i found this cute sweatshirt on etsy that i thought would be cute to wear to my book club but it looks like it’s a new store and they don’t have reviews. do we think it’s safe to order from there? does etsy give any protections to consumers?

To make a long story short, I'm hoping to re-create the vampire mug to the left in the photo here, or at least to create a ceramic vampire mug that will complement the two surviving Halloween mugs that were gifted to my siblings and I over twenty years ago. I was recently told to check out sellers on Etsy, so I figured it couldn't hurt to make a post here and see if anyone has any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

long story short, I'd wanted a feux leather jacket for when I watch avengers doomsday in theaters this december so I did some digging until I found one I'd liked enough. seller had plenty of products and plenty of reviews so I'd figured why not, clearly not their images used on the sales itself but the reviews had actual jackets and legit responses rather than those you'd find from someone who just generates reviews.

reasonably they'd be busy during the halloween season, so they let me know they were currently busy and I confirmed the measurements they sent were correct. yesterday a shipping label was created (not yet shipped) as well only to open my emails today to:

"It looks like you recently purchased an item from TheMoviesJackets. Unfortunately, this shop isn't selling on Etsy anymore, so there may be an issue with your order (#______)

To get help, open a case with Etsy and we'll step in right away. Keep in mind: With Etsy's Purchase Protection program, you'll receive a full refund if your order never arrives, arrives damaged, or isn't as described."

I was just wondering if this meant A. it was etsy or the seller themselves who closed shop and B. if there's still any chance I can get said jacket 😭 with the shop closed but label created, would that mean they'd still be able to ship it out?

by the sounds of the email, it seems like I can still get it, but I just wanted 2nd opinions before jumping the gun to opening a case if shipping doesn't update (which is not what I'd prefer to do unless there isn't any updates on the shipping info within a reasonable time window, given the holiday week as well)

I need help please. I have a personalized order that I shipped on time, to the address provided by customer at checkout. The order was returned to sender for invalid address. Turns out, she forgot to put her apt #. The order is for $413 so even under buyer protection- only $250 would be covered 😭 I have and will continue to try to help her with her delivery but she needs her order by Nov 1st. The package keeps showing as trying to redeliver and hasn’t been delivered nor sent back to me.
The post office said to file a tracker to see if it can help get the package back on route, have her contact her local post office (we’ve done that too).

These were personalized party favors with her kids name and face. I can not resell them. What can I do? I don’t feel it’s fair that I will have to refund her when I spent days creating her items, $ on product, etc.

I did reach out to customer service but can’t seem to get a straight answer as to what will happen next 😩

Hey guys, so for context; I’m about to open a new POD shop after spending months creating all original artwork & designs that I’m actually really proud of & excited about. My plan is really to build more of a brand here not just sell basic POD slop. But because I’m doing POD, & because I just learned about payment holds for new sellers, now I’m really starting to question how that might effect cash flow…

I actually used to have a different Etsy shop a few years ago too, but payment reserves & holds weren’t a thing yet back then so it was never a problem. I naively was assuming not much had changed since & completely neglected to factor these new policies into consideration before trying to open another new shop.

I also had previously heard of Etsy doing payment reserves now, but apparently I’ve also been confusing payment “reserves” for payment deposit “holds” assuming they were the same thing. Although, I now know that’s not technically the case.

Evidently, it seems as if a payment “reserve” is when Etsy withholds usually approx 30% of revenue from a sale until shipping can be validated in most cases. However, a payment “hold” on the other hand is when Etsy prevents one from depositing any funds into their account at all for a certain set amount of time? Correct me if I’m still wrong, but that’s my understanding as I know it to be now.

Of course new shops especially are subject to both of these for at least the first 14 days if not longer. I get this is considered to be a “probationary period”. Yet then I read that some sellers claim they don’t even see ANY of their earnings at all for up to the first 3-6 months of being open entirely!? Which is rather highly concerning if so.

Now I get that Etsy does this to help weed out scammers. And honestly the 30% payment reserves I can totally reason with until shipment tracking can be confirmed for orders. But Etsy gatekeeping ALL of your money with payment holds for any longer than 2 weeks just seems criminal to me!? Like am I missing something here? Idk

That said, how are yall dealing with cash flow? Especially POD sellers? How do you even get started at that rate to begin with?

