Why Etsy Shops Are Being Suspended
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Though our collaborative research efforts with Printify, here are the TOP reasons Etsy sellers are being suspended in 2024.
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Our research into 300 suspended shops: • Everything You Need To...
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▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
00:00 - Our research efforts and what to do if you're suspended
03:40 - Necessary account information
04:04 - False location
04:29 - VPNs
04:58 - Legal name
05:14 - Etsy bill
05:33 - Secondary shops
05:52 - Shilling
06:18 - Repeat cases
06:39 - Drop shipping
06:59 - Print providers
07:13 - Mock-ups
08:12 - Creative Fabrica
08:32 - ShineOn
08:53 - Metaphysical items
09:10 - Not made by you
09:38 - Services
09:51 - Prohibited items
10:02 - Alibaba, AliExpress, Temu
11:05 - Hacked accounts
11:32 - Unsupported territories
12:09 - IP Infringement
#Etsy #etsySeller #HandmadeAlphas
Has your Etsy shop ever been wrongfully suspended? Let me know in the comments!
Hello Starla, yes my shop has been suspended without any reason no explanation ne warning no nothing.
Yes, several shops. One was reinstated after I sent an appeal and Etsy support apologized, but the next day it was suspended again (I made no changes during this time). This time, the appeal didn't help.
After 4 years in business and 2500 sales my shop was suspended while I was in vacation mode with a note on my shop banner saying I was closed the whole month. My kid was in the hospital!! It was the start of my financial downfall. Haven't recovered yet.
Thank you for the encouragement to keep fighting. I was TRYING to open an Etsy shop and hadn't even published the store yet (had one product just to do the initial sign up), two days later after they took the $15 app fee, they suspended my account and would not provide ANY reason for the suspension. I have appealed 5 times and it's the same ZERO RESPONSE each time. I'll continue to appeal. Thank you!
Yes I had my shop suspended 3 times in the last 6 months, the last time was a permanent suspension which was eventually lifted after one month. Etsy simply said it was a mistake and sometimes their security system flags the wrong accounts 🤷🏻♀️ so frussssstrating!
They really need to improve this AND their customer support.
I’d like to see all of the drop shippers go away and see more of the handmade items come back.
@@HandmadeDawling YES! That’s what Etsy was originally for! I DESPISE drop shippers 🎯
Etsy want profit, they are not here to serve u or the peoples who made handmade items , I know it's hard but it's thr truth.
I can feel that but as someone that started made to order drop shipping. I still put a lot of time in designing and listing. Ive done both and I sure put in just as much time as my handmade even though someone else prints it. I need to move away from so much handmade as my hands hurt.... Ive been an Etsy seller for 10+ years with full on handmade. Ive hand made over 10,000 items.
Its really get rid of reseller junk drop shippers not those designing their products.
@@Sprinklesandstickley exactlyyy, I've been putting hours and hours into creating original designs that I love and know others will too. Just because I'm not printing them doesn't mean my items are less important. Sorry I don't have a bunch of money to hire people to print stuff for me or buy a factory to make items in. I'm just a girl with a dream to have a business too.
@@abduwalimuse7482 I hear that. Then there is testing the companies, ordering samples, etc to make sure they are not shipping junk. Its a whole process like a handmade process! LOL Its hours of research too! I tested at least 10 companies.
I got one of my listings deactivated because "I was not following the handmade policy." Then I realized Temu stole a couple of my pictures of my own handmade product 😩and now I'm the one violating their policies.
OMG no way!
You should be able to appeal this one and show proof your work is the original handmade product. A bot just automatically flagged you is all
@ga1actic_muffin Yes, definitely I will! 😵 then I noticed they stole not only one but a second item as well, this is so annoying. I deactivated the listing myself, I'm taking new product pictures😑.
Thank you so much, though 😊 I will get into this as soon I get a chance.
This is why you can’t depend on someone else’s site to house your merchandise. It’s important to sell from your website full-time. Because if your shop is suspended… you’re business is down.
I totally agree, if you want to be a legitimate business and be taken seriously, get your own website!
Etsy is sometimes good for startups but I wouldn’t waste anytime on there.
Good advice. Save up and buy a domain 💪🏻
I had my own web site for 10 years. I think I was just too early getting that started; shoppers weren't yet comfortable shopping online when my site launched in 1997, but sales never became more than random over the next 10 years. :-(
Want to be taken as a serious business? Grow your own website. Etsy is just a mess for small business, you aren’t in charge. They own you.
its that simple. i am self employed because I rarely had a boss I respected. selling on these platforms feels familiar, too much like a job. still doing it now but want to transition to my own site. I did it about 10 years ago and it worked out pretty well.
My shop was suspended today and I'm sick to my stomach. I've had the BEST few months ever, make only handmade (engraved) items and do not do POD, drop ship or use a production partner. What the hell?! I'm a consistent star seller, been on Etsy for 15+ years, payment account good, just moved in to a new shop and hired 3 part time employees and I currently can't breathe...
at this point, what's the point?🙃the rule about your items being taken down even if someone stole your art is absolutely crazy.
