I was suspended 18th March, appealed, got an automated reply 1 minute later. I did many improvements on my shop, investigated all kinds of reasons why a shop might get suspended, fixed stuff, appealed again after 2 weeks when it was possible... no response, case closed without response. Tried to contact support, got emails from "experts" to which I wasn't able to respond.. made a new appeal every 2 weeks when it was possible. I ended up sending 7 appeals, the latest was in July.. and a few days ago I logged to my account to see that my account has been permanently closed. Why? Because I didn't appeal within 6 months from when my account was suspended... yes I did - 7 times, plus multiple other ways to try to contact them. Well.. I'm a seller in the EU, and I've taken this case to my government and there's actually lawyers looking into this now and contacting the headquarters in Ireland. Way to go Etsy 🙄
The October 1 changes were the worst.. and that says alot.. change Etsy has ever made. I have never seen such a dramatic nonsensical change to search and traffic. There is a reason Etsy is out of the 500 and its stock is tanked. Their leadership is completely out of touch with the seller base who made them. Josh needs to go.
I agree. I’ve sold on Etsy for 10 yrs and this is by far the worst! The whole under $6 shipping and upgrading your photos to rank higher in placement was all a complete lie and load of garbage too! The entire search algorithm is wacko and makes no sense. I feel like it’s all based on Luck now if your products get shown in their search results.
Totally agree! And I would LOVE to see Etsy implement some security on their site to protect seller's property so Temu, et al, can't keep stealing it. They don't have any safeguards on their site and then they punish their customers (the sellers) for getting their property stolen. And Etsy is the only one who can make their own site safer - we can't do anything about it but we're the ones punished for Etsy's own lack of security.
I made a new shop about 2 months ago and it got shutdown 15 days later, I followed all the guidelines which I know well because I have a main shop that is clean. I filed an appeal and 30 seconds later got an email back from Etsy saying your will now be permanently removed. No reason as to why, and not even a chance to fix it. I had 30 items for sale, didn’t even get a refund on the listing fees. Let me know if you want the emails and screenshots
Thank you for bringing this issue up. Its a big problem now. I believe a change in CEO needs to happen because the sellers, who are the back bone of Etsy, are not happy.
You have a people telling us how to run our business that cant even run there own business. They get kicked out of the S&P 500 and want us to follow there rules.
Chris will you start a new selling platform and run it like you talk about on here??? There are thousands of sellers that would flock to it! I know I would! Forget Etsy!! They have heard us and still they do not listen! I know, I know, easier said than done. Haha But seriously, I too have so much anxiety about putting in all this hard work to just have it pulled out from under me with no recourse. What can we do?
I got my first sale on Etsy today, 17 days after opening shop (woo hoo!!). . . but now I'm thinking to start a Shopify or other independent shop as well, sooner than later. As Shimmy Morris points out, you have more control AND have the ability to sell the shop down the line if you want, which isn't possible on Etsy. Still, my time to work on things is limited, so right now I will stay on Etsy. Thanks for all the wonderful info on how to succeed and the heads-up on Etsy hassles as well. Now I need to go take your email marketing course . . . Side note: every time I do research on the marketplace I see obvious trademark violations all over the place--yet they do not get shut down. Makes NO sense.
Great point about some of the non-transparency runaround being a legal tactic. I hadn't thought of that. I've seen it happen when people get "let go" from jobs, and the company has a policy of refusing to state the reason why -- so they can avoid getting sued.
Go watch Shimmy Morris' video on the subject. I followed his instructions for Linked In and it worked for me for one of my shops after 4 days. For a different shop, I complained to the BBB and that shop magically re-opened in about 5 weeks.
Their customer service is non-existant for both buyers and sellers. They are constantly going against their own policies and violate consumer rights through carelessly handing "cases" - this also negatively affects buyers - not just sellers, both are treated unfairly. They don't actually read through cases. They're unregulated. There is no way to contact a human outside of "chat" (pointless).
I filed an appeal and got a response in 48 hours but this was because they sent policy violations to the wrong email address. I plan to make a detailed youtube video about this.
