• Etsy

Etsy

Overview

Etsy has a rating of 2.75 stars from 2,456 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers complaining about Etsy most frequently mention customer service, credit card, and phone number problems. Etsy ranks 24th among Marketplace sites.

Is Etsy legit?

Founded in 2005, Etsy is a legit online marketplace focused on homemade products from close to 2 million sellers. Each seller on Etsy is different, so always read their individual reviews and policies before making an order. Over 2,000 shoppers have reviewed Etsy and advise that since sellers are from all over the world, shipping may sometimes take a while. If you experience issues with a particular seller, Etsy has a customer support team to assist you.

  • Service
    349
  • Value
    324
  • Shipping
    288
  • Returns
    243
  • Quality
    293

This company does not typically respond to reviews

Positive reviews (last 12 months): 15.1%
Positive
19
Neutral
4
Negative
103
205
See all photos

What reviewers want you to know

Positive highlights

  • The company is great to work with and the customer service was excellent.

Critical highlights

  • ETSY HAS NO phone number or anyway to contact them.
  • Within weeks of buying the items BOTH CREDIT CARDS HAD FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY ON THEM!
How would you rate Etsy?
Top Positive Review

“Etsy”

Jaie L.
3/22/24

Etsy is my go-to platform for unique, handcrafted items. Whether I'm looking for personalized gifts or one-of-a-kind home decor, Etsy never disappoints. The sellers on Etsy are incredibly talented, and I love supporting small businesses. Plus, the customer service has always been excellent whenever I've had questions or issues with my orders

Top Critical Review

“Etsy is full of fraud and scammers - beware!”

Stuart H.
3/22/24

Etsy is full of fraud and scammers. Their contradictory policies enabled a particular scam but they don't care to fix the problem. They won't refund my money, even though I follower their explicit policy, and they refuse to even make any changes to stop the same scam from continuing. Not to mention the site now flooded with cheap cr*p from overseas. Buyer beware. Avoid.

Reviews (2,456)

Rating

Timeframe

Other

Reviews that mention popular keywords

phone number (49) credit card (68) customer service (261) shop owner (42) post office (19)
Thumbnail of user eddieb308
2 reviews
5 helpful votes
December 13th, 2023

Etsy is one of those places that is incredibly risky to buy things from. I love vintage and retro items and I appreciate people going out collecting these rare garments to resell. However, I suggest everyone to be more careful. Jewelry and handmade items are usually fine, but my problem is with clothes.

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user sallys748
1 review
0 helpful votes
March 21st, 2023

My first experience with Etsy was good, but I'm having problems with it now. I recently ordered a second plant from them, but now I have trouble; delivery was delayed but it should arrive in the next week. However, I'm trying to get tracking information, but it wants my password which they won't accept. One of my computers that's running an old version of Windows, says It is denying me log-in because I tried to enter the password too many times, although it was my first try. The new laptop with a current version of Windows, won't accept my password because it says it's the wrong password, so I tried changing it but it still says it's wrong. I can't contact support via the computer because I need to log into the site with my password which it won't accept, and the phone number listed online is not in service. There's no email address to write to, so there's nothing more I can do but wait and hope my order finally comes through.

Tip for consumers:
They're normally good, but trying to contact them if you have a problem is difficult and right now, for me, impossible.

Products used:
plant

Thumbnail of user antoinetteb53
12 reviews
8 helpful votes
October 15th, 2023
Verified purchase

This equals longer shipping times than most online retailers. And makes impossible the correction of errors returns & exchanges.

Thumbnail of user christinap384
3 reviews
5 helpful votes
April 23rd, 2021

Last week, I logged on to Etsy, It was super easy to set up my account but when I want to get my favorite stuff, It never arrives. I thought if I can leave Etsy alone for awhile but I think Amazon is better. I saw that the Fox miraculous must have 5 spaces, not like volpina's miraculous. I'm very confused and very annoyed a bit. But It is more cooler as I expect. I really think they can move to Amazon so they can work together more often.

