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

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

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?

[cindylouwho2]

Did you edit it after they cleared it? I made the mistake of doing that, and a listing was removed after the edit, but was back up within 48 hours. 

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

I didn't touch a thing after they reinstated it

[BagmakerSupply]

@QuirkyAntiquesStore: The bots seem to check when a listing is created, renewed and / or edited.

[OldenaryThings]

It doesn't matter what the item is, the bot will pick up the word amber and deactivate. So far we've had 2 different items (both glassware) get hit by it, but they always get reinstated within a day.

[RobinsHandyWork]

My deactivation is different. For some reason all of my listings were deactivated for no reason at all.  Haven't heard back from them yet.

[stuartroadvintage]

I see all of your listings.

[EightMileVintage]

I have the same problem with some Corningware teapots I have in my shop. I list, they deactivate. I contact them, they activate. I edit, they deactivate. I contact them, they reactivate. I renew, they deactivate. I contact them, they reactivate. It's like Groundhog Day.

[stuartroadvintage]

LOL...see if your radio is playing the same song each time you contact them.

[OmasFabricStash]

There was a recall on those tea pots awhile ago so Etsy will keep deactivating them. 
Wow, the recall was in 1979. 

[hopeandjoystudios]

There was a recall on the coffee pot for a faulty handle. Not sure if the teapot was also recalled or not but Corningware and "pot" = a deactivation. I'd sell them elsewhere and skip the stress.

[EightMileVintage]

Yes, some of the coffee pots were  recalled. Not the teapots. I keep asking them to mark these as OK but no.

[StonesAndLeatherUS]

The bots are nothing but a menace. 

[EightMileVintage]

It's like the Etsy version of the Terminator movies.

[AcmeRainbows]

most amateurish site i sell on....etsy needs to up its game already.

[KanimaCo]

I’ve had deactivations (not for amber) and had them reinstated from the marketing integrity team. I called them out for their incompetence when they were giving the runaround and vague messaging, but expecting me to know what they meant, even though I asked specific questions to alleviate any potential infractions from that point and for the future. “Here at Etsy, we—" No. I asked a specific yes or no question. “Well. Here at Etsy, we understand—“ Annoying.

In the end, I moved those products to another site and make more income without any Etsy fees. Much more enjoyable experience without Etsy’s passive-aggressive behavior and gold sticker blurbs riddled everywhere.

Hope things get sorted out for you!

[FoundAndFlogged]

@QuirkyAntiquesStore we've had a problem with bots three times, the last time the shop was taken offline. None of these things were our fault, and the word amber in ads for glass was one of the problems.

There are so many of us working here now that bots are a necessary evil, I'm sad to say. The way to avoid trouble is to do a bulk edit, and exchange the word amber for orange. This will do the text and I believe the titles, but you'll have to change your tags manually.

Our biggest problem was caused by the word morphine. The item was an army emergency medical response box, "morphine" was on a restock label and a relevant part of the item description. It was online for months before we got hit.

After that one, I checked all our listings for words or phrases that could be misunderstood by a circuit board that cannot reason for itself as well as a human mind. A lot of work, but I think we're safe now... I'm almost tempted to say something futile like "bring back the biro".

Have a lovely weekend, Ed Short

[Girlfriendnecklace]

I heard lots of amber listings were removed because some buyer sued Etsy over a baby amber design.

[GieseDeseiGns]

They sued them not over a design but because their baby died.

[Adorabilities]

It was an improper clasp used on the necklace that caused the injury. So technically it was the design of the necklace that was faulty -- using an inappropriate clasp for toddler jewelry. The amber itself was not the cause of the injury, but it was the reason the child was wearing the necklace in the first place. 

[SugarTaffySoap]

@QuirkyAntiquesStore >> regarding deactivation>did you respond to the etsy email that says.. let us know if this occurs in the future? They use an automated system which is not 100% accurate.  Sellers in the forums cannot help with your deactivation. You'll need to address the issue directly with etsy whether it be through email, chat or call back. Also, there's hundreds, if not thousands of threads in the forums about the word amber. You can do a search to find out more.   Good luck.

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

I never saw anything about "let us know if this occurs in the future" in the email! However I have an update. I had an Etsy customer support email chain open because I had mailed them complaining about the lack of representation for antiques and vintage sellers in Etsy TV ads-I begged them to show US some love in the tv ads instead of focusing only on hand made. At the bottom of that email it usually says "if there's anything ELSE you need help with..." so I used that open line of communication to get a faster response. My concern was not only with the deactivation AGAIN of the same item but rather that if the software couldn't tell it had already deactivated and cleared this item once then if it happens a third time the software might presume I personally am intentionally trying to continually list prohibited items and shut down my shop. They reactivated the listing again within 24 hours and assured me they had made changes to make sure this doesn't happen again.

[goodmedicinegemstone]

A chakra necklace with a small amber bead (for the solar plexus chakra) was just de-activated. So what is the big deal with amber beads? Why is amber forbidden on Etsy?

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

@goodmedicinegemstone   A Baltic amber teething necklace strangled a baby, so Etsy just deactivated the word amber.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@QuirkyAntiquesStorewait, so the listing with the word amber was reinstated? If so, that's great! The automated system seems to be a work in progress.  Off track here but with regard to your comment  I recently saw an etsy commercial mentioning vintage. I'm waiting for bath and body products to be on a commercial. I would have thought during Covid  there would have been some mention of handmade soap. My thinking was wrong. lol.