r/Etsy

New to this sub but need some help. I got a necklace from a shop that has been on Etsy for a month. The necklace was delivered alongside aliexpress stuff, in the same packaging, and from the same address. It seemed very cheap too. So I looked it up and it's all over ali for much cheaper, same pictures and videos. The item did handmade in the title description. I told the seller all this and asked for a refund. They canceled the order without saying much and I was confused why they would cancel something that was already delivered and why I suddenly couldn't leave a review, so I contacted Etsy support to ask. They agreed this was likely canceled to prevent me from saying anything and reversed it so I could leave a review. I wrote in my review exactly what happened with what I recieved, what I found on ali, what the seller did, and how Etsy helped me with it. I honestly called it cheap and I left it a one star review. The seller is very unhappy, said I'm destroying their small business and the trust of others and that I'm cruel after getting a refund. I told them again what I found and why I was suspicious and they gave me proof that another customer was happy. I again told them I'll reconsider if they wish to prove me wrong about the item and restated how everything was delivered with ali items, in the same packaging, and from the same address, and that they weren't offended or questioning me until after the review, but they just responded with "Foolish!". I'm pretty sure I'm right that this was scammy and I should leave my review to tell others but I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt and am questioning myself a bit still.

This talks exactly like chatgpt. I put it into a couple AI checkers and it came back 100%. I paid 15 dollars for this. Is there anything I can do?

Hello—I’m not sure if this is a common thing or happenstance or whatnot, but I had an issue recently where I placed two different orders from an Etsy shop during a sale and on the dates they were meant to be shipped, the seller cancelled both with no outreach or explanations

I’d been a little worried about the integrity of the shop to begin with (they sell custom neon signs and have at least a few dozen individual listings for the exact same item), but figured I’d give them a try. Is this something other people have seen/are seeing? Is offering a big sale just to cancel orders a newer type of scam/issue going around or is this just a one off thing?

edit. to clarify, when I say “scam” I mean less about stealing money and more about it being a product that was never really for sale to begin with/would never have been sent at all. That’s on me for using the wrong term. Apologies for the confusion

I messaged this seller about an item asking for close up photos and a photo of the tag and didn’t receive a message. so I then messaged a few days later asking if this would be okay to do and still no reply, but no biggie. I figured that they were probably out or sick or on holiday so they couldn’t take any pictures and so I messaged again a few days later asking if I could reserve the item. to which they respond to me with an angry message about not wanting to invest more time and they don’t know what to photograph that hasn't already been photographed (I just wanted a couple clearer close ups and one of the tag as I stated), and that they’re already making a huge effort photographing each item on their shop, and that the tag didn’t deliver any information other than care instruction (the care instructions were not in the description).

was I in the wrong here, I don’t even really get what happened. I used to really enjoy shopping on Etsy but I feel like it’s changed a lot as of late in a negative way. it just feels like a really cheap, dropshipping place now for people looking to make quick money while not having to put in any effort.

I recently ordered what looked like a handmade ceramic mug from an Etsy shop. The listing photos were clearly professional shots showing detailed craftsmanship and a really unique glaze pattern. What arrived was obviously mass produced and looked nothing like the photos: thin walls, uneven base, and none of that glaze work shown in the listing.

When I reached out to the seller they were polite but basically said all sales are final and that photos are for inspiration purposes only. That phrase was buried at the bottom of the listing description in small print.

I opened a case with Etsy and honestly wasn't sure what to expect. They sided with me and I got a refund, but the listing is still up with the same photos and I assume other buyers are still getting the same thing.

I reported the listing but have no idea if anything will actually happen. Has anyone else dealt with this and found an effective way to flag these shops so they actually get reviewed? Also curious whether sellers think the current reporting system is working or if there are obvious gaps that let this kind of thing go on too long. Would love to hear both sides.

Hey everyone ^^ I’ve bought stuff on Etsy before (mainly fan merch, so acrylic charms, pins, stickers, that kinda thing) but I’ve never bought a plushie before, so for those who have, how can you tell whether the seller is legit or not ?

I’ve been thinking about buying one of these fanmade ALNST plush dolls from this shop called NuiNuiLand, (specifically Luka lol) and I’ve already checked all of the reviews, etc. but I still feel somewhat unsure, so, for those on this sub with past experiences buying from NuiNuiLand, how was it ? was it legit and worth the money/wait ?

But I’ve also seen these exact same set of fanmade plush dolls be sold by this other shop called WanderGlowStore, so I’m asking the same thing, is there anyone here with past experiences buying from WanderGlowStore ? If so, how was it ?

Thx !!

Hi fellow Etsy sellers. I need some advice. My Etsy shop is new with just 2 sales for now and one 5 star review. I was not offering return or exchanges until 2 days ago but since I’m not getting enough sales, I thought may be its because I do not offer returns and exchanges? It was a fear based decision to update the policy two days ago. Although I did mention that if there is any issue with the product, customers can reach me via messages.
The reason why I do not want to offer returns and exchanges is because I sell natural certified/uncertified gemstones and handmade gemstone jewellery. With so much advancement in the synthetic gemstone industry, customers can easily replace my stones and return one that was not the original. They may also create duplicates of the certificates. Since natural gemstones require careful handling such as prevention from temperature changes, dropping, abrasion etc., I do not want to be getting damaged stones back. I have heard lots of those stories from my friends in the industry.
I provide true/unedited images and videos of my products. I write each and every detail in the description. I received 5 star reviews from both of my sales but only one of the buyers posted the review on my shop. The other one sent the review in massages.