Thumbnail of user amandab731
3 reviews
0 helpful votes
November 20th, 2019

I heard so many times about Etsy that I finally decided to give it a try. Because of all the bad reviews, I have bought just small accesories (going for the safe zone) and I don't have complaints. There is so much cute stuff in their website!

Products used:
Earrings and rings

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user krystynaj4
2 reviews
3 helpful votes
May 30th, 2022

I received order on May 20,2022. Why can't I "open a case" with Etsy now or write a review / "leave a review on 07 July, 2022" /?
The BnhStone seller does not answer my objections, questions and requests for clarification of lies that he used to sell this item.

Another thing:
I haven't received my order # *******863. Curier UniUni on December 27,2021 left the parcel in the hall of the building but someone simply stole it, which I found out much later, when I started demanding the order.
The conversation explaining what happened lasted a long time, with the seller and the UniUni company. The term "open a case" has expired, the seller and the courier company do not respond to my requests for reimbursement of the costs of an unrealized order. What can I do?

*******@etsy.com:
"This is not a monitored inbox. If you're looking for support from Etsy, visit our Help Center. If you have item or order questions, directly contacting the buyer or seller on Etsy is the best first step.".
I have contacted the sellers many times. Without result. So who can help me?

Thumbnail of user kenb434
1 review
0 helpful votes
April 25th, 2020

Bought a stereo, money taken from my account. Next day a msg from esty saying I have a suspended account. Just opened one with my purchase. Money was returned at least and the stereo was up again for sale at $600 more. Screw this site lucky I got my loot back.

Thumbnail of user katem610
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
October 2nd, 2020

I've about had it with Etsy as they make it increasingly difficult to choose your preferences. After you make your first choice you're sent back to the home page to choose 'preferences' again for your second choice, then back to home again to choose, price or color, or size or location--each choice made after returning to the home page. Then if you view an item you must start over and make your choices again--individually. But first you must plow through the ads, And the items that have nothing to do with your carefully--slowly chosen--preferences. No thanks. I'll stick with Ebay.

Thumbnail of user henriettas21
1 review
0 helpful votes
December 8th, 2021

I'm SICK of getting emails EVERY TIME I login to Etsy on a different device! STOP this practice. Also, DON'T ask for reviews of items that haven't arrived! Your website needs an IT overhaul desperately. Don't nag for reviews on items that have arrived. This is all absurd‼

Thumbnail of user eugenej42
4 reviews
5 helpful votes
August 7th, 2020

It's very niche with its products. There are a lot of artists that sell drawing. It's a bit overpriced and the interface is not great. I use it mainly to buy unique gifts for people.

Thumbnail of user dougt88
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
December 4th, 2019

I really enjoy the website as a buyer. I tried to help my mom set up shop there, and it wasn't so easy for sellers. It was easier to just set up her own website. I tend to find shops I like there more through youtube than by actually searching Etsy itself.

Thumbnail of user hoodoos
1 review
0 helpful votes
October 4th, 2021

My listings are not indexed contacted support can you please index it

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

Thumbnail of user blissme331
2 reviews
0 helpful votes
October 22nd, 2023
Verified purchase

I haver never had a weird way of returning an item. I have to open a case. I ordered one top, I opened a case to return it and got my money back immediately.

The other order I ordered many tops, the seller wrote. That they accept returns. I opened the case. The top was not like the picture. In actuality it was much smaller and shorter. The seller and buyer exchange messages. They asked me about the size if it matched their size chart, I said no and then they closed the case and I didnt get a refund. I was so upset! The sellers site said they give refunds!

There should be a customer service on Etsy website, there was none. But after the case was closed, I wrote down my phone number and they called me back. Etsy gave me a refund but short $4 and change? The refund was coming out of THEIR pocket which I thought was unjust. I think it should be coming out of the seller's pocket. But I am very relieved and happy that I got most of my refund.

What a nightmare. I will be very hesitant to buy on etsy again or I will stick with American sellers. The sellers I dealt with were in Australian and some other foreign country.

