Etsy
reviews and complaints

My daughter and I were searching for the Queen Elizabeth Barbie Doll on 9/8. We spotted what we thought was the item and the title described it as such. In our excitement we purchased two of what we thought were the doll with a pay pal account. After we purchased we read the small print which stated the item was something else and was not represented in the photo. We immediately within a half hour messaged the seller to cancel the order and explained we thought we were purchasing a doll and not a magnet. The seller did not message back until much later saying that her account does not allow cancellations of items. The seller said they would check to see if Etsy would cancel the order. I said thank you. We did not hear back from the seller any more and the 2 items have been shipped today. I believe that the seller fraudulently represented what they are selling.

Etsy are withholding money from my sales as they say that my bank account – which they have been paying into for years – needs to be verified since a payment to my account has recently been returned (my bank advises that this is not the case).

I have verified 3 times now, following the procedures presented on-screen (even though it’s the same account details as the ones they already have) but they are still sending me emails asking for verification.

[I have even received an email confirmation from them to the effect that my account has been ‘changed’ from -XXXX to (exactly the same) -XXXX – so it seems that it did not really need ‘verifying’ in the first place.]

Each time I verify, I’m advised by [protected]@etsy.zendesk.com that they have sent a ‘small deposit’ as a test to my bank account (which seems to be tacit confirmation that I have verified correctly). They have stated twice that they have done this ‘successfully’, but nothing has appeared in my account despite my waiting the various 3-5 business days that [protected]@etsy.zendesk.com advises it takes.

They have also advised that I can verify my account ‘manually’ by uploading a bank statement – but there is no mechanism for doing this: the route that they recommend – Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings ¬ does not lead to the option that they suggest using – ‘My bank account is in another currency’. Each time I point this out, a customer-services correspondent simply writes back that I can verify my account ‘manually’ by uploading a statement via Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings and choosing ‘My bank account is in another currency’.

So, I am just going round in circles. I have asked for the issue to be escalated to manager level – or, alternatively, for them to forward me details of their complaints procedure: no response, just a repetition of the previous (in my opinion) incorrect instructions.

Is there any way out of this seemingly specious verification ‘loop’?

Ian McDonald

Correspondence chain below:

Gibbs (Etsy)

30 Aug 2022, 9:02 am GMT-4

Hi Ian,

Thanks for getting back to us. I appreciate your patience throughout. My colleague is currently unavailable but I'll be happy to continue where you left off.

I am sorry to hear that you haven't received the test deposit to verify your account. I realize this may be a frustrating situation.

I understand that you are still using the same bank account you used previously. As your recent deposit of GBP 44.85 has been returned to us by the bank, we have asked you to update and verify your bank account information. Please know that verifying your bank is a necessary step to make sure that you receive your future deposits successfully.

Here, we'd recommend waiting a few days before updating your details again - because it can take up to 5 business days for a bank to process our small deposit. Make sure that the details match the information with your bank account. You are also free to try a different bank account if you have one.

If you need to change the name, go to Shop Manager > Finances > Legal and tax information. Here, you can update your name and/or shop type, either individual or business. Once the checks are done on the name change, it'll be reflected on the bank account settings page.

About manually verifying your bank account by uploading your bank statement, The “My bank account is in another currency” option would show on the process of updating your bank details under Shop Manager > Finances > Payment settings.

Please know that we appreciate any feedback. feel free to reply to me with your feedback and I will be sharing it with my team. Your feedback is very important as we collect insights for future adjustments.

If you have any other concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us back.

Best Regards,

Gibbs

#standwithsmall

Ian McDonald

30 Aug 2022, 3:48 am GMT-4

Dear Krantik

Thank you for your reply. However, as I mentioned in my last email:

• I have verified my bank account with Etsy 2 or 3 times now, following the procedures presented on-screen.