I love it when you get riled up Chris! 😄And there's plenty to get riled up about these days with Etsy. Imo, Josh needs to consider his position now that they're out of the S&P 500.
I needed help with a customer issue on a refund it was not clearing my account I got no help at all it was like going in a circle. I just had to figure it out myself this is sad because we as sellers need help from a real person from time to time we are the ones making them money. I 100 % agree with Chris it needs to be human for sellers as well.
That happened to us the Temu example. Our customers review photo. Worst start to 4th quarter ever. Since 2019 60000 transactions millions in revenue, their current model is everyone is hard up, and the more ad spend we can arbitrarily spend the better. Proven sellers dont get preferential treatment, etsy wants ad revenue. And Amazon sucks, 1.6 million in gross 2023, net deposit 799k to process manufacture ship overhead 30000 orders. Handmade and etsy is broke with no protections from those shipping “in”. Trademark violations from foreign actors, the list is non stop.
I'm seeing more and more of my digital products getting stolen on Temu, Shein & Tiktok Shop. I have not been flagged or suspended for intellectual property yet, but definitely seeing a dramatic decrease in views and sales since October. Would it be better to just take down the listings that were stolen just to be safe? It sucks because these were my bestsellers and now they may be potentially hurting my shop's overall SEO due to Etsy bots considering my listings as "unoriginal".
Talking to Etsy customer service is so exhausting! I've been trying for 3 weeks to get someone to look at the code for the new listing manager because there's a bug that moves my product photos around so you can't read the title (which is somewhat important because otherwise there's no reason to click on the listing). So... I'm losing sales and it just doesn't bother anyone.
My store was shut down 2 days ago by Etsy. 48 hours and it's back up again. Now I am not sure if the email contact was human or Ai but it worked. I really wasn't expecting that!
I opened a 2nd shop 2 days ago Paid the new 19.00 subscription and instantly a pop up saying account suspended They won’t refund No contact I keep emailing with no reply They shut my other shop down in August keeping the money I made in sales and haven’t refunded me Stay far away from Etsy We need a new platform with human contact and able to sell anything besides handmade Etsy is a nightmare Where does their money go through Maybe that’s who to contact
Sounds like money grabbing to me :(. As for new platform, totally agree with an Exception. We need 2. Hand made items should also be separated from any other selling platform.
IF Etsy decided to employ humans to answer all questions and decide which shops are within “the rules” they would have to hire tens of thousands of employees if not in the hundreds of thousands. It’s simply not realistic with the amount of sellers and items. And where would the money come from? Fees would be so high it wouldn’t make sense.
Hey Etsy! I’m a teacher not making a living wage in Florida and I’d be happy to work part time as a human working with sellers! Already had a background check and I have several college degrees. 😊 😂 wish I was kidding lol
So, I'm wondering if it's worth building a business on ETSY when it looks like it would be fairly easy for them to suspend you, and there's little you can do about it. Etsy needs to make certain that sellers have !n easy way to resolve issues quickly. They want sellers to be professional and treat their businesses that way... Etsy must do the same. I've been gearing up to open my store for months. Now I feel like I should pull back. I'm not at all comfortable with what looks like a terrible place to invest time, money and energy, at least at this point.
I must say that I have had only , except one incompetent support person, just once, otherwise I have had only positive responses and help and also appreciation from them regarding my shop. They do answer in person, but it takes a couple of days, 2 days at most. Yes to Chris for Etsy mayor. Hurrah!!!❤
I will have to say, I was able to contact a human on online chat, not via phone, at least I think it was human, but in reality there's no way to know now with AI's ability to chat "humanlike". It might have been reading from a script because I just kept getting links for areas in the handbook.
Etsy is "The Handmade Marketplace." Because of the over-abundance of automated creativity on the platform now (everything from laser-cut wares to AI-generated artwork), I think they're having to straddle a new fence and make some tough decisions about what is actually handmade. Since the pandemic, so many new sellers who don't follow that ethos have joined Etsy's ranks. So many people, when I tell them in casual conversation that I have an Etsy shop, tell me the money's in dropshipping, or that POD is where it's at. While I appreciate the fact many people want to grow their business and make money (yeah, I do too), the aesthetic to be found on Etsy now is way too cookie-cutter. Also, I don't think Etsy's 2400 employees can do quite as much work as Amazon's 1.6 million.