Is that okay to not offer returns and exchanges for now? Can that be a deal breaker? I offer free worldwide shipping.

Please be kind in your replies and wish me luck. Thank you 😊

Feel like etsy isn't the same like it used to be and with the influx of AI generative stuff and "Temu" shops, i'm not sure if it's worth buying stuff here anymore? What are your guys opinions on this, has it changed?

https://preview.redd.it/4mgd24hirabh1.png?width=754&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab05050f2a3a1182f90a1ae0228621fb93dc3896

I ordered this item in early April and suddenly the seller ghosted me and never gave me my item despite saying it was shipped (it was a PDF), I requested a refund to Etsy and waited as it told me. I opened the page to see if it was resolved or not and saw this, but I was not informed it was rejected or told it would be rejected.

I feel stupid since I now lost $118 over the one time I decide to treat myself with a story from someone I purchased before. I just want my money back since as a customer I should be entitled of that right?

Is there anyway to appeal this? I feel like it's weird I was not informed of the rule at all or any changes

I can provide full too-long story if necessary.

In order to retrieve a closed account, is it typical for their customer assistance to ask you to verify not only the email used for the previous account and the default shipping address, but also the last device I used to sign in (specify the model and brand), and what cities and states I use to sign into my etsy account from?

I have never been asked for that information to confirm an account.

Hello, I just purchased a handmade leather purse from a seller who advertised that they were a tannery in Texas. After spending some time looking at different sellers who sold similar purses, I chose them because Texas is my neighboring state, so aside from the possible crafting time, shipping would be quick. I purchased the purse, got the confirmation email and it states the sellers name and United States, delivery time about a week from purchase. That was last week. Well, I got an email update about the purse, and not only has the shipping time changed to the end of the month, their location now says Morocco. I am very confused, is this a common thing? What recourse do I have? How do I avoid this again? I have already paid $100 and the purse is shipped. Thanks in advance.

As a buyer on Etsy, When I do a search, I don't care if your name is Fred, or Lisa or Jenny Sue. I want to see your shop name under your listing. Partially because it tells me if I have bought from you before, or been in your shop before. Also because it gives me an idea of what else is in your shop. From a buyers perspective, this is just another tactic to make shops more invisible. Some of you have really unique and memorable business names, and I don't like that those are being hidden.

Sorry this is just a bit of a nothingburger clog post, but I've been thinking about this for the past few days and I can't tell if I'm being a dick or if I'm kind of justified. Also please don't insult me to the moon and back if I'm being unreasonable, just let me know 😅

I recently ordered an item that was described as being ''dark red'' in colour. On the actual product page, while there was colour swatches for various other colours, including a regular red, dark red was not shown so I made the foolish mistake of assuming that it was simply a darker shade of the red that was shown.

However, when I actually received the product, it turns out their idea of dark red is a desaturated, wine-red kind of burgundy. I know they technically didn't do anything wrong, many people still class it as red, but I feel kind of cheated out of my money knowing that (at least in my opinion) the product name was a little bit misleading and there was no attempt to elaborate. At least where I'm from, burgundy is it's own thing and I've never, ever seen it described as dark red. A shade of red, but not just dark red. I feel like all that would have been needed to avoid confusion was to either list the colour as ''burgundy red'' not ''dark red'', actually displaying the colour swatch as done with the other colours or a note literally anywhere on the product listing.

I messaged the seller inquiring about a possible item exchange, because on their site they did claim to offer returns and exchanges (but I'm new to Etsy so maybe they're forced to say that, I don't know). I probably would have just sucked it up if they had responded politely and simply declined, but they have ignored my message for 3 consecutive business days (their store isn't closed or anything) which just adds more salt to the wound.

I know some people don't look at their Etsy on the weekends, so I'm going to message them again on Monday and try to get a response out of them. If they still ignore me and fail to contact me by the end of the week, how much of a jackass would I be for requesting a refund from Etsy? Normally I wouldn't bother because I'd feel cruel and like I'm robbing/ scamming them, but the fact that this item cost me so much money, was very disappointing, and the seller just won't reply not even to decline, makes me feel inclined to take some kind of action.

EDIT: thanks to everyone who replied honestly. i've decided to leave it be.

I have a small shop where I make handmade items and I keep running into the same frustrating situation. A buyer reaches out asking for a custom order, we go back and forth in messages figuring out all the details, I spend time putting together a custom listing just for them, and then they ghost me. No response, no payment, nothing.

It feels like a huge waste of time, and honestly it is starting to make me hesitant to even offer custom work anymore. That is a shame because it is one of my favorite parts of running the shop.

I do not have a deposit system set up right now and I am wondering if that is the mistake. Do most sellers here require a deposit upfront before doing any custom work? How do you structure that without making buyers feel like you do not trust them?

Also curious if anyone has figured out good messaging to set expectations early in the conversation so people understand this is real work going into their request before any money changes hands.

Would love to hear how other sellers handle this. I feel like I am definitely not the only one dealing with it and I do not want to quit offering customs altogether. Any advice or systems that have worked for you would be really appreciated.