I have even received an email confirmation from Etsy that my account had been ‘changed’ from -XXXX to (exactly the same) -XXXX – so it seems that it did not really need verifying in the first place; it is the same account I have used since enrolling with Etsy several years ago.

• Despite this, and despite Etsy’s assurances that 2 small-deposit payments have been successfully sent to my account, neither has appeared in the account (my bank has also advised that it has not refused any payments into my account).

With regard to manually updating my bank-account details by uploading a statement, as I advised in my last email:

• The route Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings does not lead to any option to select ‘My bank account is in another currency’.

• If I choose the tab ‘Currency’ on the Payment Settings page, your site takes me down the route of changing the currency but then only confirms that the currency is GBP.

Since emails from Etsy do not appear to be paying attention to the content of my emails to Etsy, could you please escalate this issue to manager level – or, alternatively, forward me details of your complaints procedure?

If a way cannot be found out of this verification ‘loop’, then I will reluctantly be forced to close my shop with Etsy.

Best wishes

Ian

Krantik (Etsy)

30 Aug 2022, 12:29 am GMT-4

Hi Ian,

Krantik here- Finance Support Specialists with Etsy. Thank you for writing to us. I understand you are worried about bank verification using small deposit. Do not worry, I would be happy to take a look into it.

Upon checking, I can see that your bank account is not verified and without a verified bank account, Etsy is unable to disburse funds due to account security reasons.

I've taken a look on our end and it looks like we have successfully sent a small deposit to your bank account on Aug 25, 2022 - you should have received this deposit within 3-5 business days. The deposit might be labeled as “ENVOY.” I can see the statement you shared doesn't have such deposit.

If you are able to the deposit on your bank statement - you should be all set to verify your bank details. In case the small deposit doesn’t reflect in your bank account you can again update the bank account by visiting shop manager> Finances>Payment settings. Once the bank details are updated we’ll send a new small deposit to verify your bank account.

Although, it is not required at this stage, however, if you need us to manually verify your bank account you can upload a bank statement at Shop Manager > Finances > Payment settings? Here, you should see an option "My bank account is in another currency". I realize your bank account might not be in a different currency and shows as GBP - that's okay, this option will allow you to upload a statement for us to review.

Generally, we place a 5-day hold on the funds when our seller updates the bank details. I understand you want this to be shortened as you have pending orders, but this is done for you own account security.

Once the hold lifts any available funds are sent to your bank account according to the next scheduled deposit date as per your disbursement frequency (weekly). Hopefully, your funds will get disbursed once the 5-day hold is lifted.

After a deposit is sent out, the funds will likely reach your account within the next 1–5 business days. You can also check your deposit in your payment account.

You can check the next deposit date by visiting your Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings > Deposit Schedule > Date.

For more information, you may visit the help article "How to Update and Verify Your Bank Account for Etsy Payments Deposits"

Hope this clarify things out! Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach back out.

Regards,

Krantik

#standwithsmall

Ian McDonald

29 Aug 2022, 2:07 pm GMT-4

Dakota

Thank you for this alternative route.

Since I have not received a single “small deposit” in my account no matter how many times I verify my bank details (which were already correct and up to date anyway) with you – and my bank swears that it has not returned to you any actual payments to me (which is the issue that seems to be at the route of this impasse), I decided to try this alternative way of uploading a bank statement as you describe below.

However, the route Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings does not lead to any option to select “My bank account is in another currency”: please see the screenshot attached.

If I choose the second tab from the left: “Currency”, your site takes me down the route of changing the currency, but then only confirms that the currency is GBP.

Can you please advise a way forward? I attached a bank statement here (with account details, address and SWIFT number) in case that helps.

Thank you

Ian

Attachment(s)

Etsy - Accepted Payments.mhtml

Ian McDonald smile bank statement.pdf

Dakota (Etsy)

25 Aug 2022, 9:42 am GMT-4

Hi there,

Thanks for getting back to us. I truly appreciate your patience throughout. I understand the urgency of verifying your bank details and reinstate your account. I hear you. I'm one of the Etsy Finance Support Specialists and I'm glad to further look into your concern.

