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Etsy, the global online marketplace used by millions, is facing claims from sellers it has been withholding thousands of pounds from small businesses by imposing reserves on accounts that take 75% of sellers’ income for 45 days with no warning.

Sellers say the company is retaining their income with little care for how it will affect families in a cost of living crisis.

Pietra (her surname is not used for fear Etsy will shut her account), a Miami-based Etsy seller, told Sky News she has more than $20,000 (£15,463) held in two of her accounts in an enforced reserve that she is unable to access.

Dan Vass from Aylesbury runs a furniture business through Etsy which was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account on June 14 without any warning. "We currently have over £5,000 in reserve and it just seems to keep growing. We haven't been able to pay bills and this is our only source of income," he said.
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Dan Vass from Aylesbury runs a furniture business through Etsy

Since 2015 she has designed wedding favours to sell on the platform full-time, balancing work with being a single mum.

Her business was taking in more than $30,000 (£23,195) per month in orders. From that total, once production and shipping costs are removed, she is left with $8,000 (£6,185) profit.

But after a reserve was placed on her account on May 18, she saw her income drop to just $444 (£343) in June.

“It’s insane that in a two-month period my whole life went to hell because of this,” she said. “They’re holding $20,000 (£15,000) of mine, and I basically can’t buy food.

“I’ve just reached two months of my rent being late and I’ve maxed out two credit cards, one for $5,000 (£3,800) the other for $6,000 (£4,600). It’s been close to impossible to get out of bed.”

Dan Vass from Aylesbury runs a furniture business through Etsy which was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account on June 14 without any warning.
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Mr Vass says his business was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account

‘We haven’t been able to pay bills’

Dan Vass, from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, runs a furniture business through Etsy which was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account on June 14 without any warning.

“We currently have over £5,000 in reserve and it just seems to keep growing. We haven’t been able to pay bills and this is our only source of income.

“There have been times this month when we literally do not know how we can keep the business going and our family fed because the items take a long time to make, have high material costs and Etsy are holding all of our funds, so we can’t actually begin to make them when orders come in.”

Dan Vass from Aylesbury runs a furniture business through Etsy which was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account on June 14 without any warning. "We currently have over £5,000 in reserve and it just seems to keep growing. We haven't been able to pay bills and this is our only source of income," he said.
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Mr Vass says he has around £5,000 in reserve with Etsy

‘I’ve had to retrain’

Anthony Whitworth, from Tadcaster in North Yorkshire, owns Etsy shop The Bizzy Box and is ranked in the UK’s top three Etsy sellers.

He’s been running a thriving business for seven years through the online marketplace which has enabled him to make a good living whilst supporting his wife who has Multiple Sclerosis.

His business pays Etsy over £35,000 in fees per year and has a 5-star rating from more than 63,500 sales, but since May his account has been put into reserve swallowing his income.

“I’ve had to retrain as a locksmith just to make enough money to keep things ticking over since May and in case Etsy goes seriously downhill in the long run.”

‘Quite shocking’

The Small Business Commissioner Liz Barclay told Sky News that over the past few months she has received a rising number of complaints from small business owners that online platforms are holding their money in reserves for a longer period of time than they previously did.

“Up until now, we have been hearing of online platforms withholding smaller amounts of money. This is the first time I’ve heard 75% being withheld in reserves and that is quite shocking.”

Dan Vass from Aylesbury runs a furniture business through Etsy which was going from strength to strength until a reserve was imposed on his account on June 14 without any warning.
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Etsy has a “purchase protection programme” which enables a customer to easily apply for a refund

“These small suppliers are the lifeblood and the talent that drives your business success. They need to be paid as quickly as possible or they may go to the wall.”

Ms Barclay said the government has no jurisdiction over online selling platforms such as Etsy, which are not UK companies.

She said the government is reviewing the tools it has to help small businesses get paid faster with a report expected to be published in Autumn.

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An Etsy spokesperson said: “Etsy Purchase Protection is designed to protect both buyers and sellers as Etsy covers the cost of refunds for all eligible orders; since launching last year, we have received positive feedback around this program.

“And while we understand that payment reserves can cause short-term disruptions to a seller’s payment schedule, these temporary holds are common practice across marketplaces.”

‘I’m worried I’ll lose lots of sales’

Sky News understands Etsy began using payment reserves in 2021.

Reserves are not uncommon amongst seller platforms.

Sellers who have been on Amazon for over a year and have processed at least 100 orders will have 3% of their daily payments held in a reserve for the purpose of covering transaction disputes.

In comparison, Etsy sellers have shown evidence to Sky News that whilst in a “reserve”, 75% of the amount they receive from orders is unavailable to them for 45 days or until they have provided tracking proof.

