Etsy reviews

As a buyer, I absolutely love the artisans and the items they show in their stores, well, except for those that rightly find themselves on Regretsy, but even that serves me well. ;)
I had no idea how problematic the sellers' situation was, but having sold on eBay, can relate.
I'll keep buying, if you keep selling.

The etsy webite suckers people who cannot sell effectively on ebay by using the 'artists' ebay idea. They charge you small amounts to tell you they will advertise for you while showing you no proof.

If you violate their very vague TOS they will shut down your entire store, even if you have 100 items in the store and only one was in violation. They clarify all the vague nonsense in their poorly written TOS by informing you that they can shut down your store for ANY reason at their descretion. Any. Their words.

If they remove your storefront for ANY reason you will be responsible for all relisting fees and for all lost monies invested into advertisement and reclaiming your store is no easy task.

Example: if you sell 100 rings, and one of those violates TOS then they remove your entire store. In order to get it back you must email or call them and go through their process which is inept and tedious. Then you must actually ask them to return YOUR store as well as explain why you deserve it back, lol. I have to laugh at that I'm so so sorry. Then you must relist the other 99 rings, paying the etsy.com thieves twice for the item to list.

There is NO to LITTLE consumer security and every transaction is an at-risk transaction. Every single one.

Buyers and sellers have no idea they are placing their monies and lives into the hands of some people who cannot effectively maintain security on their site NOR handle the amount of artist traffic therefore not supplying promises regardless if consumers have PAID.

Overall...go back to eBay. At least, though overpriced, they are secure, professional and trustworthy.

....in my opinion.

I have been looking for authentic Native American beaded barrettes. I was fortunate to have found three in the last month. The work by the artists were to perfection. They packaging was superb and like getting a birthday present in the mail. One was even wrapped with a ribbon and a little crocheted doily on it. Packaged with care as the beadwork and quills are delicate. I highly recommend ETSY! I have also purchased miniature tea sets from them and again each little piece was packaged individually and arrived in perfect shapy.

This site is perfect for buying unique gifts for yourself and others...never a bad experience..

I reviewed this site because I was searching for something nice for a special friends birthday. Because she likes simple things I wanted to get her a pair of earrings that where different but just very simple. Since she is Polish I found a pair of Poland map earrings that where very unique. They where round and hanging off of what I thought where silver wires. When I inquired about them on the site I received an e-mail saying that they where not sterling silver. I also noticed while reading the order and shipping agreement. That Etsy would not be responsible for any damage during shipping. Also they would not replace or take them back. I could not believe that they expect a customer to take a chance like that. I think that this is not the way to sell merchandise if you can't back the order. This is insane for them to expect the customer to eat the loss after paying for an item. I found a better site that I am doing a review on that does back there products. Make sure to read about Sherry Truitt studios on my review of that site. I hope all that read this review ask questions before placing an order with this seller. www.etsy.com

I love Etsy! The site helped me find some of the most thoughtful and unique gifts this year! Everyone loved them and I felt great about helping out artists. It's just such a cool community.

I am a former seller on Etsy...very successful and longtime seller, I might add. I had 100% feedback from all of my customers! I went to check my messages one morning, only to discover my Etsy Shop was gone! I went into my email to see if I had missed something only to find a very generic message from Etsy stating they closed my shop. No reason included in this message! Prior to closing my store, I had received NO WARNING, NO COMPLAINTS & NO NEGATIVE FEEDBACK! I immediately emailed Etsy for explanation, waited over a week and received NO RESPONSE. I emailed again and it's been over TWO MONTHS AND ETSY STILL HAS NOT BOTHERED TO EXPLAIN WHY MY STORE WAS CLOSED!
Prior to Etsy Closing my store with no warning, I had been a very dedicated and hard working seller since 2009. I feel that I am at least owed an explanation! Additionally, I lost all of my sales records that I need for tax purposes, lost all contact information with current customers, lost all conversations needed to complete orders that had already been paid for and several sales that I was close to "sealing the deal!"
As an experienced online seller, I highly recommend sellers stay away from Etsy! They have turned into Ebay! Really Sad!