Upon checking, I see that the deposit sent on Aug 1, 2022 was returned because your bank account is not yet verified. Once you have verified your bank account, we'll be able to send you your deposits.

Moreover, I see that we successfully sent a test deposit to your bank account on Aug 18, 2022 you should have received this deposit within 3-5 business days.

Please check your bank statement around that timeframe. The deposit might be labeled as "Etsy,” “Envoy,” “WorldPay,” “Stichting Custodian,” or “Adyen.”

Once you've located the deposit on your bank statement - you should be all set to verify your bank details.

If you’re unable to locate the deposit - please go to Shop Manager > Finances > Payment settings and click Update. Updating your bank details will trigger a new test deposit.

If you need further help updating your bank information, you have an option to update your bank details manually by following these steps:

• You can go ahead to Shop Manager > Finances > Payment Settings.

• Select “My bank account is in another currency” and you’ll be prompted to upload a bank statement for review.

• Please know that your bank statement must be on official bank letterhead and must provide your first name, last name, and bank account details, including full account number.

• I also wanted to mention that the statement you upload will need to include your address and SWIFT.

Once submitted, we’ll review the information within 5 business days.

I hope this helps clarifying your concern. In case there is anything else we can do in the meantime, please send us a new message in order for us to help you quick.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Best regards,

Dakota

#standwithsmall

Ian McDonald

25 Aug 2022, 4:52 am GMT-4

Dear Andrea

Thank you for your message.

As the ‘small deposit’ has still not appeared in my account, my answers to your questions are as follows in red text; please advise if you need more information:

• Last 4 of active bank account no. in your payment account – last 4 digits (if that’s what you mean) are: 9791

• Last 4 of an active billing card on file – what does this mean: what is a ‘billing card’?

• Shop Payment account balance - £44.85

• Last Disbursement amount - £55.64 (this was my last sale, on 29 July 2022)

Best wishes

Ian

Andrea (Etsy)

24 Aug 2022, 10:12 am GMT-4

Hi Ian!

Thanks for replying back, we appreciate your time here in touch with us, my name is Andrea from Etsy finances support, I understand how important is for you to have further information regards your bank account verification in order for you to receive your funds, I'll be doing my best in order to assist you!

I was checking and as you mention that you also have speak with your bank account provider, in this case after reviewing your shop payment account, what I can advice you is to try the Manual verification, but for you to be able to continue with that process, I'll be asking you a few questions just for verification and security purposes, I appreciate your understanding!

Please answer the next questions:

• Last 4 of active bank account no. in your payment account

• Last 4 of an active billing card on file

• Shop Payment account balance

• Last Disbursement amount

I'm looking forward your reply so I can continue assisting you, it's always a pleasure to assist you!

It's been a pleasure assisting you Ian, I'd like to let you know that you'll be receiving a survey so you can share your feedback about your experience with the support provided by me!

Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Andrea

#standwithsmall

Ian McDonald

24 Aug 2022, 8:49 am GMT-4

Dear Karen

Further to your message, below, we have now reached the 5th business day from Etsy's original communication with no sign of the 'small deposit' in my account.

Additionally, the account provider - my bank, smile - has advised the following regarding the original return of the funds:

"We would not return a credit that was transferred in to your account".

Could you please advise?

Thank you

Ian

On 23:15, 20th Aug 2022, Etsy Support wrote:

Ian McDonald

21 Aug 2022, 6:11 am GMT-4

Thank you for the reassurance, Karen

I will continue to look out for the small deposit.

Best wishes

Ian

Karen (Etsy)

20 Aug 2022, 6:15 pm GMT-4

Hi there!

This is Karen from the Finance Support Team. I'll be glad to assist you today!

I understand that you have updated the bank information but you available for deposit amount disappear. I know that this may be confusing but let me shed some light on this.