For example; I recently came across this other POD tshirt shop. And despite them only being open for about 3 months now, they already have 1K in sales! At first I was thinking total GOALS. But now I’m not so sure…
If we do some brief math idk how the heck they’re affording the capital?
Like for instance; let’s round & say they’re selling each item for about $30 including shipping. Then let’s assume their profit could be maybe $10 per order (for the sake of easy math.) Hence, their expense & cost for each order they pay is $20. Therefore, if you multiply $20 by 1000 then that’s $20K dollars they have already had to pay their printing partner in only 3 months!? Which is total insanity to me especially if they haven’t even possibly seen a dime from any of it assuming Etsy is still withholding all their funds/ revenue for being a “new” shop. But I’m not positive.

Obviously, there’s no way to know for certain tho how much Etsy may or may not still be withholding or reserving from their sales without asking that particular seller directly. But maybe they’re on this Sub & can chime in too lol I know I’ve seen some other people mention that if you achieve “Star Seller” status sooner then Etsy might make your probationary period shorter & withhold less? But the seller im referring to did not appear to have “Star Seller” status yet anyway.

Which begs the question; How are they affording their success? How are they affording to pay the printing company they’re using? I know they’ll get all that money back eventually, but still. How does one manage in the meantime if some shops really can’t access any deposits for the first few months? Unless, I guess, you have an insanely high limit on your credit card or you secure a small business loan or something.

Look, I know for a lot of shops it’s probably a non issue anyhow if you aren’t getting a ton of sales right out of the gate regardless. But what if you do? Shouldn’t that be the goal? How do you plan for that? Or do a lot of you guys just wait to even really start actively advertising until after your “probationary” period is up?

Maybe these are dumb questions, & I’m probably still missing something here, but a lot has changed since I last had a storefront on Etsy & any feedback is super appreciated!
(Sorry for the long post.)

TLDR: How are new sellers (particularly POD sellers) affording the capital to pay for their expenses (or to pay their printing partners) if Etsy is gatekeeping all of your earnings to start? Especially if one is getting a lot of initial orders? How long did Etsy instill these payment “reserves” & account deposit “holds” on you? How long did this “probationary period” last for your shop? How did you manage cash flow in the meantime?

I've had my (buyer only) Etsy account since 2019 or so, and I've only made a handful of relatively small purchases over the years. Recently, I made a few purchases after moving to a new place: several posters and a rug (a few days later, separate from the poster purchases.) The posters were purchased, processed, and received just fine, but the rug purchase attempt has effectively bricked my Etsy account altogether.

As a general rule, I tend to use VPNs on my devices, and unfortunately, I believe I just so happened to have my phone's VPN on for the rug purchase. After ~4 days of checking my Etsy app to confirm the rug order had finally moved from Payment Processing to literally any other status, I got curious and logged onto the PC browser version only to find the order was apparently cancelled the same day I made it. I decided to make a smaller purchase to confirm there was no issue with the seller, and my suspicions were eventually confirmed through Etsy itself.

Long story short, after about a week of Etsy's support giving me the runaround, their Trust and Safety team confirmed my account had been suspended (without notice) due to suspected fraud/security issues. After answering their questions, they confirmed my suspension was in error, stated they had lifted the suspension, allowing me to use Etsy again as intended.

Well, I did that... only for the order to be immediately cancelled.

I responded to the Trust & Safety team email again, explaining that it appeared my account was still suspended despite their confirmation. Again, they replied with a near identical message explaining that the suspension was in error, had been lifted, and recommended I attempt the purchase. I attempted to make the smaller purchase again, only for the same outcome... with an identical response when I reached back out for assistance. Again, they apologized with the same canned message, stating my account's suspension had been lifted, and that I should try again.

Their last two emails were clear copies and pastes of their prior response given they mistakenly duplicated their signature and the "Hi there" portion of their emails. It seems Etsy is entirely unconcerned with actually addressing the apparent issue with my account.

