EtsyReviews 1,570

I have had 4 sales on my Etsy shop. I would consider it a success since it is a new shop. I have of the 4 sales had to refund 2 because of problems dealing with check out. This last time I got a message that my item sold but that I did not receive the money. How can that even happen? I emailed customer service to ask just that and got no reply. The customer really wanted the item and needed it right away so I finally had them send me the money via Paypal and shipped them the item. Now I will probably get a ban but looks like Etsy is fairly a joke anyway.

I ordered five different things from five different sellers. Two of the items (the expensive ones) didn't look anything at all like the pictures that were posted online. And one item was never shipped. That's basically stealing. I'm currently having a hard time getting anyone to help with a refund. Don't waste your time or money!

This is the first time I ever encountered this problem! I bought an item from VACHETA on etsy but I did not recieve my item! There were a few 5 stars reviews so I thought it was a good seller. At least that's what I thought! At the time my order was supposed to arrive, it didn't! I was a bit confused, thinking there might be a delay in immigrations or customs. The next day, I went on the VACHETA shop and looked at the reviews. And LO AND BEHOLD! The item I bought is reviewed on the day it supposed to arrive! I'm also not Korean! But the last few words are in korean. I did not review the item as I was the only one that knows I bought the item. I'm very furious and filed a report to etsy. Hope they can respond soon.

I recently purchased some leather goods from Lockaloos Leather and I love each one. I purchased the I pad cover, key fob and mouse pad and they are so pretty. All the pieces I purchased are so well made, so soft and smell so good. I give this craftsman a 5 stars rating! I will surely purchase more items from Lockaloos Leather in the near future. Thank you!

While Etsy has a bit less traffic than Ebay and Amazon it is a better place to sell. The fees are much lower and you are in charge of your business. On Etsy the sellers promote and support each other.

There are many categories of sellers but most of them are great people and sell great items. You can find the odd items that you can't find in other places. Great handmade items, lots of vintage collectible items and some wonderful artwork.

Terrible site. The Etsy support team SUCKS. My shop was suspended for inaccurate/false reasons since DECEMBER 2014 and they will not write back to my emails. They ignore me on *******@Etsyhelp. NO HELP AT ALL. You cannot be a business owner or be successful with this site if all they do is close real handmade shops and keep the mass product shops up. The Etsy admins have the power over artisans that have a shop on the site. They promote about becoming entrepreneurs and building your own business. But how can any of us do that if there is no help? We spent a lot of time, money and dedication to our shops and for them to just go around and shut stores down for false reasons they will not take accountable for is just heart breaking. These Etsy Admins have the power to destroy or help build our future, our lives are based on there decisions to have us live our dream.
You can go to the office in brooklyn and they will lie to you and tell you they can't help you there when you SEE the admins walking in.

I purchased a watch from DOWOODwatch for my partner for Christmas. It arrived damaged, and was cheaply made. I contacted the seller and was told to ship it back and that I would get a full refund. I have done this, and am now out of pocket for the watch, additional shipping and the seller is not responding. I tried to report the seller, who seems to no longer be on the website. I can't even get Etsy on the phone. Anyone who is thinking about buying from them should have a look at the laundry list of complaints about them on the Better Business Bureau website. If you plan to buy from them, just be aware that you may be on your own if the product isn't what you think it is.

Etsy can be a very profitable site to sell on but beware as there are some serious pitfalls.

I would advise any seller to have a fall back plan as Etsy can be very unforgiving if you break one of their rules. They are very arbitrary in applying them as they will let off some shops (eg for reselling) but penalize others for just one non vintage item which mistakenly creeps in.

If you search Google you will see that Etsy has a very bad reputation for this.

Another negative is that their forums are run in a very unprofessional way by semi literate "hipsters" who can often misunderstand words and phrases used in other cultures. Then the writer gets banned from the forums for a period, or even premanently for the kinds of petty infringements which would not even be infringements on other forums. Moreover this means you cannot even post in the "bugs" section or on the Etsy blog - both of which can be a real disadvantage in running your business.

All these online sites have their petty spineless snitches but snitching is a fine art on Etsy. These creatures are given to much power and credence and often operate in groups to take down shops of sellers who are competitors. In some ways its like a cross between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

Having said all this its possible to make good money on Etsy if you have a unique product on which you can make a good margin. Just dont get involved in the politics of the site.

The ratings I have given below are for Etsy as a site, since it is a platform for independent sellers.

Ordered a wreath from HollyWoodNVines, order was shipped with missing LSU plague. Was not informed of the problem. Called the day I received it & was promised that they would rectify the problem, never happened, called 3 more times no answer. E-mailed & again was promised a plague was in the mail. Never happened. Got in touch with Etsy
Insisted I 'open a case" Unable to open a case since I cannot send a photo of said wreath. As I have gifted the wreath. Really disappointed. Will never buy from Etsy again. Poor service.

I've had a shop on etsy for years now and have purchased from there for even longer. It has it's ups n downs.
If you just look at it as a platform to get your small biz running... a cheap starting place. It's wonderful. New sellers DO have a bit of a learning curve... got to learn photography, SEO, how to promote yourself but this is all things a new seller anywhere will have to learn.
Etsy started my company ( untamedrose.com) out and gave me a chance to grow. For that I will always be thankful. BUT They are also really bad at all the "extra" stuffs they promise like "support" "getting hold of them" "education" So dont "rely" on them for such.

Lot of the reviews here really are about the wrong company... there are tons of great sellers/companies on etsy... and some really Blah ones to down right scams. Buyer beware as always check That companies reviews, read the listing, and ask Q's. A good seller will have no problem answering them. :)

Every buyer I've bought from has beautiful packaging and my favorite items come from Etsy. If you are unsure about a seller, check their individual ratings and reviews. Otherwise, highly recommend. There are many reasons to support small businesses and buy vintage :)

No protection against fraud. I bought a necklace for one of my bridesmaids from "Sharies." The necklace came broken, and when I returned it she was rude bordering on cruel and she:
1) denied it was broken
2) Told me that it was my fault if the necklace was broken because she posted an image of it
3) Told me that I did not know how the clasp worked and that's why I thought it was broken
4) Told me if it was broken, the mistake happened in shipping
5) Told me there was no possibility of returns and I should have thought of that before I bought a necklace from her
6) Told me I had no recourse for reporting internet fraud because she clearly states on her Etsy page that she accepts NO RETURNS
I can see why

At times, I have kept a shop on etsy.com and have used etsy.com for unique purchases for years but their more recent customer service is appalling. With the addition of their new app, they are refusing to allow customers to choose how they will pay for items. They REQUIRE the use of Pay Pal if you have a Pay Pal account. Since this is 2015 and I am residing in the USA, I have the RIGHT to pay how I wish. In addition, there is nowhere on the etsy site that allows one to provide them with feedback or to ask them questions. This is a current national trend and it signals consumers that the company has become too concentrated on GREED. Finally, much like ebay, the sellers on etsy.com charge exceedingly high shipping fees to disguise the true price of their items, a dishonest and unethical trick at best. Most people use etsy.com because it is a way for artists to market their goods without high fees and overhead. This turn toward the dark side SHOULD cause artists and concerned others to look elsewhere.

Etsy support team members should really get themselves jobs elsewhere as they are champions with being slow, ignorant and poorly trained. But if this is what the Etsy management wants, then they have reached the goal. My messages take weeks of not months to respond, never contain anything helping and in 100% it is brushing me off their laziest shoulder. Shame on you, guys, and may you have the same attitude from everyone when you need help.