When you are in the process of bank verification your "available for deposit" changes to $0.00, this is just for security purposes. But don't worry, your money is still in your payment account.

That said, the small deposit should appear in your bank account within 3 to 5 business days. The micro deposit might be labeled as "Etsy,” “Envoy,” “WorldPay,” “Stichting Custodian,” or “Adyen.”

I want to point out there's a 1–3 day waiting period between when you receive the small deposit and when you enter the amount of the deposit to verify your bank account. After this waiting period, to confirm your bank details, go to Shop Manager > Finances > Payment settings and enter the deposit amount you received.

Once you update your bank account, your net earnings will be available for deposit 5 days after you update your bank account.

I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to reply back if you have any additional questions. Have a lovely day!

Best regards,

Karen

Etsy support.

#standwithsmall

Ian McDonald

19 Aug 2022, 3:51 am GMT-4

Following an email warning from Etsy, I have updated my bank account details with you but have not yet received the 'small deposit' that you promise to send.

It's only been one day, but I notice that the amount owed ('available for deposit': £44.85) has now disappeared from my Payment Account page.

Can you please advise where these funds have gone?

Thank you, Ian

PS I have no taxpayer ID registered with Etsy, but since the field below is compulsory I had given the last 4 digits of my Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR)

A few months ago ,I purchased a necklace, that was suppose to be 14K gold, It was suppose to be

in Egyptian letters. I wore it about 5 times, after a while the so called Gold rubbed off, & the so call Egyptian letter were incorrect, whenever I call to speak to a Representative, I get hung up on,or put on hold,& no one comes back on the line. This Company ,literally sells marked down , knock off goods to people, & just makes Million ,& Millions of Dollars ,not giving a damn about the people that they have taken advantage of,or the little bit of hard earn money that they have worked for. It's Totally Disgusting, & very unfair. I'm so Angry I can't ,begin to say. I hope someone sees, & reads this ,& does something abt this, if the Public was to STOP SHOPPING FRIM THEM, then they would feel what we feel.

Good afternoon,

With reference to the order I placed on the 30th July 2022 for your

'Colorful Boho Stair Rug, Diamond Stair Treads Carpet, Non-Slip Stair Mat, Ultra Thin

Stair Runner, Decorative Step Rug, Washable Runner Rug'.

Unfortunately, one of our dogs had been unwell and managed to vomit on 6 stair mats.

As per instructions upon your web site I duly washed them at 30 degrees and laid them flat outside to dry.

"🧼EASY TO CLEAN AND MAINTENANCE🧼

These stair tread rugs can be washed in the washing machine at 30 degrees. Be careful not to use ultra detergent during washing. Since it is a machine washable carpet, it does not tire you in cleaning. Drying is not done in the dryer. Dry using the natural drying method. It has a non-slip sole. Therefore, you can go up and down the stairs with peace of mind. In the case of vacuum sweeping, it does not cause difficulties."

Upon putting them back onto the stairs, we have discovered that they have shrunk.

We are not happy as it is very noticeable when looking at the stairs.

regards,

Fiona Cleall

I ordered an ostomy support belt and it arrived from Romania ater several weeks from Romania. I received a stoma support plate and a ring but no belt. I have not idea what to do with them. I am not able to provide you with a picture. I do not want to return it but I do want to get what I ordered. The picture indicates a belt. If you sent my the rest of the product, I will not need to return what I got.

BeautyJunctionUK have not sent what I paid them for.

I paid them for 4 bottles Palmer's Olive Oil Formula Hair Conditioning Spray Oil

Purchased from BeautyJunctionUK on 04 Aug, 2022

BeautyJunctionUK sent 1 bottle and charged me postage as well for 4 bottles.

Beware of this company called BeautyJunctionUK. Are they a scam operation?Anyone else ripped off by them?

On August 13 I purchased ankle booties on EtsyIreland.com.

