miscommunication with the customer service

[#1]

Hello , 
i hope this problem would be solved asap because it really made me in bad situation from this early morning . agents were very forwarded with not fully understanding queries , they answer/attack before i finish my statements/messages , they claim that they undesrtand and copy paste the answers that they already told me , also they remind me of the policies that even buyers with no selling accounts knows like the 14days delay for new shops , but they don't answer the real questions am asking them , i real mess that pushed me to take an early dose of insoline because of the non sense solutions i receive from them ! 
i spent nearly 20 usd on medics and pressure test , spent my whole day contacting 4-5 agents with no solution provided or reassurance , Payments process are very messy , they sent me a very small amount of my sales minus the fees of transactions , i asked that's for what , is it charity or a "Pacifier" to shut up . My friends who recommended me to work on this platform never had a such problem , never contacted the customer service before and everything was good , when they saw my case they really surprised by that , is it because of third world country policies ? I requested a phone call and they refused and claimed that they can help ( as the other agents claimed to do so) 
i mean my day , case study , product researches and campaigns are stopped because of this , cost e my health , sleep and money for a whole journey , am not an easy going or a sheep , am working on different fields , also and never had a problem with the customer service until i started exploring another field on etsy and especially when it's about payments they tried to get me lost , an agent told me that i will never get paid untill i put my store under vocation mode , or you stop receiving sales , another person told me that i need to wait 90 days , they got me confused , plus some products were flagged as copyrighted even if a lot of stores are selling the same products on the platform , am not here to claim my earnings only , but to understand how etsy works ! 
PLEASE I NEED A PHONE CALL FROM YOU PLEASE , i don't know if they can't understand english very well ( btw am not english also ) , but there is a miscommunication and they work in a good comfort zone without supervising 
Please HELP

[TheFenixcrafter]

As i replied to other dear members , i wasn't aware of this at all ! it's a mistake and will not reproduce again , and also i see that people enjoying being replying with a toxic way than giving advices nicely , something that's avaible for the public would not be considered as IP especially for someone who just started ! ad if i was aware of this i would not cry here on the community 
thanks to you too

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

You’re digging your own grave. You claim discrimination against ‘third world states’ and your shop claims to be in the US. So which is it?

[TheFenixcrafter]

becaus eam not selling on a third world state and you can look after this btw ! Actually it happened a lot so when someone in my situation stressed he would considered it against me , seen i did researches about those situations , and after all i confessed that i violated the IP but without my knowledge , so that would not happen again , i apologize for cringing you , and better to choose words before replying because it's making the situation bad not better

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

None of that made any sense, and you still have illegal products, a fake location and are still using Etsy’s logo. All these things could be sorted in 2 minutes. But, instead, you continue to complain. Do not be surprised if your shop is shut down and your money withheld for months.

[LastCentury]

I would not be crying to the forum if all you are selling is stolen intellectual property. This is on you and you can't claim any bias stating "third world country policies" which is a red flag since you say you are located in USA according to your shopfront. Stephen King & JK Rowling didn't work this hard so some etsy seller could profit from reselling digital copies of their work. 

It sounds like your friends are running similar shops to yours if they are surprised by what is happening to your shop. If you want to be a good friend, you will tell them to clean up shop or risk being shut down or sued.

Your health could be greatly improved & you would have less stress if you ran your shop legally. Fix it and feel better.

read this to see what can be sold here:
https://www.etsy.com/legal/creativity/

[TheFenixcrafter]

hello and thanks for replying , as i already explained in previous comments , i wasn't aware of IP infringement for real , i saw people selling this on the platform , i did it also seen they are best sellers , nobody is telling them something , my friends are selling physical and artisanal products and they are legit and here more than 10 years , we can change the state store whenever you want , am selling digital products and willing to sell on the united states . they just adviced me to sell digital products as a start as books and make a research on etsy. and seen am a harry potter and dramione fan i decided to sell some works , they dont know about IP of those works neither me ! i apologize for cringing you guys. and the great problem was not IP just to let you know ! it was miscommunication , when you ask about Right they Reply about Left , that's what made me mad and stressed , not the IP because am a mature person and i understand , i will clean up the products that have copyright on 

[LastCentury]

7 out of 8 listings in your shop are not ok to sell on etsy due to intellectual property rights. If it isn't your brand, character, label, do not use it! That includes fan art & story lines based on characters that are not your own.