The sellers name was LuxeAttireAU

Tip for consumers:
be careful purchasing on etsy, i have had bad experience with one overseas company

Products used:
none

Thumbnail of user amylynb
5 reviews
27 helpful votes
November 24th, 2019

I have been a seller and buyer on Etsy for over 10 years and never have had any terrible issues really. The only complaint I have is that they are now over populated with not so honest drop shippers that sell knock offs or copyright infringers. Etsy will remove them when you file a complaint but there are so many and its takes so much time. It's like that everywhere now. Etsy was fantastic in its early days with the look and feel of real homemade and one of kind place to sell and buy. But now it is just another place online where you have to sort through the trash to find the treasures.

Thumbnail of user rosariesfromadeliese
11 reviews
6 helpful votes
October 8th, 2022
Verified purchase

Even using specific search terms, results will be full of ads and items irrelevant to you. It used to be easy to find what I searched for.

Every other seller appears to be a "jewelry artist" these days, and then there are the resellers who drop ship manufactured goods but call them handmade. Overpriced items of inferior quality abound.

Many "handmade" sellers provide items made of mass market brass and bead components thrown together with glue and cheap wire or chain. They may look good in enhanced photos but in person, not so much.

To name but one disappointment, I gifted two jewelry items made by Pamela Diegert of Pamelia Designs. (Receipt provided to Sitejabber). They were very poorly constructed causing me great embarrassment in having given them as gifts. Diegert refuses to accept returns, which says a lot.

On the other hand, I've had some truly excellent experiences, such as ordering rings from Birka Scandinavian. The vendor, Marie handcrafts minimalist high quality sterling silver crown set jewelry.

It would be wonderful if Etsy had fewer "crafts made at summer camp" junk sellers and more trained jewelry designers.

The vintage category has been largely disappointing. Sellers frequently misrepresent items and do not pack them with much care, particularly porcelain pieces. One exception has been April's Luxuries, a top class vendor. But for every one like her, there have been twenty bad ones.

In fine, there are some five star shops but there are a hundred times more that sell trash. If you don't know a shop by name that carries what you want, you won't find it easily and are at risk from deceptive sellers.

Additional: There are many sellers who "can't take the L" when they get a negative review for selling substandard, badly made, or misrepresented items.

IMPORTANT: If you leave a less than stellar review, it will be aggregated instantly on an extension called EtsyCheck.

You may also be called a Karen and screenshots of convos may be posted on the Etsy subreddit.

You may be discussed in the Etsy community forums where dishonest sellers go to whine.

This did not happen to me but I have seen all of these things as they are readily visible online. Be aware of this if you leave a review.

Sellers so fragile they have a breakdown over a review have no place in any business of any kind.

March 24,2024 experience update.

It keeps getting worse at Etsy.

I ordered 12 digital download files from a shop with over 5K sales. The thumbnails and preview images were perfect. The images in the zip files were trashy AI.

Etsy is full of these shops which do not in any way disclose they are AI because Etsy allows it.

This shop was ForeverCuteUS.

See the fingers that look like sea anemones and the chopped off fingers on the images of the Virgin Mary. Sacrilegious and vile, not to mention unusable for prayer journals.

Below are just four of the monstrosities featuring weirdly uncanny faces, boneless hands, strangely green skin tones, excessive feverish coloring, and grainy textures,

Some shops use enhancements with great skill. For example PixieDustFiles and NostalgieGrafikland. Sadly, if you're not familiar with a legit design shop, you may get AI horrors.

Etsy will not reply to customers and ForeverCuteUS did not reply to my messages nor to three one-star reviews. This is what Etsy is now. Be aware of it.

Tip for consumers:
1. Unless you already have some shops you’ve used and trusted in the past, there’s little point trying to find things in searches due to excessive ads and irrelevant promotional results. 2. Be aware your screenshots of convos will end up on Reddit and your reviews aggregated in an extension called Etsy Check. You may be whined about on the Etsy community forums. 3. The marketplace is a free for all of Chinese drop shippers, undisclosed AI “artists,” and other risks. Be careful.

