Bank Account Linked to My Account is not mine and unable to change it

[Alchemetry]

Hi everyone, and to any Etsy Community Managers who might see this,

I'm hoping someone here can offer some real guidance or help. I'm in a truly frustrating spot with my Etsy shop. I've had this shop since 2016, and while I haven't been super active with sales, it's mine, and I was going to start using it again. I've used my one-time name change for it, and I even recently bought the domain to match. I was really looking forward to getting it active again. I was going to change the bank account number to my new bank.

Here's the Big Problem:
When PNC bank was linked (via Plaid), Etsy started showing a "tokenized" or "virtual" account number. It's not my actual PNC account number, and I only ever saw the last 4 digits of this token on my Etsy payments page.
Now, to change to my new bank, Etsy is asking me to enter the full "account number currently on file." I can't do this because I was never shown the full tokenized number.

Plaid's own FAQ actually says this can happen! They state that apps (like Etsy) "may mistakenly display the last 4 digits of that Virtual Account Number, which you may not recognize." They also say this VAN/TAN isn't shared with the user. So, it's not a number I could ever have known.

What I've Tried (Everything I Can Think Of!):
Called PNC Bank: They confirmed they can't give me that app-specific token number and that Etsy has it. 
Used PNC's Control Hub: I found an option in my PNC app to revoke Etsy's access, which I did.
Unlinked via Plaid.com Portal: I also logged into Plaid.com account and specifically unlinked any connections between PNC and Etsy from there.
Contacted Etsy Support (Ticket ID: #19935934 This has been the most disheartening part.
I explained everything – that I was closing my PNC account, the token issue, the fact PNC can't help.
The last advice I got from support was to try PNC again (pointless) and then, if that didn't work, that "it would be necessary to open a new shop."

Losing my shop, its unique URL (that I can't get again), and the matching domain I invested in (I was about to start selling again), all because of a system glitch where Etsy is asking for a number it never really showed me... it just feels incredibly unfair and like a huge step backward. This isn't my mistake.

While my account wasn't "hacked" by a stranger, the outcome feels similar in some ways. I have financial information linked to my shop that is incorrect, unmanageable by me, and I'm blocked from putting in my correct, secure bank details. This compromises my ability to securely manage my shop's finances and creates a real account integrity problem.

My Simple (I Hope!) Request:
I just need the old, now invalid and inaccessible, tokenized PNC bank account information manually unlinked/removed from my shop's payment settings. That's it. Then I can add my new bank account and get my shop ready.

I've read in community discussions that for these kinds of tokenization and bank unlinking deadlocks, resolution often comes from a specialized internal team at Etsy, like Account Security or a similar higher-tier group, who can do this manual step. Search "Etsy PNC" to see many are having this issue and are able to eventually get it removed by contacting support several times. I contacted them twice with ticket ID: #19935934, but I'd really rather not have to bother them repeatedly.

Can an Etsy Community Manager please, please help me get my case in front of that team? I've truly done everything I can from my end. I just want to use my existing shop securely.

Thank you so much for listening and for any help you can offer.

[CryzalisMasksUK]

You are in the United States, try requesting a call back

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?segment=selling#issue_sell_offsite_ads-callback

[BagmakerSupply]

@Alchemetry: Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, thread after thread in this forum infers that advice from Etsy support can be misleading or downright wrong. It seems that as Artificial Intelligence (AI) handles more and more inquiries the amount of AI hallucinated answers also increases.

Based on other threads about similar situations, this can be resolved but requires perseverance and patience. Hopefully one of the Etsy moderators will see your thread and forward your issue on to one of the "specialty teams".

[Alchemetry]

Unfortunately I have read the same. Several people have had the issue rectified, but it took multiple attempts, as you state.

[DetailedDelights]

Why not totally close out the account and start a new one from scratch. . . . this may solve your problem.

[PrairiePrimitives]

@DetailedDelights The OP wouldn't be able to use the same shop name again. Nobody can. Never Ever. It's been that way since Etsy launched 20 years ago.

Also, the OP said they just bought the domain name to match their Etsy shop. Unless the cost of these has increased dramatically, that's probably about $20, so not a huge chunk of change. But still. The OP shouldn't have to jump thru hoops because Etsy messed up. 

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

You only have 13 sales in this shop so I would recommend opening a new one and starting afresh. 

[Alchemetry]

Thanks for the suggestion. However, for the reasons outlined in my original post (including the unique shop name/URL and matching domain I've invested in), starting a new shop isn't the route I'm looking to take. I'm focused on resolving the bank linking issue for this specific account.

[AccessoryForSurepet]

Resolved! PNC came through. Call their Online Banking support and ask to talk to their Tier 3 support. They will be able to give you the tokenized account number. Here is their # 800 762 2035

[Alchemetry]

Thank you for taking your time to update with this information!

They are closed right now, but if I call tomorrow and they help me I will mark this as the solution so others with the same issue, and there are quite a few, will be able to search and find the resolution.

Thanks again!

[Alchemetry]

Apparently because I closed my account they claim to not have this account number anymore. I worked for a bank before so this sounds untrue. Banks have to keep records on closed accounts for several years by law. Oh well, back to Etsy for help. They're my only hope!

[PrairiePrimitives]

@Alchemetry When Etsy asked for the "account number currently on file," I would assume they want your actual PNC bank account number. Have you tried this?

[TylerGraceCo]

I hope that works for you! I also have a PNC VAN number in my account and should anything ever happen, I would hope that my entire shop won't be lost for good. Please keep us updated.

With this new technology to keep accounts more "safe", I feel like they should at least let the the account holder have that important info.

[Alchemetry]

I replied further up, but I couldn't retrieve the VAN/TAN from customer service. The rep claimed it's because my account is closed. I know banks are required by law to keep information on accounts for several years as I used to work at one!

If I were you I would call and retrieve your virtual account number just to have it on file. You don't want to be stuck in my position.

I know many are saying just give up and make a new account and "you only have 13 sales", but everyone knows an older account with some sales is much better than a brand new account and the issue isn't my fault in the first place!

Anyway, that's my update for now.