Help! 50% Reserve on payment account / Tracking number for Digital Products

[AsheekCustomPrints]

PLEASE HELP! My shop has had a 50% reserve placed on my payment account. I've messaged Etsy to get clarification for the reason, and although there's been an increase of sales due to Christmas, i'm presuming its because of invalid tracking numbers (?). 

I sell digital portraits (listed as physical listings) due to variations in pricing. Since 'digital' listings don't support variations in pricing, this is the only way to list my products. As such, there's no postage involved, and the tracking information is always input as 'Other', which is obviously not 'valid'. 

Does anyone have a workaround to this? The notification states that "During this reserve period, 50% of your funds from each sale won’t be available for deposit until you dispatch your order with a valid tracking number, or after 45 days – whichever comes first." I've been selling for 3 years the same way and this is the first time this has happened to me!

[BagmakerSupply]

@AsheekCustomPrints: While we can only speculate, a fair presumption would be that with the recent addition of Customer Service standards, your shipping percentage has triggered a reserve threshold that previously you got away with. Not likely that Etsy will make an exception for you - they just do not do well with edge cases like yours.

Sadly I don't think there is a real workaround unless you want to try the 'mail a receipt with an Etsy First Class label' scheme.

[Natalya1905]

Some of your listings offer "Family Digital Portrait (Combine Multiple Photos)". Could it be the issue?

From Etsy:

"Prohibited Services

Modification Services

Modification services that alter a buyer’s pre-existing item are prohibited on Etsy. Examples of prohibited modification services include:

• Photographic retouching or color correction of a buyer’s image"

 More here: https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/services/242665313101 

[AsheekCustomPrints]

Hi Natalya, really doubtful.. we don't retouch or colour correct the same image, rather combine multiple to create something that isn't a likeness to something that we recieved. Hope that makes sense. 
And we're not the only store to sell a similar product. I'm convinced it's the tracking information.. 

[digitaldoodlebug]

We have to figure out how to conform to the etsy mold or suffer the consequences. Which means you either need to ship something with tracking, or list as digital. Also, I would rename your variation. It says "print size" and print makes you think printed. I would say digital size or Number of people for digital file. Really sad etsy doesn't see the need for variations on digital. But they fail to see a lot of things that would benefit us and customers. 

Or simplify your offerings. Do you have a few that are very popular? List those one at a time and say contact me if you need a custom number of people. Or combine some of the ranges into a middle ground (in separate listings). Say 8-10 people for $50

[Pawrait]

I have the same problem. I have 300+ sales in my 2nd year, I have 100 positive reviews, but my product is a digital product that can be personalized and therefore there is no tracking number, my account was put on reserve. This problem is not solved!

[Natalya1905]

"my product is a digital product" -- All your products are listed as physical items with free shipping, not as digital ones. 

From your description: "You will receive a digital file .No Physical delivery is offered."

I'm afraid you list your products in the wrong category. You need Digital, it doesn't require tracking numbers.

[Pawrait]

I realize that I need to do this, but I am afraid that if I change my order item to digital, it will break the order algorithm.

I look at my competitors and they display their digital products physically...

[BagmakerSupply]

@Pawrait: "... if I change my order item to digital, it will break the order algorithm." Not likely, but even if it does looking like you are 'shipping' without tracking will probably hurt you much more. Both in search visibility and by getting a reserve put on your payment account.

[Natalya1905]

@Pawrait  It could be several reasons. Listing in the wrong category + constant lack of tracking numbers (thus missing SS badge even with perfect products and customer service) + using trademarked magazine covers layout (Vogue and more).