Why I want a full refund:

They were advertised as Genuine Leather.

I received a pair of FAUX leather booties.

Added complication: the seller gave no name, only his/her address in Montreal, QC Canada on the parcel. I have no email address for the seller.

I would not have purchased them had I known they were NOT genuine leather.

Two days have been spent trying to get help.

I have not notified VISA. But getting this purchase fixed is very difficult.

I ordered 2 Ween shirts/ one tee, one sweatshirt on August 13 for my son’s birthday which is on Sept 23. Contacted riah once, she said delivery number was wrong- she wound fix it- never did. Then I got (from Etsy) a satisfaction evaluation since the item was delivered ( it was not!).am very frustrated trying to contact riah- no quick response- and no shirts worth over $75.00! Please help! [protected].

I started my journey on etsy this year. I work with Handmade products. I got 4 orders from my shop and fulfilled them all. I used the best quality material. and I got a 5 star review from the buyer on my first sale. My star seller performance is on top 100% in all the fields, on time shipping, on time delivery & replying messages within 24 hrs. I am trying to do best for my customers and this helps to grow for me and etsy also. All the products I listed are completely designed by me and fully manufactured by myself.

I do not understand which product violates etsy seller policy. and the email provided by etsy for violation was not satisfying.

I am a Small business manufacturer and I will provide all the proof for my listed products that these are fully handmade.

I placed an order with margotmaygifts on the 14th July. The order never arrived and the company's website claims they are now taking a break however have not returned the money.

I ordered a Moon Star Macrame Dream catcher Kit and it was supposedly delivered but I never received it. I was in contact with the seller and she gave me all the info she had. I deleted the message only to finally find out after all this time that the vendor is the only one who can put in for the insurance refund. I emailed your help center twice with no response and further researching found this program. The vendor told me she had insured the item so all I am trying to do is let the vendor know she is the one to get the refund and thus can replace the item to me.

Please advise me if you are going to help me or not. My email address is [protected]@twc.com. Yes, I am a Brooklynite now living upstate because of work, but I will forever be a Brooklyn girl.

Theresa Leone

I have attached copies of my support requests which remain unanswered to date.

Gucci YA126402 Timeless G - Quartz Black Dial Stainless Steel Men's Watch Used Pre-Loved

On what grounds have you removed this listing?

Kevin

1 day ago

This watch was originally purchased from Goldsmith Jewellers in Altrincham Cheshire. The watch was brand new. I shall forward your comments regarding the selling of fake counterfeit goods to them.

Please provide evidence of your reasons and opinion to remove this item within 24 hours Or I shall close my account. Kind Regards Kevin @ DevonHome

Kevin

19 hours ago

Dear Etsy, You single out my Genuine Item as fake when it clearly is not while allowing dozens of true fake & counterfeit watches to remain on sale: for example, an Omega Sea Master watch for 180GBP and Rolex Watches for under 300GBP. All obvious fakes. I listed a genuine Gucci item and it was removed within minutes.

Please explain how this was determined first to be fake and secondly within that limited timescale.

Once you determine my listing is in fact genuine and this was your error, I am not prepared to wait 10 days for you to relist. Again no customer phone numbers are available to follow up on person-to-person contact which would allow a far more satisfactory customer Service. eBay for example.

Meanwhile, I shall forward all the listings I found as counterfeit to the appropriate departments.

We are left with only a message system

Kevin

a few seconds ago

Dear Etsy. I follow up this afternoon on my last request for explanations. Your actions are disrespectful and appear without foundation, it is now 24 hours since you removed my listing. I have been totally ignored and Etsy still has neither the courtesy nor the decency to answer my concerns with regard to my removed listing. My questions and concerns still remain unanswered.

Looks like Etsy has agreements with scammers. This is the SECOND time “I have purchased “ a rustic root round dining table with glass/top from shops in Bulgaria.