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/1075628311049?ref=handbook

how to deactivate a listing:

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000336187-How-to-Deactivate-a-Listing?segment=selling

You are obviously not in the United States. Saying you are is not a great way to establish honesty & transparency for your shop. If someone buys something and finds out it is not from the US as stated, that opens you up for a potential case against your shop for not as described and you will lose.

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000344268-How-to-Add-Your-Shop-s-Location?segment=selling

[TastefulArtisan]

Woah.

" Note: This is a digital fan archive for personal reading — not an official publisher edition."

I'm sure Stephen King would simply say Okay, not a problem you scanned in my book and are now making profit from it instead of me. </sarcasm>

And JK Rowling is fierce when protecting her IP. All things Harry Potter are a BIG no-no just like any other protected intellectual property.

[TheFenixcrafter]

i wish that all those comments were not toxic , yours is better somehow , but yes i've learned you can check previous comments what i've replied , i've learned my lesson , but you ALL focused on IP , which is not the big deal here , i received the warning from ETSY and from the legal counsel it self  , i apologized , we deleted the concerned products , but my questions were not answered , i was speaking about the quality of service in this side , i had many interactions before yesterday , they were all clean when it's about another concerns . btw thanks for interacting with my post i wish you all the best 

[GlassyFields]

If Etsy stresses you out so much that it negatively impacts your health, it might not be a good fit for you.

[TheFenixcrafter]

Oh ! Thanks for .. this advice !? 
thanks for being .. helpful ..

[AnniebelloPaper]

Just reading your shop name got me thinking your problem is infringement. Looking closer at the logo just cemented that thought. 

[TheFenixcrafter]

Thank you thank you ver very much for your sweet , short and helpful reply , that's what i was looking for ! Nice , friendly advices , i respect your point of view a lot , i will work also on the name of the shop , the problem actually wasn't the IP , the IP is solved with etsy Legal Team ! the problem is in explaining situations , were not clear ! again thanks for being classy and mature !

[TheVintagePineapple]

Since Etsy had already deactivated at least one of your listings and you were warned by their legal department about it, why did you keep selling illegal items?  Now that you're aware that your current items are not allowed either, why haven't you deleted them yet?   Just one more deactivation by Etsy could mean the end of your shop and account completely.

[TheFenixcrafter]

Hello , i contacted etsy for verifying my copyrighted items to not delete all of this products , i dont have the ability to detect which are forbidden to resell on the platform . could you please send me a PM to help me clean my shop instead of waiting ? it would be very helpful if you have some minutes . I've been attacked like i have K**ed J.K.Rowling or done warcrime , it's a mistake that i wasn't aware of , focusing on some words i've mentioned on my post like third country and store location , while the real problem is the communication ! 
Thanks and am waiting if you can help

[TheVintagePineapple]

@TheFenixcrafter  No need to PM.  Here are the directions for deleting listings:

How to Delete a Listing – Etsy Help

If the two people shown on the Dramione vintage art t-shirt are characters from a book, it should be deactivated.  The only shirt you'd be allowed to sell is the Life is Good tee, although that phrase has been trademarked for certain products by several companies, so it could still be a problem.  

All the books and audiobooks need to be deleted.

[TheFenixcrafter]

Realy ? the arts on the tee are violating also ? i didnt take those pictures from the internet , i just designed them and not the same characters on the copyrighted works/books , its from my imagination , Do you think that arts from imagination are violating also the IP ?

[TheVintagePineapple · Accepted solution]

If you designed the art based on certain characters from a book, it's still infringing if those characters can be recognized as such.  

If it has no relation to any book or character, then it's ok.

