I have been operating an Etsy shop from India for over a year now (I started it when it was still legal and operating - so it's allowed). And our tax number is called GST here, which I've also had for over a year.
One month ago, Etsy decided to use a bot to check whether GSTs were still active (there is a Government website for that) and the bot stated that my GST was inactive - it disabled all my payment methods a month ago. I tried re-entering it with the same error.
I took screenshots from the Government website to prove it's active and working (and mentioned that I pay my taxes regularly) and started a support thread because this is obviously a glitch.
Etsy Support replies to me once in 7-10 days. They first responded with a standard email claiming something about the IRS and an employee number - I clarified that I am not in the US and again showed them the screenshots - they then responded by saying they're not allowed to look at private information and deleted the images which is ridiculous because they'd be able to cross-check and see their error easily. They then asked me to wait for 2 weeks and try again because apparently, this error happens sometimes. I did but it didn't work.
In the next email, they asked me to troubleshoot it saying to edit some Payoneer settings - but this didn't work either because all my information is accurate - there is nothing to edit/change.
Today, they replied to me saying to contact my Local Tax Authorities because it seems inactive.
If they'd just manually run the GST number in the government portal - they'd have realized that my GST is live, active and up to date. But nobody is even taking 2 minutes to cross-verify or even tell the tech team - I've even started a chat and I am just told it will be escalated. Nobody is getting back to me.
I don't know what to do. It's obviously a glitch and I am tired of getting personal messages from potential customers asking me why my payment methods are unavailable. I am missing out on so many sales and feel like I've reached the end of my rope.
Please, please help.
Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your GST verification. 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.
Hello! We're sorry to hear you're experiencing issues with your GST verification. 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.