I adore this site as an online shopper. A good place for handmade gifts, particularly jewelry. It is also a good outlet for metaphysical supplies, which is something I previously struggled with. There are some things I believe shouldn't be sold (legally), and some items are just silly (as far as price goes). I'm a little surprised at the lack of restrictions. Like I said though, as a buyer, this site is handmade heaven.
As a seller, however, it is more complicated. I signed up not realizing the price. I have had a lot of trouble cancelling my store, and the payment plan is set up so that you are automatically charged everytime the site needs a payment. This, mixed with the difficulty I had cancelling the account, led more money than I would've liked being charged to my credit card. Even after "cancelling" it, the site continued to charge me.

I ordered fabric on Etsy. I did not receive the fabric. One would think that is a clear cut case. Etsy sided with the seller because the seller could prove that they shipped the fabric even though I never received it. The seller did not insure the package so I was out the money. This is not the way real businesses are run. Plus when you ship something, it is between the seller and USPS, not the buyer. I could not have filed a claim even if it was insured. The seller still refused to do anything. Etsy's response was that it is between the buyer and seller and Etsy is not legally responsible. Apparently you agree to these terms when you sign up for the site. I do not believe this as it was Etsy's rule that the seller used so that they could keep my money. Paypal also sided with the seller even though their own rules state if you don't receive the package, not if the seller can prove they shipped it. I do not recommend using Etsy or paypal. Stick to reputable businesses.

I love this site. It's so great for buying handmade and vintage. I've only been a member for a short time, but so far I have picked up some really beautiful jewelry and a lovely organic silk-screened tee. It's one of the best sites for shopping because you know you're going to get something unique that's been a complete labour of love. It's also a great community and a way to stumble onto new things you've never considered before. Plus there's the bonus of supporting local sellers. I can't believe how many shops are based where I live! I definitely recommend Etsy.

Don't buy from SWEET DIAPER CAKES the product you will receive is POOR the presentation EMBARRASSING this seller should be a shame of the poor work put into their gifts.. and want to talk about price GOUGING this shop definitely dose that if you want to throw money away, then buy from this shop..If you want a great quality gift with nice presentation and worth your money DO NOT I SAY DO NOT buy from this shop!!! Beware of SWEET DIAPER CAKES the images of gifts in sellers shop are ok the product you will receive are more hideous then the photos..I actually bought from this seller because I felt sorry for this seller as I seen seller doesn't sell to often I SEE WHY.. My own fault for trying to be nice..

Great idea to make local artists be seen on the web. Good price and commisions

I don't usually leave comments about anything that I order and I don't know about any of the other sellers on this site but I ordered a glass from braintees and was more than satisfied. Not only was the quality great and the glass exactly what I ordered but it came in a timely matter. Inside the larger shipping box was a smaller, form fitting box along with a nice "thank you for ordering note" and a bow to place on top when I was done wrapping. Great service with this person! I would definately order from her again.

very cute!!! love this site <33

I have order many times from this website and not run unto a problem until recently. I purchased a tea tree oil face soap and after 3 days I realized, I have not received a shipping confirmation. I contacted the seller, whom after two days contacted me back and stated that the paypal account was having issues. The money still was there but the seller had not taken the money out. The seller stated I would have to send a money order after they got the total. The soap cost $3.50 but there was no shipping cost. She tried to charge me $7.00 for shipping. That is doubled the price of item and I immediately canceled. The website is a handmade website (not all), the sellers are individuals and have a store front where they sell there unique items. You can also find vintage items on the website and very few commercial items but everything is one of a kind. Its a very reputable site.

Love the huge variety here - I shop for gifts here for my sisters, aunt, and mon - the variety of stuff is endless and beautiful.

