Suspended Ukrainian shop for moving to USA - Unjust Account Suspension after Etsy support help

[#1]

Hello Etsy Community, 
My name is Dima, and I was a proud member of the Etsy community. My journey with Etsy began as a beacon of hope after my family and I fled our homeland of Ukraine to escape the ravages of war. Arriving in Chicago, we sought solace and stability, and my Etsy shop was platform to rebuild our lives.

With the assistance of Etsy support , we diligently navigated the process of transitioning our shop to USA for paying taxes and continue business legally to reflect our new circumstances . However, our hopes and dreams were shattered when I received the devastating news of my Etsy account suspension.

The suspension of my account came as a profound shock, leaving me and my family in a state of despair and uncertainty. As a family who fled war-torn Ukraine, our Etsy shop was not just a source of income but a lifeline—a means to rebuild our lives and secure our future in a new home.

Despite our efforts to comply with Etsy's policies and regulations, our account was suspended without warning or justification. This unjust action has not only stripped us of our livelihood but has also left us questioning the integrity of the platform we once trusted.

I implore the Etsy community to stand with me in solidarity and demand transparency and accountability from Etsy's Trust & Safety team. Small business owners like myself deserve to be treated with fairness and respect, not subjected to arbitrary account suspensions that threaten our financial stability and well-being.

I call upon Etsy's leadership to reevaluate their policies and ensure that the human impact of their decisions is considered at all times. The Etsy community is built on the creativity, passion, and hard work of individuals from all walks of life, and it is imperative that we uphold these values in every decision we make.

I urge you to join me in amplifying this message and advocating for change within the Etsy platform. Together, we can ensure that no one else has to endure the anguish and uncertainty caused by unjust account suspensions.

Thank you for your support and solidarity.

Warm regards,

Dima 
CityNeon

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CityNeon It is highly unlikely that you can ever directly contact the Support person who made whatever "changes" that were made to your account.

As your Shop looks "peranently" closed, you will have to use the appeal process

To do this you use the process outlined here

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/6298920789271-How-to-File-an-Appeal-for-a-Permanently-Suspen...

1. Open the Appeals Center and sign in to your suspended Etsy account.
2. Choose the reason for your appeal. If selecting Other, enter a reason.
3. Add any actions you’ve taken to address the issues that caused the suspension.
4. Add how your practices will change if you regain account access.
5. Add any documents to support the appeal.
6. Choose Submit Appeal.

These processes are not quick. It is best to be patient and respond to any "automated" emails wth "I still need help"

Keep all communication brief, to the point, factual and unemational. Just take time to write (in point form) what happened and what you want to happen to fix the problem

Under no circumstances open multiple "appeals" or "tickets"

According to the Etsy documentation, you can appeal for up to 6 Months after the "suspension". 

I am sure we all wish you luck and hope for a positive outcome

[CityNeon]

@CarpetCollectionAU I filled out an appeal on the first day and got the standard response and opened a few more requests but I didn't know it couldn't be done that way and what can be done now ? =(

[CarpetCollectionAU]

Try again, this time following the process and do not open multiple Support tickets

The "standard" response is always a "bot" response. Try and keep the one "ticket" going.

Alternatively, and I so not even know if this will work, try and request a "call back" as a Buyer. 

I just checked and this link has the "Email" function open. 

Submit a request – Etsy Help

[CityNeon]

@CarpetCollectionAU 
I'm sorry, so when Appeal opened I just need to wait ?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CityNeon Yes. Wait for a response and then reply

[CityNeon]

Hi everyone. (update)
I got a reply again saying that the account is permanently suspended. I also saw that a lot of stores from Ukraine (and not only) are blocked and support is behaving the same way and this happened in the last two weeks, it seems like a whole wave or update in their system, I don't understand how they can do this with sellers.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

unfortunately, etsy doesn't/can't let you move the country of your bank - and all other id that goes with it (unless it is within the euro zone)

you have to kep it as it is, or open a new shop.

It is the same for everyone.

With many Ukrainians being displaced due to the war, it will probably hit them harder.

It is not just this platform, Amazon does the same

hopefully you can start a new shop, and it will do as well, if not better

[CityNeon]

@CraftyCornishMaids 
Honestly, the most frustrating thing is that I wanted to do everything right and asked support who changed everything without my consent, I just wrote to consult and he just changed everything. If I knew how it would turn out I probably wouldn't have even asked support. It would have been better to leave everything as it was

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@CityNeon 

you appear to have had rubbish "help" from support, that was worse than useless,

however, you are now where you are, and etsy won't/can't change anything

so look forwards to pastures new, and a new start, and good luck

[CarpetCollectionAU]

Dima, Can you check your Website chat?

[ArtSaltPlace]

I'm so sorry this happened. I hope this works out for you.

[ArtesanalbyAriana]

How we can help?

[CityNeon]

@ArtesanalbyAriana 
I just wrote my story and the people who reply here have helped a bit with the stress, but only someone from high level management can help here. Support is giving me a boilerplate response and I don't know what to do. This store means a lot to me because I started it back in Ukraine and went through a lot to keep this business going, and I don't know what to do now because I've given myself too much to this.

[BijouBettyUK]

Hi Dima,

I have just noticed that you were not successful with your appeal. I am so sorry for that. Did Etsy tell you what the apparent violation was?

I am going through a similar situation with a handmade stretch bead bracelet that I made myself. I have uploaded a video of the process along with a letter from my photography company stating that they took the image for my company. However, Etsy seems to be ignoring my evidence. Etsy chat claimed that my images were found on a Chinese marketplace, and therefore concluded that the bracelet is mass-produced and that I have used stock images.

I designed this bracelet in 2017, and I am disappointed that they do not seem to be considering my evidence or checking my listings. I have conducted a reverse image search but I cannot locate where my image is being used. They have not supplied me with the web address so I can send a DMCA. I certainly have not given permission for anyone to use my images.

This is very upsetting as it is my sole income.

[GroundZeroCreations]

Etsy support is outsourced. The few times I have worked with them, I found them to be uninformed and totally have no understanding of how an Etsy shop runs. When a company outsources support, you will never receive quality support. 

@BijouBettyUK Just do a reverse image search on your bracelet and google will pull it up. You will find help for filing DMCA takedown notices here

https://www.dmca.com/FAQ/How-can-I-file-a-DMCA-Takedown-Notice

[BijouBettyUK]

Thank you for your reply.  I have conducted a reverse image search with my photo and I can't find it.  It brings up similar types of stretch bead bracelet but not my photo or my design.

I usually reverse image my best selling items and find them no problem.  It has crossed my mind that the image and design they found is not actually mine, just something similar.  When I spoke to my photographer who took the image he did say that a lot of these types of bracelets, especially those taken on a white background like mine was look very similar.  

When I have had a listing deactivated in the past (approx 2 yrs ago and I appealed, Trust & Safety did email and ask for evidence.  This does not seem to be happening now.  There is zero contact apart from the standard copy and paste rejection of appeal email. Has the outsourcing of support happened in the last couple of years?