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This means the money needed to pay for the product and ship it out is not received until after it is made and shipped.

A lot of sellers don’t want to force their customers to pay for tracked shipping because international tracking can rack up a huge cost.

Steen Ross, from Norwich, has £1,800 held in a reserve on her Etsy account.

She has sold custom costumes to a largely American customer base on Etsy for a decade and relies on her Etsy income to pay rent.

“Most of my sales go to America and about 90% of people don’t want to pay the additional cost of tracking because it’s so expensive, they are happy for me to just provide proof of postage.

“I’m worried that if I raise prices to include tracking, I’ll lose a lot of sales, but if I don’t Etsy won’t release funds from my reserve before 45 days.”

Etsy’s purchase protection programme

In June 2022, Etsy introduced a new “purchase protection programme” which enables a customer to easily apply for a refund if they claim their item is lost or stolen.

Since then, Pietra, Steen Ross and Dan Vass claim they have experienced no-challenge refunds, where funds appear to automatically leave their reserve when a claim is made.

These complaints have been echoed by hundreds of people online tweeting Etsy’s CEO John Silverman and a Facebook group ‘Etsy Reserve Strike’ has been set up in the last month to organise a strike amongst sellers.

Etsy has almost 90 million buyers worldwide and about 6 million sellers but last year, for the first time since 2012, Etsy experienced a fall in its number of users and sellers.

Mr Silverman has dropped $24.4m (£18.7m) of his shares in the company since the beginning of February.

As of 10 July, Etsy’s share price sat at $85.83 (£65.56) compared to the all-time high share price of $297 in 2021.

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‘Rapper’ who murdered schoolboy recalled to prison after ‘boasting about his violent crime’, Probation Service says

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'Rapper' who murdered schoolboy recalled to prison after 'boasting about his violent crime', Probation Service says

The man who served 14 years in jail for the murder of schoolboy Jimmy Mizen has been recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions.

It follows reporting in The Sun newspaper that Jake Fahri, 35, was a drill rapper releasing music under the name TEN, who conceals his identity with a balaclava, and was played on BBC 1Xtra.

A Probation Service spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Jimmy Mizen’s family who deserve better than to see their son’s murderer shamelessly boasting about his violent crime.”

Jimmy’s father Barry told Sky News: “We’re not gloating or anything, in a way it’s quite sad.”

His son bled to death after Fahri threw an oven dish at him in a south London bakery on 10 May 2008.

The dish shattered on his chin and severed an artery in the schoolboy’s neck.

Fahri was 19 when he was given a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of 14 years and was released on licence in June 2023.

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His music was played on BBC 1Xtra less than 18 months later, the Sun reported, adding that DJ Theo Johnson named him an “up-and-coming star”.

Undated Family handout photo of 16-year-old Jimmy Mizen. Comedian Harry Hill will today present the keys of two minibuses in memory of the murdered schoolboy. Just days before the anniversary of the teenager's death on May 10, Hill will hadn over the keys of the "Jimmybuses" which will help Scouts travel around the UK.
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Jimmy Mizen. Pic: PA

Jimmy’s father earlier said he and his wife Margaret were “stunned into silence” when they were told about Fahri’s music, which often features violent themes.

In one song, which appears to reference Jimmy’s death, he raps about “sharpening” a blade.

“Judge took a look at me, before the trial even started he already knows he’s gonna throw the book at me,” the lyrics say.

Another track includes the lines: “See a man’s soul fly from his eyes and his breath gone… I wanted more, it made it less wrong. Seeing blood spilled same floor he was left on.”

The BBC has said the artist’s tracks do not feature on any BBC playlists, and that a track which appeared to reference Jimmy’s death had never been played on its channels.

A spokesman for the broadcaster added there were “no further plans to play his music”, adding: “We were not aware of his background and we in no way condone his actions.”

Read more from Sky News:
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A Probation Service spokesperson said: “All offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions. As this case shows, we will recall them to prison if they break the rules.”

Jimmy’s parents founded the Mizen Foundation after their son’s death. The charity helps young people in London who are escaping violence.

Mr Mizen said: “It appears that if he’s been recalled to prison, he must’ve breached his licence conditions

“What happens next, we’ve absolutely no idea.”

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Madeleine McCann suspect won’t face charges for foreseeable future, prosecutor tells Sky News

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Madeleine McCann suspect won't face charges for foreseeable future, prosecutor tells Sky News

The man suspected of abducting Madeleine McCann won’t face any charges in the foreseeable future, a prosecutor has told Sky News.

German drifter Christian B, who cannot be fully identified under his country’s privacy law, is expected to be freed from an unrelated jail sentence this year while police in three countries continue to search for evidence against him.

Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said: “There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case.

