Starla is one of the true GOATs of this Etsy education space. I‘ve been in her program since December and I’m being serious when I say her course is worth it’s weight in gold. I genuinely feel like I’m back in college learning about small business marketing and branding from her. So glad you had Starla on!
Etsy is so FoS! I was selling upcycled goods, and they suspended my posts for Copyright Infringement. I asked them for an address for their Legal Department, so that I could send them my written permission. They stopped responding to my e-mails, but never un-suspended the posts. They're not interested in consistency and standards. They just want money and authority.
@@EcomHannah completely. with my LV upcycles, i was stitching in colors the LV does not use, using templates that have NEVER been used by the brand, and i put in the title and description that the item is merely made from the material, and has never been something on the LV catalog. infringement occurs when a reasonable person can’t differentiate between the authentic and the other product. i removed all doubt, but still got suspended. i went back & forth with them 10 times before they ever even ASKED if i had permission. when i asked where to send it, so i could send it to their lawyers Registered Mail to confirm delivery via signature, i got ghosted.
Honestly the worst store in the world in terms of customer service and unfair policy is Etsy. This is the third time they have closed my account for no reason and I am 100% sure I did nothing against the policy. They even refuse to give me a reason for closing my account. What is worse is that when I pay a fee they just close your account directly for no reason. When I ask them why they say that this is Etsy's policy and that Etsy has nothing to do with it. I no longer understand why this is happening to me. Am I the most unlucky person in the world or what? Honestly, this has been very frustrating for me.
If it’s anything like how fb flags image creatives, they flag mockups that have been part of a banned store and several stores. So when a new seller using that flagged mockup, the bot will tag it as a repeat banned seller and ban the new store. Hope that makes sense. There are ways to change those mockups but the best thing to do is make it 100% original.
I had lost my store a few weeks ago. I was out of the country and login. It came up that my account had been hacked when I tried to log back in. Then they took down my shop for 5 days. I kept trying to think what I had done wrong. I have over 1100 listings. I couldn't get anyone to email me back just kept getting a robot. Finally I sent enough request someone sent me a reset password and I got everything back. It was a huge wake up call. Scared me to death.
I’m sorry for what you’ve been through with your store. But how did that even happen? What is your advice for other sellers to avoid their store being hacked?
@@teonaantonescu7586 Sad part it wasn't hacked. They shut it down and locked it because they saw where I had logged in from USA then hours later logged in from Jamaica. They thought it had been hacked and was trying to protect me but the problem was there was no way to get anyone to help me get it back. All I could get was AI there no phone number you can call and no chats to help.
Etsy is trash and wasting time, also I see them scammers, they ban and get your money for no reason. even big and old sellers got the same. and in the same time you see stores selling disney content for year without any ban. their system is shit. I got ban 3 times. Etsy is temporary business
In the end it was only a minimal amount of shops who really got suspended for no obvious valid reason. A lot of buzz about not so much. If sellers stick to the guidelines they can dramatically reduce the possibility to get shut down.
I have tried 2 times to open a second shop and they were both immediately suspended with only 1 listing. The last one was selling phone cases, I made 1 design with sunflowers so there was no copyright issues, paid the $15, received no email. I've appealed multiple times and nothing, no response. According to Erank my first shop has sold 94% more then other sellers, that shop was averaging 15 to 25 sales a day to now 1 to 2 about 4 months ago. I've moved to my own website, Etsy is way to unpredictable.
@@v_lavender7452 it was a whole drama about sooo many shops being shut down for "no reason". If i remember right it was about 350 shop names that starla received to help. Starla and marc looked through these shops and more than half had obvious violations despite saying that they "did nothing wrong". So they helped around 100 shops in the end. And even there you can never be sure that they did not violate anything. Just simple terms like: wifey, onesie, merry and bright, boy mum etc are trademarked. Using one of these in tags can get you shut down. My point is, there was a huuuuge buuzz about sooo many shops being shut down for "no reason" and in the end they submitted about 100 to get help, with most others having obvious violations. 100 shops, even 1000 shops getting shut down from the millions of sellers that exist on the platform is indeed minimal to me, yes.
When Etsy say 'keep it human' they mean the buyers and sellers. Their system is less and less actual humans - when they say 'we're working on it', I'm fully confident they mean 'we're trying to get our bots error-rate down so we can use them more'. They have zero effs for out livelihood, we are just data - Starla's right, they have so many sellers they don't need to care. One thing I will say, their intention this year to 'elevate the good' is at least making it harder for the exploitative sellers to gain traction. Etsy don't want people uploading 400 listings of basic POD. Trouble with that is, they'll measure 'the good' with bots, and we're already seeing a ton of long-time sellers with a lot of stock coming into the forums asking why their shop died.
