You may have read all the horror stories while thinking of opening your Etsy store: people making a living only to have their stores shut down. That would make you wonder whether it would be all worth it, setting up a business, launching your store, investing in promotion, making sales only to have everything disappear overnight and you left with nothing.

Personally, it is one of the main reasons I always encourage people to have their own website when starting any type of online business in addition to being on marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon or eBay.

I don’t like having my livelihood at someone else’s mercy. Millions of craft shoppers head on to Etsy first when looking for a product, the marketplace is huge. It is also easier to get exposure there and the promotion tools like promoted listings can help drive your sales further. Building a name when you’re only starting out with your own website can be difficult.

Is Etsy bad? Not necessarily. Can one make a name and money off of it? Definitely. Should you put all your eggs in one basket there? NO!.

While the reasons people get their stores shut down is usually due to a mistake of their own, penty of people have shared complaints that it wasn’t entirely their fault.Etsy even suspends accounts “on accident”!

Why would Etsy Shut me Down?

With the stories online, you may begin to believe that Etsy is the bad guy. With many crafters leaving Etsy for good, it may seem that you better not even give it a try. That would be a bad idea as I believe in being in as many places as you can to increase your exposure especially if you’re first starting out.

The main reason Etsy would close down your store would be if you broke one of their rules, which is entirely reasonable. After all, when you opened your store, you agreed to their terms and conditions. This is why you always have to read those first! Every time you open an account on a website, you have to know what their rules are and only proceed if you’re willing to abide by them.

What are some of the reasons of a closed shop?

There are several reasons Etsy could close your store down. Usually you would receive an email informing you of what the problem was but some sellers mentioned not having received that.

Breaking copyright laws

When you are selling your own products, Etsy expects you to be the one doing the entire creation process, which means piggybacking off of popular culture designs and items is a big no-no. It is also illegal and a breach of intellectual property. Even though you may see other people doing it, know that they are still flying under the radar and will also be shut down as soon as they are found.

Another way to break intellectual property rules could be by buying a pattern from another Etsy sellers and sell the finished products despite them specifically mentioning that you cannot reuse them-  should that seller file a complaint, you may end up with a suspended account. So follow the rules before creating any item that may not entirely be completely yours.

Not paying your bills

It may come as a surprise for any legitimate business owners but some people will ignore, whether intentionally or unintentionally, paying their Etsy dues. Etsy charges 0.20$ per listing and the total bill is sent at the end of the month for settlement. Make sure your payment method is always active and ready to settle especially if you’re adding promotion costs!

Selling prohibited products

That comes without saying. Etsy has a list of prohibited items clearly specified on their website. Breaking that rule would lead to an immediate store shut down once flagged. Selling things like alcohol or drug related items or items made from animal parts, in particular endangered species, can land you in hot water.

Some items loosely related to prohibited products could be allowed. As mentioned in their Prohibited Items Policy  page, while selling actual alcohol is forbidden, selling a beer brewing kit is allowed.

By mistake

With the huge number of Etsy stores at the moment, a little less than 2 million sellers in 2017, some mistakes can happen where stores are shut down without having broken any rules. Sellers may suddenly find themselves with their lives turned upside down as their monthly side income vanishes overnight. This may be depressing as hours of work taking pictures, preparing products, working on SEO and advertising feel like it’s all gone to waste. While the main reaction is often one of anger and moving the business elsewhere, some sellers have been successful in getting that suspension overturned, especially when it was due to an automated detection rather than human intervention.

Suspended from Etsy? I know the feeling. Especially when it was your livelihood. Scared? And man I’ll tell ya, when you are a single mom and don’t have any help.

BUT-  It’s simple to get back on! New shop, new beginnings. Visit my blog www.cashmerepink.com/etsystealth2019 to see how!