What a joke! Crazy they need better customer service. Its run by fools!! My sales are down 60% since last year this time with this new update!! Might be the end here.. Fools Chris for Etsy Mayor 😂
Yeah ! Finally somebody says the true, humans? Placed in the algorithm by the eye of AI? I am so disappointed with Etsy, I am a new seller, I work full time as a Medical Laboratory Microbiologists, I wanted to make my show become a part time job, and trying to be more with my son, but I was happy with sales every week, despite that I am so busy as a mom, I was always spending time to work on my shop, but now, almost one month with NO sales, and judged by robotic AI? Where is your human side.
Yeeeeeeeees get a human helper Etsy...omg what unnessary frustration to sellers making u money Etsy!! This is 2024 into 2025...and like u can't afford humans to be LIVE in conversation? Talk about profoundly stupid Etsy.
Basically, if you have a market place with 10 million stores and only enough shoppers that each store gets one sale per week, you will have a weak seller herd that won’t be healthy enough to offer the best products and services to customers. Etsy needs to institute a monthly fee of at least $40 and a vetting process for admitting new sellers similar to Shark Tank, where only sellers with compelling new products are allowed in. I am sick of the POD and other Chinese garbage products flooding the search results. Etsy should be 100% handmade only (no exceptions). No half-baked efforts period!
If Etsy implements this policy, many small sellers will close their shops. I have a Flower, Vegetable and herb seed shops. On seeds the profit margin is very small. During the winter I do not make $40.00 some months. In the summer I have great repeat customers and my sales are decent. However on a package of seeds I often only make a dollar or less. People tend to forget that we have to pay for the seeds, Esty fees that are the same percentage and listing fees as large companies, labels, bags, and postage (that is often more than I charge), I purchase only seeds of a high quality from a well known respected seed company. I also back the seeds I sell. I have contacted Etsy regarding issues, by e-mail of course. No human contact what so ever.
Yes but like they said the Human rep either doesn't understand English, isn't good at English, or doesn't understand your issue. So they do not even help these days!
1) The bot just hangs most of the time so you don't get any answers, nor ever connected to a person and 2) people who are suspended don't have access to it
I was suspended 18th March, appealed, got an automated reply 1 minute later. I did many improvements on my shop, investigated all kinds of reasons why a shop might get suspended, fixed stuff, appealed again after 2 weeks when it was possible... no response, case closed without response. Tried to contact support, got emails from "experts" to which I wasn't able to respond.. made a new appeal every 2 weeks when it was possible. I ended up sending 7 appeals, the latest was in July.. and a few days ago I logged to my account to see that my account has been permanently closed. Why? Because I didn't appeal within 6 months from when my account was suspended... yes I did - 7 times, plus multiple other ways to try to contact them. Well.. I'm a seller in the EU, and I've taken this case to my government and there's actually lawyers looking into this now and contacting the headquarters in Ireland. Way to go Etsy 🙄
This is exactly what happened to my shop that was a top 100 shop in the world. They don’t give af even about their top sellers.
@misssunshine8469 unbelievable 😱
I see a large class action lawsuit heading towards the Etsy corporate office sometime soon...
I will sign if that happens!!!
Thank you for bringing up the terrible disservice Etsy is currently serving up to its sellers! We need humans running Etsy again.
The October 1 changes were the worst.. and that says alot.. change Etsy has ever made. I have never seen such a dramatic nonsensical change to search and traffic. There is a reason Etsy is out of the 500 and its stock is tanked. Their leadership is completely out of touch with the seller base who made them. Josh needs to go.
I agree. I’ve sold on Etsy for 10 yrs and this is by far the worst! The whole under $6 shipping and upgrading your photos to rank higher in placement was all a complete lie and load of garbage too! The entire search algorithm is wacko and makes no sense. I feel like it’s all based on Luck now if your products get shown in their search results.
Agree 100%!
