Etsy Forced Holiday Mode on us for Uploading my Resident Permit

[folkhaus]

Hello all! I hope you are well. Etsy asked us to verify some further seller information today (assuming as we have based a sales bracket). Totally fine. Without warning, it has put our shop on holiday mode which means we cannot sell until they verify my latest ID. This means we cannot make any money and I am assuming will drop down in search algorithm since we aren't selling.

We staff five other people besides ourselves (my husband and I). This could seriously hurt our business.

We have tried every way to reach out to Etsy to no avail. Has anyone ever dealt with this? What should we do?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

If it's not standard stuff they can automatically check it will take time.

spend that time getting your shop legal

GDPR privacy policy
right to withdraw policy
address and e-mail address in sellers details, with trade box ticked

30 day return policies on all listings

.... giving a list of options for people to add to the personalised box, is NOT personalisation,
it just choosing things that you offer.

If you have people relying on you, as least make your shop legal, or etsy can shut you for good, not just a delay in verification

[folkhaus]

Hello! 

Oh that's not what we mean at all haha. We have all of our business information listed already on Etsy - we are VAT registered and are completely legal compliant. This was just due to a new residency card I had to upload! We have been trading on here since 2020. 

Unfortunately, your reply isn't really helpful so I can't mark it as a solution! But thank you anyway!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

your vat number should be showing in sellers details, if you have ticked all the right boxes

it is a legal requirement

the information has to be shown to Ppotential buyers, not just etsy

more info from etsy here

https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/selling-to-eu-and-uk-buyers/239965962014

[folkhaus]

Oh, I see what you are saying. You are viewing our shop on holiday mode so some information is missing. You are not viewing our page correctly. Normally all of this is available whoopsie! haha.

Normally VAT ID , email and business address is viewable in Seller Details

Also, our listings normally have drop down menus for you to customise your item. We exceed the amount of customisations so we had to add the personalisation box for finish choice only. I never knew so much changed when you go on holiday mode!

[folkhaus]

just for further clarification, this isn't due to information missing on our account it was due to uploading a new issued ID haha.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@folkhaus   Crafty is correct.  You lack UK relevant shop policies which are important.  She stated this to help you in addition to the permit question.

Etsy will need to run the usual details.  Hopefully your permit is registered.  There can be delays at time for getting permits filed even if you have been given the green light.

If anything does not match and that includes bank information, that will again mean continued vacation mode until it is rectified.  So hopefully everything matches up.

[folkhaus]

Does anyone else have any insight on this or how long it took for your shop to come off holiday mode when you had to upload information? Thank you!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

mine didn't go on holiday mode,

they asked for info, all my policies were fine, uploaded my info, and continued to be open.

[treesizeverse · Accepted solution]

Hi, I hope everthing works out fine for you. I've had the same issue, and because there was an error in the AI who checked my ID card, my shop was permently suspended. It took 6 days before it was reveiwed by an actual Human, and put back on live, no apologies from Etsy, nothing

[folkhaus]

@CraftyCornishMaids this is because you didn't have an issue when uploading your ID. You clearly are not having the same issue as me, but thank you for literally battling me on every comment haha.

@treesizeverse thank you so much for your kind words. We have just spoken to someone on chat. If you can imagine, we had to actually make another Etsy account to speak to someone as they removed all contact options from us.

I fear we are in the same position. I cannot believe that after nearly 5 years of trading and working as hard as we have been put in this position over an AI issue. Basically, because I am American and a permanent resident in the UK, the system was confused and wouldn't process me because I needed to add my UK BRP on. All I had to do was remove my American first and this wouldn't have caused an issue. So, so sad.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@folkhaus   From what others have said it can take a few days or a few weeks.  There is no one set time frame.

[treesizeverse]

It is so sad to see that honest hard working crafters like we get punished before being able to defend ourselfs. This is not the way they should be treating there customers who bring in there income. I whish you all the best

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@folkhaus You are not being punished.  Etsy has to verify all sorts of information now as required by various governments.  They have to protect the venue.  Not everyone who has a shop comes one with legal intentions so Etsy does its best to weed such people out.  It is the price paid now by all for people who abused the system.