EtsyReviews 1,570

Update: I phoned Etsy customer support today and the rep hung up on me. Stay far away from Etsy.

Phoned back and asked for a supervisor. Was transferred to a man who identified himself as such. He repeated pretty much the same script I heard from the first rep I spoke with: "This has to be escalated to management." In other words, I am supposed to sit back and wait, and trust that Etsy will intervene. Someday.

Later, I received this absolutely bonkers communication from the seller, Shaynegreco (this rant is is harassment, btw, since I told him not to contact me):

" ETSY DOCUMENTATION:
This woman "patricia" is a scam artist and a skilled manipulator. Her extremely aggressive behavior, abusive language, and constant threats are a tactic to scam victims. It is apparent she has probably done this before to other people. Her main objective is to keep what she has ordered through Etsy and bully the artist into issuing a full refund without returning the item. I have not allowed this person bully me into getting ripped off. I have spoken to UPS and they have agreed that this is most likely a scam. I will issue a refund after UPS has inspected the box and made sure it is not filled with garbage or some other refuse.
I have been a member of Etsy since 2010. My reputation is crystal clear. I have written documentation of everything that has happened with this transaction. Also of My Contact at UPS, Seth SXXX can verify everything that has happened up until today including his recommendation that I wait to refund this "woman" until UPS can verify it is not a bunch of dented tin cans...
Further more, I ask that you consider banning this buyer "patricia" from ripping off anymore unsuspecting artists on Etsy. I will pursue this matter though the proper means after this specific incident is closed."

FYI: UPS packed the broken item for shipping, so who do you think they will back in this fight? Right. They don't want to pay the parcel insurance. UPS picked up an unopened parcel, for return. So how would I have replaced the (broken) item with "tin cans"?

This tantrum would be funny if this deranged person didn't have almost $1000 of my cash.

So, be aware that this quoted convo is from one of Etsy's longtime sellers. Such a fine man! And example of all Etsy stands for. I guess I really wanted to keep a pile of broken ceramic? Why? Astounding. As if I like wasting my time with people like this?

Totally through with Etsy. I feel sick having had any contact with people that are so clearly unbalanced. Etsy offers zero protection. And this guy has my address.

Original post: I was advised even encouraged by a Etsy customer support rep to file a case against the seller (Shaynegreco) who cheated me and violated Etsy seller rules. The rep told me that I would be able to file the case on X date, and that date did appear on the order page (as a click-on notation "file a case or leave a review after X date"). So I believed the rep, and I waited. But when that day arrived, the notation on my purchase page had disappeared, and there was no link for filing a case or reviewing the purchase! (I have since figured out that I could go around their block on reviewing because they neglected to remove the review link from my invoice, so right back at them...). In order to file a case against an Etsy seller, you have to go through your order page, using that link. So Etsy lied to me and sided with their crooked seller, "protecting" him against the evil customer who was cheated. I'm the victim here, not the seller. They did this even though the customer service rep had AGREED WITH ME that the man was cheating the system! What a farce. I cannot believe that a publicly traded company could operate so dishonestly. It's sickening, really. How can Etsy employees live with themselves, knowing that the company is devoid of ethics?

(Update: Seller actually accused me of lying about the breakage! Also lied about when he put in UPS pickup request. Lied about everything, really. So this matter is being resolved through PayPal. Avoid this seller. Better yet, avoid Etsy altogether.)

Ordered a ceramic piece from Shaynegreco that was $850 plus tax and shipping total $945. Projected order fulfillment was several weeks out. Weeks later seller contacted me through direct email to tell me the item was finished and would ship "tomorrow." Days passed and I heard nothing from him. I messaged him on the Etsy site, and he said that it had shipped, but I had no tracking and my order was still listed as "not shipped" on the Etsy site. Next day he took the item to the shipper, and UPS sent me confirmation that it was waiting to go out. So that was the seller's first lie. I noticed that the purchase was still listed as "not shipped" on the Etsy site, and thought maybe the seller was just lazy about updating it. Then the item arrived obviously broken, clanking in the box. I did not open the carton. I messaged the seller to ask what to do. He said he would arrange UPS pickup of the box (I told him, preemptively, that I would not drive it to the UPS depot for him, so don't assume that he was being helpful), and he said I would get my refund "when UPS has it in their possession." That means a delay of several days, if I am to get it at all. I told him he needed to refund me immediately, and he stopped responding. So here is where the manipulative scam became apparent. I went to my purchase page to leave a negative review and put in a compliant with Etsy and I see that those two options are not available on this purchase because Shayne has not activated order fulfillment! (For those not familiar with Etsy, a buyer clicks through her order on the Orders and Purchases page to post a review or to report problems to Etsy. But those prompts do not appear on orders that are still awaiting fulfillment.) Given the fact that Shayne went around the Etsy system to notify me of (delayed) shipping, I am certain that he did not enter the order fulfillment into Etsy's system because he wants to block buyers from reviewing and reporting him to Etsy when orders go wrong. Really dodgy. Makes Etsy look bad. I have reported this to Etsy customer support, and will file a claim against the seller if he does not refund my money. But this may have turned me against Etsy for good.

Amending this review to give people a heads-up on one way sellers manipulate the system on Etsy. I recently received a destroyed shipment from an overseas seller, and the heavy breakage was clearly due to careless and inadequate packaging. The seller did refund my money, but he also cancelled the original transaction rather than categorizing it as a return or refund. I thought this was odd. It's dishonest because the confirmation for the transaction said that the "seller and customer agreed to cancellation" as the reason for the change. I did not agree to it. What the cancellation did was stop me from posting a negative review. It also keeps his seller record clean because Etsy will kick out sellers with too many one-sided cancellations by sellers, where orders could not be filled.

Etsy does have some reliable vendors. It also hosts some charlatans. I've been buying from the site since the early days, and have been ripped off a few times. But I've also purchased some great stuff. Unfortunately, seller ratings mean nothing these days because Etsy deletes negative reviews. So in assessing a seller you have to look at number of transactions, how long the seller has been on Etsy, and this is crucial look for reviewer photos of purchased items in the reviews. Do they look like the listing photos? Use a form of payment that provides you with a consumer protection guarantee. I am very careful about overseas sellers because three of my worst transactions were from sellers in Thailand and Ukraine, but I do still buy from overseas. (Back when Etsy had a small window for filing a dispute, some overseas buyers would purposely delay shipments long enough that they would arrive after the window closed. But Etsy has since extended the window to I think six months.) Etsy response time for customer service enquiries is good these days, but they still side with the seller in almost all cases. The sellers are who support Etsy, with the fees for listings and extra for promotions. Buyers aren't as loved.