Here’s What Happens When You Get Ripped Off On Etsy.com
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In case you are unaware, Greg and I took a credit card rewards-fueled trip to Europe in November of 2014. While we were there, we took in a lot of sights, ate some great (and not-so-great) food, and spent some quality time together. We didn’t buy a lot of keepsakes, but we did buy a few.
My favorite purchase of the entire trip was this adorable London-flag look jacket I got from the Portobello Road Market in the Notting Hill District of West London.
Super cheesy, I know, but I just like the freaking jacket. In fact, I like it to much that I immediately wanted to order another one. I don’t have a lot of clothes and hate shopping, but I tend to like certain items so much that I want multiples. And I’ve always been like that. For example, I have three of the same bathing suit because it is comfortable and flattering. Sue me.
Anyway, I was super stoked when I found the exact same jacket on Etsy.com. I would need to pay for international shipping, but the grand total still came out to only around $30. That was fine with me. So I went ahead and ordered directly through paypal, and that is where I made my fatal mistake. Instead of paying with a credit card that offers fraud protection like I normally would for any online purchase, I let paypal deduct the $30 directly from my bank account. Why? Because I didn’t feel like digging out a credit card.
Spoiler Alert: Etsy.com Doesn’t Care
I made my purchase around Christmas and waited the six weeks it said it would take to get here. Then I waited some more – and still, no jacket. Then about a week ago, I got out the calendar and realized that it has been almost 12 weeks since I made the purchase.
So I went back and dug out my receipt. Immediately, I emailed the seller to see what was up. After a few days with no response, I emailed Etsy.com. Their response was almost comical. Let me summarize. Basically, Etsy.com said we don’t give a flying f%$K that they aren’t responsible for any purchases made through their site and that I was on my own to negotiate a refund from the seller.
Fortunately, I did pay through Paypal.com, which offers a few protections of its own. And after another day or so, I filed a formal complaint in an effort to get my money back. I’m pretty upset about the fact that I won’t get the jacket, but I think it’s pretty crappy that they have had my money this entire time. And now, I have to jump through hoops to get it back!
What Happens When You Get Ripped Off On Etsy.com?
Now that I have filed a complaint with Paypal, the seller has until the end of the month to reach out to me and solve this issue. At this point, they haven’t bothered to respond so I’m going to assume they are completely ignoring our requests.
After the month is up, Paypal gets to decide if I do in fact get my money back. Since I never received my item and the seller is completely unresponsive, I will go ahead and assume I will get a full refund eventually.
Still, I am super annoyed with this purchase. If I had made payment with a credit card, I would have called Chase or Citibank or whatever and told them what was up and let them handle it. But since I paid with real money, I am completely on my own.
Buyer Beware
I like the idea of buying items directly from individuals. However, it’s important to know what the risks are. It’s completely my fault for not realizing that Etsy.com takes no responsibility for any items purchased through their site, but now that I know, I will shop with caution. And honestly, a lot of this could have been prevented if I had just paid with credit to begin with.
Still, it’s pretty unsettling that someone can keep your money and make you fight to get it back. I am willing to shop at Etsy.com again, but next time, I will know better.
Have you ever had to fight to get your money back for an item you never received? Have you ever bought or sold on Etsy.com?
Additional reading:
I never bought or sold on Etsy.com. Thank you for sharing your story, now I know what to do if I decide to buy on Etsy.com.
You’re welcome~
you are so right you know im starded to see were u coming from certainly it gives me the same problem I order my item last mouth on jan19 2020 that day I use my credit card to buy a item that cost $100 but the item was actually $116 is my total so I made the purchase it gave me a order number whith a congradulation I kept the order number I respond back to make sure if there was anthing that iv miss that iv forget so i responded back to ask if my item is ready to ship out they responded back we have a order for my name an its being made as we speak an set to go out next week they will send me a confermation number to comferm my oder when it goes out so I responded thank you here we are less then 2 days away from the day it comes haven’t gotten any responds of my comfarmation number so I looseing patients kinda cause im unsure if I will get it or not if I have to I will file a law suit ageints them to refund my money but instead I will give em till the 13th that I will espected it if not then it will be trouble
Thanks for sharing this. I am currently dealing with a horrible situation with a Etsy seller. I purchased a custom made gown in September of last year. It was supposed to take 6 to 10 weeks. I received a dress the beginning of this of this month that had NONE of the key features that were discussed in detail and agreed upon. All of our Etsy messages confirm what we discussed. Unfortunately when I reached out to Etsy they would not refund my $ but did give me a credit. I am unable to leave a review due to the time frame. I am currently disputing the second part of my payment with my credit card company. The seller flat out lied to me about things and lied some more on the dispute. I take responsibility for being so foolish to not report to Etsy sooner but the seller gave me a sob story about her personal life so I let it go. I had hoped that even if I waited a long time that at least I would love my gown. Definitely not the case. I am beyond disappointed. I will definitely not make the same mistakes again. There are definitely some unscrupulous individuals on Etsy and unfortunately you can’t always trust reviews because there are loopholes to get around and of course Etsy really doesn’t seem to care.
