2 wrongfully deactivated listings, tickets keep being closed.

[neawear]

I've been on Etsy since 2006, I know the rules very well (including when they change), and I have always followed them.

In July, one of my listings was wrongfully deactivated for "Creativity Standards". I'd never had an item deactivated before, ever. This item follows Etsy's rules 100% (hand assembled jewelry), no copyrighted or trademarked terms were used in text either, so this was completely a bot mistake. I understand that bot errors will happen, and since bots were introduced, i've accepted that if it happens, I will have to prove my item is handmade, and made my peace with that, and am willing to do it when each bot error happens, even if it's time consuming and annoying.

So, I went to work that same day and recorded myself (full torso and hands visible at all times) making it from start to finish, no montage. I also made a list of materials, all coming from different sources (most bought on etsy directly, actually, so, sent link to etsy invoices), all bought in bulk, at different times. Basically, these all prove i am not buying pre-made and reselling.

My first ticket got copy-pasted answers, but i persisted. It was eventually closed after no reply for over 2 weeks (I didn't know i had to "keep it alive", since i'd only required Etsy assistance a few times in 18 years). So I opened a new one, got more copy-pasted replies and emails, but kept it alive again. Still no resolution.

Second item was deactivated Mid-November (Same reason, same 100% for sure follows Etsy's rules). Did the same thing as first item (video + supplies invoices and links), opened a ticket with my proofs. Copy-pasted responses again, was able to keep it alive until recently when it got manually closed after 2 weeks. Opened a new one, close within a few days....?? 

Along with the second item wrongfully deactivated however, I also got a second email, telling me my star seller badges were removed, and that this was my "final warning or we will close your shop". Hum, I'm sorry what? A "final warning" that....... the bots will make more errors and I'll be punished for it? What is happening? I've also tried chat help, was  told i'm "escalated", never got an email back over a month later. Tried twitter, same "escalation" promise, no email.

So I've been trying to deal with this wrongful guillotine over my head after 18years of proving i'm a seller that follows etsy's rules consistently, and always. What is going on?

Why is there no way to reach a human that takes 5 minutes that will look at my unrefutable proofs and undo the bots errors?

Why am i under a "final warning" after TWO items (wrongfully) deactivated, while i know of literal dozens of other sellers not having received this warning after over 6-8-10-12 items deactivated? Real question, was this a bug?

And why are my tickets being closed? In general, but even more so manually after a few days in the past 2 weeks? Is this another bug?

I seriously need help!  @ModAngie I'm so sorry to be tagging you, but i'm at the end of this etsy communication maze now, and i've seen you being super helpful in other threads. Were these instances described above bugs? Can you help me? My proofs of handmade for both items are readily available in tickets #16946326 and #18217754, just waiting for someone to take 5 minutes to look at them and undo the bot errors. Thank you

[BagmakerSupply]

@neawear: Not disputing that there have been many many false positives reported, but you need to keep in mind that "violated Etsys creativity standards" can encompass much more than just if it is handmade by you. The violation can be anything from a 'prohibited' word in your title, description, or tags, to a non-conforming primary image, to being misclassified in core details, to intellectual property infringements, and lot in between.

One very common reason for these deactivations appears to be stolen images showing up on wholesale sites. Have you checked to see if you are the victim of this?

While we can only speculate on what the trigger was that flagged your listing, one other thing to consider is that rules for Hand Assembled also say "to create a unique end-product". Don't know if it applies to you, but if two shops are putting the same charm on the same chain only one of them can be unique.

[PlatypusDream]

It most likely means your photos were stolen and are on Temu or Aliexpress, or some other reseller site.

Are your photos on other websites?

The other problem may be a trademark one, using "earbuds" improperly according to the trademark holder's guidelines. For example saying "earbud earrings" instead of "earrings with earbuds".

Good luck. 

[ModAngie · Accepted solution]

Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your listings. We've forwarded your concerns to a specialist team. Thank you! 

Please know we handle support inquiries privately per our Community Policy – we’re closing this thread, so you can get the support you need from us directly.