I just got an email stating that Etsy removed my top selling listing stating it doesn't meet "Etsy’s Creativity Standards".
I don't agree with this because this item is embroidered by me, all the photos were taken by me, had a Bestseller tag, and I am a Star Seller.
I tried speaking to someone on the phone and they basically had no options since it was a no-reply email address. Can someone give some insight on this? Honestly insane that Etsy does this to its sellers.
An Etsy bot most likely found the photo on another website
I tried searching and couldn't find it anywhere.
You did a reverse-image search?
What was the item?
@LMTCreativeGifts -- Etsy may think you are reselling if they have found your pictures on other websites. Reselling handmade is against Etsy TOU. If you can find proof of someone stealing your photos, you will need to file a DMCA against them and provide Etsy with that proof that you are proactively securing your own IP.
ETA, looks like @NanaLetha & @VintageRescueSquad already covered this ... sorry for the duplicate post!
Could it be because I sell this item on my website too?
BINGO! Change your photos on both sites, usually just the first photo and that should fix things.
But that won't fix my listing that was removed, right? Like Etsy can't reinstate it after I show them that I've changed it?
I know there have been a few sellers who have stated that Etsy told them their items were removed because the same images were on their own website. I'm not sure that is the norm though. Many shops, mine included, use the same images.
@LMTCreativeGifts -- Fixing it on your other sites may or may not fix it on Etsy ... you will need to contact Etsy about that since they did the initial takedown. But since you have 2 other Etsy shops, and you are also selling all those same items on your own website, Etsy may start removing your other items from any of your Etsy shops. I am not really sure how it works (sorry), but just wanted to let you know in case you start noticing other takedowns. From what I have read, just changing the first picture usually works. Cute items! Best wishes!
The annoying thing about this though is that I don't know if that is the reason why or not. I'm afraid that Etsy will just remove my other listings, that are the same, without telling me the exact reason why. Why do they make it so hard to get in touch and get answers? We're resorting to just "guessing"???
@LMTCreativeGifts: "... this item is embroidered by me, all the photos were taken by me ..." Keep in mind that "violated Etsys creativity standards" can encompass much more than just if it is handmade. The violation can be anything from a 'prohibited' word in your title, description, or tags, to a non-conforming primary image, to being misclassified in core details, to intellectual property infringements, and lot in between.
Unfortunately Etsy will not tell you in detail what the trigger was.
While we can only speculate on what the trigger was that flagged your listing, one other thing to consider is that rules also say "to create a unique end-product" thus the images on other sites issue. While Etsy's public comments appear to indicate that they are checking (only?) the wholesale type sites, anecdotally people are reporting that images on other non-wholesale sites are also the cause for false positive deactivations.
There was a case where the item was actually featured in a shopping blog with a link to the Etsy site and that item. It was one of those "here are some great items to buy for Christmas" type blogs. The item seemed to have been pulled because it was on the other website. That was literally the only other photo that came up on an image search, and it wasn't even from the current year either.