Yes m still waiting for my product purchase and paid for two months ago. Stay update shoes in pre transit. Have requested seller respond. Nothing!!! I paid for with PayPay. If you buy any items from supplier in China or India caution!!! I’m out unless I file a complaint with PayPal. Stay will not put a warning on this supplier!
Trust me – don’t. Three years later, I have had a very similar experience, and unlike eBay, on etsy you are on your own just as the article indicates. I have been a loyal buyer and purchased tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on etsy – but when I got scammed, buying a ring advertised as genuine, that turned out to be fake, Etsy did exactly what was described above. I also had a shop on etsy, which I did sell a few items through – and my shop is also through paypal, and they had no problem taking their cut of my money there. Thank goodness I DID pay through paypal, who had my money refunded within hours of reopening the case through them! Yes you can pay with a credit card, but you also open yourself to identity theft, and you will have the same problems and lengthy wait to get your money back and untangle the mess of identity fraud. At least through paypal, you have protections in these events.
Also, I find it very silly that the author would actually make another purchase on etsy after having this experience. Why continue to give your hard earned money away to make billionaires richer, while taking a gamble on getting ripped off again – why patronize a business who so clearly doesn’t give a “f%$k” about their customers? Guess the author is much more wealthy than I am. Or a masochist.
I agree. I had a similar thing happen. I bought something with Paypal and a couple days later the store disappeared from Etsy. Now I wait for a refund. But there’s no recourse through Etsy. I have made purchases through Etsy. Not anymore.
PayPal was never any help to me either. A USPS receipt and customs forms were insufficient proof to them a fake gemstone I bought was returned to the seller by me. Plus there is no overseas tracking available stated right on the receipt. Screenshots of my conversation with the seller straight from Etsy were not beneficial. I will never use PayPal by choice again. The seller kept silent and held out for over two months before finally returning my money. It’s my second time getting ignored by PayPal where I was once sold sneakers at full price that fell apart fatter three wears, only to find they were either ten years old as indicated on the stamp, or flat out fakes! PayPal kept a portion of my return money as a fee and I am fighting now for my return postage. Etsy has yet to respond to the open case. I will only buy from someone I am already doing business with from now on. I was thinking about selling on Etsy before this happened, and if I do I will not be shipping overseas. No matter the money, it is not worth the headache. People with intent to scam open more than one shop there after receiving bad reviews. All they need is another email address to do so on Etsy and the same with PayPal.
I love your London-flag look jacket Holly! And you’re not alone, I also have 5 blouses with the same color. Hahah!! My daughter even asked me why did I pick the same color and design! 🙂
Ha! Because you like it- that’s why.
Hi guys what is Etsy? Is that like Ebay or another sales platform
Ged
Offshore Mortgage
Mortgage Life Insurance UK
Yes, it’s similar. The only difference is, items are generally handmade by the people selling them.
As a seller on Ebay, I got ripped off by a scammer who claimed my real and tested gold brooch pin was metal. One girl on the inside acted as if I was in the wrong and should refund the buyer. I did and she kept the item. Some buyers prey on newbies in this way. When I protested, the same girl said I should have waited to get my item back first. WTF? Then I set out to open shop on Etsy. Sold two items, my 1st was an 1800’s garnet bracelet. A month later she gives me a nasty review and states it didn’t fit. The size was listed. The item was described accurately and I had like 10 pictures in broad daylight. Etsy sided with the buyer. Told me I had to refund her. BS. Not this time. They refunded her and won’t let me close my shop even though I paid my Etsy bill, but I refuse to refund her. She changed it from not fitting to bent and damaged, yet her first comment to me was that it was gorgeous, yet didn’t fit. My policies stated exchanges, but she wanted a regund. Now Etsy has refunded her and she still has this 1800’s real garnet bracelet which she will not return. I believe Ebay and Etsy have insiders getting a kickback and innocent people like us buyers or sellers are getting ripped off. Shes not getting a dime from me. Etsy paid her a refund, they can eat it. I have closed any avenues for them to get money from me and will dispute any collection agency who they contact. They are both rippoffs! Beware buyers and potential sellers.
Lots of stories here of bad experiences on etsy, which made me worry when I ran into a rogue seller.
£350 for the item, nothing delivered, no reply from seller, so I went to etsy’s resolution process.
Just after that, while the seller was still advertising identical items (which did not correspond with the image shown), his store disappeared from etsy.
However, I was able to escalate the case, according to etsy’s guidelines, and less than 24 hours later, etsy sent me a message to say that I will be refunded, back to the card I made payment with.
So, I would say that in most cases, it looks like etsy have a clean bill of health, but if you are thinking of making a purchase and have any misgivings, use your credit card, then you have a plan B if etsy cannot help.
Only if your case meets Etsy’s criteria, which only covers certain situations.
The red flag for me with Etsy is the very limited support for the buyer. Plenty for the seller.
