Etsy Listing taken down by Legal Team With No Warning

[TheSCPStore]

Hello, a plush I designed and had been selling for months on Etsy was suddenly taken down by the legal team for very vague reasons.

I was sent an automated reply that the listing cant is appealled but I'm still really not sure why it was taken down and I want to ensure that when I put the listing backup that it won't get taken down again.

This is what they said

"Everything listed as handmade must be made and/or designed by you, the seller. Reselling is prohibited in the handmade category. Read our full Handmade Policy here.

Items listed as vintage must be at least 20 years old. Read our full Vintage Policy here.

Qualifying craft supplies include tools, ingredients, or materials whose primary purpose is for the creation of an item or special occasion. Read our full Craft Supplies Policy here."

My plush is not handmade and I never listed it as vintage so I'm very confused. I'm still relatively new so my best guess is I put it under crafts when creating the listing. Was this the reason the listing was taken down?

[NanaLetha]

"my plush is not handmade" - that's probably why. Looks like you are just reselling.

[AUNTYANNIESATTIC]

After looking at the plush , it doe not appear to be handmade , so I would say even though you have been selling them for awhile they just have not been spotted until now

[NanaLetha]

Looks like a Pokemon plushie - that's trademark infringement.

[audreytherese]

It does not look like any Pokemon I've ever seen.... definitely not infringing in this case

[ChantillyAvenue]

The reason it was taken down is because it's not allowed to be sold here in any of the available categories.  That's what they're telling you--it's not handmade, vintage, or a supply, so you can't sell it here.

[TheSCPStore]

Would you know what I would list my plush as? I designed the plush myself and just have a manufacturer make them. I'm the only person who sells this item as I've designed it.

[TinTeddy]

You should have declared your production partner, as per Etsy rules.

Then it would have been allowed.

[ChantillyAvenue]

@TheSCPStore 

Read this: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000336547?segment=selling

[JDTotesnDolls]

If the item is not handmade by you or a member of your shop and doesn't qualify for the other such as vintage and craft supply, you can't sell it on Etsy.

Explained in Our House Rules.

Not vague.  The rules are there to be read before running a shop.

[PillowDetails · Accepted solution]

If you designed it, and are having it produced, then you need to list a production partner.

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000336547-Working-with-Production-Partners-on-Etsy?segmen...

* I had to look up your group - very relieved to find out it appears to be a nerdy sci-fi thing rather than what it appeared to be at first!

[TheSCPStore]

Thank you so much! I appreciate you giving me a solution instead of a weird passive-aggressive response like some of the other comments lol.

I'll try to relist it with the production partner and hopefully there won't be any future issues!

[PillowDetails]

That little yellow guy really seems to belong to the OP  - only seeing the website, social posts, and a kickstarter from the same name.

Refreshing.

@TheSCPStore  List the production partner, and send Etsy Support your links to those

[PillowDetails]

Ah, please forgive us - we see this type of thing daily (speaking for others, here) - and find that the item in question is sold all over the place for 1/10th the cost!

[TheSCPStore]

So when I'm making the new listing and adding the production partner I have to also contact Etsy support? Sorry for all the noob questions

[TheSCPStore]

So when I'm making the new listing and adding the production partner I have to also contact Etsy support?

[ChantillyAvenue]

Once Etsy has deactivated a listing, you can't just relist the item, so you'll have to contact them and get it sorted out first.

[TheSCPStore]

Sadly Etsy's moderation and legal team just auto-reply saying listing takedowns cant be appealed. So even though the issue is easily fixable it's become impossible for me to sell an item I designed on Etsy. Insane how poorly Etsy handled this.

[TheSCPStore]

Sadly Etsy's moderation and legal team just auto-reply saying listing takedowns cant be appealed. So even though the issue is easily fixable it's become impossible for me to sell an item I designed on Etsy. Insane how poorly Etsy handled this.

[DesperatelyCreative]

Anyone who is curious should google SCP.  It seems to be a crowd-created fictional secret society all about paranormal and other unexplained phenomenon.  Very cool.  There are lots of images of the critter the "999" plushie seems to be based on, but there doesn't seem as though there would be any trademark issue here.  It is meant to be a shared thing.  

[DesperatelyCreative]

Etsy may be assuming that your plushie is infringing on a trademark or is a mass manufactured item made by SCP or some other owner of the critter image.  If SCP does not have any limitations on "fan art" you should be able to prove you designed it and that there is no trademark or copyright or other "owned" imagery that you are infringing on and that it is not something someone else designed or manufactured. You'll also need to add the name of your manufacturer as a production partner, as advised by others here.

[DesperatelyCreative]

I hope you can work this out.  Your 999 seems like the cutest one on Etsy!