Another Frightening Cautionary Tale About Etsy.com

Another anonymous tale of Etsy Woe. Is it just me, or is Etsy a lot like the Borg, from Star Trek The Next Generation??

"Etsy is not a business, it is a Jr high clique.

I have had a lot of issues with them. They closed my shop for the last time not too long ago. I had paid my fees up, so I went to Paypal and disputed them all, as far back as I could go. It was only fair, right? Service were not rendered.

Well, that made them so angry, they won't even let me keep a buyer account there. The worst kicker of them all - a friend had accessed her Etsy account from my house and hers was deleted too. I've heard to this happening before, but I never believed it until it happened to me.

(I quote from the email sent to her) "I'm sorry but we cannot allow (name here) to use Etsy in any way. If there is a chance she can access your account and use it, then we must not allow you to have one either. We apologize for the hasty decision." Hasty decision? WTF?

She can't have a damned buyer account there either now. They delete them within minutes, same as mine.

Seriously, the worst I have done is owe them a debt (possibly). And they apparently take this personally, so personally, that they are also punishing an innocent person.

The topper is that they broke their own TOU about disciplinary action. My friend did not mention me by name in her email. Etsy *did* mention my name in their email to her. I thought all that was supposed to be confidential? Etsy has made it a point to say that over and over again, even closing harmless threads over it.

Shame on Etsy! They claim to care but they have taken the livelihoods of two people, one of whom has done nothing at all. And countless others, no doubt.


I'd like to remain anonymous. I don't want any further trouble with them. They are nasty enough to do more damage to me and my business if they can."

-Anonymous

Horrible Tragedy Strikes a Member of Our Community

TheHartleySoapCompany posted the following on Artfire's forums.

"It is with deep sadness to share the news of the tragic loss suffered by Cindy Boardman, known here as designedbylucinda

On Thursday, February 3rd an accidental fire took her home, pets, and claimed the life of her 11 year old son, Kevin. No words can convey the shock and sadness we feel, Cindy is an active and valued member of our community and we share in her grief during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts, prayers and most profound sympathies are with Cindy and her family.

Her husband Robert Boardman's co-workers have set up a fund to assist the family with medical and living expenses. Please don't send any clothes or household items yet, as some were already donated. They will be living in a temporary place for about 6 to 8 months and won't have room to store things.

Lucinda is doing as well as can be expected.

Boardman Family Fund
Knight Communications
10150 Mallard Creek Rd.
Suite 201
Charlotte, NC 28262"

PayPal donations for our contribution can be sent to: forboardmanfamily@gmail.com
All excess donations will be transferred to the family's fund.

__________________

An article in the Charlotte Observer sadly confirms this most terrible news.  The thoughts and prayers of the Refugees are surely with Lucinda as she recovers from this incalculable loss.  I lost a dear friend to a house fire in 2007, and a working smoke detector would surely have saved her life.

PLEASE take a moment today and check to be sure you have a working smoke detector on each floor of your home.  This could prevent such a tragedy from taking the life of you or your loved-ones. 

Thank you.

Call For Submissions

Do you have an Etsy horror story to share?  Get it off your chest and email it to EtsyRefugeeSociety@gmail.com and we will post it to the blog.