Etsy is one of the safest e-commerce platforms that allow businesses to sell worldwide.
It has some lenient policies compared to Amazon, Walmart, or eBay.
It is also a hub for creative people who want to generate income by selling their products online.
However, Etsy can be strict if the seller does not meet some essential selling criteria.
We will discuss some of the significant reasons Etsy bans the seller from the platform and how you can avoid any such situation.
Banned From Etsy (15 Reasons, What To Do)
Getting banned from Etsy can be challenging, especially if you have built your business on the platform from scratch.
Here are the fifteen major reasons that can cause an account ban.
1. Selling Wrong Products
One of the primary reasons most Etsy accounts get banned is selling irrelevant items.
Etsy is a marketplace that solely provides handmade and vintage items.
It only allows sellers to sell items made by hand or those that are more than 20 years old.
Whenever it notices any account selling traditional machine-made items, it bans them straight away without any notice.
To keep the platform free from any such activity, Etsy asks for workplace images at sign-up.
This ensures the seller’s work and creative abilities are original and not copied.
Still, some sellers get the account approved by uploading handmade items initially but switch to traditional items later on.
This becomes one of the significant reasons for account suspension on Etsy.
However, Etsy allows selling some of the products that people can use to produce or edit any existing product.
Suppose you are selling paintings in your Etsy shop, which is a handmade item.
In this case, Etsy allows you to sell pencils, paints, canvas, and other things since people can use them to make the changes in the paintings.
Hence, be conscious about the kind of products you are listing in your shop.
2. Providing Services
Any intangible goods are strictly prohibited on Etsy.
You might have seen certain sellers providing services related to creative development.
Sellers do this to earn some side income, and in a way, this makes Etsy a freelance platform.
They face an immediate account ban when Etsy catches them, or their account is reported to support.
3. Misleading The Buyer
Misleading the buyer with fake pictures or inaccurate product descriptions can also become one of the significant reasons for your Etsy account’s suspension.
Most sellers try to defraud the customers by showing fake pictures and then sending items that are completely different from the listing.
They also try to write irrelevant details about the product that it does not even offer.
Copying other sellers’ product pictures is also a common practice among some sellers.
Most sellers are unaware of the negative impact these acts can have on the account if the actual listing owner reports the account.
Etsy also keeps a close eye on any such activities and deletes the listing immediately.
To avoid any such issue, ensure your account is completely authentic and unique to your brand.
Your product listings should include original pictures of your products.
The descriptions should also be well-written and to-the-point, representing the accurate attributes of the product.
4. Reselling Or Dropshipping
Reselling or dropshipping involves selling other brands’ items while keeping your profits.
In dropshipping, the original product owner sends the product to customers so you, as a seller, don’t have to hold any inventory.
The buyer of your product won’t know who the real seller is.
Reselling is quite common on Etsy since the platform does not hold inventory in its warehouses nor does it force the sellers to use its packaging material.
This makes it easier for the seller to resell other products on the platform.
However, Etsy keeps a close eye on certain sellers and looks at reviews.
Once they catch even a single review that remotely indicates reselling, they take serious action against the store.
Etsy also asks the sellers to attach the shipping label with the product that needs to be generated from the store’s page.
Reselling on Etsy can be very risky, and sellers need to understand the repercussions of breaking the rules.
One simple mistake can lead to immediate account suspension.
5. Unusual Activities
Like most e-commerce marketplaces, Etsy is a platform exposed to billions of buyers and sellers worldwide.
The traffic can sometimes cause certain irrelevant activities on the platform, which might lead to your account suspension.
Be attentive regarding your store and report any suspicious activities to Etsy support immediately.
Avoid any unusual activities on your side.
This can include actions like too many product uploads in a short time, too many orders or cancellations in a short while, etc.
Although some of the unusual activities from your account might not happen from your side, you need to report these to Etsy as soon as possible, regardless.
If you fail to report and Etsy catches the irregular activity, they will surely suspend your account.
6. Copyrights Infringements
Etsy strongly condemns any action that violates a specific brand’s trademark or copyright policies.
The platform does not allow the selling of any branded products or anything that is someone else’s idea or product.
You should also avoid sharing or copying images from other e-commerce stores.
The content posted on your listing or even in the shop’s bio must be unique and should not violate any copyright policies.
Don’t tweak or edit other people’s postings and post them as yours.
Etsy ensures the seller community strongly follows the copyright policies and takes strict actions against copyright infringement reports.
