Help! Etsy has closed our shop without warning.

[LanasCrespo]

A few hours ago, my partner's shop was deactivated. He's been on Etsy for over 10 years and sells products he's patented in both Europe and the United States.

He hasn't violated any rules: There's no secondary shop on Etsy with the same products, no pending reports, no unpaid invoices, nothing.

The account has been permanently suspended, and they say he must wait up to two weeks to receive an email.
Shouldn't Etsy have notified him before closing the shop? Right now, he has pending orders with clients he can't reach, with very close delivery dates, and he's just days away from earning the seller star that Etsy awards.

What's happening? Not being able to contact Etsy directly and this whole situation is causing him serious anxiety.

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

What was he selling?  Were there any IP issues (as there are in yours with the Brendan Fraser item)?

[LanasCrespo]

No, he sells wedding items, and these items are all patented (he's the only seller).

He hasn't received any kind of notice and hasn't received any reports. Nor has he received any emails that might indicate any problems. His shop has been permanently closed.

For my part, I haven't received any violations either.

And looking at other cases, it seems that communication with Etsy isn't fluid. 

[PlatypusDream]

"For my part, I haven't received any violations either."

YET.

"thus benefiting content thieves."

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/22398703823

https://www.etsy.com/ca/legal/prohibited

[Hertfordweaver]

Another issue that seems to plague some in this situation is stolen photos showing up on other web sites being found by Etsy bots.

[LanasCrespo]

I understand the situation, but someone should fix this so that Etsy bots don't delete original items, thus benefiting content thieves.

[Natalya1905]

"...benefiting content thieves."

Volkswagen, "Baby Alien" (aka Baby Yoda), Brendan Fraser and his movies, Fly Me to the Moon lyrics, Heisenberg (Breaking Bad) are intellectual property of other people and companies. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@LanasCrespo   A shop owner is responsible for their items.  This means if their photos are stolen and appearing elsewhere then the seller has to issue DMCA to those venues and report back to Etsy.  

Did your partner receive such emails about takedowns?  Did he experience removal of his items prior to closing?  This is something he needed to take care of to prevent the suspension. 

Etsy does not warn sellers of what is going to happen.  They legally can't.  They rely on the information in the TOUS that any seller should be conversant with.

[CryzalisMasksUK]

Unfortunately there is nothing to fix. If other sellers and websites have stolen your images, you have to issue take downs. The bot can not tell when and who took those images.

Have you reverse searched the images from the closed shop? 

[LanasCrespo]

He has reported copies from other sellers or websites that have been removed. Some Etsy sellers have copied the item and, after being reported, have re-uploaded it. The copied items are no longer for sale, but their shops have not suffered any setbacks. It's good that they are implementing technology to innovate, but it would be appreciated if it were to help rather than cause problems.

He has been on Etsy for over 10 years. It would have been nice if, in case there was any doubt about plagiarism, they would have requested information to be able to provide all the legal documentation to prove that their items are legitimate. In any case, a listing can be deactivated, but deleting the account completely without being able to access Etsy Help or the information of customers who have pending orders is completely pointless.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

The problem is if they uploaded it, he needs to pursue again.  Yep, many sellers have this issue and it is very agravating.  But unfortunately that is part of it now.  Constant vigilance over stolen photos.  If he let the other upload again and did nothing then it gets into a mess.

Etsy pauses a shop when it reaches a certain tipping point that only Etsy decides upon.

The best he can do now is appeal with information about what is happening. 

Since the items are not visible cannot say more about the situation. 

If he has not changed his items as Etsy has changed definitions for creative standards that might also have come into play.  Being a long term seller is no guarantee of protection.  All sellers, new and old, must follow the Etsy of today.  

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

It will have been a bot who closed your shop and of course it would be polite in the least to give you some sort of warning!

Here is an article which might help:

How to File an Appeal for a Permanently Suspended Account – Etsy

I hope it gets fixed soon. 

[tk8jl2g03kti2vrh]

Hiya! The exact same thing has happened to me and I know exactly how you feel!

Etsy suspended my account and shop (2k+ sales). I was a star seller, had best seller listings and Etsys pick, average of 4.9 star review, no outstanding payments and had no cases at all. I did not have any copyright issues or anything of the sort as I sold handmade artificial flower arrangements. They suspended it in January and I appealed, a week later I got an email saying it was suspended in error. Then a month later the same thing happened. They emailed saying they're looking into this for me and if I have any questions to reply to their email, which I did and have not recieved a reply yet!! It has almost been 4 weeks!

It's so frustrating and I know exactly how you feel because they don't reply. I understand the complexity of the situation and that it may take a while but a simple email confirmation and answering my question would help a lot

I hope your issue gets solved ASAP and anyone else who's reading this does too

[VivianJoel · Accepted solution]

@LanasCrespo  If you share the same IP address as your partner I would be very wary of the Etsy bots coming for you too.