Etsy help not responding after a listing was removed

[#1]

Etsy removed one of my listings (hair serum) for a violation that did not exist. After a couple of weeks the listing reappeared in my shop so obviously it was approved. I sold out and had to add more and whenI did that, bam, the listing was immediately removed again for a violation. Which obviously does not exist. Somehow I managed to get through on their phone help line (I have no idea how, because most of the time it does not work). I was given a case number and the promise of quick followup to let me know what the problem is. Of course no one has responded, and I've sent 3 emails with the case number and all I get is a generic response. I have no clue what the issue is with this listing, and I have no clue how to get anyone to tell me whether it's a word or a picture or what. I know it's not the ingredients and I know it's not an infringement issue. I've been selling this hair serum for years. Even on Etsy. So how can I get help with this? Any ideas? It's been going on for over 2 months now.

[GaiasGardenHerbals]

Thanks. I've been doing both. Probably totally messing things up. I'll stop starting a new email.

[JMOldeVintage]

The following is a very interesting read & doesn't have a lot of legalese in it:

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap

[GaiasGardenHerbals]

Yes, I found this yesterday and went though my listings. Still a bit more to do, but the major bads were removed or reworded. 

[RustyCrustyRepurpose]

etsy has been getting tougher recently on a lot of issues that they let pass before.  I saw one of your listings that mentioned "healing", unfortunately that might be all the bot needs to deactivate the listings no matter what is okay in the real world.  Also the word amber whether it is jewelry, describes a color, or is your name (no fooling) the bots might deactivate.  If they reactivate your listing but you go in and change make a change to the listing or relist, the bots come along and deactivate it again, as strange as that may be they do.

[GaiasGardenHerbals]

None of the listing with Amber (perfumes) have been removed. None of the listings that say "healing" have been removed. Though I did go in and change them after so many people in this thread mentioned that issue. I honestly think it's the picture that Etsy is interpreting as native american appropriation, even though it's a picture of a witch doll with a bottle of the hair oil in front of it. But I don't know, and won't know until someone from Etsy actually responds. This has been going on for almost 2 months now. I'm going to delete the listing when they put it back, and I expect they will because they did before. I don't want to have yet another "violation" on my record for their bot's mistakes.

[CoquetteBath]

OP, you have 5 items in your shop that come up when a search for 'healing' is done. A skin cream. A drawing salve, and 3 serums.

you may believe in the deepest recesses of your heart that this is true. I may agree. But neither of us are the FDA. And anything that makes a medical claim falls under their jurisdiction instantly upon the claim.

if you can't provide FDA backed research on your specific formula (not a historically known too, etc...you have to have your formula tested in a FDA lab and certified...) then you can't make those claims.

I'm personally thrilled that Etsy is stepping up a crackdown on people who make claims. Some people actually do a stellar job in making quality items and I'm sorry that they are affected. But many more make questionable products and can cause real harm. Even product that don't make medical claims are problematic. So many people get their info from a youtube video....

[RustyCrustyRepurpose]

Pay special attention when you redo a listing or when you relist and see if that makes a difference when one has "healing" or "amber" in it.  The bots have just gone wild the last few months.  Good luck.

[FabioMcMustache]

Hello!

We appreciate everyone's feedback, and since OP's question has already been addressed in detail, I'll go ahead and close this thread to prevent it from going off-topic.

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Thank you!