Products used:
Jewelry, porcelain, art supplies, and most recently, digital download zip files.

Service
Value
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user abigailm135
12 reviews
17 helpful votes
March 8th, 2021

I've been scammed by a fraudulent shop, I've been auto charged for a shipping issue that wasn't justified and hasn't been resolved, but, I've also bought tons of unique items and supported small businesses. I sell on etsy as well, and the one issue I've had they refunded the seller out of their own pocket. The off site ad charges are absolute garbage, but they've since made it so smaller sellers can opt out. It's a mixed bag, in my experience they've usually been accommodating. Sell and buy but be wary.

Service
Value
Shipping
Quality
Thumbnail of user michaell4536
5 reviews
5 helpful votes
July 17th, 2022

Great idea, poor customer support. I initially thought that the customer here is really protected (like on ebay for example), but it turned out that it is really hard to get them to help in case an item you purchased is low quality or not as described.

Thumbnail of user philn13
40 reviews
95 helpful votes
May 21st, 2021

If you plan to set up and sell merchandize through Etsy's or any other "store" platform, you are at their mercy, and they may or may not explain why they shut your store down. I'm a newbie with Etsy, and had only created a listings. Then with no warning what-so-ever, my account was suspended. When I clicked through to contact customer service, of course speaking with a "person" is not an option. I had to fill out their little form for an inquiry, and was told I'd have to wait up to a week for a response. So, there I sit...

What's scary about this is, what if I had succeeded and was selling regularly through my Etsy store, and boom - the store is gone. Not for minutes or and hour or so, but for days, or even a week?! Can you imagine the damage that would do to your momentum and credibility?!

Etsy did respond today to let me know all was well with my store, but didn't tell me why they shut it down. If I did something wrong I'd like to know, so I don't do it again. The more products I load, the more opportunity there may be for me to violate one of their policies.

Using a platform of this nature is the best and most cost effective means of getting up and running, but that easy comes at price - you're not in control. The folks who are, are too busy building their business to worry about how their actions may affect your piddly little store. If they suspend your account by accident or even legitimately... Whoops, it sucks to be you!

Tip for consumers:
Just go into it with your eyes wide open, and know they can shut you down at anytime for any reason, and not owe you an explanation.

Products used:
I was, am setting up an on-line store using Etsy's platform.

Thumbnail of user ronalda530
2 reviews
10 helpful votes
May 12th, 2022

I like Etsy most of the time. But they allow too long of waiting periods between the time you can order and the time you can complain or make case if you order is not going right. I've ordered a lot from them and especially if you order something they can email you they take their time emailing your order that you payed for already. You sometimes even have to remind them or ask them why it's taking so long. Not very professional at all. I'm not pleased at the way that's been going.

Service
Value
Quality
Thumbnail of user susanm910
3 reviews
27 helpful votes
September 25th, 2019

When Etsy first began I watched for a few years to assess if they would be a venue I'd like to advertise my merchandise with. They seemed so very responsive to sellers and their needs. After I joined, they went "public" appearing on the stock market. I knew they will become investor-oriented, not seller/buyer oriented. Historically going public means a business would be charging more fees for everything. Sure enough, first they raised selling fees, then they began taking a cut of the shipping fees and passed along the increase in cost to the seller. Add to that an increase of transaction fees, advertising fees, venue fees of 3.5%+ then forcing people to advertise and just deducting the money from their account whether they agree to the advertising or not. Many of the sellers are otherwise unemployed, stay-at-home moms, talented and able to make something someone wants to buy, but there is a tipping point at which the small business owner/operator can't make any money because all their venue costs continually rise, so they must raise their prices. Then customers say "enough with the raises in prices!" and stop buying. Etsy did something they said they would never do - they invited in global manufacturers, including the huge factories of China and sellers had to pay more for advertisement competing against conglomerates with large advertising budgets. Their listings pushed the listings of individual sellers out of view, but did Etsy care? Not at all. Also, they began to sell a search program that went to the highest bidder pitting small shops against each other and the little shops lost again. Sellers were making less and less and the expense of doing business went higher as Etsy greedily took more fees from the sellers to make the investing public THINK they were actually earning more money by shifting numbers around. Now Etsy's latest thing is forcing people to give free shipping at the expense of the seller or their listings will not receive priority placement. They lie and say it should only cost a certain amount to mail but let's face it, items are mailed by weight and distance and there is no such thing as a single formula that is going to fit everyone. I've watched talented sellers drop out one by one. I hate that Etsy gave in to corporate greed and sold out their original mission. Last, they no longer give sellers or buyers easy access to customer service, in fact, customer service is virtually non-existent. They used to have a in-listing way to report violations of Truth In Advertising but they took that away. Now questionable sellers claim that their items are authentic this or that or actual vintage or antique when in fact they are not. Some are reproductions but Etsy does not care about anything but their bottom line, making the money whichever way they can. So buyer beware, read and ask questions, pointed questions because if you don't look out for yourself, Etsy sure won't do it for you. For most people with small owner-run shops on Etsy they make less than minimum wage no matter how hard they work. It just does not pay.