At this point, what do I do? Is making a new Etsy account the only way I can actually purchase anything? It's been three weeks, and this might just be the worst customer service experience I've ever had with an online order.

Hello all. Earlier this month I purchased an item from a seller for a costume party that had an original delivery date of 22-29. This delivery date was the only reason I purchased it. On the 21st I received a message from the seller saying it would now arrive sometime between November 3-10. I immediately asked for the order to be cancelled and a refund to be issued.

The item on the page said that returns were accepted within 14 days so I thought this would be a simple matter but the seller is now refusing my request, making excuses and being generally unpleasant about the whole situation. I've been firm that I want my refund but they are not budging.

I think its pretty clear cut that I have grounds to escalate this to Etsy Support but this is my first time buying something from the site and wanted to check with y'all first before possibly wasting my time.

Has anyone successfully moved to another platform or website and closed Etsy? I know Etsy is a powerful platform but I am getting exhausted of keeping up with all the seller changes, fees, and constantly different answers from support. But I don’t know if it’s actually feasible to move away from Etsy altogether.

hi!

i am located in croatia. and since christmas is coming up i wanted to buy my mom orchid earrings. i ordered a pair from a seller on etsy over a month ago and they never responded to me and the earrings never arrived. i just opened a case with etsy over it.

anyways i am still looking for orchid earrings for my mom but they need to arrive before christmas, do you know any reputable shops/sellers selling it. i am scared to look for some myself since the last ones i bought i got from a sellers with thousands of reviews and orders and they it still turned out the way it did. it was my first time purchasing on etsy.

the budget is around 40e with shipping. thank you for your kind help ❤️

Hi all, got my second negative review and I feel like getting a star seller badge is never gonna happen now.
This shopper did reach out and I always answer immediately but she never responded back so I can guide her and help her resolve her issues. The issues she is mentioning are all user errors. This item was a best seller and I had over 40 sales of it last month with 7 positive reviews and more positive experiences shared in the message with me. No one had any issues setting up their website and sharing the link because I included a tutorial with screenshots and instructions. I don’t know what I could have done more. It’s not like I was given any chance to fix her issues. I would have even fixed the evite for her myself but what else could I have done?
The other negative review just says it’s bad and she never contacted me or never responded to my messages so I figured probably a scammer/competitor that didn’t actually use the product.

So I was working so hard to get my ratings up after that one that I got this one… I just feel so disappointed and pessimistic now. Feels like my reputation is completely out of my control and I don’t know what to do about it. Any experiences or strategies for how to recover after this? It’s my 2nd month on etsy.

Hello all! I have had a series of messages with customer service that have not gone anywhere, and I am hoping I might find advice here.

I used to sell on Etsy, but for the last 11 years I have only used my account for buying. I am still an active buyer.

My primary (login) email address was recently deleted by Gmail for inactivity, since I hadn't used that account since I was a seller. I attempted to recover it, but Gmail said it was not eligible for recovery.

I reached out to Etsy about changing my primary email address to my currently active Gmail address, since I wasn't able to do it myself (requires a verification code sent to the original email that doesn't exist).

They have asked me a series of questions to verify my identity. In addition to answering about 15 questions so far, I have sent them tax documents, social security card, ID, birth certificate, etc. They are not willing to help because I cannot find one piece of information:

"Last Disbursement amount (The amount of deposit you received in your bank account)"

When I go into my shop finances tab, there obviously isn't any recent activity. When I go to "Monthly statements," I am able to see as far back as 2017, which again shows no activity because I had stopped selling by then.

How can I find this information? When I told the first agent I was unable to see far back enough, they terminated my case. I have another case open, but I am worried about the same thing happening.

