Orders being refunded as not eligible for Etsy’s Purchase Protection program
In the last month, Etsy has been refunding orders marked as delivered out of my shop funds saying they are not eligible for Etsy’s Purchase Protection program.
- The orders were shipped on time
- Orders were given to the post office next day (after label purchase)
- The orders had tracking
- Tracking updated and showed as delivered
- Buyer opens case saying they didn't get it
- Etsy refunds out of my account rather than covering it under buyer protection (as they did previously)
The latest order refund happened today:
- Purchased Apr 30, 2026
- Label purchased Apr 30, 2026
- SHIPPED Apr 30, 2026
- Tracking shows it hit a processing facility May 8, 2026
- Delivered May 15, 2026
- Buyer opened a case May 20, 2026
- Case closed and refunded on May 20, 2026
- Got email it didn't qualify for Etsy’s Purchase Protection program
What am I missing here?
Edit - Some additional info for this specific order is:
- Estimated Delivery date was May 16, 2026 - so I didn't fall outside of that.
- My shop is in good standing and hasn't violated any policies
- I replied to the buyer’s "Help with Order message" the same day.
- Shop policies are filled out
- I shipped within the stated processing times and they are stated/listed on teh product
- It was shipped to the address provided on Etsy
- I use Etsy Payments
- I have an accurate “ships from” location + provided tracking
Edit because my reply to OnngoGablogian is being hidden for some reason when I view on my alt:
>Why do you have so many customers opening cases in the first place?
The cases are all for non delivered items that were marked as delivered when shipped - which has nothing to do with me? USPS has been horrible for the last 3 months.
I know we tend to blame sellers in this sub, but good lord. This doesn't help with my question at all. It is completely unrelated to my query at all and tries to refocus blame to me - I don't appreciate that at all.