I’ve had mixed experiences. When I flagged up a scam seller, they were very prompt to refund in full.
Trying to find support or to escalate a case about a refund dispute, it’s like disappearing down the hole in Alice in Wonderland.
Sucks about your bad experience with Etsy. I’ve bought from there on several occasions and had some great results. I’ve always been pleased with the products. And for the most part they arrived very quickly. Oh, and now I shall be singing ‘Portobello Road’ for the rest of the day… Blast from the past!!
You’re welcome for that! =)
Hi Mrs. Maroon, how long did it take to have your items from etsy deliver? I recently purchased something from TheNeoteric on this past Monday evening, and wanted to see if I will get what I ordered before Christmas Eve? I’ve sent her a message yesterday at 3:30, but she hasn’t responded.
That\’s too bad. I love looking at Etsy and I thought that all the sellers there are legitimate and verified. Thanks for this warning!
Just use a credit card with fraud protection and you’ll be fine!
I’ve bought a couple items from Etsy and have not had any problems, but I can’t remember how I paid for them. In the future if I buy anything there I will definitely pay with a credit card!! Thanks for sharing the story of what happened to you.
No problem!
Wow, that sucks. I’ve had similar problems with ebay. I hate that they couldn’t care less!
I quit using ebay as a buyer or seller. Too many people out there trying to get stuff for free.
That’s really awful! I haven’t used Etsy yet, but I will never even try after what you experienced. Fight for you rights! Good luck!
Thanks Jayson =)
Sucks that you had to go through this, but it’s good that it looks like it will be resolved with PayPal. As many legitimate reasons as there are to hate on PayPal, at the end of the day their fraud protections are pretty good and almost always in the consumer’s favor.
I feel ya on the convenience of paying with the checking accout too, instead of digging out a credit card. It’s that specific reason that I always have at least one of my credit card numbers memorized (in my case now, my SPG Amex) just for cases like this when I want to pay with credit card, but my wallet is in the other room or something similar. Having the number memorized has been great for stuff like that, so I’d recommend it. 🙂
Good tip! I could probably benefit from having a cc number memorized….but there is only so much this brain can hold! =)
Etsy really doesn’t care this happened to me when I ordered my boyfriend a paracord watch in September. I was left to deal with the seller like you were the only thing since the total for the watch came out to be like $15 I felt it wasn’t worth it to go through the trouble of fighting the seller and going through the bank. I hope you get a refund soon though.
Thanks! Me too =)
Cute jacket! I actually tried to order something off Etsy and it just wouldn’t process. I tried emailing the seller and got nothing n response, so I just assumed it was a hint that it wasn’t the best purchase idea. I’ve never paid through paypal, but I will definitely keep this in mind if I’m ever asked to pay through them.
Ha! That probably was a hint that you didn’t need that item.
That sucks! Sorry to hear that Holly. I’m surprised, on one level, they would have a policy like that as I know a lot of people like buying stuff from them. We’ve not had a specific instance like this with Etsy but we have had it happen a few times and believe it was on a credit card each time. Still a hassle, but thankful the card company was the one that had to handle it.
Yep, one call to your credit card company and they handle it all. I’ve had to do it a few times.
That sucks! I hope you get your money back. But either way it\’s still a pain in the butt. I don\’t buy much (or anything) through etsy/eBay just for this reason. My only purchases have been small. Ones that I\’m willing to lose if it goes badly.
I hear ya!
The same exact thing happened to me with etsy over my brother’s Christmas present. I was so mad that they didn’t give a crap! I did get my money back from Paypal, but it makes me look at etsy differently now.
Yep! It’s pretty crazy that they get to keep your money and make you fight to get it back.
I never bought on Etsy, but your experience is sort of like why I sell less and less on ebay. Ever since they changed the policy where the buyer is right, the seller has to eat the loss. I\’ve had a few times where I did nothing wrong and the seller complained, kept the item and I had to pay them back.
In your case, you should get your money back, but Etsy taking that stand reminded me a lot of ebay.
Yep. I sold some clothes on ebay and had one person say a new shirt with tags had a hole in it. They wouldn’t send a picture like I asked, but they demanded their money back. It was only $6, but it soured me on Ebay.com forever!
My mom had an issue with paypal and her bank a week or so ago.. Someone stole her debit card info and bought something on Ebay through paypal.. well her bank didnt do anything for her & she had to go through paypal.. it was a huge PIA and took forever to get a big chunk of change back.. thankfully she got it back… no help from the bank..I have always bought things on etsy, but always had good luck.
Yikes! I hope she got a new debit card number! Glad that was the only damage she experienced.
I’m in shock that Etsy doesn’t put more effort into their customer service especially since they are going public. Fortunately my wife doesn’t have a paypal account so only makes her transactions with credit. That being said I’m not sure how my credit card company would react if they can’t reach the sellers.
Credit card fraud protection puts the burden on the seller to fix the issue. If they didn’t reply, the credit card company has the right to withhold their funds. Either way, I wouldn’t be out the money like I am now.
