Alex Fox update

[alexfox]

I have bad news. After 7 years of selling on Etsy, my shop has been closed. My registered address in my documents is Kherson, Ukraine. This territory is currently under active military action, making it subject to sanctions. Etsy closed my shop, even though I've been in Latvia for three years. Customer support told me the address can't be changed, and the best solution would be to open a new shop with a different registered address. I'm currently exploring the possibility of opening a new shop from Latvia: I need to consult with bank and the tax office. I'll also have to rebrand (change the shop name, previews, and product names), as Etsy prohibits copying the old shop. Thank you for choosing my patterns, I'll let you know if I have any news.

[ChelCass]

Oh what a shame.  We will be here watching for your new shop information.  Please stay safe, you and your family. 

[barb.j.enders]

Thanks for sharing the news.  Hopefully things get sorted out quickly.  Stay safe.

[scrollerpete]

Thanks for the info, hopefully you can make the change required to proceed with your business, I really like your patterns.

[Denny Knappen]

Oh, so sorry.  Keep us informed and stay safe!

[Travis]

Oh no!  I'm really sorry to hear that.

Have you thought about using something like Shopify?  You basically own your own website, but they handle payment processing and whatnot.  I'm not sure if they handle local taxes like Etsy or not, but I know they have a lot of services.  They also have an email list (which I don't think Etsy does), which is really valuable.  That way you always have your customer's email address, wherever you go.  You can do email blasts easily with promotions or new pattern announcements.  You might not have the same discoverability like Etsy provides, but you have a big enough name where I'd imagine 80% of your business comes from people who already know who you are.  But, if Etsy does allow you back onto their platform, you can run both.

There are some DIY options like WooCommerce and WordPress has plugins.  I did that years ago and did OK.

[rafairchild2]

What a shitty thing to be blunt.  It's not like you are not going through enough with what is going on in your homeland.

I use the services of GoDaddy for my credit card processing and such.  I don't have much of a "store front" but you could use their WordPress option for a website and the plugins for a store.

[wombatie]

That really stinks.  Hope you find a solution.  Please keep us informed.

Marg