Every time I think about starting to sell on Etsy they go on an account suspension/ban spree
They basically go suspension/ ban spree all year round, Josh Silverman must have some sort of feticism with these kind on of ban spree..
The best way to get your shop back is to file a complain with Better Business Bureau and let Etsy know you filed it. Make sure you appeal first, maybe appeal even few times before filling a complain.
Best tip ever!!!!
Can one seller from a different country than USA do this as well?
Yes, just saw someone on the Etsy forum say they got their shop back that way. They kept messaging Etsy on social media and filed a complaint with the BBB.
@@LauraPDyes you can. I did it and it worked. My shop was reinstated within a few days with apologies from Etsy.
Yes that’s how I got my shop back within a few days after the BBB complaint was lodged. I appealed twice on Etsy, messaged them on Messenger and IG, got Etsy to call me back but nothing seemed to help. I then decided to try BBB and that’s what got my shop reinstated eventually. Total suspension was one month. Not good for business and so frustrating when you have done nothing wrong while so many other sellers do IP infringement…
I miss the old Etsy. Now it’s like a small Amazon.
I agree it was wonderful when you had true handmade sellers on Etsy, now it's European stuff, Chinese stuff being sold there.
Nah, you can trust Amazon, more like Wayfair nonsense.
Crafty Girl needs to be investigated. She puts dollar tree ,Temu and other company items in packages and sells them on etsy for fifty dollars claiming they are vintage items for junk journaling. She is scamming her poor subscribers!!
Yes, true.
Naturally Etsy loves that kind of shop, they'll never suspend her but if you're legitimate... look out!!!!
I hope they're taking down all those copycat sellers who steal other people's designs.😮
If you really listened to the bald Etsy ahole, he pretty much confirmed that the default Etsy stand is that small Etsy sellers are the copycats while AliExpress sellers are the originals 😂😂😂😂 because AliExpress is all about original products
@@thecriticalobserver7585 you’re better off not putting your designs on Etsy because that’s where they get stolen
Nah, they just give them an Etsy pick badge.
No. Not from what I’ve seen.
@@harperr2180 My girlfriend made a list on erank of some top sellers for tshirts, guess what ...the top 10 was selling disney copycat in their listings and for years
Etsy’s support for their customers is non existent, so it doesn’t surprise me that it isn’t good for shop owners either. The fact that you can’t call and speak with a human as a customer is a big red flag to me. I did find a phone number on line but it is just a msg, and no way to leave messages or speak with anyone.
Who in their right mind would want to open a Shop or do any business with Etsy?? There is no Seller Return item protection....They only protect the buyer with Full Refund plus Etsy tells the buyer to keep Seller's item, no need to Return it..This happened to me
Etsy!! You can’t provide an option to appeal then arbitrarily deny the right to appeal by not giving the reason a person was permanently suspended. You can’t appeal when you don’t know what to appeal. If they don’t give you a reason (like they didn’t give one to me) then you are circumventing the process and right to an appeal !! Sounds like legal grounds
Etsy is ridiculous so they shouldn't be crying about losing business or money in the future because of it. I talked to a seller who had an amazing hand-made pendant I really wanted that had an ancient Mesopotamian symbol on it. The symbol is Anu and looks similar to the "Chaos" symbol everyone knows, but is different. I asked the seller where the listing went as I was going to go buy it and he said Etsy took it down because it "Looked like a swastika"!!! Seriously, that symbol looks NOTHING and I mean NOTHING like a swastika. Apparently Etsy is both blind and stupid as well, you should probably add that to your list. It's a damn shame because I really wanted that beautiful hand-made pendant!
I had a shop for about 2 years. One day I got a scam message saying that this person never received their product - but they never bought anything to begin with. Literally a few hours later my shop was suspended. I went through the claim process and an investigation with a person and emails back and forth only for them to decide that my shop should permanently close. I was not selling anything that was infringing any kind of rights or sketchy products as a whole. It was a physical product that I put together - provided them videos and photos for everything they asked. But apparently it still wasn't enough. In the end I just figured that it was because I wasn't making much money and figured this was a way to clean up the platform from sellers that were profitable vs that weren't. I got tired of fighting and closed the business permanently from a legal perspective as well...back to the 9-5 grind for me. Would I go back to Etsy after this - I am not sure. I think I'll wait to see what happens at least within a year or two with the platform as a whole. Apparently eBay is starting to be a real contender for the art community so I might start there first.
My sister opened an Etsy store and was shot down after a few days. She did not have any active listings, only 2-3 saved listing that she had not gone live with yet. She has no idea why they suspended her shop and they would not tell her. She emailed asking for an explanation and all she got back was ‘after review of your account, we have decided to permanently close your shop’. No reason, no explanation, nothing. She then revered back to a shop that she had opened some years back and sold a couple of pieces of her art work on. Within days, that shop was closed as well. Again, no emails from Etsy with warning, no explanation, she has no idea why. DesignsByPippa was her shop. She’s very discouraged now and gave up on trying to sell on Etsy.