Always use the original product images no matter how similar your product is to someone else’s.
7. Providing False Details
Fake personal and account information is another major reason for account suspension on Etsy.
Many sellers try to create two or more accounts using the exact details on Etsy, which can become a reason for immediate account suspension.
You should also ensure your shop has the personal payment details.
If you want to add a business bank account to your shop, you should sign up for the business store.
In this case, the name on the shop and the bank account must remain the same.
8. Poor Overall Ratings
One of the significant reasons for account suspension on Etsy is the poor ratings.
If you have products that have poor overall ratings and horrible history of customer satisfaction, you should delete the product as soon as possible.
A single bad product can easily ruin the overall ratings of your store.
Once it breaches the specific overall rating criteria, Etsy will ban your store permanently.
Order management and customer satisfaction are key to your success on Etsy.
This helps in higher search rankings and more sales.
It also ensures your account protection.
Customer satisfaction should take precedence as it will bring good reviews to your listings.
Good reviews will also prevent your account from getting banned or flagged.
9. Your Account Was Banned In The Past
Creating fake accounts or returning after being suspended is quite common on Etsy.
Most people think Etsy won’t be able to catch them, which is not true.
Etsy will verify your identity initially and reject your account.
Even if for some reason you are approved, sooner or later, the algorithm will catch up and you will be banned.
If Etsy has blocked you from doing any further business on the platform, you should not create another account with fake or identical details.
Etsy’s algorithm is strong enough to catch you.
Once seen, Etsy will suspend your account permanently and further restrict your IP from using the platform.
10. Pending Payments
Pending payments or no funds in your chosen payment method can be another significant reason for account suspension.
If you have been running ads on Etsy and fail to deliver Etsy’s charges when the payment cycle comes, Etsy will immediately impose a ban on your account.
However, this ban is temporary and will be lifted as soon as you clear Etsy’s pending payments.
A sudden ban, even for a short period, can result in significant business loss.
Make your payments on time to avoid getting banned.
11. Promoting Hate Speech Or Blackmailing Buyers
Promoting hate speech, bullying, or blackmailing the buyers is strongly prohibited on Etsy.
You are representing your brand, so behave appropriately and professionally.
Put the customer first and avoid any harassment or rude language.
If you practice discrimination against a specific gender or race, your account can get suspended.
Most organizations have strict hate speech and harassment policies.
A single report with proper proof from any particular buyer will permanently close your account.
12. Engaging In Vulgar Activities
Most sellers don’t censor their actions and get warnings due to inappropriate actions.
In your product descriptions, use clean words and avoid using any vulgarity.
When speaking to customers through messages, keep your tone professional and don’t use any demeaning or indecent language.
13. Driving Traffic Outside The Platform
Sharing external links on product listings and bio is another major reason for account suspension on the platform.
Most sellers create accounts on Etsy to drive traffic outside the platform, which is strongly prohibited on Etsy.
Etsy allows a single link in the bio of your store where you can share your personal website’s links.
It also allows the sellers to add social links to the store.
However, you should ensure the links you add lead to your official store.
They must not be affiliate or promotional links since those are prohibited.
Etsy provides a platform for sellers to list their products and sell them at convenience.
If you poach customers outside of Etsy through Etsy, it can lead you to trouble.
For example, if you have a website that lists your products and you also have an Etsy account, listing your website link on the Etsy account is prohibited.
This is because users may click on your website and purchase products directly from your website instead of Etsy.
Etsy does not allow that.
14. Conducting Illegal Activities
Any illegal activity that’s against the law of the country or state you are selling from is strongly prohibited on Etsy.
You should make sure the product listing does not offer any illegal products.
It must also not highlight any threat or possibility of danger.
Illegal activities can also be carried out through messages and products on the platform.
If there is any suspicion of illegal activities from your account, Etsy will take a close look at your account and once they catch you, they will ban your account permanently.
15. Accessing Accounts From Banned Areas
If Etsy is banned in your country, you should avoid creating an account on the platform.
First of all, Etsy won’t even verify your identity.
However, if you have completed the account on the platform with the help of a VPS, Etsy will soon ban your account if they catch any suspicious payment method or activity.
Etsy does not have a list of banned countries, but any country that does not accept payment methods Etsy provides is restricted from creating an account.
The principal payment method includes PayPal.
If it does not operate in your country, you should not make an Etsy account.
How to Reinstate A Banned Etsy Account?
Reinstating a banned Etsy account can be straightforward unless you have committed some severe policy violations.