How obnoxious! Sorry you’re dealing w/ that…
I also buy multiples of the same item 🙂
I’ve never used Etsy and probably won’t now. I think international sellers are red flags in general. We ordered a movie on eBay once and didn’t realize it was from out of the US, so I’m sure it was illegal plus after we’d long given up, it showed up one day, months after the initial purchase.
Good reminder to read seller feedback on any site before placing an order. If a deal seems too good to be true, it typically is.
I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2005, and stories like this make it much harder for us good sellers now that Etsy has allowed mass resellers and manufacturers. Ever since the new CEO “redefined handmade”, Etsy has turned to shit. They have HORRIBLE customer service, for buyers and sellers. Very little in the way of protection. When buying I only use Paypal or Credit Card. Only one charge-back issue in all my years buying, thankfully, but the fraudulent shops are rampant these days. I’m active on the forums and the daily posts of being ripped off are sad. At least with Ebay I can pick up the phone and get some assistance, you can’t even do that with Etsy. You can email them, but good luck ever getting a reply, and when you wait three weeks for a response and just post in the forums, the admins shut your thread down within minutes, but still don’t reply to you. You can find some amazing things on Etsy, and there are lots of wonderful sellers, but it’s definitely buyer beware these days. Paypal has pretty good customer service though. Sorry for the novel, but Etsy’s lack of customer service is a huge pet peeve of mine! Now that they’ve announced their IPO, I think Etsy will take another turn for the worse as well.
Ditto. Just went through a two month ordeal where I purchased a ring that turned out to be fake. I had purchased on etsy for years and even opened a small shop on there. I noticed the big changes on Etsy in the past few years, and as a result I have rarely made purchased on there (and I have had my shop on temporary close for awhile), but I have continued to purchase ( a lot) on ebay. I have only had one problem on ebay in all these years, and they handled it immediately, without me having to jump through hoops. And I also got to actually talk to a human when the seller said the reason for refund was that I changed my mind (I didn’t – I never received it!!). Ebay thanked my for alerting them to this as it is a strike against the scamming seller that they would have gotten away with. Anyway, I definitely DO NOT recommend buying on etsy at all, because what the article and other posters have said, is 100% accurate – after two long months, I got “We can’t refund you since you paid through paypal” – thank goodness I DID go through paypal – got my refund almost immediately after reopening the case with them because Etsy is completely useless!! CAVEAT EMPTOR, if you buy on etsy.
Oh!! And one time a few years ago, I purchased a picture frame on etsy (paid for shipping), and then had the seller tell me she couldn’t ship it until payday because she didn’t have the money to ship it!! Ha!! Seriously?!! I didn’t report it of course because it was not an expensive item, and I did get the frame – but this last experience was a $330.00 purchase that I would have had to eat if not for Paypal. In my experience, you are much safer buying on ebay, because they do lean on the sellers to make it right, and they do back their buyers. Maybe just away from international purchases to be on the safe side (at least from China and India, both of above problem transactions on Etsy and Ebay were from India, and China, respectively).
Sorry to hear that! Marie and I have had several good experiences through Etsy, but it’s like anything, I suppose–you never know who you’re dealing with. I think the anonymity of the internet makes it even easier for folks to flake. 🙁
Yikes, that’s awful! I have purchased many, many items from Etsy (I love the idea of supporting small businesses who make things by hand), and have never had an issue like this. I’m so sorry this happened to you!
One time I ordered a onesie for Little Miss before she was born, and when it arrived the coloring was way off from what I was expecting. I contacted the seller and he redid the entire thing, adjusting the color to my liking, and shipped me the new one for free. I’m sad your experience didn’t live up to the great customer service I typically find on Etsy 🙁
Wow that sucks!!! Mainly that you won’t get your supa-fly jacket though. :/
That stinks! I sell on Etsy, but I didn’t know that they offered such little support for buyers requesting refunds. Hope you get your money back soon.
Sorry to hear about this, Holly. I have never done much shopping on Etsy but I’ll definitely use a credit card versus paypal if I ever do. It can be such a pain to dig out the credit card but I typically do for this very reason. And by the way, if I found a swimsuit that I like and flattered me, I’d own three of them too! 🙂
Wow that really stinks! I can’t believe Etsy doesn’t even care.
That sucks! I’ve only bought on etsy once, last fall, and it was a smooth transaction…I can’t remember if I used paypal or not. If I ever buy on there again I’ll be sure and use a credit card.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Haven’t used Etsy and probably won’t after hearing about your experience.
Oh no, that really sucks! I stopped using ebay for similar reasons and I’ve been in love with etsy. I’ve used etsy several times and I’ve never experienced a flaky seller. I’ll be sure to use my credit card after reading this though. Also, I wonder if they will change their policy towards this issue after they go public.
I guess you are fortunate it was only $30. I’m not even sure I’d spend the time to fight for that…take my licks and move on. Guess it would depend on how strongly I felt about taking a stand just for the principle of the matter.