“As things stand, the accused Christian B’s imprisonment will end in early September.”

Madeleine, aged three, was asleep with her younger twin siblings in the family’s Portuguese rented holiday apartment before mother Kate discovered her missing at around 10pm on 3 May, 2007.

Her parents were dining nearby on the complex with friends and taking turns to check on all their sleeping children every half an hour.

A man, who is a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal, stands next to his lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher at his trial on unrelated sexual assault charges in Braunschweig, Germany, October 2, 2024. Christian B., is charged with three counts of aggravated rape and two counts of sexual abuse of children in Portugal between June 2007 and December 2000. Moritz Frankenberg/Pool via REUTERS
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Christian B at his trial on unrelated sexual assault charges in Germany last year. Pic: Reuters

Madeleine’s disappearance has become the world’s most mysterious missing child case.

Philipp Marquort, one of Christian B’s defence lawyers, welcomed the prosecutor’s pessimism about bringing charges.

He said: “This confirms the suspicions that we have repeatedly expressed, namely that there is no reliable evidence against our client.

“We regret that we have not yet been granted access to the investigation files. We have not yet been able to effectively counter the public prejudice arising from statements made by the prosecutor’s office.”

Christian B, 47, is in jail and coming to the end of his sentence for the rape of an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz, the Portuguese resort where Madeleine disappeared.

In October, he was acquitted on a series of rape and indecent assault charges after a non-jury trial in Germany, in which several references were made to his status as the main suspect in the Madeleine case.

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File photo dated 30/04/17 of Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal seventeen years ago. They have released a statement on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance, saying "the absence still aches". Earlier this week, it was confirmed that up to a further ..192,000 has been granted by the Home Office for the Scotland Yard investigation into Madeleine's disappearance. Issue date: Friday May 3, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Portugal. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire....
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Kate and Gerry McCann. Pic: PA

The prosecutor said he was awaiting the court’s written judgment before launching an appeal against the acquittal. He believes the trial judges were biased against the prosecution.

If successful, he could apply for a new arrest warrant for Christian B to keep him in custody until a retrial with new judges.

He said: “We hope that the Federal Court of Justice will decide before the end of the accused’s imprisonment. If the Federal Court follows our legal opinion, we could apply for a new arrest warrant for the accused’s offences, so that the accused would then remain in custody beyond September 2025.

Mr Marquort said the defence team would oppose the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal.

Prosecutor Mr Wolters has said in the past that he believes Madeleine is dead and that Christian B was responsible for her death. The suspect denies any involvement.

The case against Christian B is purely circumstantial; he’s alleged to have confessed to a friend that he abducted Madeleine, he has convictions for sex crimes against children, he was living in the area at the time, his mobile phone was close by when the young girl vanished and he re-registered one of his vehicles the next day.

The prosecutor won’t say what evidence he has to convince him Madeleine is dead, but he admitted he is still trying to find forensic evidence to link Christian B to the girl.

Christian B is acquitted of sex attacks not related to the Madeleine McCann case
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Christian B coming to the end of his sentence for the rape of an elderly woman

Jim Gamble, former head of the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre, said he had expected the prosecutor to charge Christian B soon.

“He’s implied the whole way through that he has something more than the public are aware of,” he said.

“He’s made fairly definitive statements about whether Madeleine is alive or dead so you would expect their strategy to have been to charge him sooner rather than later.

“From what he’s said today I wonder if we’re witnessing the re-positioning of something to manage the disappointment that’ll come.”

Mr Wolters, who is based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, is investigating the case with the help of Portuguese police and detectives from Scotland Yard.

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Man arrested after death of woman and two-year-old girl found with serious injuries in Ashford, Surrey

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Man arrested after death of woman and two-year-old girl found with serious injuries in Ashford, Surrey

A man has been arrested after the death of a woman in her 20s and a two-year-old girl was found with serious injuries in Surrey.

The man, in his 30s, has been detained on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, Surrey Police said.

Officers went to a property in Woodthorpe Road, Ashford, at 1.15pm on Thursday following a report of concern for safety.

The woman and child were found at the address with serious injuries and despite treatment from paramedics, the woman died at the scene.

The child was taken to hospital.

Officers said the victim and the suspect were known to each other.

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A forensics officer at the scene at Imtech House on Woodthorpe Road in Ashford, Surrey, after a woman in her 20s died and a two-year-old girl was found with serious injuries. A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Picture date: Friday January 17, 2025.
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Pic: PA

An investigation, led by the Surrey and Sussex Police Major Crime Team, is under way and inquiries remain ongoing, police said.

Senior Investigating Officer DCI Kimball Edey said specialist officers “are working around the clock to gather as much information as possible,” and that the force’s “thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims at this unbelievably difficult time”.

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