities - UTC = Unique Taxpayer Reference and HMRC = His Majesty's Revenue And Customs

Have you reviewed https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001980067-How-to-Verify-Your-Seller-Information-for-Etsy-... ?

[ScottishWoodDesign]

In my case I have given them exactly what they asked for and everything is correct, yet because this is not a UK based company they dont seem to be able to recognise our way of doing things and they are saying the info is wrong when it isnt. 

In the UK your business entity has a name and a company number, the individual who runs it has a UTR number and NI number. 

The passport ID will be your home address and your business address is at my accountants. 

When I give them all this they locked my shop and just keep asking me to provide the incorporation documents, business name and number. They already have these.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@ScottishWoodDesign 

when I put your business registration number , that you have on etsy, into companies house, it says it was dissolved in January 2022

This is what is in your public record. so when etsy checks, the check will fail.

• WHAT A USEFUL GUY LTD

  SC594369 - Dissolved on 18 January 2022

  14 Sir George Bruce Road, Oakley, Dunfermline, United Kingdom, KY12 9RP

This is companies house website, you can check yourself

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/search?q=SC594369

[MadMaxTheDog]

I have reviewed it, thank you for sending it though. Etsy just keeps rejecting any and all documentation I am sending. Thank you, I do appreciate all the feedback and help.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@MadMaxTheDog 

for personal ID, have you tried drivers licence, etsy needs photo ID

[MadMaxTheDog]

Yes, of course. The personal ID verification has been accepted. It is the business documents that they keep rejecting. Thank you for your answers, I do sincerely appreciate them.

[ScottishWoodDesign]

@CraftyCornishMaids  As usual, every interaction I have with you is incorrect. 

You have the totally wrong business number, as I rightly pointed out I gave Etsy all the exact correct information. 

My business is registered, legal and up to date. It has not been dissolved. 

You somehow have two of the numbers the wrong way round. 

Please do me a favour, if you see me posting on the forum do not wade in with incorrect assumption or go sharing an incorrect business number, you consistently make mistakes. Just message me privately and ask and I will give you the correct information. 

Go look at my shop copy and paste the correct number into google search and you will see. 

Knowing that these forums are followed/moderated by staff at Etsy its these incorrect charges by forum members that CAN get your shop locked, for example you have shared the wrong business number and stated it is dissolved, that's a malicious way to get my shop locked. 

Last interaction I had with you you stated my shop was not legal, yet I set all my settings exactly as UK law requires it to be and I stay up to date with it, interestingly after you made that charge my shop was locked the same day. 

Please check your info and get your details up to date before making incorrect charges against my shop, I have a feeling it is causing me issues. 

[Marmalady]

"yet I set all my settings exactly as UK law requires"

You are missing:

GDPR Privacy Policy
Full address & contact info of where you conduct your business
Return period is minimum of 14 days to inform you of intent to return plus 14 days to actually return = 28 days -- or 30 days on Etsy

So no, you are not fully UK_legal