Help- 'Your shop will stay in Vacation Mode while we review your info'

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

Woke up to find that my shop has been put in vacation mode with the following message on my dashboard-

'Your shop will stay in Vacation Mode while we review your info

This means you won't be able to receive new orders until we finish verifying your info (which usually takes up to 48 hours after you uploaded your document). No need to do anything else right now—we'll reach out if we need more details from you.'

I have received no email or any messages to my account about this or what document they require and I can't find a way to contact Etsy. I'm based in the Uk, had my shop since 2018 and I'm a 'star seller' for October. Never had any warnings, violations, suspensions etc. I have 3 outstanding orders, but none are overdue.

Any advice from other sellers who have gone through this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[SugarTaffySoap]

@EmeraldRoseGraphics Sorry to hear Emma. There's no advice to give. You're under review and many sellers are experiencing the same. You posted Etsy's detailed communication with you and why you were put on vacation mode, and that there is nothing you need to do (but wait). Why would you need an "email" or "message" stating the same thing? Hopefully your shop opens soon.

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

Thanks for replying! ☺️ 

I wouldn't necessarily agree that it was a detailed communication that I received from them...
I thought I would receive some clarification from Etsy on this part of the message- 'which usually takes up to 48 hours after you uploaded your document', as I have not been asked for any document. I have now submitted a help ticket.  

Thank you, I hope so too.

[SugarTaffySoap]

@EmeraldRoseGraphics  There's no need to submit a help ticket. 

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

You have no way of knowing this. I wanted clarification on something that was out of my control, affecting my business and Etsy hadn't been clear in their message. 

I have every right to ask any questions I felt could help speed up the process and understand why this has happened. 

[NancyQstudio]

I'm sorry this happened. I haven't had this happen yet but I am expecting it.  Shop owners have been reporting that their shops have been shut down for a day or two during the review process and then opened back up.  Hopefully this is the case with yours.  It is unfortunate that Etsy is not sending sellers a heads-up pre-warning a week before with what should be expected along with an estimated time of closure.  This would help.

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

Thank you so much for replying! It honestly is scary, especially as I reply on this as my full time business. It's definitely made me consider having my own website now.

However I've actually just manage to resolve this, hopefully it won't come back!

My partner found someone talking about this happening to them on a reddit sub and they recommended removing any expired credit or debit cards on your account (even if they aren't saved as you default card). I did this and 2 minutes later the vacation mode was removed from my shop.

Worth keeping in mind incase it does happen to your shop, hopefully it won't!

[NancyQstudio]

@EmeraldRoseGraphics It's great that you found a resolution!  I'm so happy to hear it.  This is my full time work as well.  I've found it essential to diversify as Etsy is not always easy to work with.  

[AllyInStitches]

Same thing has happened to me this morning. I only opened my shop about 3/4 weeks ago still in the process of adding things. Received a bill the other day saying to pay by 15 October I have paid it this morning. A bit frustrating as I am trying to get established and I don't know why this has happened so unable to rectify if there is a problem.....

[XienceTech]

Everyone saying there's nothing to do is wrong. This happened to a bunch of us in another thread. most of us got back up and running after a few days. 1st: Open a ticket saying that you were put on vacation mode without communication and that you want to know what to do next. some people opened up multiple tickets. I opened 4, and emailed the ceo directly. I appears that there is some technical issue. it will most likely be resolved within a few days, and your shop will suddenly be back up without any explanation as if nothing happened. Best of luck though. I hope it gets resolved faster than mine.

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

Thank you so much for replying!

I've actually just manage to resolve this, hopefully it won't come back!

My partner found someone talking about this happening to them on a reddit sub and they recommended removing any expired credit or debit cards on your account (even if they aren't saved as you default card). I did this and 2 minutes later the vacation mode was removed from my shop. This might not work for everyone, but its definitely worth a try.

[ScottBergey]

Thanks for the info. This has happened to my shop today also. Put on vacation mode with no reason given. How in the world do I open a "Ticket" I've looked all through the support page and find no path forward in that regard. Scott

[EmeraldRoseGraphics · Accepted solution]

Resolved!

I've actually just manage to resolve this, hopefully it won't come back!

My partner found someone talking about this happening to them on a reddit sub and they recommended removing any expired credit or debit cards on your account (even if they aren't saved as you default card). I did this and 2 minutes later the vacation mode was removed from my shop. This might not work for everyone, but its definitely worth a try.

[ScottBergey]

I have the same problem as you did. I updated to a new valid credit card but my shop is still on holiday. Hopefully they can fix my account when they open tomorrow. I can't think of any other reason they would have put my account on holiday.

[FabStitchIN]

The same thing has been happening to me for the past month, including today, October 6, 2023. It's happened to me six times now. I'm not getting a proper response from the team. Sometimes they remove the vacation mode within a few hours (usually 5-6 hours), but other times it takes over 24 hours.

They usually respond in 5-6 days and don't explain anything. They just tell me that I can continue operating my shop as usual.

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

@FabStitchIN Thats terrible, seems like something is getting mistakingly flagged. I just wish they were clearer on what the issue is so it can be resolved. 

Hopefully it doesn't happen again

[EmeraldRoseGraphics]

@ScottBergey

I'm sorry to hear that its happened to you too, really frustrating! They really don't make it easy to contact them, I went though this link and clicked the 'I still need help' grey button. However even though my shop is opened now, I still haven't received a reply from them-

Link

Do you have any other expired payment cards or old addresses still on your account? If so, its worth removing them incase its that. Hopefully your shop will be up and running again soon, your art is beautiful!