So some shops were getting shut down because of this even though you technically should, their AI is probably mistaking it for a duplicate product on another account, I would not risk it for now
This was a really helpful video and inspired me to appeal Etsy again. Following you both. To both Starla and Hannah I greatly appreciate what you do, have done, and said. I just started out and this brought some confidence back to me and my new business.
HELP!!!!! , do you know Etsy old listing format will be gone this month? How we are going to make bundle listings? I was trying last night and its making impossible to add more than one products. Please we'll need help!!!!!!
Im a seasoned graohic designer and ohotographer about to ioen my first Etsy shop to sell stickers ... I will make sure all my stuckera will have such a unique and awesome organic mockups that the IA will love them... Im designin and printing all in house
hey hannah! can you make an video how to appeal for an suspended etsy store. I was an seller with 18000+ sales my store got suspended for voilating handmade policy few days back. I have provided all possible proves but they havent been responding me properly from a month. I have uploaded all proves the item I make are handmade. please suggest how could I make my appeal stronger
@@EcomHannah I sent them photos. how can I send them videos?. i was really not expecting a reply from this is really great of you thank you very much. please tell what else I can do
That took some persistence! I reached out to customer support and mailed them with all the necessary documents. This included photo evidence and even a video to show that everything was in order. It also required some consistent follow-ups through emails. If you’re in the same boat, I’d recommend preparing all your documents and not hesitating to reach out and follow up regularly! Hope that helps!
@@EcomHannah If account is suspended who do you email? Did u mail your documents in? I am planning on taking video of me making my items but dont know who to email and show it to:((
I had to giggle on Starla's military base interpretation. As a military spouse living on multiple bases in the states and overseas, you do feel like that at times, and how each person describes it is different and love how Starla gave hers. :)
Thank you so much for this video. It just confirmed my suspicion that Etsy is not the right platform for me. "Too many sellers, not enough buyers". Etsy will eventually go out of business as they do not have enough cash flow. I don't want to depend upon a dying platform that doesn't care if they close my store for no reason. I really appreciate this video.
I think with etsy it's because you are supposed to make the design, that is the point is you make it. if you didn't do the art or design yourself then you have to make the product yourself. You have to make something. Otherwise your just taking something else and selling it. I suppose it's fine if you bought it legally but it's still an iffy area because etsy was supposed to be for goods made my creators. So I think they want to seperate spaces from people who are just buying it from someone else. Especially with ai around, there isn't really a good space for artists right now. It sucks. So it is kinda cool they want us to have some space.
I understand your perspective. Authenticity is indeed awesome and there’s something special about people creating their own work. Thanks for watching the video :)
I got it yesterday, all 3 stores and no explanation on the appeal other than im a tos risk, its such a joke they take my 40$ and ban me 3 weeks later and i sell digital stuff and the shop is 5 star and they dont care.
It’s so frustrating when this happens, especially with no clear explanation. Unfortunately, Etsy can be strict when it comes to their Terms of Service, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what triggered the ban, especially with digital products. If your shop had good reviews and you didn’t violate their rules knowingly, it might be worth reaching out again and asking for more clarification or trying to appeal. Keep all your communication professional and highlight your positive track record. Sometimes persistence can help!
It feels like a form of plagiarism. AI writing what you send off to a ghostwriter, is pretty strange from an authors perspective. We all know there are formulas when writing but this takes it to a new level. I can remember getting lost in books when I was young. Just so hard to put them down. But AI condensing our emails, a summary of some of my emails may leave out the important bits, that’d be a real worry. 🤭👏🏼 Great interview, and some handy facts to keep in mind.
I'm just afraid of getting suspended bc someone else steal my designs as is...mi make my own designs and I have people on Etsy temu Amazon and other private store stealing my designs as is..even leaving my watermark on there, the thieves would put their logo and their watermark next to my watermark..I worry id get suspended bc of other thieves.
@@blissessentials524if you are worried you could message etsy saying that you wanted to inform them that several shops have copied your designs and have left watermark on. In that case if your shop gets flagged by etsy bots, they can see that you have had already a conversation about that and they might reactivate you faster.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36 KJV Yes you will die but your Eternal Life Matters. Receive the free gift of Salvation. Here is how. “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,” I Corinthians 15:1-4
Hey hannah been watching you videos since long ankush here i specialize in video editing and have experience with projects similar to yours. I'd love to help enhance your videos content. I'd appreciate your feedback
Thank you so much for having me on, Hannah!!! I had a blast!
