Getting Banned on Etsy? Don’t Panic With These Preparation Tips

I’ve got something serious to talk about today.

I want to talk about getting banned from Etsy.

I know, you’ve worked so hard building your little Etsy shop, making cute stuff to sell.

It’s your baby business!

But this is important, so let’s focus.

Etsy can ban your account at any time if they think you’ve broken their rules.

Yes – just like that, years of hard work will be gone.

Your whole shop is just… gone.

Does that freak you out?

It should!

Because it happens to tons of Etsy sellers every single year.

Why Etsy Bans Happen (And Why You Should Care)

Sometimes it’s over tiny things too, like not paying some fees on time or having a couple of orders show up late.

Other times it might be bigger issues like selling stuff you didn’t actually make yourself.

But either way, Etsy doesn’t mess around – one strike and you’re out!

So what can you do about it?

How can you protect your cute little business from getting erased by Etsy?

Well, I’ll tell you.

The Importance of Owning Your Audience

The number one most important thing is to not rely only on Etsy for your sales.

Etsy is just a platform, but you need to own your audience and customer base yourself.

That way, if the rug gets pulled out from under you and Etsy bans you someday, you’ve got a safety net to fall back on.

Does this make sense?

Here are the main tips for being prepared if Etsy ever deletes your account.

Build An Email List Like It’s Your Job

Collecting emails from your customers and fans is sooo important. You need a way to reach those people directly without going through Etsy.

• Every time someone buys from your Etsy shop, ask them to join your email list to get updates and discounts.

You can offer a free gift or coupon code to encourage signups.

Then you can email your list regularly with news about new products, sales, or whatever.

If Etsy bans you, BOOM – you’ve instantly got a whole list of people to let know where to find you next.

Grow Your Social Media Following

In addition to an email list, you’ll want a strong social media presence too.

Set up accounts for your business on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest – wherever your customers hang out online.

Post awesome photos and videos of your products regularly.

Run giveaways and contests. Basically, get as many followers as you can!

A good goal is to have your total social media followers equal to around 10-20% of your annual Etsy sales numbers.

So if you sell $50,000 worth of stuff on Etsy in a year, aim for 5,000-10,000 total followers across all your accounts.

That way if Etsy bans you, you’ve got an instant customer base to let know about your new online home.

Set Up Your Own Online Store

This is the most important step.

You’ve absolutely got to have your own online store set up, separate from Etsy.

Even if you still make most of your sales through your Etsy shop for now, having a standalone website gives you an immediate alternative if needed.

There are lots of affordable options these days to build a simple online store – Shopify, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace.

You can get set up without breaking the bank.

• Start by listing all the same products on your website that you’ve got listed on Etsy.
• Use the same photos, descriptions, pricing and everything to make it easy.

Over time, you can start adding website-exclusive items and incentives to drive more traffic and sales directly to your site.

Like offering free shipping for orders over $50 or running sales only on your website.

The goal is to slowly build up your independent online store as a solid backup revenue stream.

That way if Etsy ever drops that ban bomb on you, you can immediately pivot to selling exclusively on your own site without issue.

Recap – The 3 Essential Backup Plans

I know, I know – this all probably sounds like a ton of work.

Building email lists, growing social media, launching your own online store?

Who has time for all that when you’re just trying to run your cute little Etsy shop?

But trust me, it’s worth the extra effort to protect your business and livelihood.

Etsy can be fickle and hand out those bans pretty easily sometimes.

You don’t want to wake up one morning and find all your hard work flushed down the toilet because of some silly rule violation.

Having backup plans in place like an email list, social following, and standalone online shop means you’ll never be left scrambling if the worst happens.

You can just bounce right back and keep selling your awesome products!

Does Getting Banned From Etsy Happen To Everyone?

Definitely not.

Most sellers operate just fine without any issues.

As long as you follow Etsy’s rules closely and provide great customer service, you’ll probably never have to worry about it.

But preparing for the worst-case scenario is just smart business!

No matter how well you follow the rules, there’s always a chance of getting caught in Etsy’s ban crosshairs through no real fault of your own.

Maybe a disgruntled customer leaves a bunch of fake negative reviews. Or there’s some technical glitch on Etsy’s end that messes up your account.

You just never know!

So it pays to have those extra insurance policies in place, just in case.

OK, I’ve covered all the main tips for being prepared if Etsy bans your shop.

But let me quickly recap the key points one more time:

1. Build an email list by offering incentives for customers to sign up
2. Establish a strong social media presence equal to 10-20% of your sales
3. Launch your own independent online store as a backup sales channel

Do those three things, and you’ll always have a fallback option to lean on if Etsy bans you someday.

• Will it take extra time and effort? Yes, absolutely.
• Is it worth it for the peace of mind and insurance against disaster? You bet!

Your Etsy shop is your pride and joy.

You’ve worked hard to make it a success.

So do yourself a favor and follow this advice to protect all that hard work.

Be prepared.

With alternative sales channels in place, you’ll never have to start over from scratch if your Etsy dreams come crashing down.

You’ll just sweep up and carry on, business as usual.