My Listings Get Deactivated by Etsy!

[SfixtureShop]

Our Etsy store has achieved significant success. We employed 12 hard working and skillful associates. Our products undergo thorough market research, engineering, and design, led by me. The team in Minnesota, USA, handles production, customer service, custom design and packaging. We sell our products on platforms like Etsy, eBay, Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart.

Unfortunately, our images have been stolen and used on other websites, including Alibaba, Temu, and Aliexpress. In July, one of our listings was deactivated due to a “Handmade policy” violation, resulting in lost revenue. After a month of communication, they finally reinstated the listing.

A week ago, our top-selling listing was deactivated again, this time due to “Creative Standard” issues. Despite emailing them, we haven’t received a reply within the promised 1-2 days.

My question to all of you: "If your shop’s customer service were like Etsy’s, would anyone shop there?"  They are treating us, their clients, they money makers, as if we are a criminals. While I understand that bots can make mistakes, Etsy needs to address this promptly. A formal apology and a commitment to a 24-hour response time for client emails would be a positive change, by 2025

If not, I invite hardworking makers to join my new website—a Makers Run platform where each member has voting power to shape updates and changes. I’m ready to invest $150,000 to kickstart this commerce site."**

[bradgoodell]

If you have $150,000 to invest in your own site, you don't need Etsy.  Just sell on your own website and give your staff a raise with what you will save on fees. 

For me, having watch dozens of Etsy-clones fail in the last 15 years, I'm no longer interested in wasting my time in start-ups.  However, I'm sure there are plenty of sellers who will jump at the chance.  Best of luck.  

[OneEyeCatStudio]

"If your shop’s customer service were like Etsy’s, would anyone shop there?" 

That's not a problem, as Etsy does not allow its sellers to provide the kind of customer service Etsy itself provides.

[BootifulLabels]

The creative standard thing  makes sense to me.  A quick look at your shop revealed quite a few sold listings that use the Ikea brand as the first word in the listing title.  That is bound to attract attention from the bots looking for suspected counterfeits.  It suggests an Ikea branded item, even though that is not the case.  You can say an item is made to fit an Ikea product, but you can't call it Ikea, that makes buyers think they are getting a genuine Ikea item, and it makes Etsy think you are simply reselling.  

As for the stolen photos etc.  it is not up to Etsy to police your listing photos on other sites.  They regularly check those sites for images that match Etsy listings, and pull those listings when they find them as they are often a good indicator of reselling.  If your photos are being copied and used on other sites without your authority, it is up to you to approach those sites and demand the images be removed.  If you have done this, when you get an item removed by Etsy, you need to respond to the removal notice with evidence that you have take action against the other sites for unauthorised use of the images.  

There are around 8 million shops on Etsy, even if the average number of listings per shop is only 20 (and it is likely several times that much) that is 160 million listings for Etsy to police.  It is virtually impossible to catch the true offenders without some genuine sellers being caught in the nets.  You can't make an omelette without cracking a few eggs.

[BagmakerSupply]

@SfixtureShop:  @BootifulLabels makes a good point. 'Ikea Billy Double Steps Acrylic Shelve Stand' implies that the product is made by /comes from Ikea - from a counterfeiting viewpoint a very different meaning than 'Double Steps Acrylic Stand for Ikea Billy Book Shelf'. Ikea is known for being very protective of their trademarks and service marks. You might also want to check with any trademark owners whose names you are using or a qualified intellectual property attorney as to what attribution(s) you should be using.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

you are breaking trademarks

Ikeas

and Etsy - you even have etsy's trademark name on your first photo - remove it asap.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/legal/trademarks

it also looks like some of your first photos are mockups, they don't look "real"

[thatregina · Accepted solution]

Hi @SfixtureShop, this has been escalated on your behalf. Please look out for a reply via email soon. As account issues can only be resolved directly and privately, I'll close up this thread. Thanks!