💔 Account permanently suspended after hack – what else can be done? Please help!

[MARIAELA]

Dear Etsy Community,

I'm reaching out on behalf of our dear friends – the amazing team behind the Polish shop Spox Sox:
https://www.etsy.com/pl/shop/SpoxSox

They have been selling on Etsy since 2016, with over 15,000 sales, a 5.0-star rating, and were Star Sellers for years – truly dedicated, creative, and ethical sellers.

In October 2024, their Etsy account was hacked. An unauthorized person gained access and sent spam messages. The Spox Sox team acted quickly – within minutes – changed the password, reported the issue to Etsy, and tried to secure the account.

Despite that, their account was permanently suspended.
They submitted an appeal (Request #17991927), but the reply seemed automated and didn’t address the specific situation.

Now they are left with:

• a permanently closed shop,

• unpaid funds from fulfilled October orders (Etsy never released them),

• no way to contact Etsy,

• any attempt to open a new account gets automatically banned within minutes (even after verification and payment of listing fees).

They’ve done everything they possibly could to fix the situation. They are not rule-breakers – they are victims of a cyberattack and are devastated by the outcome.

We’re reaching out to ask:

• Has anyone here ever managed to recover an account in a similar situation?

• Is there any way to speak to a real Etsy representative?

• Any internal contact, process, or tip that might help?

We’d be beyond grateful for any advice or direction.

This situation is deeply unfair to honest, long-time creators who were doing everything right – and then got completely shut out without a chance to explain or recover.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help or support you can offer

[forCRAFT]

Oh no, what a pity. It was beautiful shop with good quality products. Please Etsy verify your decision. 

[HeriniaJewelry]

It’s sad that right now, the only contact that sellers have with Etsy is through artificial intelligence, and therefore most of the sellers’ problems remain unsolved. I have heard and read SO MANY similar stories like the one you describe. And the same conclusion ALWAYS is that there is no chance for a contact with a human being on Etsy’s part and all enquiries remain unanswered. I am so sorry your friends haven’t found any solution to this problem yet…

[riverofbeautydesigns]

I don't think that is true. I think I have heard of such decisions being reversed. They should keep all their messages to Etsy in the same thread so they won't get bumped to the bottom of Etsy's pile of messages, and eventually you should get a human being. There is also a formal dispute process. I'll see if I can find you a link. 

Here is the link - see no. 12. @cindylouwho2 would be better able to tell you if this situation calls for opening a dispute. 

https://www.etsy.com/legal/terms-of-use#disputeresolution

[TheVintagePineapple]

How to File an Appeal for a Permanently Suspended Account – Etsy Help

[cindylouwho2]

@MARIAELA  definitely these issues can be fixed in some cases; I have helped a few sellers with these types of hacks. 

Tell them to stop opening new shops; that won't work, and is likely not going to help them going forward. 

"They’ve done everything they possibly could to fix the situation" Could you clarify what they have done? Because there are a lot of ways to get Etsy's attention that you have not mentioned. 

If they have really tried "everything", then filing a dispute is appropriate at this time, as @riverofbeautydesigns explained above me. 

I flagged the thread for the mods, but there may not be any action on this until next week, even if it gets sent to the right department. 

[TheVintagePineapple]

I can see that your friends have their own website and are selling the same designs.  However, there is an Amazon shop that is selling the SpoxSox branded socks, but they have a different company name and located in the UK, not Poland.  There is another site, located in Hong Kong, also selling the same branded socks, but they do give credit to your friends' company.

Could Etsy, after becoming aware of the friends' shop due to the hacking, now be assuming that they are reselling?