The very same thing happened to me
Pippa =pippa pig? Maybe they think she’s ripping off the name used by something else
Yup, the same story. No explanation, only information I'm banned permanently.
Disrespectful and arrogant.
This is happening to MANY new shops. I spend too much time in the Etsy Forums and every day (or just about) several people post that their shop has been permanently suspended with no warning and no explanation. I have seen a link in the Etsy Forums going to an Etsy page about how to appeal a suspension, so y'all might look for that!
Re: the DesignsByPippa shop, I have heard for years that when Etsy shuts down one shop (rightly or wrongly), other shops owned by the same person OR even using the same IP address are also at risk. I'd like to think that if the 1st shutdown shop is reinstated, the 2nd one would be too.
BBB has no punative powers. NO fines. No consequences for the business you report. All that does us remove their membership to the Bbb and it would take a massive number of complaints to make an impact, by virtue of how many sellers there are.
Also my shop got hacked and I lost all access for 12 days. While I was heartbroken and crying on the phone and chat 3-5 times a day from another account, they helped the hacker to change email, bank account, country, reinstate fake furniture listings and I lost every single one of my bestsellers because the hacker raised the prices to the roof. I’m still struggling hard to get my traffic back to where it was 😣
Etsy has several words you can not use in your listing and if you try it won't even let you list your item. Such as "ivory". Couldn't Etsy make certain words (Disney, Taylor Swift etc) unusable? Heck just banning the word Disney would take down a lot of shops. I know this can't be used for every IP word out there but just banning the most used ones would save them a lot of work.
Possibly. I believe the issue would be those selling vintage items. I personally would never recommend listing ANYTHING Disney, even if it falls within Etsy's vintage policies - but many sellers do. And per Etsy's policies, it would be allowed, which is why flagging keywords likely is not possible.
It's a good thought, though! They could also ask for a copy of the permit and cross check with the copyright owner regularly.
I sell supplies and was selling some beading cord and the name from the brand I was selling was Amber that was the color but the listing got immediately deactivated. I did contact Etsy and they reinstated it but it took a while and it was a hassle so now I’m careful and if it’s even the color name of a bead, I’ll just make up something close in color so my listing doesn’t get deactivated.
How long does it take for a ip infringement strike to roll off. I know eBay it’s 180 days. ???
Wait why does it ban the word ivory?
I'm starting my Etsy business and watched this to make sure I wasn't doing anything questionable in Etsy's eyes, so thank you for this. As far as IP goes, it's stunning the number of shops that are illegally selling Disney, Marvel, Barbie, and even Creative Fabrica products straight out of the package, so to speak. People look at Etsy, see a shop (or many shops) doing something, then automatically think it's okay for them to do it as well. I wish Etsy would spend more time dealing with these sellers as it's annoying and sends out a false signal. So much so that I've seen multiple videos on RUclips where the creator was using shops that were illegally selling something as the inspiration for their video on how much money you can make on Etsy. Grrr. It would especially be useful (maybe they already do this and I've just never seen it) if Etsy would create a badge system for authorized sellers of trademarked/copyrighted items.
Yes!! When I first started out I sold some crochet patterns of copyrighted IPs but quickly learned my lesson and took them down. I have people reach out to me sometimes asking why I took them down since others are selling patterns of the same characters, and I just have to tell them that those people just haven't gotten caught yet!
This is so helpful! Thank you 1000 times for the detailed explanation of your findings!
I've been on Etsy since 2011 and I'm so incredibly happy I discovered you before I discovered one of those "gurus" who used to sing Etsy's praises but now make scathing videos because they haven't bothered to do the homework as to WHY Etsy closes shops.
Thank you for the information❤️. On using Printify mockups, I would say that those are not depicting the real product/shirt color. The mockups we buy from Etsy sellers at least shows the true color of the shirts.
It’s not just about ugly Printify mockups but it’s not even realistic 😩🤪
I left Etsy, it is unpredictable, I do not want to work on my shop there and lose it without any explanation when not doing anything against the rules.
Have you thought of creating a Shopify store instead🙂
a good move, you can't trust on that platform with zero customer / seller support
“Oh no we are losing money” “let’s suspend some more shops with no reason” typical Etsy reasoning
I love your meeting with an IP lawyer! The amount of wrong info about what is/isn't IP, how to protect it, etc floating around Etsy circles is scary. You always go above and beyond.
I can't recall when this happened, but the TicTok shop deactivated thousands of shops that sold fake items like Disney and MCU.
I was surprised to see how many people are selling Michael Kors purses on Etsy.
We got permanently suspended a few months ago and still don’t know why. We hit 50k in sales in 30 days prior to getting shut down. 💔. We worked very hard to achieve this just to see it all disappear overnight. The worst feeling in the world.
I was planning to open an Etsy shop but I don’t feel like wasting my time.
Thanks for the information. I won’t shop there either. It’s amazing how many businesses destroy themselves by being greedy and not working/ communicating with their customers and vendors.
Watching because I'm curious as to why it is happening. Gratefully, I don't have a Etsy account. I don't need the headache.
