Cindy Baldassi’s Post

Dear Josh Silverman and other Etsy managers, we need your help. Josh Silverman , Rachel Glaser , Rachana Kumar , Raina Moskowitz , Nicholas Daniel , Brendan Mulryan , Merilee Buckley , Colin Stretch , Deb Wasser, IRC We write here to express our concerns and worries regarding the recently closed Etsy stores operating worldwide, and we request a reconsideration of the matter as we believe that several stores have been unjustly closed and it would be great if we could get your assistance and clarification on this matter. We believe, that there hasn't been a fair review process carried out in the closure of the Etsy stores in recent times, and we truly hope this issue can be rectified. We also would like to draw attention to the issues in the processes related to copyright infringements. We really have some concerns about the arbitrary copyright claims and the mismanagement of this process. It is possible that for some reason Etsy does not want (permanently or temporarily) new stores to be opened from different countries, such as Turkey for example, we believe there should be a clear statement about this policy. If such a policy exists, it would be fair if it could be explicitly stated and the community to be appropriately informed on this matter. Taking these issues into consideration, we hope for a reevaluation of the store closures, a review of the copyright processes, and the disclosure of a clear policy concerning Turkish sellers. We truly believe in Etsy's fair and transparent structure. However, we have concerns about recent store closures by bots and the lack of transparency and fairness in the appeal processes. Therefore, we request a reevaluation of this workflow and some clarifications on these matters. To all readers: Please consider showing your support by liking, sharing, and, most importantly, commenting on this post. Your comments will amplify our collective voice and encourage Etsy management to address these critical concerns. Thank you for standing with us in this endeavor. CC: Etsy investors. We've added you out seeking your guidance to help us find a solution. Amundi - Artisan Partners - BNY Mellon - John Dowling, CFA - BlackRock Citadel - ClearBridge Investments - Dragoneer Investment Group - The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) - Fiera Capital - First Trust - Fidelity Investments - Geode Capital Management - Goldman Sachs - HMI Capital Management L.P. - Invesco Ltd. - Legal & General - Morgan Stanley - Northern Trust PS. If you are not an Etsy Inc. investor anymore, please tell us and we will remove you from this topic. #Etsy , #Etsysellers , #smallbusiness , #EtsyUK , #EtsyTurkey , #Ecommerce , #Etsymarketing , #Etsyshop , #Etsystore , #EtsySuspend

As it looks to compete with Amazon, TikTok is using automation to keep its e-commerce marketplace clean. But merchants said the AI has recently gone rogue, hitting them with a stream of 'bogus' violations and freezing products for reasons they struggled to understand. "TikTok product violations are nearly enough to make me walk away," one merchant told Business Insider. Read the full story, from Marta Biino, Madeline Stone, and me: https://lnkd.in/e7H8vZQe

Etsy's AI bots continue to run amok, and sellers still cannot get any help from Etsy to resolve simple mistakes the company makes. The latest example: a shop had a listing taken down for "counterfeit", because they used the name of another "brand" in their listing. The brand was cited as "WinchesterLambourne" - which IS the name of the shop that had the item removed! [link to Etsy forum thread in the comments] Essentially, Etsy is punishing them for using their own name, claiming it is someone else's brand. I cannot find anything in the listing which might be counterfeit or someone else's intellectual property; this is simply a ridiculous error. The listing has now been inactive for a month, during which the shop is losing sales, and the listing is losing its search algorithm quality score. Sadly, an appeal confirmed that Etsy Trust and Safety will not reinstate the listing, and Etsy Support says they cannot help further. The owner has been on Etsy for over 15 years, but that means nothing to Etsy, apparently. If only a real human being at Etsy could look at this problem and see how silly this is, but with the Etsy layoffs this week, it's unlikely they are going to be hiring more people to help "Keep Commerce Human" for the poor business owners caught in the corporation's AI trap. Does anyone have any similar examples? Please let me know in the comments. This is one of the worst bot takedowns I have seen on Etsy recently. #EtsySellerNews #Etsy #ecommerce #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #KeepCommerceHuman

Etsy's AI bots continue to run amok, and sellers still cannot get any help from Etsy to resolve simple mistakes the company makes. The latest example: a shop had a listing taken down for "counterfeit", because they used the name of another "brand" in their listing. The brand was cited as "WinchesterLambourne" - which IS the name of the shop that had the item removed! [link to Etsy forum thread in the comments] Essentially, Etsy is punishing them for using their own name, claiming it is someone else's brand. I cannot find anything in the listing which might be counterfeit or someone else's intellectual property; this is simply a ridiculous error. The listing has now been inactive for a month, during which the shop is losing sales, and the listing is losing its search algorithm quality score. Sadly, an appeal confirmed that Etsy Trust and Safety will not reinstate the listing, and Etsy Support says they cannot help further. The owner has been on Etsy for over 15 years, but that means nothing to Etsy, apparently. If only a real human being at Etsy could look at this problem and see how silly this is, but with the Etsy layoffs this week, it's unlikely they are going to be hiring more people to help "Keep Commerce Human" for the poor business owners caught in the corporation's AI trap. Does anyone have any similar examples? Please let me know in the comments. This is one of the worst bot takedowns I have seen on Etsy recently. #EtsySellerNews #Etsy #ecommerce #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #KeepCommerceHuman

Is it surprising that Etsy laid off 11% of staff? Etsy states, "Buy Directly From Someone Who Put Their Heart And Soul Into Making Something Special. Find Things You'll Love. Buy Directly From Makers. Only On Etsy. Talented Creators." As we found ourselves in a pandemic, I purchased facemasks for myself and my child on Etsy. I was eager to support those trying to find ways of making income while I was getting something I needed to keep our lives ticking along safely. Later that year I found some awesome handmade puppets made in Canada which I purchased and sent as gifts. This holiday season I've been frustrated by Etsy in Canada, USA and UK (where I need to purchase gifts) that VERY LITTLE actually seems homemade. A lot is manufactured and repackaged. A lot of reviews seem obviously unauthentic. It seems Etsy took their eyes off the ball and people started using Etsy as a general marketplace for anything. Thoughts?