Totally agree! And I would LOVE to see Etsy implement some security on their site to protect seller's property so Temu, et al, can't keep stealing it. They don't have any safeguards on their site and then they punish their customers (the sellers) for getting their property stolen. And Etsy is the only one who can make their own site safer - we can't do anything about it but we're the ones punished for Etsy's own lack of security.
Etsy needs to do better, sellers need to be able to speak to a live human 24/7
I made a new shop about 2 months ago and it got shutdown 15 days later, I followed all the guidelines which I know well because I have a main shop that is clean. I filed an appeal and 30 seconds later got an email back from Etsy saying your will now be permanently removed. No reason as to why, and not even a chance to fix it. I had 30 items for sale, didn’t even get a refund on the listing fees. Let me know if you want the emails and screenshots
@@nikhil.patel. Mine was shut down the second I paid them the 19.00 subscription fee.
My shop wasn’t even open yet 😞
@@jeanm2490 I hope they at least gave you the money back.
Thank you for bringing this issue up. Its a big problem now. I believe a change in CEO needs to happen because the sellers, who are the back bone of Etsy, are not happy.
You have a people telling us how to run our business that cant even run there own business. They get kicked out of the S&P 500 and want us to follow there rules.
Chris will you start a new selling platform and run it like you talk about on here??? There are thousands of sellers that would flock to it! I know I would! Forget Etsy!! They have heard us and still they do not listen! I know, I know, easier said than done. Haha But seriously, I too have so much anxiety about putting in all this hard work to just have it pulled out from under me with no recourse. What can we do?
Yes Chris How about it? 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡
The day someone opens another platform to compete with Etsy is something the vast majority of Etsy sellers wish. We can only hope.
They can name it alternatesy 🤣
Fantastic idea!
I got my first sale on Etsy today, 17 days after opening shop (woo hoo!!). . . but now I'm thinking to start a Shopify or other independent shop as well, sooner than later. As Shimmy Morris points out, you have more control AND have the ability to sell the shop down the line if you want, which isn't possible on Etsy. Still, my time to work on things is limited, so right now I will stay on Etsy. Thanks for all the wonderful info on how to succeed and the heads-up on Etsy hassles as well. Now I need to go take your email marketing course . . . Side note: every time I do research on the marketplace I see obvious trademark violations all over the place--yet they do not get shut down. Makes NO sense.
Chris for Etsy CEO CFO COO and Mayor. Actually, just start a new platform that can be run correctly with CS for all!
Great point about some of the non-transparency runaround being a legal tactic. I hadn't thought of that. I've seen it happen when people get "let go" from jobs, and the company has a policy of refusing to state the reason why -- so they can avoid getting sued.
Congrats on 100k! I'm happy that you guys both critique Etsy and I trust you both immeasurably.
I just got permanently suspended with no explanation and an autoresponse to my appeal. I didn't do anything wrong. It is BS.
open an online store and throw 100$/day on ads
Go watch Shimmy Morris' video on the subject. I followed his instructions for Linked In and it worked for me for one of my shops after 4 days. For a different shop, I complained to the BBB and that shop magically re-opened in about 5 weeks.
I can't even get a bot to reply. I've got 5 days of calls for help ignored.
EXACTLY!!! Etsy has horrible CSR and they don’t support sellers at all!!! You’re walking on eggshells with Etsy and those reviews.
Their customer service is non-existant for both buyers and sellers. They are constantly going against their own policies and violate consumer rights through carelessly handing "cases" - this also negatively affects buyers - not just sellers, both are treated unfairly. They don't actually read through cases. They're unregulated. There is no way to contact a human outside of "chat" (pointless).
I filed an appeal and got a response in 48 hours but this was because they sent policy violations to the wrong email address. I plan to make a detailed youtube video about this.
I love it when you get riled up Chris! 😄And there's plenty to get riled up about these days with Etsy. Imo, Josh needs to consider his position now that they're out of the S&P 500.
I needed help with a customer issue on a refund it was not clearing my account I got no help at all it was like going in a circle. I just had to figure it out myself this is sad because we as sellers need help from a real person from time to time we are the ones making them money. I 100 % agree with Chris it needs to be human for sellers as well.
