Despite having clear policies prohibiting the resale of items, many of the sellers on Etsy are simply reselling Amazon products. I learned this the hard way after wanting to support a small business and I received a marked-up Amazon item in its original Amazon packaging. Etsy doesn't seem to care to enforce its own policies and although there may be good businesses and items on the platform, Etsy does not provide good support in resolving disputes with sellers.
Yes people it is true! When you get ripped off or treated like crap by a seller, they do NOTHING! They even discontinue the conversation with you. Basically like hanging up on you. I always want to support small business but no wonder small business is becoming less and less common! They don't know anything about customer service. At least Amazon tries! Etsy just doesn't care! If you absolutely have to buy from Etsy, buy from star sellers. They seem to care and it shows! I myself am done with Etsy, after the last two purchases. Amazon, here I come!
I adore Etsy; it's like the shopping addict's paradise. Anything you wish to buy is available! The price of shipping is the one thing that isn't so fantastic about it. But it's definitely worth purchasing from Etsy if you're seeking for something unique, like a certain colour or material!
Fabulous source for unique handmade goodies - This super cute site is a marketplace for handmade items. There is a laundry list of categories (incl. Art, housewares, toys, etc.), and you can set up your own shop to sell your creations, or browse hundreds of thousands of shops showcasing theirs. Bonus points for the alchemy section, where you can request something be custom made.
I have made about a dozen purchases from Etsy over a two-year period. In every case the product was good, but in almost every case the customer service was quite poor. I often have to wait two weeks or more for the seller to put an item in the mail, sellers argue with me when they don't like the feedback I have left (and Etsy actually encourages this!), some sellers routinely ignore correspondence, and nearly all of them blame their service failures on "a death in the family." And Etsy doesn't want to hear about any of this. My advice to anyone using the site is to pay with PayPal - they will protect your rights, whereas Etsy will not even get involved.
Best Product Ever
Remember that reviews can be subjective, and it's always a good idea to read multiple reviews and consider the overall consensus before making a purchasing decision. Additionally, it's important to be cautious of any potential fake or biased reviews, as they can exist on any review platform.
I purchased sandals from ChristinaChristiJls through Etsy. I had no idea they were coming from Greece and I would be stuck paying all the shipping costs. The return policy is ridiculous, but I went ahead and returned them. I should have just kept the sandals because it cost me almost $30 to ship them back. I highly advise not to purchase from this seller if you live in the U.S. unless you know you will not return them. The sandals are worth about $10 at the most. They were flat and hard with no support. I ended up paying over $100 for the sandals and received a $20.00 refund. Lesson learned.
HOrrible. I read reviews for the shops before I purchased from them and they had great reviews. My first experience, I paid through paypal and the shop all of a sudden didn't exist. Never got my item, had to get a refund through paypal. I gave it one more chance and found a shop with more positive reviews, same thing happened. After never receiving two items... there isn't even a way to contact etsy, no customer service phone number, just an automated question website that didn't help. I will never use etsy.com again.
I will not order anymore on Etsy. I am still waiting for my package. And I don't know what's is happening. The tracking page says that there are problems with the customs, my address, etc... It seems that the vendor is not reliable and that Etsy did not its job at reviewing vendors. This is over. Won't buy anything again.
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.
I have now dealt with two businesses on etsy. I would never recommend this site to anyone. The first seller left town and his information said my item would be sent the next day. How is that possible when you leave town? The next seller gave me severe grief over asking questions about the sweatshirt I purchased. He puts the same size on two different sweatshirts where you can clearly see one fits a child and one fits a woman because of the photos. They are all a bunch of scammers on etsy.
Etsy is okay but funny with what they will or won't allow to be sold. One shop was closed due to copyright issues while other shops sell the same items and are allowed to stay open. Not very fair. If they close one for the infraction then close them all.
They are good at getting money back if there is an issue but it's not all smooth sailing as you go through the process.
I suppose that your experience with Etsy might depend on the people who sell the specific goods you want to buy. Personally I have only had really good experiences with Etsy.
I have mainly bought small pieces of jewelry for my teenage daughter, who loves the types of handmade things that are offered on the site. In that respect, they are better than eBay, because they are more "boutique-y." Every single thing I've bought on Etsy has arrived quickly and has been even better in-person than in the photos.
I think it's a nice alternative to eBay, and generally I have found their items to be high quality.
I am both a buyer and seller through Etsy and all my experiences have been 100% positive. However, I have read some of the other reviews and just want to put this out there. Etsy is basically an online market in which vendors pay for shop space and are required to follow some "market" rules. Whenever I purchase anything online I always have a good look at their reviews and policies, including shipping, returns, repairs and their about us page. If they don't have this information available, contact them and ask them to send you a email of what their policies are.
