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Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

Okay, so I have an etsy account right now.

8 products are pulling in 90% of the money, and then I decided to scale by outsourcing someone to create 400 listings for other products.

These 8 are shipped directly from me, but the others will just be drop shipped. I put like 10 day handling time and 15-25 day shipping time, so customers should understand slow shipping. I may use foo foo tracking numbers, there is a service that provides foo foo tracking, I think trackerbot?

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The listings were made in draft mode via anydesk (remote worker accesses my account via anydesk) + my ip and then a week later I published them.

I am in the foo foo vintage niche, and it seems like this specific niche is under the radar, because I noticed multiple accounts that have been running for 2-4 years with very little problems. 

And I noticed multiple other places these products being sold without the main brand owner not caring about it.


So I decided to hop in.

Now the original 8 products didn't bring any warnings (operated it for 8 months now) or notifications BUT the new 400 listings I got some (2 notifications) within 48 hours of posting, It looks like they are AI based notifications.

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It looks like it scans my images of my new listings and matches them with google search image results and then deactivates the listing. I got the images from google search…

Out of the 400 listings within 48 hours I got 1 notification email with 12 listings deactivated/inactive and then 24 hours later I got 7 more listings deactivated/inactive.

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Now are these warning notifications like "strikes"? I am not relisting them right now, just leaving them deactivated.

The current 19 listings that were deactivate. 

The rest are active though, and I'm debating if I should remove them since I already got 2 notifications within 48 hours of each other, and within 48 hours after initially posting.


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The emails have the title "We removed some of your listings that don’t follow our Handmade Policy"

But right underneath it in the email body, it states other things that may have caused the flag.

So I don't think its the handmade thing, but rather the images I just took from google.

"Handmade items have to be made or designed by you"

"Selling craft or party supplies? Mark it as “A supply or tool to make things” in your listing’s core details."

"If you work with someone who’s not part of your Etsy shop to help make your items, you’ll need to add them as a production partner in your listing’s core details."

"Use your own images for your listings. Using others' photos or stock images of items that are similar to yours is not permitted."

/\ I think its this.
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I know its AI flag, since these specific listings barely got any views, like 1-2 views, so I doubt anyone reported it.

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So 1) Are these emails/policy violation notifications like strikes? Like after these 3-6 email my account is toast?

2) What should be my next course of action? Should I deactivate all those new listings, let it cool down, since they only provide 20% of my review but are causing 100% of the policy violations notifications

I'm pretty sure these 400 listings will 10-20x my revenue, but not worth it, if the account gets banned. Currently its only making an extra $100 to $200, but its only been a couple days, pretty sure leaving it will start to draw more customers. And soon it will be like another $1K to $2K a day.

3) Or Should I deactivate the listings then repost with my own images? I can ask the wholesale supplier to take photos of all the products. Then hire someone to reupload them.

4) I should just deactive them in general and let the account cool down?


Please note there are like only 4 other sellers within the same niche, and their listings are fine, however they clearly took their own photos. I really think its that.

What do you think?

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

Welcome to the forum OP - all the best as you master stealth :thumb:


long intro post with some questions - difficult read on my end

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

While I can't answear your question for sure, I was waiting someone to post about that issue.
I design my items, did unique real photos and several items were deactivated with the same non-handmade notice as yours.
I also sell on other places, so I guess they matched it with my items. Maybe someone listed same items on chinese sites.
They match your image (and maybe the title) with other items they find on the internet.
I still think that if you make your own photo from other angles then the stock it will help. Looks like just different backgrounds matter less.
Sometimes (or mostly) they do not touch items with stock images that can be easily found on Ali. Just to make it harder to understand how the detection system works:)
Their bot is crazy this summer.

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

I did some reverse engineering and I am pretty sure its the images.

The 20 whatever listings that got removed within those 2 days that I mentioned in the top post, their images were on the TOP 5 search results on google and where used on Amazon.

So I'm going with that conclusion, its the photos, don't use stock/photos found on amazon or on the first of google. If anything just get your own photos.

And yeah angled images with random backdrops are probably better than professional shots with white only background.
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But for your etsy account how many of those email notifications/warnings have you gotten within like 30-60 days? and after those warnings did you get your account demoted/suspended and/or banned?

Like I got 2 with 20 listings removed, and well nothing happened to the account, though I feel like the lucky number is 3.

At least on ebay its 3 warnings before usually a temporarily ban on selling, but sometimes its immediate suspension after 3 warnings. Usually after 2 warnings I just deactive all the listings on ebay, and wait 6 months and then list again.

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I also decided to deactivate all those listings on etsy and just keep the original money makers, and ask the supplier to take unique photos of the products and try again, but this time roll I will roll them out slowly, like 50 listings every 4 days and see what happens.

But this will take me like 30 days, so I probably won't report back for awhile. And I got to make some backup accounts too.

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

It could be the images as you mentioned, if you use manufactures or others images, did you delete the metadata of the images so that Etsy will not see them as someone else’s work.

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

Valid point about images - using stock images that are your own personalized could lead to issues

Re: Etsy Account - Are these Warnings or just Notifications?
 

I've got 1-2 warnings on each of my 3 accounts within last 2-3 months. And none for years before.
Personally I am very paranoid about images so usually save for web in photoshop and then clean with Adarsus the rest of the metadata.
Swapping backdrops did not help me.
Looks like these are warnings, beacause they threatening to suspend account.
Maybe someone tried to dispute this warnings with success?