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Is Etsy a scam?

32 replies

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 11:37

Can anyone help please? I’ve never used Etsy before until placing an order last week. Confirmation email received followed by notification of dispatch however nothing has arrived.
Seller’s email address doesn’t work and Etsy process can’t help because I checked out as a guest. I seem to be stuck. Am I doing something wrong?

OP posts:
HappyWipings · 04/08/2021 11:42

I've ordered lots from etsy and it's been fine. I do find that a lot of the sellers require time to make and dispatch sometimes though. Is it handmade , or from another country?

Have you tried making an account to see if your item ordered can be added to your profile?

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 11:45

It’s got a London address for the seller. I have made an account and will see if I can add it, thank you.

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BabyDereksToes · 04/08/2021 11:45

I've bought a few bits on Etsy and never had a problem. You might have just been unlucky or they are a bit behind with orders.

conkersarebonkers · 04/08/2021 11:47

According to this page help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115015410188?segment=shopping if you checked out as a guest you can create an account and claim your order.

That will allow you to contact the seller through the Etsy messaging system and, if necessary, contact Etsy support.

MeadowLines · 04/08/2021 11:48

Sometimes the products are coming from overseas, maybe china, even though they have a uk based address

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 11:49

@conkersarebonkers

According to this page help.etsy.com/hc/en-gb/articles/115015410188?segment=shopping if you checked out as a guest you can create an account and claim your order.

That will allow you to contact the seller through the Etsy messaging system and, if necessary, contact Etsy support.

I’m trying that now thank you
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duffed · 04/08/2021 11:51

Have you tried sending the seller a message through their etsy shop? Its best to use their messaging system, rather than emailing.

If they've marked it as despatched then they've printed the stamp or posted it, so I wouldn't jump to thinking its a scam - just that its been delayed in the post, if the estimated date has passed already.

Royal Mail are currently experiencing delays due to the 'pingdemic' with lots of staff isolating so I would assume its that to be honest.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 11:59

Thanks @duffed it’s their shop contact that bounces back - in fact says “failed” 🤷‍♀️

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Livinthedream84 · 04/08/2021 12:06

I’ve ordered lots through Etsy and sometimes the postage takes longer. I’d wait a bit longer as it may have a London address but it maybe drop shipped from overseas.

duffed · 04/08/2021 12:06

Ah, that sounds more like a temporary etsy technical error rather than their email address not working. I would leave it a bit and then try again. later

Otherwise, in your dispatch/confirmation email there should be a link for you to contact the shop through on there too.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 12:09

Thanks everyone, I’ll keep trying.

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Shellingbynight · 04/08/2021 12:11

I've ordered loads of stuff from Etsy in the past few years (mainly jewelry) and it has always been fine. Orders do sometimes take a bit longer than you expect to arrive though.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 12:12

Useful to know that the delivery date they give you maybe isn’t accurate. I might leave it till the end of the week then chase.

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ADragonCalledKeith · 04/08/2021 12:12

My DM ordered something for DGCs and it never arrived. Check the shop name on trust pilot or read the reviews on Etsy. She never checked those.
Early ones were great, but all the month ago or so ones were awful.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 12:14

Recent reviews (including up to the weekend) all very positive.

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Talia99 · 04/08/2021 12:25

Asking if Etsy is a scam is like asking if Amazon or eBay is a scam - it’s not a seller itself, it’s a platform for independent sellers. Some of the sellers by the law of averages will be scammers, most won’t.

If it’s a shop, can you google for a different email address?

caughtinanet · 04/08/2021 12:38

Of course Etsy isn't a scam. Is your local high street a scam? It's the online equivalent

No one can tell you anything about an individual seller, there are 100s of 1000s of not millions of them

If you did have a problem you'd have to follow their procedures like you would with eBay or Amazon or whoever.

caughtinanet · 04/08/2021 12:40

@Talia99

Asking if Etsy is a scam is like asking if Amazon or eBay is a scam - it’s not a seller itself, it’s a platform for independent sellers. Some of the sellers by the law of averages will be scammers, most won’t.

If it’s a shop, can you google for a different email address?

I was distracted while typing, I see I've said pretty much exactly the same as you @Talia99 Smile
AdobeWanKenobi · 04/08/2021 12:45

It's a scam in the sense that a good portion of the stuff thats for sale on there isn't hand made at all and can be bought for pennies on Aliexpress. This is especially true for jewellery where I purchased a necklace for DD that was £1.50 delivered that was being sold as handmade and silver for £20 on Etsy.

The platform is safe enough, but always head over to the likes of Ali and have a look to be sure you're actually getting a hand crafted item and not mass produced Chinese tat.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 12:46

I buy very little online, and almost never from Amazon etc. I’ve never even looked at eBay. If I buy online it’s from a company that has a real world high street presence. Sorry for being analogue but there we are.

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theemmadilemma · 04/08/2021 13:19

Worth noting that the shop address does not denote item location. Someone got caught on that, interior shop in London direct shipping from Europe.

But Etsy isn't a scam at all.

LondonJax · 04/08/2021 14:07

I have an Etsy shop. Unfortunately Etsy has something called 'Etsy labels' which they advertise for use by sellers. These postage labels give an estimated delivery time.

I refuse to use them for my parcels as, when it's busy, like Christmas, or if Covid has hit a delivery office it gives a very false sense of delivery times. Customers get, rightly, edgy and sellers get inundated with enquiries when it's just volumes in the postal systems. I tell my UK customers that I use first class post so they know how long they would usually wait and, at busy times, they give it a bit longer before they worry. By which time the parcel has edged through the system.

Did the seller tell you how they'd sent it? Sometimes, if it's not on their dispatch note, it can be shown on their shop. If it's by second class post that could show why it's taking so long to arrive. If they didn't mention how it was sent, many sellers add the information on their individual items pages - usually just down from the price. It'll say delivery estimated by (or something like that) and then may have some information about which postal service they use.

Or it could be on the seller's main shop front page, scroll down to the information about the shop. There may be a FAQ about delivery which will include how they ship .

As well as selling I've also bought from Etsy sellers a lot (I buy some of my supplies from a few of them) and I've never had a problem. Like most platforms, there will always be people who scam. But most Etsy sellers are small businesses like mine who really value our customers.

As others have said, join as a customer and if you can't contact the seller, contact Etsy direct. They'll help you.

Good luck!

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 04/08/2021 14:15

I love Etsy. Ive bought loads from there and its all been fine. Id be a bit concerned if I were you too though. Does the seller have a separate website you can look up other contact details on? Sometimes they use Etsy as a platform to sell stuff but have a separate buisness.

JosephineDeBeauharnais · 04/08/2021 15:14

I’ve downloaded the app but it doesn’t recognise my name and password Hmm. Can’t track the order without downloading the app. I’m giving up for now.

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Shellingbynight · 04/08/2021 15:24

You don't need the app (I don't have it). You can track your order on the desktop site, but obviously you do need to be signed in.