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Tue June 20 2023 10:03:43

Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug Paraphernalia

By: Reader

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Dear Ina,
I sell antiques on Etsy. I just had a pair of sugar tongs absurdly deactivated for "drug paraphernalia." 

Searching the forum looking for a way to contact Etsy, I noticed I'm not the only one. Seems in the past few weeks, tons of items are erroneously being deactivated for being considered drug paraphernalia - such as drinking glasses, lawn fence, stickers, wind chimes, a glass clown, jewelry pliers, a visor, knitting books...

Anyway, it might be something to look into. I know Etsy runs a tight ship, and will lower your placement or hold you in reserve for small infractions.
J.

Comments (16) | Leave Comment | Permalink
Readers Comments

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: pace306 This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 10:28:41 2023

“Whatcha Gonna Do (Brother!) When Etsy Bots Run Wild On You!

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: AddyUp This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 11:18:23 2023

On eBay I can't use "tiny" in the item title to describe any mobile phone. If I do the item gets flagged as "encouraging illegal activities".

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: Stone Cutter This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 11:20:15 2023

*** Ultimately, Etsy has bad management ***

I worked in Software Engineering for much of my life and I know how important it is to think through the intentions of a new feature before implementation.

For years, Etsy implements features that do not properly work and/or are poorly designed for their intention…so I’m sure they will now scramble to fix this horrible BOT function that should have been correctly implemented, in the first place.

Ultimately, Etsy has bad management and POOR ENGINEERING PROCESSES which are costing Sellers time and money.  

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

This user has validated their user name. by: Rexford

Tue Jun 20 13:53:24 2023

Bots are automated systems and will follow rules established by a human operator.  There will be no human to turn to however when the bot causes an issue.

The way these sites nickel and dime sellers you would think that they would not want to be taking down legitimate items that line their pockets.

Gotta go....I've got to go snort some cooking books and shoot up a lawn fence.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: LDWCallsOut This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 15:36:25 2023

It seems that the people in charge of coding the bots are NOT native English speakers or are NOT fluent in colloquial Amercian English.  

If you do a search for the word ''tongs'' all becomes clear.  What a shame!!!

Etsy has jumped the shark having lost all control of the business.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: ThebigR This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 16:25:48 2023

I watch etsy lose 1000s of dollars a day and just chuckle not a lot of sharp tacks in that box....  

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: Shanna This user has validated their user name.

Tue Jun 20 18:47:46 2023

Etsy once took down my entire shop for selling illegal endangered animal parts. What was I selling? Doll dresses that fit Ivory Soap bottles.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

This user has validated their user name. by: COVID-19

Tue Jun 20 18:53:51 2023

Ahahahahah! Stupid effing bots.

Enjoy.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: pace306 This user has validated their user name.

Wed Jun 21 10:44:27 2023

@shanna 😀

So it was YOU!!

lol

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: Arden This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 22 01:32:41 2023

At least it's not just me! I have been selling Vintage Souvenir spoons on Etsy since 2015 and in the past month they have been deactivating some of my listings saying they are 'Drug Paraphernalia'    There is nothing in the titles, tags or descriptions that could possibly be construed as them being any other than what they are. Twice I have been through the process of trying to contact 'Customer Service' ( I use that term very lightly)  I immediately get an auto response telling me not to do it anymore because no-one will correspond with me when I have broken the rules.
So very frustrating and what Company does not have a Customer Service department?   I just don't understand how they can get away with this type of nonsense.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: Cbaker This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 22 07:17:22 2023

I had several items delisted as well plus my shop is showing 1 overdue order. I’ve never had an order overdue and ship ahead of time.  Someone is definitely playing around.  

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: elle This user has validated their user name.

Thu Jun 22 09:44:28 2023

and yet I see so many listings that may really be drug paraphernalia, and t shirts mugs etc romancing drug use   yet sugar tongs and doll dresses are removed. yes etsy is a hot mess, yet they do not seem to care
the only way they will listen is if FTC forces them to comply and have real customer service, or 2 million shops go on strike even for one day

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: pace306 This user has validated their user name.

Fri Jun 23 08:36:42 2023

I %100 understand why anything with TONG in it is taken down (had a DUH ME moment)

Etsy LOVES the Chinese - like eBay - and TONG is a word that means Chinese Mafia - and you cant have the Chinese mafia muscling in on YOUR turf!

"TONG - noun - a Chinese association or secret society in the US, frequently associated with underworld criminal activity. "the tong wars in Chinatown"

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: LDWCallsOut This user has validated their user name.

Sat Jun 24 11:59:29 2023

@ pace306 -- no coder fluent in English would even consider restricting the sale of sugar tongs based on the name of a Chinese gang.  Why is a site located in a majority English-speaking country basing it's search and destroy code on foreign words?

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: Snapped This user has validated their user name.

Sun Jun 25 10:16:26 2023

“… restricting the sale of sugar tongs based on the name of a Chinese gang.”

Maybe it’s because ‘sugar tongs’ sounds like it could be the name of a Chapter most likely to be attending a Pride festival this month.

Stupidity aside, one might also wonder - if Etsy (or any of ‘em) want to run the listing through a bot gauntlet, why don’t they do it BEFORE it launches?  Maybe even be checking while it’s being created?  

Of course, that would mean one less live (for however long) listing to plaster ads on, and one less ‘violation’ for a seller to have to endure and potentially be $anctioned for.  And it might maybe even make time to ‘humanly’ review and approve it, because it is no more or less ‘possible’ to be considered as (and used as) ‘drug paraphernalia’ than any other utensil, kitchen aid, plastic baggie, pipe, hand tool, etc., also currently for sale.  Even the ACTUAL vintage ones.

Perminate Link for Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug   Etsy Bots Gone Wild: Sugar Tongs Deemed to Be Drug

by: LDWCallsOut This user has validated their user name.

Sun Jun 25 11:51:13 2023

After posting my most recent comment about the "sugar tongs" listing deletion as "drug paraphernalia" , I did a search on Etsy for sugar+tongs and found dozens of active listings for them.  Including plenty of brand new, mass manufactured, reseller products priced very low.   This is another example of Etsy-style selective enforcement.  Etsy has allowed retain import boutiques to sell ordinary brand-new dinnerware and kitchenware items for years now.  



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