Thank you for the encouragement to keep fighting. I was TRYING to open an Etsy shop and hadn't even opened the store yet (had one product just to do the initial sign up), two days later after the took the $15 app fee, they suspended my account and would not provide ANY reason for the suspension. I have appealed 5 times and it's the same ZERO RESPONSE each time. I'll continue to appeal. Thank you!
Thank you for information! You are truly the best ❤❤❤ the most adequate information about Etsy in RUclips
I’m about to start a class action just because…
Thank you for sharing this valuable information. My shop has not been suspended, I am interested in this to help me stay in the clear of a shutdown. 😊
Oh lmao taking a photo of yourself making your item does absolutely nothing anymore, I'm sad to say. It used to! Last it happened, I kept trying and trying due to the success of the past. I would get one line of text written by a new person each time, as if the conversation were starting afresh followed by a scripted response telling me to look at the handbook again. Pointless, these days, you can't prove your innocence and I've half given up on Etsy because of it. They went from a platform to sell things to the crappy, overbearing boss who never listens. I refuse to burn myself out again. They've burned themselves out. I've shifted to making money without them, my shop is open to make the occasional pocket money and if it shuts I've honestly given up caring. Hope they're enjoying being 70% down!
So I just started my Etsy shop on June 16th, I was going to sell my drawings and paintings. Right after I put up 3 listings my account was suspended without any warning or email about it. I was thinking my shop was suspended because I drew art of copyrighted characters from Disney so I deleted those. Then after I filed an appeal it was denied and then an anonymous person from Etsy support told me my account was suspended permanently without any explanation at all.
Draw your characters, and you won't be suspended.
@@IRILAN-ld9yw if she deleted it ,it is because she did not knew and was finally ok when she gets the info and the rules, but etsy is an old platform with bad bots and zero support customer, too risky it is not ecommerce it's blind commerce for sellers and risk of having everything erased in a minute... take the time and build your shop, longer but less risk and more profitable if results are there (no one can sell his etsy shop :-))))
MY STORE had just been suspended after 4 years! I don't wish Etsy well !!! I wish there is another alternative I can go to start a store again!
Fabulous video Starla, informative, well-researched and well-delivered, as always!🤩
I see some people say out of their experience that the answer or reinstatement without the answer can take 5-6 or even 10 weeks. And many suggest not to file new appeals every 14 days. I messaged in on-line chat to Etsy Support that "file an appeal" banner appeared again in my shop and asked them if I should file it again. They checked and said the first appeal is pending and I should wait for the email later. After a week more, there is still no email.
My account was deactivated today and honestly, I have no idea why. To my knowledge, I have not violated any IP and my designs are abut as vanilla as it gets.
After reviewing your video, I am still not sure what rule that I violated.
My account has been active since January 2024.
Almost exactly 24-hours later I received an email from Etsy apologizing that my account had been deactivated in error. Nothing additional, just deactivated in error.
My account is now active.
Thank you.
Hey, hey -- TY for the fast and furious review of rules to be mindful of! Very helpful -- TY, TY, TY, and thousands TYs!
Etsy has gotten so bad because of the bots. I had a bundle digital files for laser cutting removed immediately after listing, for not being handmade. This was 1 month ago and I’m still waiting for the email from their “experts” to reinstate it. The chat is completely useless
Love the very clear information. I’ve had my share of Etsy issues such as items with the color Amber being delisted and being placed on payment reserve because orders spiked after a big sale. I’d appreciate you folding in more information about shops that sell supplies rather than hand made items. Thanks!
Vintage items are a big issue on Etsy . We sell vintage toys and get IP violations occasionally. Mostly for using the products name in the title or listing. For example “Vintage Pink Panther Plush toy” could get an ip trademark violation since the items name Pink Panther is trademarked. It doesn’t matter that the item is over 20 years old and used. It’s not even worth the risk of trying to fight these claims since you’re going up against companies with deep pockets. Etsy won’t support you at all. All you can do is try to email the complainant and hope they respond and remove their claim. Doesn’t happen often. Once your shop gets big enough these companies will start going after you hard. They don’t want people buying second hand items as it takes away customers buying the new one.
This video is so helpful and clear - thank you!
Amazing video! Very helpful once again 😊
Really helpful stuff, Thank you
Always good to have a reiteration of what we shouldn't be doing--AAND what we should be doing.--- (auto billing set up, be mindful of the listings. Thank you Starla for providing relevant real world content.
I think a lot of people just don't come at Etsy realizing it's a whole small business with legal obligations because of this. This is because Etsy themselves sure likes to pitch it as easy and no-hassle and because it's comparatively easy in the US where many stores are to start a business without needing lots of paperwork and fees which impress upon the new business owner "you just did a big important life step". As a result, they just don't put 2 and 2 together and realize that tax reporting requirements, truth in advertising, corporate IP and other laws now apply to them much more significantly and they are unlikely to get a pass the way a private citizen making a tax mistake would because business owners are expected to take reasonable precautions.