Thumbnail of user pamelag168
14 reviews
49 helpful votes
June 18th, 2021

Etsy's website is easy to use, a lot of options to chose from, and something for everyone. I've only shopped for house plants, which was a disappointment. I've purchased from two sellers and the plants were beautiful. The problem is that they weren't rooted good, just cuttings. After following their directions with repotting, they started yellowing and eventually died. Money wasted, so I'm done with ordering plants from Etsy.
Even so, I'm still browsing for other items.

Tip for consumers:
The plants my look beautiful on top, but always check their root system. That is what's going to keep your plants healthy and thriving.

Products used:
House plants

Service
Value
Shipping
Returns
Quality
Thumbnail of user tommyr35
30 reviews
83 helpful votes
February 6th, 2019

It'd be a much better site if I wasn't charged selling/listing fees for items not sold/listed.

It's a decent merchant community... but the admins have to get a better grip on business practices before they become eBay/Listia/Craigslist...

Thumbnail of user megr18
1 review
1 helpful vote
August 26th, 2019
• Updated review

I can share that Etsy is working with me to remedy this situation. While it took my persistence to make this happen, Etsy does deserve some credit for seeking to resolve.

Read This Before You Buy From Etsy
August 24th, 2019
• Previous review

Apparently in an Etsy review, you cannot share what the seller wrote to you... in this case, Katya from BeGenuine. I opened a case and found out my review was removed at the request of the seller because I quoted what the seller wrote to me. So, in reality, I would assume that most negative reviews are removed. Also, the ability to write a new "compliant" review is not an option. Basically, this reveals that the reviews on the sellers are misleading. Sellers appear to be reputable, but they may not be. This is fraud in my opinion.

Thumbnail of user christinem160
9 reviews
24 helpful votes
October 23rd, 2021

I have made a number of purchases on Etsy that I am VERY happy with. However, I've noticed in the past year that about half of the children's clothes on the site, which state they are handmade and are priced as such, are mass-manufactured stuff from China. You can find it on other sites (Chinese) that sell it for 50-75% less.

Thumbnail of user steves2751
1 review
0 helpful votes
May 12th, 2022

Did you come up with the rise in profitability being 21% or greater. Is that after you charge your sellers cost,,.?. Or taxes. Because I have to raise my prices to higher levels. So your making for your buck by hit but I seller charges, so now we will have to raise our prices up to match your already high selling prices. Etsy is the most expensive place to sell. We need another place where corporations like Etsy and eBay.are kept on a leash. Oh well passit on the the consumer

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From the business

Etsy is a marketplace for buying and selling crafts, handmade and vintage goods, as well as art and craft supplies. Etsy is a private company based in Brooklyn, New York and has raised more than $90 million as of May 2013.

Company Representative

Thumbnail of user alisas27
Alisa S.
Typically does not respond to reviews

How do I know I can trust these reviews about Etsy?

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