r/EtsyCommunity

Hi, durch einen anderen Post hab ich mal wieder nach einer Midea Portasplit gesucht und bin auf mehrere Anzeigen bei Etsy gestoßen, wo das Gerät für etwas über 400,- angeboten wird, also ca. 50% unter UVP, Shop in England, kostenloser Versand nach Deutschland, sogar abgesichert durch Etsy Einkaufsschutz. Das die Anzeige Fake ist, ist mir klar, aber was ist die Masche dahinter? Kohle abgreifen und dann auch für Etsy nicht mehr auffindbar sein für Rückforderungen? Bankdaten aus der Zahlung abgreifen? Ist es wirklich nur das oder übersehe ich noch etwas bei der Masche?

Hey,
Need some advice.
I sell handcrafted wooden carving products on Etsy. I’m getting daily favorites and shop visits, but in the last 40 days I’ve only had 1 order.
I’m trying to figure out what’s stopping people from buying. Is this normal for my category or am I missing something?
Shop link: https://woodenartsgallery.etsy.com

Any honest feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hallo zusammen,
ich hoffe, ihr könnt mir bei folgender Situation weiterhelfen.
Vor etwa drei Monaten habe ich einen Etsy-Shop eröffnet, um auszuprobieren, ob sich meine selbst gestalteten und gedruckten Postkarten verkaufen. Insgesamt gab es bisher nur vier Verkäufe (einer davon war ein Testkauf meines Mannes), der Gesamtumsatz beträgt etwa 14 €.
Leider habe ich mich vorher falsch informiert und kein Gewerbe angemeldet. Ich dachte, es würde ausreichen, die Einnahmen in meiner nächsten Steuererklärung anzugeben. Inzwischen weiß ich, dass ich für den Verkauf über Etsy grundsätzlich ein Gewerbe anmelden müsste.
Eigentlich wollte ich das Gewerbe nun rückwirkend anmelden. Während ich mich damit beschäftigt habe, ist mir aber bewusst geworden, dass neben der Gewerbeanmeldung noch viele weitere rechtliche Pflichten auf mich zukommen (Impressum, Datenschutzerklärung, Widerrufsbelehrung usw.).
Ehrlich gesagt habe ich momentan keine Motivation, einen Online-Shop zu betreiben. Das Zeichnen bleibt mein Hobby, aber ich möchte mich aktuell nicht mit den rechtlichen Anforderungen eines Shops beschäftigen.
Meine Frage ist daher:
Wenn ich den Etsy-Shop jetzt endgültig schließe und keine weiteren Verkäufe tätige, muss ich das Gewerbe trotzdem rückwirkend anmelden, oder genügt es, die bisherigen Einnahmen ordnungsgemäß in der Steuererklärung anzugeben?
Hat jemand eine ähnliche Erfahrung gemacht oder weiß, wie in so einer Situation üblicherweise vorgegangen wird?
Vielen Dank!

Just joined today, hi all. I keep reading about “AI” slop driving down sales but what is that exactly? I sometimes use AI generated models wearing the piece of clothing as the main (gallery) pic. I do take and upload many pics of the actual item. Could this turn off buyers?

I’ve been digging into how people actually run their Etsy/Shopify stores day-to-day, and I’m trying to understand where the real friction is.

Not the obvious stuff like “getting traffic” in general—but the small, repetitive things that slow you down or feel frustrating.

For example:
\- product research
\- writing listings / descriptions
\- figuring out pricing
\- dealing with customer messages
\- SEO / keywords
\- managing ads
\- knowing what to improve next

I’m not trying to sell anything—I’m just trying to map out where people actually get stuck in the workflow.

If you had to pick ONE part of running your store that feels unnecessarily painful or time-consuming, what would it be?

Hello,

My US sales went down a lot for months, so I looked into it and found a strange problem. It looks like Etsy is hiding some international listings from US search results.

I ship everything from Lithuania, and I already include/pay all US tariffs in my shipping cost so buyers don't have to pay extra. But Etsy is sorting my listings at random.

• The bug explained:

Listings with this warning: "Heads up: this item may be subject to tariffs, duties, or import fees post purchase".