[TheFenixcrafter]

@TheVintagePineapple You are a saver , thanks a lot for being that helpful , i got you now , i reported that to the etsy team , i will take necessary action by this afternoon . 
Life saver , thank you and i wish you the best luck

[TheVintagePineapple]

@TheFenixcrafter I see you've deactivated some listings, so remove the rest of them before Etsy does it for you.  That includes the Harry Potter tote, too.

[TheFenixcrafter]

Okay i will delwte the TOTE also

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Etsy cannot give you legal advice on specific IP infringement

They give advice about what is and is not allowed, such as not using well know character names, or names of films etc

It is your business, you are the only responsible one. Ignorance of the law is never an excuse,

you need to research properly

There is also a lot more wrong with your shop, to be legally compliant, you need ALL of these

you sell to the EU/UK

You  need your address and e-mail address in sellers details, and tick the trader box, if you work from home, it has to be your full home address, some EU countries also require your telephone number
go to your main shop page front, click edit top left, scroll down to the bottom, change to reader and save, click sellers details - other details, add your address, e-mail address, and phone number in sellers details and save

You legally need to have a GDPR (privacy) policy you add it here
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/shop-policies/privacy

You need the economic operator you pay to hold all the safety information - and yes, digital products also need safety information
This is where to list the economic operator you have paid to do this
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/partners?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

you need safety information on all your listings, you can add it by listing, or the same on all - if the safety information is the same

Etsy updates as of April 2025

We’ve made important updates to support you as you navigate GPSR compliance. Here’s what’s new this month:

New listing field for product safety compliance

We’ve introduced a new product safety section in your listings to help meet GPSR requirements. This section is now accessible to all sellers on both web and mobile browsers.

The new fields include:

• Manufacturer information: In this section you should include any natural or legal person who manufactures a product or has a product manufactured under their name or trademark

  • Add the name, email, and mailing address of the manufacturer.

  • If the manufacturer isn’t in the EU, add the name, email address, and mailing address of the designated EU-based Responsible Person.

You can provide this information in two ways, depending on your shop setup:

Option 1: Shop-Level Economic Operator

Use this if your shop has one EU-based Responsible Person that applies to your entire shop (e.g., you're a non-EU seller and manufacture your own items, all covered by the same RP).

• Go to Shop Manager > Settings > Partners you work with

• Add your Responsible Person in the economic operator section

Option 2: Listing-level manufacturer

Use this if you resell products made by others. In this case, you’ll add the info for each product in the listing itself.

• Use the open text field labeled Manufacturers and Product safety info

• Include:

  • Manufacturer name, email, and address

  • If applicable, Responsible Person name and address

You only need to fill either the shop-level or the listing-level field to meet GPSR requirements.

• Product safety warnings: Include safety information relevant to your item, such as age restrictions, hazard warnings, disposal instructions, and other safety-related details that buyers need to know.

Authorized Representative resources

To assist you in finding a designated EU-based Responsible Person, we’ve partnered with third-party providers who offer GPSR compliance services:

• Cert-Rep
• International Associates

We’ve provided these referrals to help you connect with trusted professionals who may be able to support your GPSR compliance. We encourage you to review their services and choose what’s best for your business needs.

Compliance and enforcement reminder

If a product is subject to the GPSR but does not meet the requirements, it may be classified as a “dangerous product” by EEA or NI authorities. This may result in enforcement actions, including fines, product bans, or the removal of your products from the marketplace.

Should Etsy receive notification from an authority that your product is non-compliant, we’ll take appropriate action, which may include removing your listing and/or suspending your account.

........ If you can't comply with the GPSR safety bit, you can turn off selling to GSPR countries here - BUT, you still have to do everything else, such as GDPR and address etc
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/options?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

scroll down to

Choose how you sell to GPSR states

turn them both off and save.

...........

You should read etsy handbook before starting a shop here

[TheFenixcrafter]

Thanks for your reply its very professional and helful. I will revise that carefully in this next two days 

[NancyQstudio]

When taking money for a sale, it is a seller's responsibility to be aware of laws and Etsy rules.  It doesn't matter if a shop is new or experienced.  

[TheFenixcrafter]

I agree and assume my fault . Thanks tho