I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2014. My wife and I have built our business over more than a decade, completed tens of thousands of orders, and paid Etsy hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees.
Now, with just 6 days until November 1st, we’re facing the possibility of our shop being placed into forced Vacation Mode, potentially jeopardizing our entire livelihood.
And the most frustrating part? We’re in this situation because we followed the guidance Etsy provided us.
Here’s what’s happening.
Etsy has informed us that our case-rate metric is above its 1% threshold, putting our shop at risk.
However, Etsy’s own dashboard, written notifications, and multiple support representatives have repeatedly stated that cases closed or resolved by the seller do not count against this metric.
I’ve received this guidance from multiple representatives dating back to August.
Even an official notification I received on October 20th indicated that cases resolved by sellers would not count against them.
So that’s exactly how we operated our business.
When customers had issues, we worked to resolve them promptly. In many situations, we issued refunds directly from our own funds rather than allowing cases to escalate to Etsy.
Some of those orders potentially could have qualified for Etsy’s Purchase Protection program, meaning Etsy might have covered the refunds.
Instead, we absorbed those costs ourselves because we believed we were protecting our customers AND our shop by following Etsy’s instructions.
Now we’re being told conflicting information suggesting those same cases are counting against us.
And here’s where it gets absolutely ridiculous.
Etsy’s own support representatives cannot even agree on how their policy works.
One representative tells me seller-resolved cases don’t count.
Another tells me they do.
Another suggests I should have refunded customers before cases were opened.
How exactly are sellers supposed to refund a case before the case even exists?
Meanwhile, Etsy’s own dashboard and written communications continue to contradict what certain representatives are telling me.
I’ve repeatedly contacted Etsy seeking clarification, providing screenshots, quoting their own policies, and asking for someone to explain how these contradictions can exist.
Instead of receiving clear answers, I’ve received conflicting explanations, inadequate responses, and promises of escalation without a meaningful resolution.
And while Etsy struggles to get its own employees on the same page, the clock is ticking on our business.
We were contacted about this issue with only 11 days remaining before November 1st.
The metric is calculated over a rolling 90-day period.
How is a seller realistically supposed to correct a 90-day metric in 11 days, especially when the seller was making decisions based on information Etsy itself provided?
If we had been told from the beginning that seller-issued refunds after a case was opened would negatively affect our shop, we would have handled those situations differently.
But that’s not what we were told.
We made financial and operational decisions based on Etsy’s repeated guidance, and now we’re potentially being punished for trusting that guidance.
This isn’t some small side business for us.
This is our family’s livelihood. We’ve spent over a decade building it, maintaining strong customer relationships, and investing everything into making it successful.
And now, right before the busiest shopping season of the year, we’re left wondering whether we’ll even have a functioning Etsy shop on November 1st.
I’m not asking Etsy to ignore legitimate policies or give us special treatment.
I’m asking Etsy to consistently explain and enforce its own policies and not penalize sellers for following the information its representatives and platform provide.
If Etsy’s employees cannot agree on what counts against a seller, how can Etsy reasonably expect sellers to comply?
And if Etsy provides incorrect information that causes a seller to make decisions that negatively affect their account, who is held accountable?
Apparently, the seller.
After more than a decade on Etsy, I have never felt so disappointed in how this company treats the people who helped build its marketplace.
We have six days until we find out whether our business will be forced into Vacation Mode, and despite repeatedly reaching out, we still don’t have consistent answers.
Has anyone else experienced this level of contradictory information from Etsy Support?
Has anyone successfully challenged their case-rate metric when Etsy’s own representatives provided incorrect guidance?
I’d genuinely appreciate hearing from other sellers who have dealt with something similar.
Because sellers should not have to risk losing their livelihoods simply because Etsy cannot get its own policies and support representatives on the same page.

I bought a $30 canvas poster that was described as an "HD Canvas Print".

It is not HD in any way it looks fine from far away but from within 5 feet it is very blurry like a low quality image stretched out.

Do I really have to pay to return this?

Computer got fucked, went to redownload my coloring books from Etsy, all but 3, out of about 30, no longer exist. Creator can just remove it from Etsy, and despite it being in your downloads, and you can see the name of the original file like coloring.pdf, they're gone.

So yeah, if you don't, or haven't already, back them up.

I was like omg this whole costume for less than 15 buckos! & ITS FINALLY NOT A BIG POOFY DRESS TO RUIN. So no way, right!? So I go to pick it out as I want, & numbers are changing💀 I find the option to pick separate choices for beauty costume & beast costume as it’s individuals. I def want the Belle-styled hoodie set. THE SIZE OPTIONS ARE CRAZY AS IS BUT THEN PRICE GO UP AS YOU SIZE UP, I was in stitches realizing that🤣🤣 only thing I really can bulls*** about is presenting as a $12 whole set then the jump up x5
but if I can receive it in less than a week, all I really care about really! I’m not sure how well Etsy is with that, curious

Is there someone on esty who makes custom clothing for everyday use?