Take a look at four different strategies you can follow to reinstate a banned Etsy account.
1. Reply To The Suspension Email
The first thing you should do is to immediately send a detailed reply to the suspension email.
Once you receive the suspension email from Etsy’s support team, you should gather as much information as possible and write a detailed reply to the support team.
If you have realized you made a major mistake, it is better to apologize and promise to never do it again.
You should state how important your shop is to you and how the ban is adversely affecting your business.
Adding relevant screenshots can also help make a strong case.
2. Wait For The Ban Removal
After replying to the email, it is better to wait for a while before proceeding with further steps.
Most of the time, the ban is temporary and Etsy lifts it without any actions needed from the seller.
It is recommended to wait for two to three days before proceeding with further measures.
3. Appeal The Decision
If you failed to generate the desired response from the email and waiting is not working, try appealing the decision.
This can lead to your account getting reinstated if you are on merit and the ban was imposed without significant reason.
However, if you have violated any of the critical terms of service, Etsy will reject your appeal.
Take the following steps to appeal the decision.
- From the Support menu, select the Appeal Section. (https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?segment=selling&ticket_form_id=360000108008#issue_account_reopen_unsuspend)
- Fill out the Subject and shop details with relevant information.
- Explain the case in detail in the description column and add relevant screenshots and files.
- Submit the appeal.
Elaborate on the reason for suspension and remarks in detail to build a strong case.
Etsy typically mentions the suspension reason in the email.
However, if Etsy has banned your account without any particular reason, you need to present your case with the relevant evidence.
Adequately format the description and include the following details to improve your chances:
- Add the history of the account.
- Highlight the reason that might have contributed to account suspension.
- Mention that you are sorry about any inappropriate activity.
- Talk about the benefits your shop provides the users.
- Elaborate that your future actions will remain in compliance with Etsy’s terms of service.
4. Hire A Consultant
Hiring a consultant is the last option if Etsy rejects the appeal.
They can provide you with different solutions as they are experienced at reinstating multiple accounts.
They also have links to the Etsy support and can ask for apologies in case of any major policy violations.
The charges depend on the case.
Typically it is somewhere between $500 and $1,000, which might increase if the case requires the preparation of additional legal documents.
Types Of Etsy Account Suspension
Etsy does not only ban accounts permanently, but the platform takes other disciplinary measures depending on your actions.
Because of this, you need to remain aware of the type of bans Etsy imposes to take action accordingly.
1. Temporary Ban
The first and the top-most imposed ban is the temporary one.
Etsy imposes this ban usually when the seller breaches one of the minor policy violations.
It can be anything from spamming the platform to violating copyright policies.
Temporary bans typically last for a week or two.
Once the time passes, Etsy lifts the ban itself and closes the case after warning the seller.
2. Permanent Ban
Etsy imposes permanent bans when the seller violates one of the significant policy violations.
This can include anything from sharing fake information to selling prohibited products.
Once Etsy imposes this ban, you need to build a robust case to get the ban lifted.
A permanent ban is imposed directly without any prior notification.
Your account will be immediately closed, and you won’t be able to clear funds for a specific period.
Etsy will then review the case in detail and allow you clear only those funds that you earned while remaining within Etsy’s policies.
3. Search Pause
Etsy imposes a searching pause when no activity is shown from your account for a specific period.
Your account might also face this ban if it has a history of bad customer experience.
The ban is similar to the vacation mode of the platform, which removes all the products from search queries.
However, the buyer can still purchase the products with direct links to the shops.
The only way to lift this ban is by waiting for a specific period.
What Happens When Etsy Suspends The Account?
There can be different consequences depending on the type of ban your account is facing.
However, the temporary and permanent bans bring similar implications for the seller.
Once Etsy imposes temporary or permanent bans, you won’t be able to:
- Sell and ship new products.
- Run ads.
- Add or remove products.
- Modify existing listings.
- View buyer reviews.
However, you will be able to do certain things:
- Manage refunds.
- View messages and talk to the buyers.
- View the home page of your store.
In case of a search pause, you will be able to do all the activities as you would with a standard account.
The only ban your shop will face is in the searches as it won’t appear in any search queries.
Conclusion
Sudden account bans on Etsy can cause serious loss in business as the account reinstatement process takes time.
Try to remain vigilant and stay within the legal boundaries of the platform.
At the same time, you should work on your personal website and build your own brand on the internet.
This will help you in not relying completely on one platform.
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