Etsy bots deactivated my listing. Cleared it-reactivated it. Then deactivated it again....

[#1]

Anyone else having a huge amount of trouble with Etsy bots and amber items? I listed a sterling mid century modern pendant that has amber inlaid into it. It is NOT beads, it is inlaid. I listed it knowing Etsy would deactivate, review it and pass it which they DID after about a week. It appeared in my shop last week and now I get the same notice AGAIN that they're deactivated it for review-AGAIN. Anyone else running into this?

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

It was reinstated the second time after I asked Etsy support to stop deactivating the same item they had just cleared less than a week earlier. My issue was not with a stupid $150 pendant, I am more than happy to just remove it even though as it's inlaid and not beads, its perfectly legitimate. My huge concern was if their software can't recognize items that have already been cleared and keep pulling them for review after they themselves reinstated them-then the bots would also think that I personally keep trying to list items that are on the prohibited watch list and just shut me down. Which if they did I would have no chance to appeal it. Support responded within 24 hours saying they had reinstated the listing again and had taken measures to make sure this didn't happen again.

[Gem4Edu]

Having the same problem! I can’t find anywhere it says that amber beads and chips are prohibited in the legal section either. I’m also incredibly irritated at not being able to access which items are deactivated even when I click on the link. The threat about deactivating my shop if I continue to submit this type of item is an especially nice touch. Partial since I don’t know what the item is

[cindylouwho2]

@Gem4Edu I believe you should be able to see the deactivated items in your inactive listings. (Might be wrong, as I don't have any currently!)

[VernalVisions]

I just had a listing deactivated for an amber pendant that is 1.5" in size. There are HUNDREDS of listings for amber in large sizes on Etsy (and some beads too) so I don't understand why mine was deactivated. Do they do this "review" on every single one?  Will they really ever review it or should I open a ticket now?

[BarbTheFurLady]

This is my exact same probem.  They're telling me that my perfectly legal listing is a violation of their "Prohibited Items" policy.  No it's not.  There are plenty of active Etsy listings for the exact same sort of thing.  Why are my items receiving violation notices and being taken down when other sellers' listings are accepted?  No recourse ... no appeal ... no redress ... this is unfair and unjust.  

[BarbTheFurLady]

You're not the only one.  If this is what "AI" is like I really don't like it.  I received an email from Etsy the other day stripping me of my Star Seller badge and threatening to suspend my shop ... right at the beginning of the Christmas buying season.  There's absolutely no way to get a human to help you.  There's no appeal process.  There's no way to even have a simple conversation or ask a question.  The bot knows all and sees all ... and could not be more wrong in the conclusions it draws.  I'm wondering if this is "growing pains" with a new technology or if it's time to explore other selling platforms.  Anyone else having these SERIOUS problems with automation?

[OneEyeCatStudio]

" .... or if it's time to explore other selling platforms."

If you want to be assured of continuing your business, I would suggest not waiting to do this.

[BagmakerSupply]

@BarbTheFurLady: This is an old thread and is likely to get shut down by an Etsy moderator, so you may want to start a new one.

It is almost impossible to speculate on why a particular listing was deactivated, but Etsy is cracking down on what they feel inappropriate.  Since Etsy is now also factoring descriptions in search, they along with titles, tags, and materials (and possibly even alt tags if you are using them) are all probably being checked. And the bots are also "reading" images. Plus we do not know what combination of possibly multiple factors constitute the trigger that flagged your listing.

"There are plenty of active Etsy listings for the exact same sort of thing." The fact that there are other shops selling similar items only means that they have not been caught yet, or those listings may not contain the same trigger that snared you. Additionally, we will not know how many other listings were deactivated using the same trigger - only those that appear to not have been.

[PoochandTabby]

Yeah, you're selling pelts from animals that are on the endangered animals list. Perhaps read the prohibited policy and make adjustments. 

With enough deactivations, they'll shut your shop down.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/legal/policy/endangered-threatened-or-at-risk/239374829600

Hopefully with time, all the listings will be removed from everyone.