It's impossible to find this item using a US search engine (even when you search the exact title and filter by "Ships from Lithuania"). For example if I change the buyer location to Canada, all listings appear immediately.

Also listings that do not show the warning will appear normally in a search in the US.

• The vacation mode glitch:

If I switch on and off Vacation Mode, the hidden listings reappear for US buyers, but only for hours before disappearing again.

Can you help me test this? If you are in the US, could you quickly search for these exact titles on Etsy (and filter by Ships from Lithuania if needed) to see if they show up for you? Product photo attached

"Handmade Wrought Iron Tealight Holder with Handle, Rustic Metal Candle Stand"
(this has a tariff warning - it should be hidden)

\"Handmade Wrought Iron Tealight Holder with Handle, Rustic Metal Candle Stand\" (Product photo for reference)

International Sellers, are you having the same problem?

Do only some of your listings have this tariff notice while others don't? I wonder why Etsy adds it so randomly?

I've already filled in a detailed form with Etsy and chatted with support but nothing. I'm trying to figure out if this is a sitewide issue affecting global sellers or just a glitch that's isolated.

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!

I'm looking for some advice from experienced Etsy sellers because I'm not sure if I should keep appealing this or just move on.

I sell made-to-order shower curtains. My shop policy is very clear: **refunds are only offered if the item arrives damaged or has a manufacturing/misprint defect.** Since each item is custom made, I don't accept returns or refunds for accidental purchases or buyer's remorse.

For context, I'm not unreasonable about refunds. In the past, I've:

* Refunded customers when there was a misprint or manufacturing issue.

* Approved cancellations when they were requested within my cancellation window or before production had started.

So I do make exceptions when they fall within my policy.

Here's what happened:

The buyer contacted me after receiving the order and said they had ordered the shower curtain by mistake. They requested a refund based on that.

Since the item had already been produced and delivered, I politely explained my policy and declined the refund.

Only after I declined did the buyer leave a 1-star review

The review claims that the background was advertised as white, but the product was actually a dull gold.

The problem is that :my listing never says the background is white. Both the title/description describe it as cream/ivory, and the listing photos match that description.

I reported the review to Etsy because I felt it was retaliatory. Etsy denied the request and sent me the standard response about not interfering with customer opinions.

From my perspective, this wasn't originally a product quality issue at all. The buyer's own Etsy message says they ordered it by mistake. The complaint about the color only appeared after I refused the refund.

Has anyone successfully appealed a similar decision?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's dealt with something similar. It feels frustrating to follow my published policies consistently, only to receive a one-star review because I wouldn't make an exception.

Hi everyone,
I read the subreddit guidelines regarding suspended accounts, so I’ve tried to make this post as detailed as possible. I’m hoping someone who has been through something similar can help me understand what to expect.
This was my very first Etsy shop. It was active from June 15 to June 29 before being suspended.
I was selling women’s fashion (dresses and handbags). During that time, I made 58 sales, almost entirely through Etsy organic traffic. I was the only person managing the account and always accessed it from my home in France.
On the day my account was suspended, my home Wi-Fi unexpectedly stopped working, so I briefly logged in using my phone’s mobile hotspot. It’s also possible that my phone’s VPN was still enabled at that moment, although I wasn’t aware of it at the time.
I had already completed my identity verification, but I had not yet entered or verified my bank account details. I had only added my payment card. After the suspension, I discovered in Etsy’s Help Center that sellers have a limited time to complete their bank verification, but by then I had already lost access to my account.
Before the suspension, I had already shipped 33 orders. At the time Etsy suspended my account, none of my customers had received their packages yet because they were still in transit. Some of those orders have since been delivered.
Before the suspension, my shop had:
• No Etsy cases.
• No negative reviews.
• No chargebacks.
• No policy warnings.
The first Etsy case was only opened after my account was suspended because I no longer had access to my shop to respond to the customer.
The only email Etsy sent me was the standard Trust & Safety appeal email containing a link to submit an appeal. It didn’t mention any specific reason for the suspension.
I haven’t submitted my appeal yet because I’ve been taking the time to prepare it as carefully as possible.
What worries me the most is the financial side. Etsy currently owes me around €2,000, but because I never had the opportunity to enter my bank account details, I’m afraid I could permanently lose those funds if my appeal is denied. Since the products have already been shipped, my biggest concern is losing both the merchandise and the payouts.
Has anyone experienced something similar, especially regarding payouts when a bank account hadn’t yet been added before the suspension? Were you eventually able to complete the bank verification and receive your funds?
Also, if anyone knows a trustworthy Etsy reinstatement specialist or has successfully recovered an account in a similar situation, I’d really appreciate any advice.
Thank you very much.

