EtsyReviews 1,570

Etsy allows big sellers to break the rules. I've reported many shops that claim handmade when items are not handmade. I've included links to the exact items to Etsy and shops aren't being shut down. These sellers are also using the stock photos of where they purchased their items.
Some of these shops have over 3000 sales, which explains why Etsy hasn't shut them down!
Those "leather" wrap bracelets you see all over Etsy, I bet 1 out of 100 shops actually handcraft them. Otherwise, you can purchase them from China for as low as 99 cents each and they aren't even worth that. I had someone send one as a gift to me a couple years back and it was a piece of crap!

I realize the site has lots of sellers. Some are good and some are bad. I had a problem with a bad seller. He sent me the wrong item, apologized and said he would send me the correct item when I sent him back the one he wrongly sent to me. He also told me something about the item I thought I had purchased that was NOT in the description, namely that the item had a crack in it (a vintage item). He had another item for sale that mentioned a crack but this one did not. I told him that I did not want it anymore and I would prefer a refund. I send back the item and demand that he pay me for the return shipping. He says he will send it to me. I open a case on Etsy. Etsy tells him to refund me the return shipping and that he won't be able to use the Etsy payment system and to find alternative means to refund me. They tell him to refund me the return shipping within one work or Etsy will refund me on his behalf and suspend his shop. This is what Etsy posted in the case log. Several weeks go by and I receive nothing. Etsy Admin asks us both for an update. I respond saying I am still waiting for the refund. Nothing from the seller. Then, without any warning Etsy Admin closes the case saying the seller refunded the money. WRONG. Etsy does not support buyers. And judging by the long list of forum posts by sellers, the entire site doesn't work well at all. I will never visit that site to buy anything ever again. I will only go there to post about how Etsy Sucks.

Etsy is a solid site that has been around since about 2005. The site itself is clean, navigable, and easy to use. Several of the reviews here on SJ have been about specific sellers - that's not what this review is about.

Like several other online sales sites - each vendor/store is a separate transaction. You are dealing with a different person each time. Look at the star ratings of each store before you buy and leave feedback. Most sellers will want to protect their reviews and ratings and provide you with great service.

This site is heavily craft specific and has a niche following. If you make handmade items you probably already know about it and/or use it.

REASONS TO USE
[1] You like to make/buy handmade items
[2] Clean, sophisticated, easy-to-use
[3] Lots of great person-to-person stores/vendors

REASONS TO LOSE
[1] You are unable to understand star rating systems
[2] You are a compulsive buyer who does no research before you purchase

If you know what you're looking for in Vintage & what you expect to pay, you'll do well. Especially if you're looking for something rare. Sellers are for the most part (85-90%) very fast to reply to ANY question. I also limit my Searches to US or closer to not get killed on shipping. But if it's an item made anywhere but the US, I have bought from the UK and paid very little for the item (a 19th C. Russian icon); even with Shipping higher than the actual item, it was well worth it!

If you are looking for handmade or organic makeup, you will find tons of amazing Shops and Sellers who care for the environment.

Etsy is an extraordinary, iconoclastic business model. And that reflects from the top down.

I have amazing votives made by OldSoulArtisan which burn perfectly and of the finest materials. If you want to flex your entrepreneurial muscles, this is a good place to start experimenting with branding, logo design, SEO, etc.

Etsy's Search has a lot to be desired so being very specific in the name of your listing is vital. A search for "Cotton boho maxis" is only good if the Seller uses all three words. Your Search will pull cotton, then boho, then maxi until you have to scroll through 20,000 items to find what you're looking for and read the Details bc a maxi may be rayon.

Because Etsy's commission is much lower than eBay and they don't nickel and dime you all the way as eBay does (more so with each Update of the User Agreement), I'm considering opening a shop there in 2017 but I need to get my ducks in a row to post pics on Pinterest to increase traffic, etc. so I need to make a serious step-by-step plan.

Buyer beware! Etsy and its Application are a total ripoff!
I purchased items with this app. They were sent to the wrong address. Per Etsy your items are automatically sent to the address that you have used the most. Not your most current address. My order was almost $100, currently doing a claim against Etsy with my bank as Etsy said this is policy and they have done nothing to recover my order or refund my money. Poorly written application. Or was it they did make a $100 off me by hiding behind the small print. Shop elsewhere there are companies out there with smarter apps.

I accidentally found this website while browsing the Internet. I wish I would have found this review page before ordering from it. The site is quick to collect payment, but impossible to guarantee product. I ordered two pieces from the site. The vendor had one excuse after the next. First excuse. She copied my address incorrectly. Second excuse family emergency. I am awaiting the third excuse, so stay tuned. I am not sure if the vendor understand shipping a package takes little time and effort. I am trying to maintain a positive correspondence with the vendor, because she now has my money. I will be filing a formal complaint with the BBB once I receive the merchandise. I will never order from the site again nor would I recommend anyone else to. I truly believe it's a scam. I just hate I fail for the scam.

Many personalized jewelry items are listed as HANDMADE. In reality those items are programmed by computer & are cut with machine or laser cutters. The only part done by hand is attaching the machine made trinket to a machine made chain. That is hardly considered handmade. What Etsy is doing is called false advertising & deceiving buyers.

A personalized necklace, weather it is a monogram, name necklace or any pendant with a name is handcrafted, cut with a jewelers saw frame using delicate jewelers saw blades.

If it is programmed by computer & cut by machine or a laser cutter it is not handmade.

I was promised delivery within a week and paid for express delivery but I did not get the item for some weeks and then had difficulty with customs as I am in the UK. I had made it clear that the dress was to be used as a costume for a play. I found the shops attitude totally unhelpful because the dress did not arrive on time for the play so was no use to me. They refused to give me a refund. Some time has passed but they knew the circumstances and this is a bullish attitude. They still sell this dress and and it would not be a hardship to them to accept a return. As it is I have lost an awful lot of money on wasted postage and customs fees and I would still have to pay postage back. I would not recommend buying from these people at all.

I started selling on Etsy quite some time ago. I never sold a lot, but it was enough to make it worth it. Etsy has become so over saturated with mass-produced items that it is equivalent to Ebay.com. It is so sad to see, and I had to dissolve my business with them. Etsy used to be a community of honest, hard working, hand crafting, sellers. Now I cannot tell you the amount of dishonest sellers I have encountered in the past couple of years. It is truly disheartening to see. I bough a custom order for my wedding, and the product was not as described. I couldn't use the product at all. I was not offered the option to either replace or return the product. Can you imagine the unnecessary stress this added to my wedding? I even opened an etsy case and it was dismissed without being addressed. Etsy has come to a point where they do not care about the quality of the products they are allowing to be sold. I am utterly disgusted.

I just divorced and lost all the furniture so had to start over. I found a lot of unique things on Etsy I really liked so I placed orders for 4 big ticket items. I didn't find out until after the fact that two of them turned out to be in Europe with associated shipping costs higher than the item prices. Another was "lost" in transit and the sellers fell off the radar so now have a pending dispute filed with my bank, PayPal, and Etsy. The last item has been "processing" for a one and a half months. In short, I really don't think you can buy anything from Etsy. Try Houzz, they actually sell and deliver stuff. For now, I am out $2,000!