I have actually always been slight afraid of buying from etsy because unlike Amazon, they really don’t seem to have a good monitoring and control system in place and they certainly don’t have the resources like Amazon to compensate you when sh&t hits the fan like this.
That really sucks. I’ve never used Etsy myself before, but I ran into a similar situation on Ebay. My mom asked me to find an iPod online for my sister’s birthday and they didn’t mind it being used so I bid on one for $100 and got it. We paid and weeks and weeks went by and we didn’t receive anything. We had to jump through hoops to try to sort everything out with the unresponsive seller and it’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Good luck with everything!
I sell on ebay a lot, but I haven’t bought or sold on etsy yet. Thanks for the heads up on the credit card thing. I know I don’t like digging it out either, but after hearing this, I will definiteily be sure to use it in the future.
I guess I’ve gotten lucky. The Etsy sellers I’ve dealt with have always been very prompt and honest.
I did recently have an issue with a Brookstone order for slippers. The payment got deducted, but I never received a confirmation email about the order or shipping. So I called them, and they said there had been a glitch and some orders just didn’t go through.
They created a new order with me, but I had to go back through PayPal to get the funds back. (Another example of it being better to just use your card.) So I requested that, and it was pending for awhile.
Then we got two boxes of slippers, and things got super complicated. It all worked out but it was exhausting. This kind of stuff is one of the few downsides of shopping online, I guess.
Sorry to hear, Holly. We’ve had some really good experiences with Etsy and I know Victoria got some of our wedding stuff on there. While it’s bad for business, I can see why they don’t try too hard to be good at customer service. With so many sellers on the site I’m sure there are a ton of terrible ones.
Maybe its best you used Paypal or wouldn’t they also have your credit card number that paid them? I have never used etsy so I don’t know if that is handled at etsy so the seller never sees the credit card info or its handled by the seller who then would have it. A scam jacket deal could have turned into much more. In any case I am glad that you will (did) get your money back.
Yes, this is exactly why I purchase through Paypal. If you use your credit card, you are opening yourself up to identity fraud. At least you have protection using the third party. You will still have a long process to get through, proving the fraudulent charges, or getting your money back in the event you have a bad transaction on these sites. At least with Paypal, you have some protection.
wow … never thought it would be like that. Thanks for the warning on Etsy!
Yikes! I’ve always tried to use extreme caution when shopping on Etsy because some people just don’t seem legit. (I think most people on there are on the up and up and honest, but you get a few bad apples in every bunch.) I hate that you’re having to deal with this and I hope you get your money back soon. This is one of the biggest reasons I use credit cards to pay 99.9% of the time. My money doesn’t go anywhere until I tell it to — if there’s any kind of fraud, it’s the credit card company’s problem for the most part. I’d rather let them handle it than me 🙂 And this is definitely why I cringe at people who proclaim that they’ll NEVER use anything but cash!
Oh no! So sorry this happened to you! I used to sell on Etsy a long time ago and their customer service actually protected the buyer way more than the seller. I think in the past years it’s gone downhill – they allow mass manufacturing and items no longer have to be handmade. It’s unfortunate!
Did you ever find a similar jacket elsewhere?
Yeah bought something online and didn’t get my item, filed a Reg E with paypal and got it back pretty quickly. Usually banks/money institutions have a threshold that they will just give back your money. When it’s a larger amount they ask more questions, I would expect the money back shortly.
I’ve bought on Etsy many, many times and have never had any trouble, so this is the first I’m hearing of their policy. I was very pleasantly surprised with Amazon, though. In November, my husband bought a textbook from a third party. It didn’t show up til February. Of course he had already bought the book again elsewhere in January because he needed it for class. I never got responses from the vendor. So I shipped the book back and Amazon refunded my money. But then… Weeks later, the book was returned to us. As if the vendor just, no longer existed. Very bizarre. I feel bad that I got my money back and still have the book, but I tried to return it and couldn’t, so I guess I’m keeping it? (selling it on Amazon?) It’s all so weird.
Aw, it absolutely sucks that you were ripped off like that on Etsy. I’m an Etsy seller and I can’t imagine doing that to anybody. And it surprises me that Etsy doesn’t care at all. I have no doubt you’ll end up getting your money back, but it’s still so frustrating for you!
We have just been ripped off for over 300 dollars. So angry with Etsy. My daughter kept waiting to file a complaint because the lady would lie and say she was shipping it tomorrow so now it is too late to file. I will never use Etsy again which is too bad because I have used it for other purchases. The sellers on Etsy should get together and demand Etsy have better customer service or it will eventually fold because of the few horrible sellers.
This really is bad! Sorry you had to go through this. My experience as etsy buyer was also disappointing. The item I ordered never never reached me. My repeated mails to etsy and the seller went unanswered and of course no refunds! Recently I have bought few items from itshandicraft.com and I am happy with the purchase and customer service. Good prices too. Try it out.
