To want a refund from Etsy seller

29 replies

sapphicy · 16/05/2026 13:15

I ordered a piece of jewellery from Etsy for my niece which was due via Royal Mail special delivery on 8th May, unfortunately my DP missed the delivery so we asked for it to be delivered to local post office and it was due there on 9th May.

One week later no update at all on Royal Mail tracking and the occasion the item was ordered for has now been and gone, so I asked for a refund from the seller on Etsy.

At first he just said he won’t refund on the basis my DP missed the delivery. Then he said he will refund if he gets the item back but is refusing to look into it with Royal Mail and told me that’s my problem. I called the post office and they said they don’t have it. Seller has now also closed his Etsy shop until 24th May and put a message up saying messages will not be responded to during that time, he also explained that even if it does turn up I can’t return the item now as it needs a signature and he won’t be there to sign.

I have opened a case with Etsy and waiting to see if they will refund me, assume Royal Mail have cocked up here and lost the item. If they don’t refund me I will have to try a chargeback via Amex.

Any advice on what to do here? It wasn’t a custom item just off the shelf, value £200, and postage was free, AIBU to want a full refund at this point and seller can sort it out with Royal Mail? I feel like the seller is doing everything possible to keep my money regardless of what happens to the item and I’m starting to panic Etsy are going to side with the seller.

OP posts:

hididdlyho · 17/05/2026 16:38

In that case, I would put the claim in with Etsy now and go through the process of a refund. I run a small business and we don't refund a customer before the specified time has elapsed to put in a claim with Royal Mail. Special delivery is 5 working days, which takes you to tomorrow. Nine times out of ten the item does arrive before it gets to the stage when we can put in a claim with RM, so if we were offering refunds as soon as a customer asked each time, we'd soon go out of business!

IAmUsingTheApplauseReactionSarcastically · 17/05/2026 16:50

latetothefisting · 17/05/2026 10:39

Bit weird to be so critical when you can't even read the post correctly. The niece wasn't involved in any way with the delivery.

Special delivery doesn't mean that you're told the exact time something will arrive, just that it needs to be signed for when it does. I'm sure the people criticising you haven't hand received every single letter and parcel they've ever been sent! It's perfectly normal to 'miss' a parcel just from being at work, out the back garden, in the shower, on the loo, because you had music/tv on, were changing baby's nappy...etc.

I think you've made a rod for your own back in saying DP 'missed' the delivery OP, there would have been less chance for people to pile on if you'd just said the delivery was supposed to go to the PO - doesn't matter if it's a re-delivery or that was the original destination, it's still RM who have fucked up, so they are at fault. RM's contract is with the seller, not the buyer, so the only possible person who can chase it up is the seller.

It doesn't mean it's the seller's "fault" as such, but they were the one who chose to send via RM, so it's their responsibility for the parcel to get there. Until the parcel gets a signature, it's their issue. As pps have said, this is exactly why they sell via etsy in the first place - for the insurance.

Edited

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This is Mumsnet though, so the OP IBU for expecting to exercise her consumer rights and her DP IBU for not anticipating that the postie would knock rather than ring the doorbell.

Original poster

sapphicy · 17/05/2026 19:21

hididdlyho · 17/05/2026 16:38

Thank you, when I open a case with Etsy (I can do this tomorrow) do Etsy refund me themselves and then sort the rest out with the seller? The seller is now ignoring messages

OP posts:

DelilahBucket · 17/05/2026 19:32

So, as a seller on Etsy myself, here's what the seller should have done; initiated a complaint with Royal Mail, you can do this after one working day for Special Delivery. Then directed you to claim from Etsy, although they only cover the first $250 (at the current exchange rate) and the seller is liable for the remainder. It will still cover the bulk of the email.
The seller may be able to claim from Royal Mail, but honestly, it's such a massive farce to do this. Royal Mail make it really difficult to do and many handmade sellers are not able to fulfill the document requirements.

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