Listings deactivated due to handmade policy my images stollen and used on other websites

[#1]

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this or has any advice for me.

I have been a seller on Etsy since 2010, I make handmade jewelry in a small studio which I was able to open because of my etsy sales. The jewelry is handmade by me, which can easily be seen on my website. I have a jewelers stamp and am registered in Switzerland with metal control.

I have built up my etsy shop for 14 years, taking care to make the best possible items and customer service. I have been a star seller from the beginning and have taken great pride in it.

Recently listings of mine have been deactivated due to handmade policy. These items are made by me, so I could not understand why they would choose these items to deactivate.  Then the next day more were deactivated and two days ago I received my last warning and my star seller badge was removed.  Now I wake up in the morning worrying that my shop will be shut down.  A shop that I have been building the last 14 years and have taken so much care with.

I did a bit of research and I think what may have happened ( it is the only thing that makes sense) is that with reverse photo search, I have seen that discount websites have stollen my images and used them on their site such as Temu, Alibaba and Co. So I am thinking that the Etsy bot found these images on othere sites and assumed I am re-selling these items on my etsy shop.

I have written etsy support twice but have not received a reply and now I am just so worried that my shop will be shut down, it is really a stressful situation because this shop is my lively hood and all the items deactivated are made by me.

I wish I could speak to someone from Etsy but all I seem to be able to do is contact support and hope they react before another image is found that someone has stollen from my website. I strive to take the best possible images for my shop as Etsy wishes us to do .... and they are being stollen.

In the meantime, I have deactivated a number of my items which I found images used on reverse image search.  This must all just be a Technical issue - no?

Does anyone have any advise for me or has gone throught the same thing? Can anyone help?

[VivienFrankDesigns]

@naturespaintbrush  unfortunately Switzerland is not listed to request a call from etsy.

[IntheWitchwood]

It took 4 months to get a response from etsy after they removed my handmade listing. They reinstated it with an email saying it was removed by mistake. Last week after the listing has been back less than 3 months they removed it again. The same listing! The one I emailed mulitiple times about including photos of my process and waited months for a response.

[PixelToPaperParty]

@naturespainbrush thank you so much!!

[AutumnHollowStudio]

I am so sorry you are going through this, and I hope you get this resolved asap.

[TemplesTreasureTrove]

I discovered yesterday that another shop has stolen images from 7 of my listings and did a copy and paste of all my text to create listings for themselves of items that they can't possibly have. I requested a call from etsy and they sent me an email with a link for reporting, here's the link that allows you to register your listings AND report people for copyright infringement/theft of intellectual property:

https://www.etsy.com/ipmanager/reports

The sheer AUDACITY of people stealing our COPYRIGHTED photos and text is mind boggling, especially when Etsy punishes the creators of photos and listing info! 

I edit my photos in a free Picasa 3 program and add invisible to the eye "meta tags" to every photo along with visible photo copyright info. 

I am waiting and waiting for etsy to shut down PureClayGoods for stealing MY photos and intellectual property....and HOPING no one is robbed of their monies by this shop! 

[KrissyEwinsArt]

I’m in similar boat with my bestseller and Shein. In my case a watermark wouldn’t have helped because they photoshopped my product into their own stock images. But I could still find it through reverse image searches. I think they were trying to be sneaky.

I managed to get Shein to get it taken down quite quickly luckily but I’m still waiting for Etsy to actually respond. It’s frustrating that their action was quick and meanwhile, Etsy, who I’ve paid hundreds to in fees over the years is being very unresponsive.

I’m sorry this is happening to you and I hope it gets sorted soon!

[RadicalButtons1]

How did you get Shein to take it down? The same thing is happening to me

[KrissyEwinsArt]

Hey RadicalButtons1,

Here’s a link: 

https://m.shein.co.uk/ip-complaint?ref=m&rep=dir&ret=muk

I went through the copyright issue one and sent a PDF with process images of my stolen illustration as proof. I also contacted them on Instagram with it and it was taken down within 24 hours. I hope this helps! Good luck with it all 

[VivienFrankDesigns]

Thank you so much. It seems like a real problem.  My images have been stollen from various websites and I am on pins and needles that the bot will find another. It's crazy!!

[KrissyEwinsArt]

Hi VivienFrankDesigns,

Of course! I’m glad it’s helpful. It’s comforting in a way to know we’re not alone. But it still majorly sucks it’s happening in the first place

[VivienFrankDesigns]

It has been over three weeks and I have still not received a reply to my email to Etsy support. Should I be contacting someone else at Etsy? Etsy Legal?

[AutumnWeddings]

This is going to sound odd but...this has happened to me 4 times over the space of 2 years... 

Waiting weeks normally means it's in the queue of the right people. The bots and random customer service people auto reply and close super quick. Waiting is a good sign!

Each time I'd reply again and then hear nothing for 3 or 4 weeks and then the right team would reply and sort it out 

[KHristoFFDesigns]

Exactly the same problem with me, my most successful product was removed, support declared me a thief and so far the listing has not been restored. There were two ads on Amazon with my photos stolen, but to report them I had to prove copyright to a licensed photographer, but I took the photos with my phone.