So much value you gave us thank you!
Hey I have a big question as a POD store I'm not able to use the mockups I buy on Etsy??? Or what will be the problem there?
Extremely grateful for this solid information, saving many from endless troubles!
Starla is one of the true GOATs of this Etsy education space. I‘ve been in her program since December and I’m being serious when I say her course is worth it’s weight in gold. I genuinely feel like I’m back in college learning about small business marketing and branding from her. So glad you had Starla on!
She is a freaking gem! Thank you for sharing the love
Great content! You both are amazing and I’m so glad to see Starla be vulnerable. Love her even more 🥹
She is great thank you for watching :]
Looooved watching this so much! So much valuable info!
Thank you for watching :)!
Etsy is so FoS! I was selling upcycled goods, and they suspended my posts for Copyright Infringement. I asked them for an address for their Legal Department, so that I could send them my written permission. They stopped responding to my e-mails, but never un-suspended the posts. They're not interested in consistency and standards. They just want money and authority.
Dang how much were you changing the good ?
@@EcomHannah completely. with my LV upcycles, i was stitching in colors the LV does not use, using templates that have NEVER been used by the brand, and i put in the title and description that the item is merely made from the material, and has never been something on the LV catalog.
infringement occurs when a reasonable person can’t differentiate between the authentic and the other product. i removed all doubt, but still got suspended. i went back & forth with them 10 times before they ever even ASKED if i had permission. when i asked where to send it, so i could send it to their lawyers Registered Mail to confirm delivery via signature, i got ghosted.
@@JRenardLeatherCo Blast your case on twitter tag them, submit images and evidence and see if they answer
@@EcomHannahany other way to contact them? Do you have the head of Customer service email or some email that gets a response ?
Honestly the worst store in the world in terms of customer service and unfair policy is Etsy. This is the third time they have closed my account for no reason and I am 100% sure I did nothing against the policy. They even refuse to give me a reason for closing my account. What is worse is that when I pay a fee they just close your account directly for no reason. When I ask them why they say that this is Etsy's policy and that Etsy has nothing to do with it. I no longer understand why this is happening to me. Am I the most unlucky person in the world or what? Honestly, this has been very frustrating for me.
Did you get it back?
Best guest ever!
She is the GOAT !
Great content, great guest and I'm happy to have found you and her today!
Awesome thank you for watching ❤️
If it’s anything like how fb flags image creatives, they flag mockups that have been part of a banned store and several stores.
So when a new seller using that flagged mockup, the bot will tag it as a repeat banned seller and ban the new store.
Hope that makes sense.
There are ways to change those mockups but the best thing to do is make it 100% original.
Thank you for this super valuable
So i can't no longer buy mockups for my designs on Etsy? I'm afraid something like this can happened by banning my store for using mockups i purchase
So fun to see this. My top 2 favorite business coaches. Thanks so much for this!
awww thank you!!!!
Thanks for making this vid :) was really interested in learning more about this topic
Awesome stuff :)
I had lost my store a few weeks ago. I was out of the country and login. It came up that my account had been hacked when I tried to log back in. Then they took down my shop for 5 days. I kept trying to think what I had done wrong. I have over 1100 listings. I couldn't get anyone to email me back just kept getting a robot. Finally I sent enough request someone sent me a reset password and I got everything back. It was a huge wake up call. Scared me to death.
Wowwww so good to hear and close call! Thank god!!
I’m sorry for what you’ve been through with your store. But how did that even happen? What is your advice for other sellers to avoid their store being hacked?
@@teonaantonescu7586 Sad part it wasn't hacked. They shut it down and locked it because they saw where I had logged in from USA then hours later logged in from Jamaica. They thought it had been hacked and was trying to protect me but the problem was there was no way to get anyone to help me get it back. All I could get was AI there no phone number you can call and no chats to help.
@@teonaantonescu7586 I am guessing the Etsy bots mistakenly decided her account was hacked because she logged in from a different country.
Etsy is trash and wasting time, also I see them scammers, they ban and get your money for no reason. even big and old sellers got the same. and in the same time you see stores selling disney content for year without any ban. their system is shit. I got ban 3 times. Etsy is temporary business
Yes I got banned 2 times but all platforms do that not just Etsy it’s apart of the game
@@EcomHannah how do you get unbanned? This happened to me the same day I set up shop.