I was also suspended and unfortunately I don't know why. I have already revoked 4 times, but I haven't received any response. I would correct my mistake immediately, but without an answer it is difficult 😩
Unfortunately Etsy doesn't allow sellers to correct mistakes if those mistakes were major policy violations, which is why sellers should definitely spend time reading Etsy's house rules page before ever opening a shop. One missed step can lead to a permanent ban.
@@StarlaMoore funny to see using erank that some top shops sellers are full of copycats but someone new or a huge seller who make one mistake is banned for ever with zero explanation or correction , what kind of partnership is this ???? apparently the worst scenario for ecommerce deal and trust
Who in their right mind would want to open a Shop or do any business with Etsy?? There is no Seller Return item protection....They only protect the buyer with Full Refund plus Etsy tells the buyer to keep Seller's item, no need to Return it..This happened to me..
Cool beans. Thanks!
I wish they would remove all the print on demand items. I'm in print on demand since early 2000s but not and never will do it on etsy. It's not handmade period. Etsy needs to reign in so many non handmade items banning them entirely. The supplies section is fine. I enjoy using etsy to buy supplies like jewelry findings, gift boxes etc. With the understanding that not all supplies will be handmade. I doubt they will ever do that though. It's not about handmade anymore but money and their bottom line 😢 Michaels craft stores have a new wonderful handmade marketplace that reminds me of the old etsy before they became greedy. Heidi
Perhaps an exception to this are artists who sell fine art prints of their hand drawn work.
Thank you.. I didn't even realize I was breaking rules by using third party mockups.. I spent so much money and time on finding the perfect mocks for my niche... making sure they are real photos of real shirts.. it's really depressing that I can't use them anymore.. :( But I don't want to risk it. Thanks to you and Pam Duthie I was made aware of this rule and replaced them all with Printify mocks.. which aren't exactly beautiful, but hopefully I will be able to take my own photos of at least some, soon.... I hope Etsy will reverse this policy...
Many sellers are using them without issue but in our analysis of those 300 shops, nearly all of the POD sellers hadn't broken any clear rules aside from using mock-ups they obtained from 3rd parties (most being Etsy). Etsy's head of CS refused to answer my questions about this, and they are not answering questions from Printify, despite having previously said that these mock-ups are okay, as long as they depict the exact brand/color being sold. Some sellers have even messaged Etsy's customer support and were told that using these mock-ups is fine - but it isn't Etsy customer support who is deactivating shops. It's their AI enforcement system. With so many crossed lines, contradictions, and the overall lack of clarification when Etsy's head of CS was asked about this topic, I dare say I'd rather be safe than sorry. I have personally been removing the backgrounds from my Prinitfy mock-ups so I at least have the freedom to customize them a bit to match my niche.
@@StarlaMoore does this also apply to mockups of say digital art on the wall?
@@StarlaMoore Thank you so much for the reply.. that is a great idea, to remove the Printify background, I will try that. ❤
@ellamay3816 no, this is only for POD sellers. Digital sellers won't experience the same issues using mock-ups.
Are you saying we can't use mockups from Placeit? Many Etsy coaches have recommended us to use Placeit!! So where can I get mockups that comply with Etsy's policy? I currently don't have the financial means to buy t-shirt samples and take photos or videos for original mockups.
Great video!
yes i lost my store its permanently suspended because i posted 1 listing that had a trademarked keyword. Im not bothering to try to get it back. Id rather sell on my own website
One of my shop got suspended (no reason but it could be copyright issue with POD) few weeks ago.
Now when I create a new shop it gets instantly suspended without even filling in my details and add a listing.
When I am trying to change something significant in my active shops (shops with 100% no copyright issues and no active listings), this shop gets suspended right after.
Is it possible to get the shops who did nothing wrong back or is every shop lost?
IP items. From a legal standpoint, all ip items are owned by the celebrites, studios they work for, and the photography studio's celebraties work for. Model agencies, music agencies , Movie studios ect. and more. Just do not use it even if you created the artwork. Remember ALL Celebreties are a trademark entity, there for, they own ALL items regardless of the artists creation. IE Taylor swift owns all of her name and is trademarked ,we cannot create anything to sell with her name or image on it. I hope this helps. This is a simplified answer it really goes much deeper and the reason you will be sued if you use their name, images and create new items with them. Yes this is true and is a copyright trademark violation if you choose to go down that road. Simply put just don't do it period. protect your business. All the best.
I'm actually afraid as a new seller to keep going because I don't want to wake up one day and it's gone.
I am not selling any copyright material at all but I'm still afraid.
It's definitely scary. I recommend not keeping all of your eggs in one basket by listing your items on an additional/alternative marketplace (or your own website) as well, just so you have a secondary shop to direct traffic in the event that something were to ever happen to your Etsy shop.
@StarlaMoore I haven't been on etsy more than a couple months but have already been thinking about doing that. I used to be a ebay seller back in the day and have seen how much trends have changed.
I want to try POD but didn't know you needed to pay them first to make the product as etsy doesn't release your money right away.
How much would you say I should put away for POD to have that money to pay the POD service before I start?