I had a problem a few weeks ago and never got reply from customer support. 12 to 14 attempts. Worked it out by myself. Very frustrating. Pathetic
That happened to us the Temu example. Our customers review photo. Worst start to 4th quarter ever. Since 2019 60000 transactions millions in revenue, their current model is everyone is hard up, and the more ad spend we can arbitrarily spend the better. Proven sellers dont get preferential treatment, etsy wants ad revenue. And Amazon sucks, 1.6 million in gross 2023, net deposit 799k to process manufacture ship overhead 30000 orders. Handmade and etsy is broke with no protections from those shipping “in”. Trademark violations from foreign actors, the list is non stop.
I'm seeing more and more of my digital products getting stolen on Temu, Shein & Tiktok Shop. I have not been flagged or suspended for intellectual property yet, but definitely seeing a dramatic decrease in views and sales since October. Would it be better to just take down the listings that were stolen just to be safe? It sucks because these were my bestsellers and now they may be potentially hurting my shop's overall SEO due to Etsy bots considering my listings as "unoriginal".
Talking to Etsy customer service is so exhausting! I've been trying for 3 weeks to get someone to look at the code for the new listing manager because there's a bug that moves my product photos around so you can't read the title (which is somewhat important because otherwise there's no reason to click on the listing).
So... I'm losing sales and it just doesn't bother anyone.
Since Oct, not been getting sales from US even though POD supplier is in US. Sales ranked. Anyone experiencing the same?
They just need to shut Etsy down nothing but recycled trash on there.
100% on point !!!! Chris for president to ETSY and USA!!!🤣🤣🤣🤩😘
My store was shut down 2 days ago by Etsy. 48 hours and it's back up again. Now I am not sure if the email contact was human or Ai but it worked. I really wasn't expecting that!
So, I'm looking for another platform that's more transparent and designed for sellers to win. Any suggestions?
I opened a 2nd shop 2 days ago
Paid the new 19.00 subscription and instantly a pop up saying account suspended
They won’t refund
No contact
I keep emailing with no reply
They shut my other shop down in August keeping the money I made in sales and haven’t refunded me
Stay far away from Etsy
We need a new platform with human contact and able to sell anything besides handmade
Etsy is a nightmare
Where does their money go through
Maybe that’s who to contact
Sounds like money grabbing to me :(. As for new platform, totally agree with an Exception. We need 2. Hand made items should also be separated from any other selling platform.
@@aussiegal22 you are absolutely right !!!
So who is the head of Etsy vendor support? Chris can you get the attention of this person and give them guidance on what they need to fix?
I vote for Chris for Mayor of Etsy
Why Mayor of Etsy, Why not his own Platform!!!! I vote for that!
IF Etsy decided to employ humans to answer all questions and decide which shops are within “the rules” they would have to hire tens of thousands of employees if not in the hundreds of thousands. It’s simply not realistic with the amount of sellers and items. And where would the money come from? Fees would be so high it wouldn’t make sense.
Hey Etsy! I’m a teacher not making a living wage in Florida and I’d be happy to work part time as a human working with sellers! Already had a background check and I have several college degrees. 😊 😂 wish I was kidding lol
What other platform can we sell on as a shop
I just did eBay a month ago and thousands of impressions and ZERO sales
Where else can we sell ?!?
GoImagine but I'm not sure if they take POD
@@dianevanderlinden3480 what’s POD ?!
I tried goimagine for three months and quit with no sales. I didn’t want to keep paying a monthly fee for nothing
Mabey they should stop using AI for everything then!
Mayor Chris takes over Etsy!
So, I'm wondering if it's worth building a business on ETSY when it looks like it would be fairly easy for them to suspend you, and there's little you can do about it. Etsy needs to make certain that sellers have !n easy way to resolve issues quickly. They want sellers to be professional and treat their businesses that way... Etsy must do the same. I've been gearing up to open my store for months. Now I feel like I should pull back. I'm not at all comfortable with what looks like a terrible place to invest time, money and energy, at least at this point.