Its a normal sweater but I cant find one similar anywhere online so I've decided to try and have one custom made since it is not anything absurd to make.

If there isn't anyone like that on Etsy where can I find someone to help me out?

Is anyone having problems posting reviews, or are any sellers puzzled that they're not receiving reviews?

I always try and leave a review as soon as I receive the product. I've just attempted to do that with some vintage shoes I purchased, but I cannot for the life of me find any way to do so!

I've gone into my 'Purchases' section ... none of my purchases have the 'Review Item' button next to them, and the specific menu that prompts you to leave reviews only has two items in it, both of which were PDF downloads of patterns. I've gone to the original product description pages to find a button ... nothing.

I've attempted via the website and my phone (via browser only - I don't use the app). I did not check out as a guest.

I will contact Etsy and see what the problem is, but just wondering if I'm the only one experiencing this issue?

Hello! I shipped my item a few months ago overseas, the buyer apparently refused the package and so it showed up on my house a few weeks after. Now almost a month later, I received a letter from UPS saying I am being charged for the return import fee of more than what the item is even worth, is there any way out of this? Or am I screwed and just need to pay up to UPS?

Edit: I called the number on the invoice, and a representative sent me to a specific email address to message about disputing the fee to waive it, he also said that the late payment fees are not applicable anymore as it is pending review.

I’m annoyed - I use Etsy frequently with PayPal pay in 4 payment options. My recent purchases didn’t redirect to PayPal to let me select which pay method in PayPal I wanted to use, no pay in 4 option, it just autocompleted.

The postings said PayPal pay in 4 amount is x-amount every 2 weeks. And each over $25.

I contacted customer service who said: “Etsy uses Integrated PayPal, the checkout completes directly on Etsy, which skips the redirect to PayPal's site.”

I tried to ask how I can select the pay in 4 option then, and he said I’d need to add a new pay method. I repeated, no, I want to use PayPal pay in 4. Zero answer on this, and they pasted the same response above.

Anyone else having this issue?

Hi. I've recently fallen victim to the infringementreports.com scam. They've reported enough of my listings that my shop was banned. I need help understanding how to file a counter claim? I keep seeing that this is what I need to do but not finding any info on how to do it

My Etsy account was banned while I was in the process of setting up my store and logging in through my Google account. I have no idea why my account was suspended, and I have been trying to get help from Etsy Support to resolve the issue.

After waiting two weeks, I received an email from Etsy Support asking whether my issue had been resolved and if I had received the help I needed. However, despite this follow-up, I still have not received an actual response or solution. It has now been another three weeks without any communication.

I hadn't even opened my shop or started selling, so I find it unreasonable to be asked to explain what I did wrong and what I will do differently in the future without being given a clear reason for the ban.

Are they really that slow at responding, or have I been forgotten?

Hi everyone,

My Etsy shop has made 103 sales in total, but when I check Finances → Payment Account and look at the data for the last 6–12 months, I can only see the sales revenue and fee breakdowns for 67 sales.

I can see the fees and payment details for those 67 sales, but I can't find the corresponding breakdowns for the remaining 36 sales.

Has anyone experienced this before? Is this normal due to how Etsy displays financial transactions, or could there be an issue with my payment records?

How can I check where the other sales are recorded and make sure all my revenue and fees are accounted for?

I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks!

Hello all, I'm looking to buy a silver chain for about $1,200 and I'm hesitant because I don't want to get it and find out

it's plated copper or some other base metal. My question is if that should happen and the seller doesn't refund me will Etsy back me up?

I am an artist on Esty, and I also offer crafting tools from a third party. They accompany my DIY designs. I follow all Etsy policies, only to have customers try to force a refund and keep product. There seems to be people who look just for these listings to do this. I've seen many people on this sub also suggest doing this. How is that fair to a small business following all the rules?