It entirely depends on how many items you're creating and how many sales you end up making during your reserve. I dare say keeping $150-$200 as a buffer would likely be a safe bet, assuming that your business won't be flooded with sales overnight.
@StarlaMoore okay! Thank you sooo sooo much!!
I opened a shop late last summer, POD stuff. Struggled until fall when I had some Christmas ornaments I designed with AI starting to take off, had one of them selling well and was even on first page of relevant searches. Then boom, your account is permanently suspended, and of course gave me no reason why. I appealed, but I didn’t know what rules I broke, so I politely said I’m not sure what I did wrong, please let me know so I can fix it. Got generic email back saying sorry you’re suspended, we won’t answer any more emails about it. And that was that. I tried appealing every time it let me again, but never got any response. Even better they just now paid me a couple weeks ago for money I was owed for sales. Very disappointing after finally getting it to take off, a lot of work on my end lost.
I just saw a video where the National Candle Association notified Etsy tjat they should be cracking down on Candle Shops in Etsy selling botanical, essential oil and crystal candles. I doubt they'll do anything about it tho.
Why should they crack down on those?
Anyone else notice the countries not listed? the dog whistle is loud. wow!
So many people want to fight the Fan Art side of things. But I always try and remind them that it's not illegal to make and share fan art, but it is illegal to sell and profit from it. Its a huge bummer since there are tons of people who make a living this way not realizing their doing anything wrong, until they're Etsy, Redbubble or what have you gets taken down. I will always continue to remind people that if they want to build a business, they shouldn't do it selling Fan Art without a proper license. Or just make your own original art.
Exactly. Fan art is for personal use. And RedBubble DOES have licensing programs that sellers can participate in if they'd like to make merch based on specific fandoms. They just have to follow the rules in order to participate.
Here's the full list of brand partnerships: help.redbubble.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001021543-Current-Brand-Partnerships
@@StarlaMoore wow! That's so cool! I didn't know they offered that! I'll have to look into it so I can share that and maybe do some myself. 😊
@@FeralDucky that depends. You can share it as long as you don't make any monetary gain. A lot of artists work at Disney because they made Disney fan art and used it in their portfolio to get the job. But they didn’t sell that art work, only used it to show case their skills.
Disney (or any other company) has a problem when you start selling and profiting from their original characters, ie the fan art. Most companies outside of Disney love people making fan art and sharing it because it's free advertising.
You just can't make money off it or any company with a trademark or copyright can legally sue you.
Thank you for this interesting video. As a future seller of handmade products, and having read so many negative comments about being already a seller or thinking to open a shop at Etsy, I ask myself, is it worth to have a shop at Etsy?
If I will be going through fear every time I list a new product that perhaps I will be the next one to be suspended, I rather want to avoid this risk.
I wonder, does Etsy want new sellers joining its platform?
Something which is scary for me is what if several customers buy some products from a seller, Etsy suspends the shop for whatever reason and the customers are waiting for their parcel which will never reach them. This would be such a bad experience and reputation for any shop.
I would rather join Shopify or create my own website.
I watched this video yesterday. My 2 year old successful shop got suspended today. WTF. Did I create a suspension by watching this? So paranoid now, thanks Etsy.
@StarlaMoore thanks for you all your videos and work helping us sellers. I have just subscribed to your channel and after watching this video , I do have a couple of questions which I hope you can answer.
Q1, The whole IP Address is a little scary if Etsy picks up a log in on your store overseas and could suspend the store. What I want to know is what if one is on holidays overseas for weeks but is still pushing orders and also making listings? have Etsy or the head of customer service confirmed a way around this without a suspension ?
Q2. What makes a store suspended as opposed to taking down a listing ? Is there any details anywhere that differentiates the difference between both actions?
Keep up the good work, I’m learning a lot from your channel
I had three shops suspended and I wasn't in violation of anything. They were all my own photographs in particular niches. I got all the shops back eventually, but it was too late to regain momentum, but now I can't even make a new account without immediate ban.
How did you eventually get them back?
@@Aradriel I appealed and they reinstated.
It’s also not letting me close my store. They require a code to be emailed to you but they never send the code, therefore you can’t close your account.
Thank you.
Starla what a great, well researched video. I love me some good data, so this was a great summary of all the work you did when reviewing the 300 shops. As a new Etsy POD shop owner the fear of getting shut down is now a reality of opening up a shop on this platform. I think it's time I start considering diversifying where I sell my stuff (e.g. other market places or via Shopify). So frustrating about the mock ups too, but what can you do. The prinitfy mock ups are terrible, but printful's aren't that bad and I've been using them exclusively. Thanks again Starla!
I have personally been removing the backgrounds from my Prinitfy mock-ups so I at least have the freedom to customize them a bit to match my niche. :)
Very informative video! What is your opinion on using SVG files for decals? I make and sell memorial decals. Is it a violation if I buy an SVG file of a butterfly and use that as part of the design (I add the text and other aspects of the decal)? Thanks Starla, I am learning SO much from you :)
My opinions don't really matter, as they are not indicative of the rules. However, Etsy states that: "A designer is a seller who has come up with an original design, pattern, sketch, template, prototype, or plan to be produced by in-house shop members or a production partner. Simple customization, such as selecting colors, shapes, or choosing from ready-made options is not considered design on Etsy."
