How to get Etsy help when seller issues aren’t fixed

[CustomDecodenCases]

I’m desperately hoping someone can help. I’m having problems with 1/4 of listings. It’s been like this for a good few weeks. It won’t let anyone buy anything and just says “can browse but not buy”. I’ve been on the phone everyday to support and technical and have a ticket number but nothings being fixed. I don’t know where to turn as I ask to speak to supervisors but am told there are none. No emails as promised from technical support. So many buyers are messaging me. I don’t know what to do. Etsy keeps saying there’s no problem but I can see it from loads of devices. Any new listings I make are like this. Can anyone help as this is ruining my business and simply no where to turn/ask for help. It’s really effecting my mental health as I don’t know what else to do or where to turn. Any help much appreciated.

[TBQSC · Accepted solution]

According to Etsy's community policy (specifically #10 & 11), forum members are not allowed to engage in or enable sellers who are committing illegal activity.  When you abide by Etsy's TOU, and sell legal items (non IP infringing), forum members will be happy to help you with your questions.  

[CustomDecodenCases]

Many thanks. I now have the solution

[CustomDecodenCases]

I had no idea people on this forum had special badges or operated in teams. And that rank is important, and I needed to adhere to standards to ask a question. Just asked for technical advice. Apologies. Won’t trouble agin. Wish you all the best . Thanks for taking the time to reply and thank you for clarifying how things are run

[PrimFun]

Etsy appears to be trying something new.  Are the buyers going to the next page or are they being stopped perplexed by the intermediate page asking for the buyer to add more to their cart?

Otherwise I don't see a problem.

Do you have licenses for the iconic figures you are using such as Hello Kitty.  If not, you may want to inquire about getting a license or doing something else. 

Your shop policies are not UK compliant

If they are getting the browse but cannot buy, they may have an old version of the app.  They need the new version.  Their browser is not up to date.  It's more likely the problem is on their end and not on Etsy's   

[CustomDecodenCases]

Thank you for taking the time to reply and giving me an answer. I really do appreciate that . The messages just keep saying for 1/4 of listings “you can browse but we are unable to process purchases at the moment. Please try again in a bit”. I shared the link on my Instagram as Etsy keeps telling me there’s no issue.  But everyone who visited my shop from various countries in those listing were told the same error message” so I’m not sure it’s the buyers or people as several hundred people tried it. Can’t believe each one who went into my Etsy shop and tried various listings all have a browser issue. No one could access them. Not a single person who tried for me. 1/4 simply have a permanent error. Thankyou for the suggestions on listing content. I will bear that in mind. I was simply hoping for technical help and the previous person made feelings very clear.  My policies should be correct? as they were written by a legal person I was advised to use theirs. I believe the no returns on custom made unless faulty or damaged are correct and the contact within 14 days are ship back in 28 weeks correct? I went to a lot of investigating to get those right and was advised they were? So if those are incorrect I’m definitely in the dark on that one

[CustomDecodenCases]

You were absolutely correct. The full text said about contacting me in 14 days and shipping back in 30, but the drop menu it selected had differing time frames. I hadn’t seen that. I was more worried about the full text part which explains all policies and had somehow missed the drop menu where as a seller you select it. I have now aligned the two as I was going off the detailed text part as my policies not realising a drop menu I’d selected before I put the text in was different. So thankyou for alerting me to thatYou didn’t have too. Much appreciated

[CustomDecodenCases]

Think it’s now right?

[BlackCatTheory]

@CustomDecodenCases   LOL, the "badges" and "rankings" are about as useful as Star Seller Badge (meaning, not useful at all). It just means we have spent too much time in the forums!

[SmudgePlant]

Don't have an answer to your problem, but it sounds like you are driving your own traffic to Etsy from your social media. I wonder if Etsy can handle a rush of "several hundred people" trying to buy the same item? I wonder if it sets off some kind of security measure?