Im just going through this now ordered im UKordered off seller uUSA waiting ages for my items asked seller for tracking number as they hadn’tarrived then they closed the ship so i opened case anyway after a month parcel came with i item missing & one wrong item. Going of postage label they lied about date the declared to etsy they posted. Etsy expect me to wait longer whilethey ddecide, they said they pay up in my favour, luckily i openeda ccasewith pPayPalat the same time which gets decided in 2days & seller hasn’trresponded through there yet im hoping they wont. Feel so scammed
I purchased a hand crafted drum through Etsy for over $400. I never received the product. After talking with the seller several times I called Etsy. The representative indicated they could not help. I am hoping this works out however I would not use Etsy again.
I bought a lousy pillow on Etsy, it was poorly made, very sloppy, looked awful and totally not as described. The seller refused to refund and so did Etsy. So I’ve learned a lesson. STAY AWAY FROM ETSY, take your business elsewhere.
Yesss! Oh my gosh. I wish I could send the screen shot of the hateful little note I got from a girl named Jessie Rae who HAD a page on Etsy called GlamorGoth. I had ordered 8 of her marabou feather pens (think Clueless) for stocking stuffers back on November 30, 2016. It was just today I was realizing I never received them. So I went onto Etsy to check it out. Not only had the item never been shipped, as I had discovered under tracking info, but the seller had sent me this nasty little note:
“Thank you for your purchase! I look forward to cutting and burning my little fingers to bring you your new handmade accessories! It’s a labor of love.”
When I tried to contact her, I was told that the member no longer existed. She got a way with $48.00
As a seller Etsy rippd me…off. Its chancy to open a Store there because they are James Bond at slipping in ways to getcha. And they won’t comp you any courtesy refunds. I don’t think I ever sold one knockoff pricenitem, Vintage or handmade. As a buyer Etsy is mainly eyecandy…HUGE price tags mostly. Etsy on both sides of the commercial coin reigns and rings short lived. VERY short lived.
I checked this post because I ordered something from someone that looks like a newby. Ihave had good luck in the past but I guess I was thinking I was ordering from ebay. Looked for the feedback for this person NADA as the amount is considerably more than the price of your jacket. Well I am going to pay for the item and hold my breathe.
But have concerns about all the folks who think teir credit card will pay them back. CITI CARD gave me a $300. credit happily and then chsrged me back when they found THEY couldn’t collect from the deadbeat seller. I year and they are still send letters, calling all hours. Tee only GOOD NEWS Is I have the $300 .
Watch out for CITI !!!
someone fraudulently charged $4770.00 on my debit card ending in 1971 on 11/13/17.
Etsy does nothing about it. In fact, their website has no link to even report a fraudulent charge on the site.
I don’t use Etsy, and yet they are charging my card.
I just recently had a horrible experience with Etsy.com too – I purchased a large amount of lavender, and unfortunately had to cancel it. I did this not even 12 hours after the purchase on June 27th (the seller said estimated time of shipment will be July 4th), and she responded with “I have already begun processing your order.” If anyone knows anything about lavender, they know you cannot de-bud 15 lbs of lavender within 12 hours, she obviously had it ready. Etsy advised her to not ship and she did anyway. There was no common courtesy and no respect between buyer and seller – and what does Etsy do? Not much if. They responded initially but I have had to take this up with BBB. This is so disappointing to know that there is no protection, absolutely none at all. I would advise against shopping on Etsy – but particularly at Atelier Emma Rose. What a horrible and expensive waste of an experience.
Etsy offers little buyer protection. I had an outrageously bad experience. The worst experience I have had. I am shocked. Etsy favoured an escalated case to a large seller that sold me wrong coloured item. PINK! There was no indication at all that it was pink. I raised a case, and Etsy policy describes that refunds are issued for item not as described cases, including items which are a completely different colour than described. The seller was irate, abusive and violated my privacy outside of Etsy. I do not believe Etsy looked at the lengthy case, or gave it the care it deserved. Ripped off on so many levels. I appealed many times until Etsy refused to respond to me. DO NOT TRUST ETSY PAYMENTS. Use Paypal always when buying through Etsy, and link your Paypal through your credit card so there is a chance of multiple backup. Honestly, Etsy is getting worse and worse. My fees as a seller, total at 10% of my sale.
A seller sent me PINK fabric. No indication it was pink in the listing. I escalated a case. Seller became more and more aggressive, abusive. Accusing me of extorsion, lying, photoshopping images. Outside of Etsy the seller published my personal information and attacked and degraded my artist sites. I thought I had a clear item not as described case and was sure to be issued a refund. Etsy still favoured the seller!!! Did they look at the case? I do not believe so. BUYER BEWARE! DO NOT TRUST ETSY!!! I have now filed a Credit card chargeback and have had witnesses… the Police, a senior phamacest and a member of the bank witness the fabric and confirm that I did not photoshop the images. I am waiting to see if case is successful. Etsy offered me no protection. I am utterly shocked at Etsy’s non support and wonder if this a common experience?
