My listings continue to be wrongfully taken down by Etsy's AI

[annhudecphotography]

It's been over a month since my case was "expedited" and tonight I've had three more listings removed. All of my photography images are my work. So far, I've found NONE of the removed listings on TEMU, etc. yet I can get no answers from Etsy, like so many other sellers. 

Etsy, you are going to lose your best sellers over this issue. Please give us a chance to prove that our work is ours!

[BagmakerSupply]

@annhudecphotography: It is almost impossible to speculate on why a particular listing was deactivated, but Etsy is cracking down on what they feel inappropriate. Do keep in mind that "violated Etsys creativity standards" can encompass much more than just if it is designed and / or made by a shop. It also covers the new mock up rules, and what the primary image of a listing should be, etc. Descriptions along with titles, tags, and materials (and possibly even alt tags if you are using them) are all probably being checked.

[annhudecphotography]

Bagmaker, I've had etsy support flat out tell me that it was an AI mistake and they were "expediting" my case to the appropriate team. That was over a month ago. 

[annhudecphotography]

Just an FYI -- just got off the phone with Etsy support and, once again, I was told this was an AI mistake, and my case will be expedited. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

This is just so unprofessional. 

[BriarMoonBeads]

Devil's advocate here (or perhaps just a helpful tip) but....

it's possible your mock-ups are giving you trouble. This listing here - when I run that image through Google, it first tried to match the sofa (and did) but when I manually expanded the border to match the entire image, I found other websites using this mock-up - when I click on 'see exact matches' there's tons, including other Etsy shops. So it's possible the image matching bots (who are responsible for this unprofessional rampage) are 'seeing' your listing wrong.

The photo (aka the bit that's yours!) is so far away, most of the thumb is taken up by the room/sofa. This is further confirmed to me when I re-arranged the border to 'crop' the photo just at the edge of the blue cushions, making your print take up at least 60% of that whole space. When I did that, the search came up with no exact matches and no close ones either.

I don't know what images you had taken down but it might be best to edit some of your listings so your photo takes up more room than the mock-up does. This one is better IMO - just enough of the room to get that sense of scale.

[annhudecphotography]

Hi BriarMoon,

I've certainly wondered if the mock-ups are the problem, although if we use a printing partner, which I do, we are supposed to be able to use mock-ups as our first image.

Also, in the first listing that was taken down, I used a low-res version of the photograph itself - no mock-up. If only Etsy would give some clarification, I would zip through my listings and correct anything amiss, but I have no idea where to begin.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@annhudecphotography 

"if we use a printing partner, which I do, we are supposed to be able to use mock-ups as our first image."

As I understand the policy, we must use the print provider's mock-ups, not any ole mock up. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

are photographs "designed by"?

it doesn't mention that they can be in the new creativity standards

Designed by a seller

Sellers’ original designs that are produced or printed by a third party or offered as a digital download.

Items ‘designed by a seller’ include only:

• Digital downloads of sellers’ original designs: Original content created by the seller, sold as a digital download.
  • E.g. A digital file of a seller’s unique graphic design, audio, text document, or scanned copy of physical artwork
• Sellers’ original designs produced by a production partner: Original designs created by a seller and produced with the assistance of a production partner. Sellers must disclose that an item is made by a production partner, and provide accurate information about where the item will ship from.
  • E.g. A unique dress designed by a seller and reproduced at scale by a production partner; a coloring book designed and illustrated by a seller and printed and bound by a production partner; a graphic logo created by a seller and printed onto a phone case by a third-party printer
• Seller-prompted AI creations: Creations that were generated using AI tools (e.g. AI image generators such as Dall-E) based on a seller’s original prompts. Sellers must disclose within their listing description if an item is created with the use of AI. Read more about our stance on AI creations here.
  • E.g. A fantasy scene based on a seller’s original prompt or inputs, produced by an AI generator; a custom portrait of a buyer’s pet generated using AI tools

[BriarMoonBeads]

@CraftyCornishMaids  OP is having her original photos printed by a 3rd party, so yes that counts as 'designed by'.

"Sellers’ original designs produced by a production partner: Original designs created by a seller and produced with the assistance of a production partner."

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@BriarMoonBeads 

 Original designs

they are photos, not designs

[annhudecphotography]

Yes, if you have a printing partner - and most photographers who print large sizes (40x60, etc.) do utilize a professional printing house, then Etsy now puts you in the "designed by" category

[CraftyCornishMaids]

but are they allowed?

they aren't designed by anyone

there are a lot of things that are put in the "designed by" category, that aren't designed by the seller- and etsy is taking them down

[FabioMcMustache · Accepted solution]

Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your listings. We've forwarded your concerns to a specialist team. Thank you! 

Please know we handle support inquiries privately per our Community Policy – we’re closing this thread, so you can get the support you need from us directly.