Deactivated listings

[SchoolyardVintagebyK]

All of my listings have been deactivated. They say I violated a policy. I never received an email from Etsy so I don’t know which policy I violated (I checked the spam and junk folders). I have sent several emails for help but all I receive are automated responses. 
What do I do? 

[hopeandjoystudios]

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015672628-How-to-Reinstate-Your-Suspended-Account?segment...  odd to get suspended for prohibited items for a vintage shop?

[TheVintagePineapple]

You do have one listing left.  But I notice that you don't have any payment options showing.

Were you asked to supply ID or some other financial information. Check your spam folder for an older email you may have overlooked. 

Did your credit card expire?

Don't keep sending new emails.  Reply to the first automated message your received that your problem hasn't been resolved. 

[Amaradorn]

If you never received an email from Etsy, how do you know the items were deactivated for policy violation? Does it say this on your dashboard? I'm just curious because I've never had this happen.

As mentioned by @TheVintagePineapple, you have no payment options, and your one item is also de-indexed so that makes me wonder if there is a tax ID issue. Unfortunately the tax ID problem is taking a few weeks to fix because there is a technical issue which means Etsy have to verify your ID manually (from what I have read on the forums).

[CumberlandGapShop]

It’s going around. It seems a heads up would have been helpful. I just invested 4K just before this. I’ve sold the same kind of products for 5 years. I asked them 5 yrs ago I could not make certain products I wanted to list. I was told I could as long as they were handmade & premium items. For 5 years this was not a problem. Obviously my buyers wanted what I had since it wasn’t anything that could personally be handmade. I’m 68, disabled and no way to pay my debts. I have several correspondences along the way when asking about an issue that they looked over my listings and they are fine and active. Not one time in any message or phone conversation was it mentioned my products were in violation. 

[PillowDetails]

Your long list of "production partners" may have given Etsy the impression you are re-selling.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Whoever told you handmade or premium didn't know what they were talking about. Premium what?It is handmade by the seller or designed by the seller and then a production partner( print shop etc.) can be used. Or a craft supply or over 20 years old.  Just buying wholesale decor is reselling and not allowed. 

[CumberlandGapShop]

I have several messages from them over 5 yrs. They all stated my products were fine and were available to sell. These messages were from various reps. I trusted them over some of the outdated information they have posted. Mainly speaking with reps seems most current? 

[hopeandjoystudios]

Handmade Policy - Our House Rules | Etsy This was last updated May 8th 2023..2 weeks ago. Not outdated.

[ExtremeCreation]

@CumberlandGapShop  May I ask what were you selling? Did you use print on demand for shirts or something of that sort?

[ArtDollsbyJD]

I would say your issue is tax ID and not a policy violation unless you have waited over 60 days to supply ID information.  That is a violation.  Bank account needs to be verified and any tax information.  When Etsy asks they give the seller 60 days to supply this information.  After that they suspend the shop.

Chances are the email hit the spam file. 

[PlatypusDream]

" I asked them 5 yrs ago I could not make certain products I wanted to list. I was told I could as long as they were handmade & premium items."

Quite often Etsy "Help" does not give accurate answers.

You can't resell items that are NOT actually vintage (20 years old) OR a supply to make crafts. It doesn't matter if it was "handmade" by someone in a foreign country. It would not qualify to be sold on Etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/legal/handmade

I see some of the photos you are using on Amazon, Sears and Aliexpress.

Perhaps Etsy's handmade vision doesn't fit your shop.

[CumberlandGapShop]

The ones I still have listed are refinished. They were not worth selling otherwise. I have never bought anything from Aliexpress. 

[UppNorthEh]

sorry, but can't resell means nothing.  almost 2,000 sales of clearly resold items.  looks like there are two vintage items.

and the OP who was selling actual vintage gets shut down for unknown policy violations.  so frustrating. uugghhh  

[TheIDconnection]

In the last 72 hours, I've had 4 listings deactivated. I've been selling on Etsy for over 15 years, opening my shop in 2008. I normally keep over 2000 items active. The issue started with using words like Cuba, Havana, Spanish American War, etc. The items in question are 1898 Stereophoto cards and a 1970s paper mache car. Etsy deactivated the listings because of this:

"Etsy is a US-based company, and Etsy prohibits the sale of any items sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of the Treasury."

What does this mean? A 1970s paper mache car and old military stereoscope photo cards. The paper mache car was made in Cuba, but I did not note that in the listing. The photo cards were made in the USA (PA), with the war occurring in 1898 and the cards printed in 1908. Why were these deactivated despite there being hundreds of other similar listings? Etsy is now threatening to remove my "star seller" status and close my shop if I continue. I'm so upset I can't see straight.

Also, I removed any words that were in violation and they are still deactivated. How can I appeal an appeal. I spend countless hours working my shop and this has never happened. 

[howtobooksandmore]

You can start a new thread and ask your question there.  Resurrecting an old thread means people will reply to the OP and may not see your question.  It will also be off topic if someone does offer you advice since you didn't start the thread.

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

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[BohoStyleSupplies]

It appears that your shop is back up and running now, did you find out what the issue was? I imagine that some of your keywords were flagged by an Etsy bot.