In the end it was only a minimal amount of shops who really got suspended for no obvious valid reason. A lot of buzz about not so much. If sellers stick to the guidelines they can dramatically reduce the possibility to get shut down.
Yes great comment!!
I have tried 2 times to open a second shop and they were both immediately suspended with only 1 listing. The last one was selling phone cases, I made 1 design with sunflowers so there was no copyright issues, paid the $15, received no email. I've appealed multiple times and nothing, no response. According to Erank my first shop has sold 94% more then other sellers, that shop was averaging 15 to 25 sales a day to now 1 to 2 about 4 months ago. I've moved to my own website, Etsy is way to unpredictable.
I got suspended for no reason and it was awful. Are you one of “the minimal” shops that got suspended also?
@@v_lavender7452 it was a whole drama about sooo many shops being shut down for "no reason". If i remember right it was about 350 shop names that starla received to help. Starla and marc looked through these shops and more than half had obvious violations despite saying that they "did nothing wrong". So they helped around 100 shops in the end. And even there you can never be sure that they did not violate anything. Just simple terms like: wifey, onesie, merry and bright, boy mum etc are trademarked. Using one of these in tags can get you shut down. My point is, there was a huuuuge buuzz about sooo many shops being shut down for "no reason" and in the end they submitted about 100 to get help, with most others having obvious violations. 100 shops, even 1000 shops getting shut down from the millions of sellers that exist on the platform is indeed minimal to me, yes.
@@v_lavender7452 not minimal :/ but I think all categories are at risk of it
When Etsy say 'keep it human' they mean the buyers and sellers. Their system is less and less actual humans - when they say 'we're working on it', I'm fully confident they mean 'we're trying to get our bots error-rate down so we can use them more'. They have zero effs for out livelihood, we are just data - Starla's right, they have so many sellers they don't need to care.
One thing I will say, their intention this year to 'elevate the good' is at least making it harder for the exploitative sellers to gain traction. Etsy don't want people uploading 400 listings of basic POD. Trouble with that is, they'll measure 'the good' with bots, and we're already seeing a ton of long-time sellers with a lot of stock coming into the forums asking why their shop died.
So trueee!
Hey I have a big question as a POD store I'm not able to use the mockups I buy on Etsy??? Or what will be the problem there?
So some shops were getting shut down because of this even though you technically should, their AI is probably mistaking it for a duplicate product on another account, I would not risk it for now
Love Starla! You both are great what a awesome video very informative.
Thanks for watching :)))
Amazing content, thank you!
Thanks for tuning in :)
Thank you both ladies, great content!!🥰🥰April
Thanks for tuning in :)
@@EcomHannah Always🥰 so glad I found you and Starla is one that got me the nerve to open my shop❤❤🥰🥰Thank you so much Starla🥰April
This was a really helpful video and inspired me to appeal Etsy again. Following you both.
To both Starla and Hannah I greatly appreciate what you do, have done, and said. I just started out and this brought some confidence back to me and my new business.
I'm glad that the video was helpful! Thank you for watching
HELP!!!!! , do you know Etsy old listing format will be gone this month? How we are going to make bundle listings? I was trying last night and its making impossible to add more than one products. Please we'll need help!!!!!!
Im a seasoned graohic designer and ohotographer about to ioen my first Etsy shop to sell stickers ... I will make sure all my stuckera will have such a unique and awesome organic mockups that the IA will love them... Im designin and printing all in house
Sounds amazing! All the best
My account was suspended and it’s been devastating. Still cannot get in contact with a person. It’s so frustrating.
I understand! I hope you’re able to get in contact with someone soon and get it sorted out. Hang in there!
I am in the same boat. Can't talk to a Human. It's all AI:(
hey hannah! can you make an video how to appeal for an suspended etsy store. I was an seller with 18000+ sales my store got suspended for voilating handmade policy few days back. I have provided all possible proves but they havent been responding me properly from a month. I have uploaded all proves the item I make are handmade. please suggest how could I make my appeal stronger
did you send videos and photos in of your operation this has helped me in the past! keep fighting it do not give up
@@EcomHannah I sent them photos. how can I send them videos?. i was really not expecting a reply from this is really great of you thank you very much. please tell what else I can do
same
I am in same boat. They shot my store stating not handmade when everything IS made by me. Did you get an answer? No human is available.
