We are a CLOSED Team - yet a non-member is posting

[#1]

I wrote to HELP DESK - but have heart NOTHNG back. The SHOP in questions is NOT a member of our CLOSED TEAM yet they ARE posting in our threads - but they are NOT faving any of our items (In other words - A cheater).  I requested that Etsy FIX this problem by somehow blocking the SHOP.  I've written to the SHOP asking them to STOP posting in our threads as they are NOT a member and with their cheating ways will NEVER BE A MEMBER.

[michellepatterns]

Make sure all the settings are correct for your group and then contact etsy.  Teams are probably a low priority item for etsy so it might be a while before you hear back or you may never hear back.

Then please consider stopping with the favorite games. Etsy realized years ago that these were messing with the data that they are trying to use to improve sales for sellers (whether it's working is another story). Now these types of games are not good for your shops for reasons others in this thread have explained.

[LastCentury]

Rudolph can't play in the favoriting games now? Well we know how that all worked with the reindeer games.

I would think people playing faving games would want all the faves they could get!

edited to add: from the team information:

"We believe a good reputation is important in business. We are Small Honest Team. Participation is Important! Our Goal: To help Etsy shops gain views, favorites, sales, and appear higher in search results. Our team is all about promoting each other’s shops. The more you participate, the more promotion your shop gets! Who can join?..."

Sorry but you are not being honest to your team members with that information.

[cindylouwho2]

@CozyWarmCreations just FYI, trying to manipulate Etsy search results is a policy violation. Here's an old thread of mine discussing it: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Marketing-Your-Business/PSA-favouriting-games-amp-other-ways-to-manipu...

link to the updated policies since the one in my original thread does not work any more: https://www.etsy.com/legal/sellers/#selling section 1 c 7 says we can't "create duplicate shops or take any other action (such as manipulating clicks, carts or sales) for the purpose of shilling, manipulating search or circumventing Etsy's policies."

Manipulating search could be called "cheating", in fact. 

[nineteen27]

@cindylouwho2 

oh.

now that i can see how they are manipulating search.

in some teams.

it is... just wow.

i am not talking about the OPs team.

[cindylouwho2]

@nineteen27 my DMs are always open, my friend. And my email. 

[CoquetteBath]

@nineteen27 

NOW I'm curious....

[nineteen27]

@cindylouwho2 

@CoquetteBath 

follow me below.

[cindylouwho2]

@nineteen27 I am not even sure that would help anything, tbh, other than just getting a view or heart.  

[nineteen27]

@cindylouwho2 

it is different though.

and probably an organic view and heart x however many are playing?

i would rather walk my cat.

but...

that is me.

[cindylouwho2]

@nineteen27 "probably an organic view and heart" - which is worth very little. Etsy has previously said hearts have a poor correlation with sales, and views come for all sorts of reasons. 

It would honestly be easier to just do this with direct links in an off-Etsy forum/Facebook group, if they are worried that links from teams are worth less (which they probably are). 

What a waste of time LOL

[MyOverstuffedAttic]

THIS!!

[SuesVintageBuys]

Yes, we have the same thing happening in our Team - it is a CLOSED team which requires members to be approved to join, yet random people are now posting on one of our threads. HOW? Seems to be a byblow of the new change to the forum. I've contacted ETSY multiple times - first time they said there was a technical glitch - which had now been corrected. Next day a non-member posted again - so much for the "correction".

[CozyWarmCreations · Accepted solution]

I have received a email from etsy finally. They want me to send screen shots of the non-members (which of course I have deleted already) so now I have to wait for another non member to post to prove it is happening

[nineteen27]

@CozyWarmCreations 

i posted in this thread for you.

https://community.etsy.com/t5/By-Invitation-Only/Search-for-1-ITEM-THURSDAY-Apr-11/m-p/145309205#M22...

[cindylouwho2]

@CozyWarmCreations I posted as well! 

[nineteen27]

@SuesVintageBuys 

i posted in this thread.

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Friends-Together-Team/Invisible-Bingo-Wednesday-April-10-Google-Shop-S...

in case you want to screenshot it and send to etsy.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

I was able to post as well.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@CozyWarmCreations 

Sorry to say that your "Invisible Bingo" game will result in decreased conversion rates for shops asking others to perform multiple searches within their shops.  This will detract from their shop quality scores in the Etsy search algorithm.  Messing around with other shops is also an Etsy policy violation.  

[nineteen27]

someone left the windows open.

to all the teams.

[LastCentury]

the jig is up

the secrets are out

there's favourites loose

about this hoose

[OneEyeCatStudio]

So we can get into supposedly "private" places where personal information has been shared?

Not only personal, but possibly business and financial  information?

On a site that handles my bank account and credit card information? 

I don't find this fun at all.

In fact, I find it rather scary.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Ooooh...

[TheOldBarnDoor]

@CozyWarmCreations From what I see on your team home page, your team has somehow lost its "closed" status.  Only the team captain can reactivate that from my understanding and that might solve the issue your raised in your original post.  Hope that helps (from a team captain of another team).  No necessity of me to comment further on your team games as it have been well covered here.  

[OneEyeCatStudio]

It shows as closed to me.

[CozyWarmCreations]

1191 members

Closed group

Created 10-14-2014