Shipping costs are insane in Canada.

I am a new Etsy seller and just learned how expensive shipping is. Even if you use a competitor like Chit Chat.

If I have a product selling for $30 on Etsy, the shipping is $20 to $30.

How do Canadian Etsy sellers do it?

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new to selling on Etsy and I'm trying to figure out where to start with product research.

I'm based in Australia and would love to build a long-term Etsy business, but I'm feeling overwhelmed by the number of product ideas out there. I don't want to just copy what everyone else is selling. I want to learn how experienced sellers actually find profitable product opportunities.

A few questions I have:

• How do you research products before deciding what to sell?
• What tools or websites do you use for product hunting?
• Is it better to focus on digital products, handmade items, or print-on-demand as a beginner?
• Does being based in Australia make any difference when choosing products?
• What mistakes should beginners avoid when selecting their first product?

I'd really appreciate any advice, resources, YouTube channels, or personal experiences you can share. My goal is to learn the right way rather than chasing trends blindly.

Thanks in advance!

I wish I had seen a post like this before I placed my orders.

I ordered three pieces of furniture from three different Etsy vendors based in Morocco and Turkey. All three shops looked established, had reviews, and the sellers were responsive before purchase. They answered my questions, the pricing seemed reasonable — not suspiciously cheap, but still a good deal — and the main reason I felt comfortable taking the leap was that the transactions were supposedly protected by Etsy.

few days after purchasing, I received tracking numbers for two of the orders. I immediately noticed that both parcels were going to completely different destination countries. I raised this with Etsy support straight away, and they reassured me that it was probably a mistake and suggested I resolve it directly with the sellers.

That was when the sellers started ghosting me.

Soon after, the shops disappeared from Etsy, along with the product listings and details.

After multiple frustrating chats with Etsy support, I was told I had to wait around 30 days before my money could be refunded — even though, from my perspective, the scam was already obvious.

For the third order, I sent the seller multiple messages asking for a tracking number and received no clear response. Eventually, I opened a case with Etsy. Strangely, Etsy support seemed very protective of the seller and advised me to be patient. The seller then provided a tracking number to my destination suburb, and Etsy forcibly closed my case.

By this point, I had completely lost trust, so I contacted the courier company directly using the tracking number. That is when I found out the parcel had been sent to a made-up name, made-up address, and made-up phone number. Even more ridiculous, the item was supposed to be a heavy piece of furniture, but according to the courier website, the parcel weighed only 200 grams.

Long story short, I eventually got refunded, but the process was long, stressful, and incredibly frustrating. My money was locked up for four weeks during a time-sensitive renovation, while Etsy’s process seemed to accommodate the scammers and give them more time to maintain the appearance of a valid transaction.

I still do not fully understand how this scam works if buyers are eventually refunded. Maybe Etsy absorbs the loss, maybe the sellers are buying time, or maybe fake tracking numbers help them delay disputes long enough to cash out. I do not know.

I am sure there are genuine and excellent sellers on Etsy, but after this experience I personally will never buy anything from Etsy again. I feel Etsy as a marketplace failed badly here both in protecting buyers and not having done any due diligence on vendors.

FYI, the 200gr parcel was literally just a piece of cardboard with a handwritten address on it :(

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ZejaSkincare

This is a store I recently opened. Of course we have shopify too, but I honestly thought Etsy would be a no brainer.. but I’ve changed titles, descriptions and tags many times. Not much change. Barely even gets viewed. Several months on Etsy.

It is a high quality product with premium ingredients. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong?