new listing invisible

[cuttingsNL]

I just created a listing and when I hit the refresh on my browser the listing is vanished... heh?...

Is this a new bug now?

[NanaLetha]

New listings sometimes take a while to show up.

[cuttingsNL]

In the main Etsy page yes, it always takes 5 min or more to show up. But in my listings page (where I am managing my listings) they were always visible after creating them.

Now you have to remember that you have created that listing until it becomes visible?? What is this again?

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

It may have been deactivated by a bot. Check your inactive folder. Etsy bots have been deactivating some things very quickly lately and may have made some changes to plant listings or what's allowed. There have been a few plant sellers posting about issues lately.

if Etsy deactivated it then it will be in the inactive folder and says deactivated by Etsy in red. 

[cuttingsNL]

It went to the Inactive folder and there was a note in red "Deactivated by Etsy" What? Why? Since when Etsy deactivates selling a simple rock?... LOL Are you serious Etsy?

[WitticismsRus]

Well if it was just a rock then they may reactivate it once a human reviews it. If it was a plant that's on some new forbidden list or something then they may not reactivate it.  Be sure to check your email including your spam folder for an email from Etsy about it.

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

Looks like they have updated the plants and seeds policy/ rules here. Note it says last updated August 3, 2022 at the very end. They have also added some restrictions as to who can even view some plant listings just depends on the laws of each country or state. 

https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/plants-herbs-seeds-and-soil/242685907951

[cuttingsNL]

No it was a simple rock. I am not selling illegal plants btw, only house plants.

Nothing came in my email.

May it have been the second keyword that I had in the title "cut" ? Bot picked that and blocked my listing? But "cut" also means a piece. Don't get it.

On top of that in the listing it says "Auto-renews Dec. 4, 2022."... So I have paid for a listing that was blocked by Etsy be their fault? What kind of logic is that??

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

This thread may have more helpful info for you from other plant sellers dealing with the same thing 

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/Plant-Sellers-Listings-being-delisted-banned-by-Ets...

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

Also, I just looked at your shop on my pc and it's restricting what I can even view in your shop. It's only showing me your featured listings and 10 other things, If I click on your featured listings that are plants it says "Sorry, this item is unavailable in your region." Not sure if it shows that to everyone in the US or if it's just my state.

[BagmakerSupply]

@cuttingsNL   Is it never as simple as to say "but its just a rock ...". There must have been a word somewhere in your listing that is on the bot's "naughty words" list. And for some people it has been that their picture had a brand name in it and the listing was deactivated for copyright or trademark infringement. Yes, the bots are "reading" pictures. Also 500 other shops may use the exact same naughty word and you might have 100 other listings with the same forbidden word but that does not make the deactivation unfair. It just means the bot has not checked those other listings yet. Hopefully Etsy will let you know what triggered the deactivation.

[cuttingsNL]

"And for some people it has been that their picture had a brand name in it and the listing was deactivated for copyright or trademark infringement."

I only have my own logo on all of my listings, to prevent others from using my own images. No other brands/copyrights here.

[BagmakerSupply]

Then there is a word or phrase in your listing that triggered the bot. Since we cannot see your listing we can only provide generic help and examples. For example, if you called your rock "amber colored" or "ivory colored" the listing would be deactivated - I doubt that the bots look for context, they just see the word "amber".

[cuttingsNL]

But the listing is not for a plant. It's for a rock.

[Amaradorn]

Etsy is now using bots to scan listings when they are published or updated and deactivate them automatically if they find it has problematic content. Please list the title and tags so we can see if you used a keyword that may have caused the deactivation.

[cuttingsNL]

title is:

Limestone cut / rock for isopods / invertebrates | various sizes | ships economy

I have now removed the word "cut" (perhaps that triggered bots? don't know). Refreshed, but nothing changed.

keywords are:

insect, isopod, invertebrate, arthropod, water, watering, terrarium, isopod supplement, insect supplies, pet supplies, reptile supplies, pet equipment, limestone

[Amaradorn]

@cuttingsNL thanks, I have no idea. It is truly perplexing. Must be something else, perhaps in the description.

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

"Limestone cut / rock for isopods / invertebrates | various sizes | ships economy"

My guess...the bot thinks you are selling isopods or invertebrates which is against the rules. Once a human reviews it they will likely put it back up.

"I have now removed the word "cut" (perhaps that triggered bots? don't know). Refreshed, but nothing changed."

It won't be instant if you make a change. A human has to review it which will take a bit. You just have to be patient and hope they get to it quickly. Last I read in other threads from plant sellers is etsy said 10 days or so for a human to review it.

[cuttingsNL]

@BagmakerSupply There's no amber in my description, But just curious, why the word amber is prohibited?

(Me thinking: the era of dehumanization by the machines. Grab your bag of popcorn and enjoy the show...)

[BagmakerSupply]

Because Etsy was sued for allowing the sale of amber teething bracelets and they have been banned in several countries. Easy programming solution is to search listings for the word "amber" (regardless if context) and deactivate the listing.

[cuttingsNL]

@WitticismsRus "Last I read in other threads from plant sellers is etsy said 10 days or so for a human to review it."

Then perhaps etsy is not for me, I am not becoming the slave of bots, I do not accept bots dictating my life.

I can create my own website on WordPress and sell a simple rock without all that headache.

[cuttingsNL]

@WitticismsRus  "Also, I just looked at your shop on my pc and it's restricting what I can even view in your shop. It's only showing me your featured listings and 10 other things, If I click on your featured listings that are plants it says "Sorry, this item is unavailable in your region." Not sure if it shows that to everyone in the US or if it's just my state."

I just read this. That is correct, because I don't ship living plants to the US / UK / Norway / Switzerland.

[WitticismsRus]

@cuttingsNL 

It is actually a recent change in that it's not even letting me view the listings and is hiding them from view when I view your entire shop. Before the recent changes for plant listings it would still show the listings and I could still view them even if you didn't ship to my country. It would just says something about not shipping to my country under the shipping info bit. It seems etsy has really ramped up the restrictions on plant listings. 

[cuttingsNL]

@WitticismsRus "It is actually a recent change in that it's not even letting me view the listing and is hiding them from view when I view your entire shop. Before the recent changes for plant listings it would still show the listings and I could still view them even if you didn't ship to my country."

Then that is a bad change from Etsy. We are having an issue of discrimination here. Why Beth in Germany can view my shop but Beth in the US cannot? Beth in the US thinks "that's an undeveloped seller". I had already stated that I don't ship to the US, there;s no reason for Etsy to do that. In that way... Etsy is belittling me to the eyes of a third person. That's unfair treatment, inequality. Another serious reason to leave etsy and take on WordPress once and for good.