Wow so many comments and unhappy customers of Etsy. I shop online all the time and even with individual sellers which exist on eBay and Amazon- I’ve never seen any big online site make customers jump through hoops the way Etsy does. I truly believe Etsy created this system to prevent refunds atogether. There is no other reason to create such an outstandingly difficult process.
Before I dive into my own rant- I have avoided certain sellers with bad reviews, spotty photos and poor descriptions but there have been times when this didn’t matter. I do see one pattern however- if you’re buying from a shop you know or don’t- if you purchase say $20 item with a few $2-3 items on the side, it’s fine. If the seller is listing their items at almost wholesale prices- it tends to be cautionary for me. I’m currently going through a situation where this happened.
I also avoid “witches” because I truly believe some use their bias and creepily investigate every customer. It’s just a theory lol and I have had good experiences but it’s just idk- a vibe or something I’m trying to make sense of in the site.
So basically, I was a lil too trusting and overlooked these things in my last purchase and told myself that these theories are kinda silly but it was on the nail. Super low, almost comical price and sketchy witcy descriptions. The seller is basically doing all caps with sass in the responses and I know it’s an attempt to provoke.
I been holding my own but reading through these confirms to me that I already knew a system like this is setup for the real corrupt pigs being Etsy with their team of con artists.
Maybe I shouldn’t hold back and just tell her what’s up because i kidd you not that my family and I are currently still trying to air out “handmade” incense that genuinely smells like #1. As if someone spit in our fast food order-!yup it’s that bad.
In any case, soooooo many great experience with lovely, wholesome sellers from all over the globe but my theories I ignored and here I am. I wasn’t interested in the small amount I paid but I was curious at how Etsy backs up this corruption and how can I learn from how this process hurts customers dealing with bad intentioned sellers.
So far I’m learning that pretty much anything goes but yeah. I want to let my guard down and let her have it. In any case, I really believe that this is something for better business bureau to look into it. I truly feel this system is by design to reap the most profit. I remember before tech took over- Amazon and Ebay had their share of flaws but it’s mostly done away with now.
In what world, does a customer have to basically beg, plead and argue for a refund? It’s defunitely corruption.
I wanna know how can I go through my credit company or PayPal for a refund??? I’ve never had to do it this way before.
I’m also considering letting a friend troll the shop for a min. but in general, receiving a product that legit smells like malice is creepy beyond belief and I knew Etsy would protect them but unraveling this all makes me aware that sellers are limitless with their treatment of customers thanks to Etsy. I think some kind of petition should be filed like change.org because this is absolutely pathetic and disgusting of Etsy.
I also got conned by an Etsy Seller: SearchEndsHere who sold me a pair of what were listed as 10K Yellow Gold earrings with screw backs and Natural Blue/Green Tourmaline stones. I paid $195.00
B*N was stamped on the nut part of the screw back = turns out B*N stands for Bagbee & Niles – who manufactured costume jewelry – gold or silver plate with rhinestones, cut glass.
When I discovered this I reached out to the seller and inquired if she had done gold test and how she had determined the stones were Natural Tourmaline. Of course, she got angry and told me our discussion ends here. So now I have contacted Etsy. We will see what good that does It looks like the Seller doesn’t have bad reviews. I hope my case was just one that she just winged it guessed at what she had. Leaves me with junk jewelry – glass in gold plate. Similar pieces are being sold for appx. $12.00 Another seller made shaws and I purchased 2 with sequin covered material. I received them and the sequins were falling off. She would only exchange them for another of her shaws. She was not willing to just take them back saying they were custom made. Geeze…..they were varying lengths but about as simple as it gets. I just let it go. Because I have had sellers that I have had positive experiences with I will continuing doing business with them but am fearful of any new shops/sellers. And How can you reach Etsy? Oh boy.
Just and fyi, Etsy tells you if you use Paypal you have to create a case through Paypal to get a refund.
“…the seller has until the end of the month to reach out to me and solve this issue.”
Reach out, eh? Reach out? Not email. Not contact. No phone. Reach out?
I know this is an old thread, but I couldn’t help but pile on. Etsy is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, online shops. It’s amazing that you can support small and local businesses, and I always prefer handmade with slight endearing perfections to many mass-produced items. Recently, I purchased a rather cheap ring- at least, I thought it was pretty cheap until I noticed the shipping. Unfortunately, I was careless when I was purchasing and neglected to see the shipping cost until the order had gone through and the transaction had been made. However, I promptly messaged the seller politely requesting a refund, as the item hadn’t been shipped yet so I hoped it wouldn’t be a hassle. Within a half-hour she responded and refunded me my full amount. So, to sum everything up- I wouldn’t avoid Etsy altogether. They have many high-quality items and gracious sellers, and all my experiences have (thankfully) been positive ones. I am by no means trying to discredit those who have gone through poor service (I know I’ve been lucky), but I just wanted to put it out there that Etsy isn’t overall this horrible place online. Some tips for the road though- check shop ratings!!! A majority of sellers on Etsy have around 4.5 stars, if not more- if you see a rating under 3.5 stars, check the comments!!! They are very telling, as it seems pretty easy to receive good ratings!! And if you want to be extra sure, you can usually find a description which tells you the period in which the seller typically responds to avoid future problems. This isn’t all telling, but again if you want to be extra sure check the period in which the Etsy seller typically responds.