I dare say adding a bit of text may not be enough to to constitute an original design, whereas, adding multiple elements (we'll say a few flowers, for example's sake) may be considered more of an original design. Again, we can only interpret these policies exactly as they are written though: www.etsy.com/ca/legal/handmade
I open my Esty shop in 2016 back when i was still living in Spain, around 2019 i stop selling and this year I move back to US and and decide to reopen the shop, can I have any problem reopening this shop because of chaning the country? Or Better open a new one? Other thing back then I sold some IP amigurumis. Now I sell my own creation patterns, can I have the risk of having my shop suspended because of those sales?
Its true that a lot of people are using famous brands or names to sell their items, but may i say that in the US it is too easy obtain a copyright on common words or phrases?
And add a tag with a word of common use like "parrot" and possibly be suspended because it is copywrited, its just ridiculous (just an example)
It's very unlikely that a seller will be reported for using a term as common as "parrot", as this term is specifically protecting competing brands of coconuts. Often the issue comes from sellers who do not realize that a common term, like "Onesie", is owned by a larger company (in this case, Gerber).
You're talking about a trademark. Trademarks are actually not easy to apply for and receive. I own four of them. It might look foolish and easy from the outside but the process is definitely not easy.
@@StarlaMoore indeed with time some brands or trademarked words replaced the common term to refer something (in my country is common that people use scotch to refer to adesive tape or fimo to refer to polymer clay. And both are brands)
But as part of a Facebook group about trademarked words i saw a lot of time people complain about a real common terms that was reported for trademark infringement and discover that someone really was able to trademark it or was pending for approvation. (I hope is clear what i mean 😅)
Is providing a full social security number while signing up a normal thing to ask for? Love your videos
Yes. They are using it for tax reporting.
It’s pretty uncomfortable to provide though.
But in the official sense, yes they do need it, but just make sure you’re not putting it in a chat or message or something. Never give it to an individual obviously.
Got a question with the listing your print provider part 7:00 . Am I listing Printify or the specific shop that it is being printed at?
Me!! Saturday morning! Devastated!
Hey Starla how do we get to know whether our products are used by other sellers on platform like alibaba or temu? Is there any way to check . As i don't use alibaba or temu for buying ? Please advise.
I have an Etsy shop in which I sell items of fabric, by me. I have wanted to make items with some Harry Potter fabric, specifically the hallows design. If I don't include the words "Harry Potter in the description but say "Deathly Hallows" is that ok? I'm confused because I have purchased licensed fabric from Etsy. How are they allowed to sell it but I am perhaps not able to make something out if it to sell if not tagged "Harry Potter"?. Tia
Not only was this seller not allowed to sell the fabric, but you, as the buyer, are not allowed to sell anything you make with the fabric, whether you use keywords related to HP or not. It is not legal under any circumstance. This is a huge misconception.
You are legally allowed to make the items for personal use with licensed fabric. You are not allowed to sell them. Warner Brothers requires several complex layers to their licensing agreements, including over a million dollars in insurance PER item you sell, and that does not include the millions in licensing you'll pay just to obtain that license to begin with.
There are no packages you can purchase that carry licensing over to you, as a creator.
Many sellers will attempt to cite things like the "First Sale Doctrine" when defending things like the sale of crafts made with licensed fabrics. But this, again, is a misconception. The First Sales Doctrine protects the rights of the person buying a copyrighted item. THAT purchase is the first sale, and does not carry to not subsequent sales, nor does it protect “reproduction” made from the original materials.
There's no way around big brands like Disney and WB. Small sellers absolutely cannot afford licensing for these brands. I've never seen a single seller, in my 12 years on Etsy, be able to obtain one or afford one.
The only scenario where I see sellers successfully obtain legal licensing is with authors, which is what I personally do in my own shop. But the licensing agreements are strict and I must pay commissions out to every author per sale I make - and I have signed legally binding contracts to do so. My licensing agreements must also be outlined in my listings.
There are very few industries where licensing agreements like these are realistic and affordable, outside of books, indie games, and local schools. Aside from these areas, anything BIG like movies, TV, major video games, etc., are unobtainable.
Anyone who claims to have legal licensing from Disney or WB is likely being dishonest OR they are unknowingly breaking the law.
@@StarlaMoore Thank you so much for your reply Starla. I had a gut feeling it wasn't allowed, thank you so much for confirming it!!
What about cancelled orders? I had a few customers ask to cancel orders recently. Someone said their employee had already ordered and didn’t know so they didn’t need another one and another person said they accidentally ordered, not sure how but will they possibly shut your shop down for too many canceled orders?
As you mentioned or someone did in comments. Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket. I have multiple sales channels and every sale I always include a thank you card that lists them for my customer.
