Poof!

I know many of you are following my Etsy saga and I so appreciate your kind words and support, including those who have attempted to contact Etsy on my behalf. Thank you!

So, on Wednesday afternoon, without warning, my Etsy shop, SimplySolidFabric was deactivated. I emailed Etsy support and received the standard auto-reply. In my panic, I also google searched for a telephone number and found one number for the whole of Etsy and, of course, it only goes to voicemail, so I left a message.

I was unable to even log in to Etsy, so I couldn't ask for help on any forums.

On Thursday morning I hadn't heard back, so I emailed them again and called and left another message. I was literally in tears by the time I hung up because this is devastating.

On Thursday afternoon I hadn't heard anything by either email or telephone, so I created a new Etsy ID, using my real name, and logged in so I could try the Live Chat. I was able to talk to someone who said that I needed to contact Etsy via email and promptly deleted my new ID. Apparently I crossed the line in making a new ID in order to chat with a real person.

As of this time, Friday night, I haven't received any response from Etsy. It's been over 48 hours and, quite frankly, this is ridiculous.

I love Etsy and I've had great success there, but there is an obvious problem in the system when a corporation with over $50 million per year in revenue doesn't offer tech support, or at least enough that they can get to everyone in a timely manner. It seems like they need more help.

In case anyone from the Etsy forums is reading:

1. No, I didn't call anyone out on the forums. I've never posted on an Etsy forum that I can remember.
2. I didn't have an undisclosed second shop. I had a second shop that I wasn't using and both shops were mutually disclosed. And yes, they're both gone now.
3. I don't sell off Etsy (yet) so I didn't redirect to another site. I will have a new website, simplysolidfabric.com in a couple of days because I sort of have a lot of fabric here and I'd like to be able to pay rent again this month.
4. I checked my spam folder and all my emails are forwarded to the same gmail account, so I haven't missed any emails.

So, I'm still in a bit of a panic because I am/was a full-time Etsy seller and the loss of my shop is like getting fired without notice and, well, I have bills to pay like everyone else. It's also quite devastating because my shops were my babies that I put my heart and soul into. I'm also quite upset that I've left customers hanging. I had made custom listings for people that they were never able to buy, and I hadn't yet answered several convos. That makes me sad.

Well, I put all my eggs in one basket and did that end well?

So, while I wait for Etsy to respond, and I am very hopeful they will, because I have always loved Etsy, I am setting up simplysolidfabric.com. It's a huge undertaking, and I've I'm hoping that I'll at least have Kona Cottons listed by sometime tomorrow.

Some really cool things about the new website:

• A new logo and tagline.           
• Same fast service, same me packing and filling orders and answering your questions.
• Each item will list the quantity available (yippee!) so you can order the exact yardage you need without waiting for me to answer a convo. =)
• New products that just came in today and more new fabrics that are due to arrive next week. These are SO pretty:

                   

          

Just wait 'til you see all the new Quilter's Linen colors and Essex Linens. I have my eye on some Essex Linens to make some skirts for spring.

It's getting late here and I need to submit this post because something strange is occurring. I'm sitting in our recliner with my laptop, and every time my husband tickles my toe, I lose internet. Weird.

Comments

[Tiffany]

I cant believe Etsy is that ridiculous! You were obviously trying to get help through the chat... what jerks to just tell you to email and delete your new profile. Im so sorry you are having to deal with this.

Good thing I guess is you can set up your own site now and not have to deal with that mess in the future. Maybe in a strange way this could turn out to be a good thing?? Long term obviously, short term... it bites!

Bah... good luck! You can do it and all your friends and loyal shoppers are behind you 100%! :)

[Jaclyn]

Good for you!

Etsy has been trying my patience lately and I'm not even a seller! I'll certainly buy all my solids from you at your new shop. Hopefully it will be better for you as well without having to pay the ridiculous Etsy commissions.

Hopefully I can place an order soon.

[SarahB]

I'm so sorry this happened to you but I have to agree that I think this will end up being a good thing, as horrible as it is right now. (I really don't understand why Etsy would do this!) I'll be sure to order from your new shop. :)

[SewLindaAnn]

I'm sure you've thought of this, but I've checked out Artfire and Zibbett (sp?) and they seem really good. Might be worth it to check them out.

[Jen]

Ugh, that's awful. If they think they have a valid reason for closing your shop they should at least tell you what it is so that you can defend yourself. I look forward to your new shop. I've read more and more about people closing their Etsy shops and opening their own independent shops -- often to save on fees. In the end, I hope that this ends up being a positive step for you.

[Jen]

So, I did some Googling to see if this kind if things happened to others. It seems that it does.:
http://consumerist.com/2008/02/sellers-growing-increasingly-unhappy-with-lack-of-professionalism-at-etsy.html
http://etsynews.com/627/more-shop-closures-including-a-top-seller/
http://etsynews.com/584/two-seller-accounts-deleted-under-strange-cicrumstances/?cp=19

Kind of makes me leery of Etsy.

[Jackie]

:o(