My shop is finally up. I hope this helps. I had to edit my taxpayer info.
Click Edit, Select Non Legal Name; type the name matching your driver license then, I select Tax ID, and used SS#. (**Before I had my middle initial. )
Then I had to upload another copy of my DL, then click submit.
@fabricfetish You're not allowed to put your website in the announcement telling buyers to visit it. That's a no-no.
It could be a policy violation, intellectual property complaints, account verification, multiple account violations, fraud detection, things like that. If it was verification you would only get your shop placed on vacation. Check your settings that everything is updated and nothing is expired. Only Etsy can help you with this. Unfortunately, chat can't and won't. Maybe a moderator can escalate.
While you have a valid point, I am seeing shops doing that more and more and more. It is as if Etsy removed that restriction (which they did not). But if that is the case, is this a sign that a lot of shops are going to experience this same thing?
@SugarTaffySoap From what I understood when I added my website you are able to put your website in your announcement. But you are not able to tell your buyers to shop there or in anyway say that there are better prices, sales etc. If this policy has change please send me the current policy from etsy.
"...Therefore, any action to move a transaction off the Etsy platform is strictly prohibited by Etsy. This includes, for example, encouraging buyers to purchase an item in your Etsy shop through another venue or directing buyers to another venue via a QR code. ..."
It's not like you are saying, go to my website for better deals. OR the infamous, Do not buy from my etsy shop, go to my website.
Why would etsy give us the live link website buttons in About if they thought it was directing sales off site?
Websites can also list many products that are legal to sell, but don't follow Etsy's rules or brand guidelines.
For example, I sell many Carhartt products and have them listed online for some local fire departments I work with. But, their brand guidelines state I can't sell them on 3rd party sites, like Etsy. I am allowed to sell them on my personal site.
There are many reasons why someone may list their own website, and I agree that as long as you are not encouraging buyer to buy the same products through a direct site, or that they'll get a discount if they buy elsewhere, there shouldn't be a problem with just listing it.
@audreythereseOP has a link in her shop for another Etsy shop Sweetiepiedesigns.com When you click on that link it brings up a completely different website.
OP says she quit selling in that shop in 2012 but she is still showing it as another Etsy shop which it definitely isn't.
I'm of the opinion that shops that we no longer operate should not be showing on our profile...?
This link OP is showing definitely does not lead to another Etsy shop.
It's clear that you're an experienced seller who's been part of the Etsy community for a long time. The fact that Etsy can suddenly impact your ability to earn a living—without any clear reason or explanation—is deeply concerning. What makes the situation even more frustrating is the lack of real support or a reliable way to get in touch with them for clarification or resolution.
Then you finally receive an email saying they can't verify your SS number. I am going to take a leap here and assume that they have had your SS number for a long time as they should have been paying tax obligations. If they haven't been able to verify your SS number does that mean that they haven't been submitting collected tax to the appropriate tax authorities? I smell something odd and it very much smells like an auto responder message!
@NanaLetha As I said above. I finally received an email from etsy saying they can't verify my SS number. So I am working of re-inputting all my information that etsy has had for 19 plus years.
@fabricfetish Even though you have been here for 19 years, new legislation means that Etsy is obliged to reverify information every so often and all shops are subject to this so that part is quite normal and each and every shop will be reverified. I guess the "Can't verify SS number is a standard response meaning "we are verifying your information". Ordinarily this results in shops being put into Vacation Mode while info is verified so I still can't understand why all your listings have been deactivated - maybe even Etsy doesn't have an answer for that!!
@fabricfetish - I'm not sure which situation is more worrisome, losing all your listings or Etsy suddenly not being able to verify your SS number. It's tax season right now, how in the world did Etsy issue you a 1099 if they don't have your SS information? This is very strange.
What's even more alarming is that several shops have posted that Etsy refunded all of their orders over the past 60 days when they say they can't verify a seller's identity.
All of my fingers are crossed that the OP gets this cleared up before that point.
This is why I don't trust Etsy enough to put more listings in my shop. Good shops have been closed in the past, true shops that go by the rules. The bots and AI need to go. They don't work and they are ruining good shops.
I'm so sorry this has happened to you, it's quite disconcerting. It baffles the mind the way Etsy treats their sellers. How can a site deactivate a shop's listings without any communication, and what options are available for a seller to resolve the issue through direct contact?
@JJewellerySuppliesUK Yes I totally understand. I have always updated my information when etsy has requested it. But unfortunately if etsy does not request it then I do not know to update it. It seems kind of like the cart before the horse that they are sending me an email after they deactivate all my listings. If they had sent me the email yesterday, last week etc. then all of this could have been avoided.
