My listing was removed due to Etsy's Creativity Standard Violation

[SubzeroSweetSupply]

I got a few of my listings taken down by Etsy due to violating Etsy's Creativity Standards. We sell freeze dried candy and all of the items are handmade by myself. The email they sent was generic and didn't say exactly why my listing was removed or how to avoid it in the future. I talked with Etsy chat support which was even more unhelpful with all generic responses.

We got another email stating "if your shop violates Etsy's Creativity Standards again, your account will be suspended and you’ll no longer be able to sell on Etsy." - which is super discouraging.

Has anyone had this happen and had a positive outcome? It seems near impossible to get help from a real person at Etsy.

[AnnaleasFinest]

It's happening on a daily bass, it seems.

Bots are deactivating items. Can you send Etsy photos (videos) of your work process?  Then do that.

What is your work process?

Best wishes, @SubzeroSweetSupply 

[SubzeroSweetSupply]

Where would you send the photos to? Support chat was super unwilling to help at all saying that there was nothing that they could do.

[AnnaleasFinest]

@SubzeroSweetSupply 

yes, Chat cannot do anything, but forward your issue to a team.

Reply to the email Etsy sent you!

Attach your evidence.

Do you make the sweets yourself or do you just freezedry finished products?

[SubzeroSweetSupply]

The email they sent us was from "noreply@etsy.com" so we unfortunately aren't able to reply.

We freeze dry finished products - which I believe would fall under the category "made by a seller (hand altered items)"

[AnnaleasFinest]

@SubzeroSweetSupply 

you either contact chat again and ask them to forward your problem to a specialized team or

In your dashboard (computer) on the left side, there is amongst other links also a help button.

Click it to contact Etsy.

[TheVintagePineapple]

Did the listings that were removed use the names of brand-named candies?  For instance, ''Fruit Roll-Ups'' is trademarked by General Mills and Milk Duds is tm'd by Hershey.

[CharcoalStore]

We are in the same boat. We make charcoal products that are handmade. We recently received 2 emails saying our listing was removed due to Etsy's Creativity Standard Violation.

When we opened an email support case, the agents were not helpful. One Etsy agent suggested we should not share our product photos on social media. Are we not allowed to use our social media accounts to share our own products?

[BagmakerSupply]

@CharcoalStore: "Are we not allowed to use our social media accounts to share our own products?" Well, if that were true what is the point of the 'Share And Save' program. Maybe eMail support is taking a page out of the Artificial Intelligence playbook and just making up an answer if they can't find one.

A possibility is that the bot which flagged you listing thought that the item is not made exclusively for you (since Ippinka is selling some of your items in their Amazon store) or could not understand how one 'designs' charcoal and assumed you are reselling .

[TheCraftyLittleBug]

You say handmade. By you or the company in Japan?

[CharcoalStore]

If Etsy mistakenly assumed we are reselling, how do we communicate with Etsy to clarify this? Etsy email was no help.

We are not reselling these items. These are our original items.

[Jewels2at]

@SubzeroSweetSupply 

Send an email to Etsy.  Help, contact us, selling, managing shop listings, Etsy removed my listing, then scroll down and click I still need help.

Choose to send an email.  The first email is always a canned response.  Always. Take this email, then send back with the pictures showing you making the items.

[PWOriginals]

@SubzeroSweetSupply 

You're taking a finished brand-name candy and altering it by freeze-drying. It is no longer the original manufacturer's product, so using their name to sell your altered pieces is infringement. You still have many products that are subject to take-down for this reason.

[CoquetteBath]

also, as a sidebar, I noted you are selling 'mystery' bundles. That is a big black hole that can get you in some issues. You have to tell the customer exactly what they will get. Product. Flavor, Size.

I used to do a 'mystery bundle' of wax melts (stopped a few years ago when I was advised that was not a good thing).

You risk someone saying 'that's not what I expected to get'. And you have no response.

so...on top of the using TM brands...that's also a biggie.

good luck. Interesting concept!

[PlatypusDream]

This is most likely the reason. "Mystery" packs are not allowed by Etsy's new Creativity Policy.

https://www.etsy.com/legal/creativity

"Generic concepts such as “candy”, “clothes”, or “mystery box” (boxes with unknown contents or containing a single type of item in bulk) do not qualify as gift basket themes. Sellers must list every item contained in a curated gift basket or box in the listing description."

[TalismanToo]

I see one listing where you use the name brand on a candy. Maybe that(trademark infringement) is what got your listings taken down?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@CharcoalStore 

Your items say your charcoal is designed by you

....how do you design charcoal?

[CharcoalStore]

You select the shape and cut the size according to different uses

[CraftyCornishMaids]

that's not designed by

If you design a shape you want, and have a different company cut it for you, it's designed by

.... however to say you design a stick of charcoal, isn't actually a designing anything

...

you import them, cut them up, and sell them, that is reselling

If you selected lengths of ribbon, cut them up to lengths, and sold them, you could sell them as crafting supplies, to make something else,

but the charcoal says it should be used in your water purifier, not to make anything else

[ShieldMaidensJewelry]

I had a listing taken down for the same reason, it was put back two days later. It was an Etsy "Bestseller" too, and sales of that item have not yet recovered a month later. I noticed now when you are creating listings, there are some new options in there to pick from as far as creativity. Under "details" or "core details" you can now choose "how your ship produces this item". So all of my shop items originally were marked as handmade from scratch, but actually I buy bulk supplies and then create designs using these supplies. So when they put my listing back up, I noticed it now was marked "Designed by" not "Made by" and these new options were checked in the listing, the "Assembled from purchased parts" and using "Handheld or hand guided tools". So, I went in to ALL of my listings (one by one because there is no bulk editing of this option, come on Etsy!!!) and selected these two bullet points for every item I sell.