I'm wondering in the "Shine-on" section of the video. would this also include 3D printed files? I know of alot of stores licencing and manufacturing files from 3d model stores to sell themselves. Even using the same promotional content. Would this constitute for a ban on the platform? (really curious, thinking of getting into selling 3d printed goods myself on etsy"
Hi! If i get 1 strike, does it stay forever? Thanks
Just want to add info to the whole Identifing Brands thing. When it comes to well known Brand Names... if you handmake items, but you use something with a Brands name on it... such as I use bottle caps... aslong as the company is NOT KNOWN to create and sell the type of product you are making and you are very clear that the product is made by you and not the brand..... it is not infringement or illegal. Or be like me and wait until the brand actually features your work on their site an encourages people to recycle their cans n bottles after drinkjng their products.
Etsy blows fat discus these days, too many dropshippers. I use Ko-Fi and it’s awesome!
Now that it's been 6 months since Steamboat Willie went into public domain, how tough has Disney been on shops selling him with trademarked tags like "Mickey Mouse" and "Disney"?
I just watched a video of someone who has a HUGE platform selling Disney and Harry Potter products and she said she buys from wholesaler who has a license -- this is SO confusing.
This was a great video! I sent an CNBC link to you Starla regarding Etsy shutdowns. Did you get it?
I did! We have actually commended on this video during several episodes of the Friday Bean since it was first published. :)
@StarlaMoore I wasn't sure if that wad the one you referred to, I just found it. Thanks!
I'd just like to know why it happened
thank you
Auto pay doesn't always work. In December, it failed, and it didn't tell me. I didn't catch it for a couple of weeks.I missed most of my Christmas sales because of this. I check every month and select pay with the same card as auto pay uses.
I have an Etsy shop and a Shopify website 🙏
Same, me too
Question for you. This doesn't apply to me, but it does apply to some friends of mine. Would weed related drawings count against the "drugs" category? or is that for actual items?
No, only paraphernalia and medical related items. For example, Etsy does not not allow the sale of CBD. For listing images, you cannot use actual images of weed (for example, using a bud as a prop for an item). The policy states: "We prohibit depictions of these substances in listing photos, as well as listings for instructions or materials intended to create such items."
Drawings and art shouldn't be an issue.
You also cannot list things like bongs, or pipes with carbs, as these are not considered "tobacco pipes". The policy states: "Drug paraphernalia, including, for example: items with a carburetor; slides and/or items with a slide; bongs and bubblers; vaporizers and their components."
Here is the link where these policies can be found: www.etsy.com/legal/prohibited/
I have had my weed art reported as offensive on multiple platforms and the platforms always ruled in MY favor, not the offended persons.
@@StarlaMoore Alright, thanks so much! Glad her work will be alright then
WHAT ABOUT THE DISNEY AND ALL THE COPYRIGHT ACCOUNTS? I see them everywhere 😢
10:06 Here's your problem: the company is run by what feels like to me an arrogant gym bro Bezos wannabe. I reckon from the clips in this video, the leadership is probably pretty toxic, and he doesn't understand (or doesn't want to) the source of the IP theft.
Things probably really started going downhill when Etsy was listed on the Stock Exchange. It went from a "community of makers" to focusing on delivering value for shareholders.
Here's the issue i have. I keep trying to BUY from Etsy and cant. So i gave up on Etsy and not getting ANY clarifications for what I did wrong. But because of this, I cant legitimately buy from other shops! So theyre screwing other sellers from MY money, all because i was suspended for something i still dont know why or had a chance to fix before i was suspended. This sucks.
I’m wondering if Etsy can put something in place for the Mockup sellers to verify that they purchased the actual POD products they’re photographing. Not sure how the would prevent AI flagging though.
What about mockups with digital designs? I'm a little unclear on that. Like say designs intended for a t-shirt?
I have one vintage lord of the rings glass goblet in my shop. It's from the 1990's. Can I sell it? It's been in someone's cart for a week. If not, can I take it down even if it's in someone's cart?
I’m a vintage seller. Last month I was threatened with suspension. I listed a photo card that was from 1908 Spanish American War photo. No no you can’t list items with anything like countries Russia, Cuba Havana etc. they sent me some legal blah blah over my head!!! Basically the way I took it is if the United States is not in good relationship with certain countries, China, Russia, etc. then you can’t list items. The kicker is that the same cards are listed on Etsy, but they didn’t put the history of the cards like I did so I got dinged on that and then I had a paper Mâché card that was from the 70s that was made in Cuba Havana and it’s written on the car and they warned me and said that if you can’t list it because something to do with sanctions and some BS Going forward I’m just gonna be very generic with my descriptions and try not to list anything that has the wrong countries associated with it. I’ve been on here since 2008 seller 6000 sales and they are kicking people off over stupid stuff. @theidconnection 🤪
I have a hard time believing that is the case given I have struggled to find shops not based in China.
Etsy is full of print on demand, mass produced junk. I can’t find hardly any actual handmade stuff anymore
I've gotten an extortion review by a customer and Etsy won't remove it (the buyer claimed they didn't receive a download and wanted a refund but I can see they have it). Should I just keep emailing Etsy until they remove the review???