How did you open your shop back after 9 months? Who did you submit your documents and information to?
That took some persistence! I reached out to customer support and mailed them with all the necessary documents. This included photo evidence and even a video to show that everything was in order. It also required some consistent follow-ups through emails.
If you’re in the same boat, I’d recommend preparing all your documents and not hesitating to reach out and follow up regularly!
Hope that helps!
@@EcomHannah If account is suspended who do you email? Did u mail your documents in? I am planning on taking video of me making my items but dont know who to email and show it to:((
I had to giggle on Starla's military base interpretation. As a military spouse living on multiple bases in the states and overseas, you do feel like that at times, and how each person describes it is different and love how Starla gave hers. :)
haha she is funny!! I hope to have her on again soon
Thank you so much for this video. It just confirmed my suspicion that Etsy is not the right platform for me. "Too many sellers, not enough buyers". Etsy will eventually go out of business as they do not have enough cash flow. I don't want to depend upon a dying platform that doesn't care if they close my store for no reason. I really appreciate this video.
makes sense!!!
I think with etsy it's because you are supposed to make the design, that is the point is you make it. if you didn't do the art or design yourself then you have to make the product yourself. You have to make something. Otherwise your just taking something else and selling it. I suppose it's fine if you bought it legally but it's still an iffy area because etsy was supposed to be for goods made my creators. So I think they want to seperate spaces from people who are just buying it from someone else.
Especially with ai around, there isn't really a good space for artists right now. It sucks. So it is kinda cool they want us to have some space.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and engaging with the discussion! I definitely see your point! 😊
@@EcomHannah But hey, I much prefer people piecing together ideas than using ai. Ai is killing artists. Thanks for the video btw.
I understand your perspective. Authenticity is indeed awesome and there’s something special about people creating their own work. Thanks for watching the video :)
I got it yesterday, all 3 stores and no explanation on the appeal other than im a tos risk, its such a joke they take my 40$ and ban me 3 weeks later and i sell digital stuff and the shop is 5 star and they dont care.
It’s so frustrating when this happens, especially with no clear explanation. Unfortunately, Etsy can be strict when it comes to their Terms of Service, and sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what triggered the ban, especially with digital products. If your shop had good reviews and you didn’t violate their rules knowingly, it might be worth reaching out again and asking for more clarification or trying to appeal. Keep all your communication professional and highlight your positive track record. Sometimes persistence can help!
what if its the name of the file? if people don't rename there file and it all the same file name.
Great insight!! This could be a reason too..
Yes Starla !!!
She a queen
It feels like a form of plagiarism. AI writing what you send off to a ghostwriter, is pretty strange from an authors perspective. We all know there are formulas when writing but this takes it to a new level. I can remember getting lost in books when I was young. Just so hard to put them down. But AI condensing our emails, a summary of some of my emails may leave out the important bits, that’d be a real worry. 🤭👏🏼 Great interview, and some handy facts to keep in mind.
Happy it's just Starla in this video, it's difficult watching her channel with the other person stepping all over her words.
awww starla is a great speaker
Keep in mind that I very much love that other person and I step all over him in convo too. It's how the ADHD mind works. ❤
@@StarlaMoore c’mon! Starla and Marc’s banter is all apart of the appeal 😁
I love your channel
thank you so much for watching :]!!!
So basically, don’t copy ? Mind blowing 🙄
Don’t copy, don’t resell china goods, illegal keywords, etc
I'm just afraid of getting suspended bc someone else steal my designs as is...mi make my own designs and I have people on Etsy temu Amazon and other private store stealing my designs as is..even leaving my watermark on there, the thieves would put their logo and their watermark next to my watermark..I worry id get suspended bc of other thieves.
@@blissessentials524if you are worried you could message etsy saying that you wanted to inform them that several shops have copied your designs and have left watermark on. In that case if your shop gets flagged by etsy bots, they can see that you have had already a conversation about that and they might reactivate you faster.
@@blissessentials524 did have them trademark you can always get a lawyer/attorney to sue them.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Mark 8:36 KJV
Yes you will die but your Eternal Life Matters. Receive the free gift of Salvation. Here is how. “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you-unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
I Corinthians 15:1-4
❤️
Hey hannah been watching you videos since long ankush here i specialize in video editing and have experience with projects similar to yours. I'd love to help enhance your videos content.
I'd appreciate your feedback
thank yo but not at this time
Laughing at the AI generating intro video of people literally taking a shot lol?
:]