Similar thing happened to me on Etsy. Never received my order after 3 months of waiting and the seller said it’s not their problem when items get lost in mail “otherwise they’d be like charity”. Not buying from Etsy anymore.
Similar story for me, too. I purchased a belt from a craftsman somewhere in Africa on behalf of my daughter to give to my husband for Christmas, in November. Didn’t come in time for Christmas. Waited. Emailed. Waited. I looked into openning a case on Etsy, but it strongly encourages you to try to work it out first. So, I contacted the seller one last time in February to say I haven’t received it and now I want my money back. The seller finally agreed to ‘send another’. Waited. Emailed. By April, I said I wanted my money back. Waited. By June I went back to Etsy only to learn that now I had absolutely no recourse. Can’t leave a review, can’t contact the seller, can’t get a refund, can’t get them to open a ‘case’. My daughter and I are out $55. That’s it. I have purchased other things on Etsy since, but the seller is within the US. I won’t be buying anything again from a seller on another continent.
This has happened to me twice! I was shorted 2 items on a bundle order of 17 items i only received 15 & i never got my other 2 & never got any money back either. The other incident was i sold an item a Queen record to be exact & the woman who received it lied & said it wasnt in the box $40 i lost there. When i shipped thst record & another record i sold on a different site shipped both same time & the other person ssid they got their record. Head up stay off Etsy!! Check out Poshmark, Mercari, EBay. All of those sites offer protection! Especially Posh & Mercari
I was just about to hit purchase on a $700 Swimming pool, then I though ehh better look up reviews about Etsy. Glad I did and found this, think I will keep looking. lol
Has anyone got the 700$ swimming pool? Is it legit?
I have just been ripped off for over $700 for a purse I bought on Etsy based on online photos and described as having no rips or tears and being in great vintage condition. It did arrive (actually would have been less disappointing if it had never been shipped or had been lost in transit!) and it is in terrible condition with all four places where the handles join the bag torn and holes in the leather where they had been glued or taped on. My first purchase through Etsy…I had wrongly assumed that buyer had some protection as we have on Poshmark, Ebay etc. I filed a claim via Paypal and I guess we will see. But it made me sick to my stomach that someone would send an item out in this condition. Never again on Etsy
I have purchased on Etsy for awhile and had mostly good experiences. In 2016 I purchased a pair of earrings listed as being 10K Gold with Natural Tourmaline Stones. The markings were B*N
This past month I have been inventorying my jewelry in order to prepare for selling some of it. I had never worn this pair of earrings. I kept a copy of the sale sheet with the earrings. I could not remember the exact amount I paid for the earrings so contacted the seller who was nice enough to look them up and the price paid was $195.00 I was looking at them closer with a jewelry loop and noticed the Tourmaline??? was cut glass. I then reached out to the seller and asked if she had tested for gold and how she determined the stones were Natural Blue/Green Tourmaline. She became hostile and told me the conversation was ending here. Turns out B*N stands for Bagbee and Niles – costume jewelry which is gold or silver plated and has rhinestones, glass but not something Tourmaline. Other sellers have similar items that are on average $12.00 So I paid $195.00 for cheap costume jewelry. The seller completely misrepresented the item. The store is called SearchEndsHere It did not look like there were any complaints. I trusted this person who listed her 35 plus years of buying vintage items. I spent hours leaving a message for Etsy. Yes, it was 5 years back but that does not make it right that this seller’s listing indicated the earrings were high end……$195.00 for $12.00 vintage earrings. Rip Off I won’t buy anything on Etsy other than from sellers I have experience with and know they stand behind their products.
I know this was written a while ago, so my experience is not meant to invalidate yours whatsoever 🙂 but I had a fabulous experience with Etsy when someone didn’t come through. In 2020, I had ordered a Christmas stocking back in November, and about a week before Christmas it still hadnt shipped out so I was sad it wouldn’t make it on time, but I really like to support small businesses and so didn’t want to cancel my order or say anything because the stocking would get used next year and many years after.
But it never came and the seller wouldn’t communicate. So in January I finally reported it to Etsy. They had me fill out something where I could request a refund or the item to be remade and shipped, along with a text box to write to the seller (with Etsy being able to view it/moderate it). They gave the seller a few days to respond and when she didn’t, they asked if I wanted a refund and I said yes so they refunded me immediately. No hassle at all! Although, when I went to the seller’s shop a week later, it looks like they had done the same thing to tons of other people. They had countless 1-star reviews of from people who had the same experience (and have since closed their shop). I do hope they were okay though. My first thought was perhaps they had an emergency come up.