[CustomDecodenCases]

Don’t that’s the problem . Yes sales are good. I’m at max capacity mostly but I can only physically make about 30 per week. Each takes me 1.5-2 hours. I’m at about that level all the time but not currently as no one can buy my high traffic ones but I’ve lots to catch up on so the break has created a little breathing room. I’m starting my own site. Etsy traffic will be advised my site “ offers a fuller range” which it will. I’ve checked and I’m allowed to say that to buyers. They told me this does not violate policies as I won’t be saying “buy cheaper from my site” or anything like that . Other shops sell a lot more daily for other types of items. Before I ran the Instagram post it was still happening. My views are upto 500 per day so I think other shops have tonnes larger traffic and sales than me. It’s just support won’t act. Keep saying there’s no problem with the buying side. I just want to know if there’s a way to escalate tech help from the normal call backs or live chat as I’m going round in circlesThank you again

[CustomDecodenCases]

And the reply about badges. I know nothing about badges on here. Any badge strikes me as slightly odd. Meeting criteria and jumping through hoops like a performing animal. I have star seller. I hit all three criteria. Ship on time, answer messages, get good reviews. I don’t like the badge much as to be available every 24 hours is challenging. Shipping on time with tracking is perfectly do able for me. I like them to have tracking and so do my buyers. I fully appreciate its not appropriate for all items sold. I don’t much like the reviews being factored or anything less than a 5 star being unevenly balanced.  But I guess now a four star sort of counts. I’d prefer it not be there as reviews are subjective and often maybe influenced by factors out of our control. It’s nice to have but I feel it isn’t done with much thought by Etsy . If it’s obtained, great. But it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over as I’d prefer it scrapped and don’t buy from sellers because of it. I’ll buy based on the review comments or because I like the product/price. Any kind of special badge determined by a third part of how I perform isn’t liked by me. I run sales in a professional way. Customers are happy. Any problems I’ll go to the end of the earth to sort out cos I want happy customers. Not done so I can be rated in stars. Done cos I really do care. I don’t run this for the money. I do it as it’s something I love. Money/profit is a bonus, not a driv8jg force. Sales to me are about doing something I love to the best of my abilities. I learned to craft as I was in a coma and re learned to walk/ talk. Craft plays a big part in my mental health and continued rehabilitation. That’s why inability to buy is so upsetting. Just want the tech fixed and I’ve hit a brick wall. Asked for help. Some have. Others have not. That’s life and to all who have taken the time to reply I’m most greatful

[TBQSC]

It's quite possible Etsy may be throttling your sales due to selling IP infringing items!

[SunnytyDE]

double post

[SunnytyDE]

@TBQSC  that is my guess too. If it is then I applaud Etsy for finally cracking down on infringers. The Sanrio Company, Ltd is shutting them down left and right lately and even suing them in court and if Etsy is ahead of them this time that's even better. The OP knows exacty what she is doing because she is careful about not using 'Hello Kitty' in tags and titles and that makes it even worse in my eyes.

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

Hello, everyone!

As you know, discussion and debate about themes relevant to Etsy are welcome and encouraged - they must, however, comply with our Community Policies.

In this spirit, I must kindly remind you to keep all discussions civil, courteous, and on-topic by refraining from unsolicited critiques or otherwise unrelated remarks about fellow members and their businesses.

Thank you!

[CustomDecodenCases]

Hi there. I rarely use this forum . Talk of throttling . I don’t like that word. I just asked about something tech. The rest is thoughts over matters not in the initial question,. Thank you for the help where it came. But I will say this as there are clear.y those who spend a lot of time on here and like to post on most matters .  So my solution may help you help others . The issue was too many items in the drop menus. It couldn’t load. I had x40-50 designs in one drop menu and 30 case options in the second. Browsers apparently can’t handle usually more than x40 when done on etsy. It causes load issues and broken listings so if anyone else ever asks for help with this problem this is the answer. Hopefully it will be shared with others as this isn’t somewhere I spend any time as lots to dobut hopefully the info can help others if they ask

[CustomDecodenCases]

Hi there. I rarely use this forum . Talk of throttling . I don’t like that word. I just asked about something tech. The rest is thoughts over matters not in the initial question,. Thank you for the help where it came. But I will say this as there are clear.y those who spend a lot of time on here and like to post on most matters .  So my solution may help you help others . The issue was too many items in the drop menus. It couldn’t load. I had x40-50 designs in one drop menu and 30 case options in the second. Browsers apparently can’t handle usually more than x40 when done on etsy. It causes load issues and broken listings so if anyone else ever asks for help with this problem this is the answer. Hopefully it will be shared with others as this isn’t somewhere I spend any time as lots to dobut hopefully the info can help others if they ask