I have had both good and bad buying experiences on etsy. But two of them have just put me over the top. Sellers are not being truthful about their shipping times. They agree to one thing and then either "forget", or "the package came back to me because of not enough shipping on the label"...I ordered a Halloween costume for "bellabowgirls" on etsy, and it was shipped late, even though she agreed in her communication to ship it by the date I needed. I ended up having to go with another coustume for my child for Halloween night, even though I placed the order 5 weeks before Halloween. I am not pleased obviously. Even though there is lots of cute stuff floating around on Etsy...buyer please beware that the shipping and communications, and lies do exsist. These are not big company's, but individuals trying to make a killing off of their marked up merchandise. I could make most of this stuff myself if I wanted.

I like it overall. Nice place to hang around and enjoy all those creativity there. When they started allowing vintage, I was a bit disappointed, as I prefer all handmade goodies. But it has nice tools and large variety.

Etsy has turned into a mass produced product store - selling products that are not hand crafted but shipped in from overseas by the thousands. I sell there - or should I say - used to sell there. My small handcrafted items just get lost in the factory mess in search there now.

The good: lots of unique handmade and vintage items
The bad: If you are not living in USA, you pay lots for shipping (many of the sellers are from USA). Many are handmade so they took a long time to make (beware if the items take too long you will no longer be covered by Paypal - 45 days after purchase rules). So if you never received your items or items are damaged or not as described and 45 days have gone by, you cannot file a complaint and can not get a refund. My advise is to file a non delivery to paypal if you have not received items after a month.
The ugly: Bought some items from etsy seller. 2 months gone by and no delivery (not knowing the 45 days rule of paypal). Sent conversation to the seller asking about the item and no reply. Waited a few more days and sent another email to seller. Finally told me she never got the email (which is weird since I sent through Etsy conversation box), and that items cannot be tracked because it's first class shipping (i did not know this since i am not from USA). That's her only explanation and no other communication after that. I was upset obviously. Especially because of her lack of response and her zero effort in rectifying the situation. After waiting for another week and still no communication and no delivery, I finally gave her a negative feedback stating the truth: Items did not arrive and lack of communication (which is normal if you buy through sellers via amazon or other online shops). Except with Etsy, the seller has the audacity to give me negative feedback stating that she is not responsible for missing items and that she has warned me that first class shipping is not trackable if lost! (no where in our conversation previously did she mention this to me). Besides, what professional merchant will literally give negative feedback and blaming customer for items that the customer has paid and never received? I did not even ask for refund. I felt insulted. Never in my whole life i had such a bad experience from a shop. There are other good sellers in Etsy but this one just upset me too much for me to want to come back to buy again. Stick with reputable shop that will not insult you if they do not deliver. Do not trust the positive feedback you see on etsy. Buyers tend to give positive feedback even if not good to avoid conflict like mine or they give neutral feedback instead. Also, sometimes seller can cheat and cancel the transaction so that they can avoid negative feedback. Beware!

love this site,, amazing stuff, a little hard to find things though..

I'm a buyer on Etsy (i.e., not a seller or shop owner). I used to love Etsy and could spend hours there shopping all of the unique, high quality items for sale. I don't mean to be unkind, but there were always some untalented artisan sellers there. But you could just skim over their stuff. Now when I go there, it is almost impossible to find unique items that also get me excited. Everybody seems to just copy each others designs on there. Boring! Untalented. As a buyer, I'd rather look at quality mass production items than just some handmade beads strung together in an untalented manner. But if I'm going to do look at mass production, I'll go to retailer like Nordstrom.

And it bugs me I cannot search by "most viewed items" anymore. Etsy quit allowing that functionality early on. Here's a perspective from a buyer: when I search for earrings, I don't want to look at 1,000 pairs of earrings, I want to start with ones that other people have found extremely interesting. There's usualy a good reason a large group of buyers have found a specific item or seller extremely interesting on a site for handmade items: talent. I could tolerate the loss of "most viewed items" at first when it was only 1,000 earrings, now it's 10,000 earrings. Yuck.

Love this site. Unique art work originals and crafters' creations. Gotta love it!