I hope they see this video
I must say that I have had only , except one incompetent support person, just once, otherwise I have had only positive responses and help and also appreciation from them regarding my shop. They do answer in person, but it takes a couple of days, 2 days at most. Yes to Chris for Etsy mayor. Hurrah!!!❤
I will have to say, I was able to contact a human on online chat, not via phone, at least I think it was human, but in reality there's no way to know now with AI's ability to chat "humanlike". It might have been reading from a script because I just kept getting links for areas in the handbook.
I am new to Etsy and now I'm not sure it's the right place for me...
are you an npc or a robot, then ur not
Stay away from Etsy
Yes 1000% percent.
Etsy is "The Handmade Marketplace." Because of the over-abundance of automated creativity on the platform now (everything from laser-cut wares to AI-generated artwork), I think they're having to straddle a new fence and make some tough decisions about what is actually handmade. Since the pandemic, so many new sellers who don't follow that ethos have joined Etsy's ranks. So many people, when I tell them in casual conversation that I have an Etsy shop, tell me the money's in dropshipping, or that POD is where it's at. While I appreciate the fact many people want to grow their business and make money (yeah, I do too), the aesthetic to be found on Etsy now is way too cookie-cutter. Also, I don't think Etsy's 2400 employees can do quite as much work as Amazon's 1.6 million.
What a joke! Crazy they need better customer service. Its run by fools!! My sales are down 60% since last year this time with this new update!! Might be the end here.. Fools Chris for Etsy Mayor 😂
I LOVE this video!!!!
Yes Chris for Mayor
Chris for CEO lol
I vote for Chrise for Etsy Mayor!!
Chris for Mayor!!!! Where is the poll lol or was that a joke?
Chris for ETSY CEO !
Yeah ! Finally somebody says the true, humans? Placed in the algorithm by the eye of AI? I am so disappointed with Etsy, I am a new seller, I work full time as a Medical Laboratory Microbiologists, I wanted to make my show become a part time job, and trying to be more with my son, but I was happy with sales every week, despite that I am so busy as a mom, I was always spending time to work on my shop, but now, almost one month with NO sales, and judged by robotic AI? Where is your human side.
You won't get sales if you don't implement a marketing strategy.
Sounds like youtube
100% Agree
Yeeeeeeeees get a human helper Etsy...omg what unnessary frustration to sellers making u money Etsy!! This is 2024 into 2025...and like u can't afford humans to be LIVE in conversation? Talk about profoundly stupid Etsy.
Sounds like chris has been personally affected by this based on his passion talking about the subject. Wonder if theres any truth to that?
Agreed!!!!!!
Basically, if you have a market place with 10 million stores and only enough shoppers that each store gets one sale per week, you will have a weak seller herd that won’t be healthy enough to offer the best products and services to customers. Etsy needs to institute a monthly fee of at least $40 and a vetting process for admitting new sellers similar to Shark Tank, where only sellers with compelling new products are allowed in. I am sick of the POD and other Chinese garbage products flooding the search results. Etsy should be 100% handmade only (no exceptions). No half-baked efforts period!
If Etsy implements this policy, many small sellers will close their shops. I have a Flower, Vegetable and herb seed shops. On seeds the profit margin is very small. During the winter I do not make $40.00 some months. In the summer I have great repeat customers and my sales are decent. However on a package of seeds I often only make a dollar or less. People tend to forget that we have to pay for the seeds, Esty fees that are the same percentage and listing fees as large companies, labels, bags, and postage (that is often more than I charge), I purchase only seeds of a high quality from a well known respected seed company. I also back the seeds I sell.
I have contacted Etsy regarding issues, by e-mail of course. No human contact what so ever.
I can’t believe I am telling you this… on the help bot chat, just ask it for a human and it connects you to a human rep 🤷♀️
Yes but like they said the Human rep either doesn't understand English, isn't good at English, or doesn't understand your issue. So they do not even help these days!
That's the problem. If you get a human they don't understand the issue and are limited to copy and paste responses 😞
@@brandcreatorsI found the human to be very helpful and answered my question easily
@@aussiegal22I found the human to be very helpful and clearly knew English
1) The bot just hangs most of the time so you don't get any answers, nor ever connected to a person and 2) people who are suspended don't have access to it