In this installment of the All About Etsy FAQ Series, we'll introduce the precious few in charge of investigating flagged items on Etsy: the Content folks on the Support Team.

Have you ever wondered what happens when an item is flagged on Etsy? Where do these reports go? Who reads them? What happens next?!

A special task force is in place to investigate these matters, and we are called the Etsy Shop Content Team. This branch of community support is made up of Tim aka dillinger (see his About Us piece) and Amber aka adubois (About Us piece coming soon!). As well as helping users to comply with Etsy guidelines, we field questions about listing policies and work to shape the boundaries of what can be sold on Etsy. Our mission is to educate the community and preserve the integrity of the site.

Here is some information about when and how to contact the Etsy Content Team...

Reporting shops in violation of Etsy Policy:
If you come across a listing you feel breaks one of Etsy's rules, you can click 'Report this item to Etsy' on the lower right hand side of the page. You can also report a shop or listing by sending an email to flagged@etsy.com. Please note that you don't need to expect an email back from us: the Content Team does not respond to emails received in the flagged inbox. Further, once an item or shop is reported, the investigation process is confidential. We take care of it from here on out!

As the flagged emails come in, there are generally four actions we may take:

    1. The report is dismissed - This happens when the listing is clearly not in violation of Etsy policy, and there are no other apparent problems with the shop. If the user is flagged again, we will look into the shop to make sure everything is still in order.

    2. An inquiry is sent to the reported user - Sometimes it is unclear whether or not a violation is occuring. In these cases, we send a questionnaire to the seller to get more information about the shop or listing. After the seller returns the Inquiry, we either dismiss the case, we ask the user to make changes in the shop, or we make an immediate change.

    3. A change request is sent to the reported user - If a shop features items that clearly break one or more of Etsy's rules, we ask the User to edit or remove the problem listings. 

    4. An immediate change is made by the Content Team - In extreme cases, we may remove a listing or deactivate an account right away. This happens when there are listings in the shop that strongly oppose Etsy's mission, all items featured in the shop violate Etsy policies, or the shop is being used only as advertisement space.

If you receive an inquiry, be sure to get the requested information back to us! If your shop is within Etsy's guidelines, you have nothing to worry about. If it turns out that there is a violation occuring, the Content Team will let you know what changes need to be made in order to comply.

If you receive a change request, please make the needed changes or write back if you feel this is a mistake. We will work to understand your situation and consider any additional information you can offer.

Please note: if the Content Team makes two attempts to contact a user but does not hear back, some account privileges may be suspended. Once communication is received, we can restore these privileges and works towards resolving any problems. These matters are handled on a case by case basis. 

For questions about what can be listed and shop guidelines:
You should read the Selling Policy in Etsy's Help section of the site. Here's the link to info about what you can and can't sell on Etsy.

If you are still concerned or have questions about your own shop, send an email to content@etsy.com. Tim or Amber will get back to you. We'd love to hear from you and help you out!

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about Content! You can read more about the work Etsy Admin do to run the business in our All about Etsy FAQ Series.