Hey Everyone,
I have been reading through the forums about having a Stealth account on Etsy, and still need a bit more help. I know a lot of you really know your stuff. @Gladiator, your thoughts would be much appreciated here!!
I live in the U.S. and had my first Etsy shop over the past 2 years. I did quite well, and was able to take it full time which was amazing. About 2 months ago my Etsy shop was banned. I am trying to get up and running again using a stealth account.
I understand the obvious stuff, I have a new shop name ready, new listings/descriptions/tags etc. A lot of the items I want to list are still going to be similar type items, but they will be different than the ones from my old shop. I am either going to purchase a new used laptop for cheap, or use
IPBurger and get a fresh
Dedicated IP. Any photo uploads will be through this new IP or new laptop, so will not be coming from the same source as they did for my old shop.
My biggest concern comes down to the banking information and address. I live with my fiance, and he helps me a lot with the shop. When we opened our first Etsy shop, we had just moved to another state and I did not have a bank account yet. When I opened this shop, I used my name and SS, but used my fiances checking account information and had no issues with this. About 1-2 months after this, I finally got around to getting my own bank account in the new state, and switched the info on Etsy to my bank account. At this point, everything was in my name. After the first year, we moved again but only 30 minutes away(still same state). I updated my address on Etsy accordingly.
Since my shop has been banned, it is now my understanding that my current address and checking account are unusable. My first question, while operating through a
VPN, will I have any issues opening a new store using my fiances name/checking acct and our old address?
This is the address that we originally opened the banned Etsy shop with. Would my fiance need a new bank account as well, or could we use the checking account that was first used at time of shop opening? (Until I got my own bank account) Neither this address nor bank account has been used on Etsy for well over a year now, only for the beginning of our Etsy shop. They were not the address or checking account at the time of the ban. If Etsy were to ask to send in an ID, that would be perfectly fine too. My fiance has not changed his ID and the old address is still listed on his ID.
The only other way I have seen on how to have a DC Etsy shop would be first getting an EIN associated with a different bank account. Then using this information instead of my social when setting up the shop.
I would open a shop using PP only, but first wanted to see if you guys were able to offer any assistance. My fear is that even using my fiances information it will not work simply because we used his bank account and the old address when we first set up the shop. Does Etsy have the ability to store this information? Or are they only concerned about the address and bank account associated with the shop at the time of the ban? If it is only the details associated at the time of the ban, and does not account for the details at shop inception, I would think using my fiances bank account with the old address would work.
Am I being dumb in any of this thinking? I am very new to stealth shop ownership, but am determined to figure this out as I am sure there is a way. Or is my only option using a PP only store since I reside in the U.S.?
I apologize for the lengthy message. I have a million thoughts running through my head and feel I am close to opening a new shop. I have attempted to find all the answers on my own but am still confused. Any feedback is greatly appreciated on how I should proceed to make this a reality. Thank you!!