[BagmakerSupply]

@KHristoFFDesigns: "... to report them I had to prove copyright to a licensed photographer ..." If you took the photo you hold the copyright whether you registered it or not. https://www.copyright.gov/engage/photographers/

[tackyuglychristmas]

I started using QTI.AI they monitor the web for people stealing my photos on websites and then file take downs for me.  Saves me hours.  Etsy will not help if they are on websites other than their own.  Many of those scam websites advertise all over FB.  With their help, I didn't have to file any take downs- they do it all.  Prices are very reasonable.  They also have a FB page, if you want to read up on what they do and who they help.  

[VivienFrankDesigns]

Thank you for the tip.

[MoonkistDesigns]

Here's the link to the copyright infringement policy for Temu, which has a link where you can report the infringement: https://www.temu.com/intellectual-property-policy.html

We had a similar problem last year where we discovered that a shop on Temu had stolen photos from a few of our listings, one of which had been a best seller for us a few years ago, and was selling bad copies of our design. I will say this: Temu was pretty prompt in removing the listings in question/shutting down that shop.

Good luck in getting all of this sorted out! I hope it doesn't drag out too long for youl

[BBsTutuStore]

Last month was quite an ordeal. I've been an active seller on this Etsy for 10 years now, accumulating numerous glowing reviews and practically collecting seller badges on a monthly basis. However, recently, one of my longstanding listings was abruptly taken down, along with the removal of my badges, and I was slapped with a final policy warning. This particular listing, a custom order from 2016, meticulously designed in collaboration with a customer, fell victim to a baffling crackdown.

Etsy refused to tell me the reasons behind the removal. Yet, like you, I conducted a reverse image search, uncovering that not one, but four different sites, including AliExpress, were shamelessly using the same image. Despite my repeated reports, AliExpress turned a blind eye, even in the face of undeniable evidence I provided. The image in question featured a past customer who had granted me written permission to use it, but AliExpress insisted I give them proof of legal ownership, despite my prior submission of a non-copyright infringement claim.

Over the subsequent two weeks, I bombarded Etsy with irrefutable evidence of my ownership of the product, its handmade nature, and the written permission obtained via Etsy messenger, complete with the order details. Yet, to my dismay, they remained indifferent. I made numerous calls to customer support, receiving inconsistent responses and futile attempts to escalate my concerns to a manager, all in vain. Instead of addressing the issue at hand, they tried to accuse me of alleged past infractions, citing emails I received within the last 2 weeks, which were directly related to the current listing debacle.

Frustrated by their apparent disregard for facts, I initiated two formal cases, persisted with multiple calls, and furnished them with exhaustive evidence, including screenshots of my reports to Alibaba. But my efforts proved futile. It wasn't until I sarcastically questioned if they needed a video demonstration or detailed instructions on crafting the item that they relented and gave my listing and badges back. However, I have refrained from relisting the item since I anticipate the bots will take it down again even though I have since replaced the stolen image with new different watermarked photos.

Best of luck with your endeavors, perhaps Etsy will undergo some much-needed changes, though I very much doubt it.

P.S. Before anyone suggests diversification, rest assured, I am on other platforms such as my personal GoDaddy website, Poshmark, Ebay, FB Market Place, and Bonanza, I’ve even tried Amazon but quickly discovered that it is not ideal for made to order items. Frustratingly, Etsy remains the primary hub for my sales.

[Hertfordweaver]

Isn't there something in the picture data that indicated which image was created first. That would be a sure determination as to which was copying which. It seems with all the advanced technology, this should be a given. If so, teach those bots.

[CuriousityShop]

The "Properties" of a photo have a date of when it was taken I think you can fill in more information besides that.

[BagmakerSupply]

@Hertfordweaver: Unfortunately the metadata that might be embedded in an image is easy to fake, but more significantly most sites strip it out when they rename and resize your pictures. All of our photos have a copyright statement in the metadata but by the time Etsy is done with them it is gone.

[VivienFrankDesigns]

I also included my photo shoot images via lightroom in thumbnails where you can see all the snaps I took with the same model and the one's I choose to list on etsy. I think it is quite apparent that Alibaba and co are using our images, I just do not understand why I am not receiving a reply to all the information I have sent them. My customers have noticed that my starseller badge is no longer there and have asked me why and if they can help me in some way to get a reply from Etsy.

[BagmakerSupply]

@VivienFrankDesigns: You may already be doing this, but be sure to send a copy of the DMCA take downs (and their replies) you have filed with Alibaba to Etsy.

[LoreandMeaningShop]

I'm really sorry to hear this, especially after selling on Etsy since 2010, this shouldn't be happening to you, and Etsy support tends to be really slow to respond to any issue, unfortunately.

[ValkyriesSong]

Same here and they just won't listen. I even buy many of my supplies to make my costume jewelry here at Etsy They don't check. They could do if they wanted. I've told them "if you take a look at my reviews, you'll see some buyers mention how I accommodated to their requests and made a custom piece for them. A reseller can't do that! I really feel lost. I've made my mind I'll loose my shop at some point. I've been very attached to Etsy because it used to be such a special place. I've been a seller here since 2012... But I'll have to let go. I can't keep track, like you or any other seller can't, of all thieves and copycats out there. I'm busy creating! If Etsy doesn't want me, I'll sell my creations on my own web and elsewhere. I'm so exhausted. Etsy is costing me my mental health, I don't understand why they can be this blind. All best sellers are copied! What an amazing business model getting rid of them 🤦🏻‍ They could just check the metadata, I guess, and find out who was here in the first place, but of course they won't. They could do more to help protect our work from being stolen. They punish us instead... I won't fight more for my account here. Not worth it anymore.