Etsy are thieves! My store was shut down with no explanation given, the customer service won't talk. All the pending orders had been fulfilled and delivered with no issues and it's been 5 months since Etsy has not sent me the payoff for those orders!
If you're the Etsy seller- beware! You're nobody to this company! They make commission from your sales and don't bother to treat you like a human.
I use this site for both selling and purchasing. As a buyer I've had very good experiences. Every shop is individually owned. As a seller I find the site is a great place to reach additional online traffic. However, it is constantly changing so there is a never ending learning curve. This can be difficult since sellers have no input or control on the physical site. Etsy has a customer service team for sellers and buyers. But, it usually takes 7-10 working days to receive a response to an email inquiry. I have always received a response and support. But, it's never been quick. They do outsource for phone support so tickets can be opened for additional support.
Over all I am happy with the site.
Etsy was very helpful when I had to open a case concerning an item that i purchased from a seller on the site, the Etsy team took care of this situation in a timely matter and they do show true concern.
Thank You,
Fres
I hear everyone disliking Etsy, but as a buyer I was fairly pleased. Shipping time varies and sometimes it's a little pricey, but that's what we pay for custom jobs. I have bought several things from several different people and I have been more than satisfied with each one. There was even one that caught an error of a tank top they made me before they even shipped it and just sent me both for no extra charge. It's really a matter of reading the reviews of the seller first rather than the website.
Terrible group to work with should you experience any issues. They do not know how to treat their community with respect. The reason their fees are low is only to attract revenue... Closed my shop because of how I was treated. There are better alternatives available... use them!
Ok how can you say over an over again that we focus on handmade items when the majority of your sellers are selling knock off items that has a brand name on it. An that's a reason people are going to there own personal shops because it's a disgrace to see how easy a person can sell something fake for cheaper price like it's the swap an shop while authentic people can't get ahead due to the Gucci, Amiri, fendi an any other brands that are not authentic. I hope this review helps take action on this problem or Etsy will just be another online swap an shop selling knock off designer gear. An if this doesn't get posted I will start a blog on this problem on every social media platform
Answer: Check the reviews, and Google the seller. Also, are the reviews written in good english? Does it seem fake? Check pictures from the buyers.
Answer: I would have to say no, with LOTS of exceptions. In the past few years Etsy has allowed business to claim handmade if it meets certain criteria. I often see many items that claim to be handmade but I have seen them on Alibaba being sold in bulk. That being said I look very closely and have purchased some wonderfu items from great sellers. The biggest problem with Etsy is that they no longer protect customers from fraud (they say they are not liable) but in doing that lots and lots or resellers and counterfeit items have saturated Etsy' s marketplace. I would never buy anything "vintage" there. What I have seen you are getting thrift store rejects or modern fake. Buyer beware! Investigate all vendors carefully!
Answer: I am agree with Ramina. 90% is not hand made. All comes from Factories. When someone has over 8000's item don't you ask who made it. They are all over from Pakistan to turkey east to west up united state. Etsy is happy just to take your money and every 4 or 5 months closing one store to show off and if you have some money as a credit they take it too. No customer service, no respect no manor, they made policy just for FUN and they have FUN with our pocket. Stay far from them FAR FAR.
Answer: I agree with Steve J on this one. A lot of sellers on Etsy work from home in the evenings for extra money. Most of them are not big businesses with massive inventories so I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Give them a little more time and if they dont send it out then file a case with etsy
Answer: Business checking isn't necessary (the banks now charge a monthly fee for a small business checking). You can pretty much set up a regular checking account
Answer: I believe this depends on each seller. Etsy is simply a platform for sellers, and often does not have any direct involvement with orders short of processing the payment. Certain items cannot be returned for safety and hygiene reasons, and sellers can refuse to do anything other than exchange. Contacting Etsy may or may not change the results.
Answer: If you do, I would be cautious about ordering from international sellers, use a credit card in case you need to contest the charges, and do NOT expect ETSY do a thing if you get ripped off. They are useless and could care less once the sale is final.
Answer: I have bought a number of items through Etsy and with great success. I had only one negative experience and Etsy took are of that. I recommend Etsy wholeheartedly.
Answer: The best and quickest thing to do is to email the seller and let them know that you would like to return for a refund.
Etsy has a rating of 1.6 stars from 1,568 reviews, indicating that most customers are generally dissatisfied with their purchases. Reviewers dissatisfied with Etsy most frequently mention customer service, credit card and phone number. Etsy ranks 586th among Marketplace sites.