The day of purchasing I was able to communicate with the seller. After several weeks the seller/Etsy posted as the item was shipped but no tracking number because it comes out of the USA.

Then the after about eight weeks by the delivery, no more seller contact available.

Etsy then makes the refund but without considering any interest.

I wonder if the scammers are in contact with Etsy to use the money for about several months with customers.

Etsy have decided to, without explanation and after I have spent alot if money in advertising.. close my shop. The have also told me they will not release any of my funds until Feb 2023! Can they do this?

How can this company get away with so much and no one is doing anything about it?

I opened a Sellers store on Etsy on Wednesday, 7/27/22. It was a day after that I noticed that a strangers bank account was listed under account information. In order to update deposit bank account information I need to be able to enter the entire bank account number. I obviously can not provide Etsy with this information bc it is not my account. I have made $540 in sales and I believe this has all been deposited in this other persons account. I have scoured the internet for a phone number to contact Etsy and I have not been able to find one. I have left an email on their support services page every other day since I realized this problem. Their site states that someone will get back to you within 1-2 days to answer your inquiry. To date I have not heard back from an Etsy representative. I have invested a lot of my time preparing to open this Etsy store as well as financial resources; buying shipping materials as well as the print costs associated with filling the orders I have already had come in. I have not seen any of my money profited. I am at a loss for how to proceed as they are not getting back to me to resolve this issue. I am deeply frustrated at this point and do not know if I need to contact an attorney. I obviously would like to avoid this as that will accrue added expenses. I can be reached at [protected]@maine. rr.com and at [protected]

This was ordered in January. It has finally flowered, and it is a regular purple Buddleia, which is obviously not what I ordered. (see description above).

The order number is GE-ETSY-[protected]

Sorted by either /57 or 157

Checked by 93

Packed by 28

The item code is SP1U001

Location is LFA08

It was ordered on 09.01.22

It flowered a few weeks ago, but I am elderly and couldn't find the receipt, and had to ask my son to come and visit to enter my complaint. (I had initially complained to Gardening Express, as I hadn't realised it was an Etsy order)

On the 19th February 2021 Etsy deactivated and blocked my account for no reason so that I could not log in to my account to release the money that they owed me despite numerous attempts to contact them all of my emails have been ignored by them and they have refused to deposit the money for £531.04p in to my Co operative bank account that they owe me my Shop on there Athanasios Goods is now frozen and I urgently require this money to pay for my mother's hospital treatment this company has no way of bring contacted they have taken there customer phone service phone number out of use almost a year ago and have only an email.address to which they never reply to emails from there level of customer service is truly shocking also

The company through Etsy, we ordered from is Henry and Hannah. They finally told us to file a case, however, not knowing much about electronics, and being in our mid 70's, we cannot still figure out how to do just that. We have no cell phone anyway. I pray no one else out there has the problems we have had trying to clear this matter up. $29.21 may sound like a little to some, but it's alot of money to us. Please consider returning that refund to us.

After several direct attempts, CraftboxByFarrukh appears to have been one of those worst-case examples of what buyers complain about on Etsy. A seller with no intent of delivering a product. Judging by the seller rating, it appears that some transactions were honored, but just as many were not. I must have been one of those that fell in just as things were going bad. It is a shame that buyers as well as Etsy are taken advantage of when it comes to physical products by what amounts to theft.

Hopefully Etsy has some kind of means keep a seller from setting up shops under another name or reporting them to the authorities should they attempt to, but I know the reality of that is not likely.

Oh well, chalk it up to one of life's lessons. Buyer beware.

Order #[protected]

Hi, I ordered a tea cup from Oriarm. Transaction ID [protected] (photos of the dispatch notice attached). Today I received a package from Oriarm in the mail. I have received two packets of tea leaves from Oriarm instead of the item I ordered (photo of the tea I received attached). If I am unable to have the item I ordered could I have a refund please? I don’t want the tea. It’s not an acceptable substitute. The item I ordered was supposed to be a gift.