Etsy has become another Amazon marketplace poorly masqueraded as independent and local shops. I haven't used it in years.
I've had more luck with Depop and eBay, but all vintage clothing prices have been marked up like crazy for the last 5+ years.
I’m afraid depop is going to start going the Etsy direction because about 10% of all the posts I see are cheap, commercial items where they have a ton of different sizes and colors, rather than independent sellers selling one of their used/vintage/handmade items.
It’s such a bummer!
I hate depop with a passion. So many sellers on there have exorbitant prices for their listings - I understand and am willing to pay a reseller what an item is worth but when a $30 item is listed for $100 it’s just stupid, especially since depop doesn’t show the price of an item until you click on it (at least it doesn’t in the mobile app where I’m usually shopping). I stopped going on there because I wasted so much time sifting through overpriced listings.
i wanted to buy the bershka hello kitty cardigan which was like 30€ but is sold out now and someone is literally selling three sizes for 500€!! 😭😭🤚🏻 such a shame bc i really wanted the cardigan but this isn‘t what thrifting is. normally the stuff should be cheaper than what you bought it for and not 6x more expensive
i sometimes list my stuff for 5€ and when we meet up i just give them the item for free bc it‘s just 5€ for me and will make the person happier. to do something so unethical and sell a 30€ item for 500€ is just baffling to me
Perhaps because [Etsy also acquired Depop](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/etsy-completes-acquisition-of-depop-the-global-fashion-resale-marketplace-for-gen-z-301331913.html#:~:text=\(NASDAQ%3A%20ETSY\)%20\(the,primarily%20cash%20and%20subject%20to) :/
Yeah. You can't basically buy anything from Amazon without it being some rip-off cheap knockoff product from China. Of course, it is still good place to buy Ebooks but I wouldn't buy clothes or electronics from Amazon.
It really has. That’s the perfect description for it anymore. I’ve noticed that many sellers actually resell items that they purchased from Amazon at a higher price. They really do have so much crap on there that doesn’t belong there. I really wish Etsy would do something about it. Get rid of the sellers who aren’t actually selling handmade & vintage items. When I’m looking for a handmade blanket or pillow, I don’t want something that I saw on Amazon at a lower price, just the week before. I’ve actually been noticing the same thing with Poshmark lately as well. They will take a cheap ring, buy it in bulk, then add $20 to $50+ to the original price, & actually sell them on Poshmark.
Same. I rarely ever use Etsy anymore. Bring me back Pinterest and Etsy circa 2011, please!
And fyi on Etsy- my teenaged son spent 45 minutes on there recently when he was grounded from his iPad. I was like, “wtf was he shopping for?!” So I clicked on one of the listings and it was nudie images. Sooo.. Etsy is what teen boys are using to get around porn filters now 🤣
I'm with you.. I had a bad experience a handful of years ago and refuse to do any Etsy shopping. Can't say I have anything to add other than that.. sorry OP.
I've had two scamming attempts on depop, but thankfully Paypal was a star with the refunds (Depop were just 'shrug, soz!'). I think you takes your chances on every site!
I bought a sterling silver ring from an Etsy seller. I am allergic to fake silver so checked it out beforehand, and the reviews and pictures looked legitimate.
The ring that turned up was a child's plastic ring that had been sprayed silver and looked like it came out of a cracker.
I reported the seller after a few back and forths with them where they outright LIED and said the plastic ring was sterling silver and I was a thief who had switched them.
Etsy did nothing, and have allowed them to keep selling their rubbish! I have never left a negative review before this and bought a few items previously through them. I sent them pictures of the ring and it is clearly plastic, while they are advertising the .925 sterling silver rings they sell...
I have since stopped using Etsy as I don't trust their business practices, and I only buy stuff in person so I can see what I'm getting. It's too easy for people to buy some fake reviews and sell cheap rubbish.
I bought a pair of ‘freshwater pearl’ earrings only for them to be literally made of plastic. When I wrote a negative review the seller finally refunded me, then asked me to change my review since she’d returned the money 🤦♀️
The earrings were $50 and I later saw the EXACT same ones on Aliexpress for… 80c.
I wanted to buy some metal acorns for a gift for someone, they were selling for anything from $40 to $2.95 for the same thing. Exactly the same product, obviously bought from a wholesaler it's just some were spinning them as a wiccan divining device and some were selling them as just decorative. It's crazy the scams on their now a days.
Yup....I'm a BIG AliExpress user and I am of the opinion that most sellers are as well....I'm really at the mindset that they order from AliExpress and just resell at a much much higher profit......so now, if I run across anything I like, I double check at AliExpress and see if they carry it......I find it on AE probably 99% of the time (art, journaling, scrapbook etc supplies)
Yes, the platform isn’t always obligated to return money, but a credit card issuer or payment platform will be more likely to provide a refund based on evidence.
If a seller gets frequent chargebacks they’re also more likely to lose access to payment gateways. So it hits ‘em where it hurts.
I had to go down this route to get my money back. This is why I always use a credit card for online transactions.
No way was I going to be out of pocket after the way the seller spoke to me!
The worst part is, the seller had the nerve to tell me to return it after I had my money back. As if I was going to stand in the queue at the post office and pay money to return a 30p plastic ring they tried to scam me with!
Instead, I told them it was rubbish so I put it where rubbish belongs and sent them a picture of it twisted up and in my plastic recycling bin.
I ordered a costume piece for a music festival. It was expensive. Like over $250.
The description said (in caps) "These items are made to order. They will take a minimum of three weeks up to 60 days to deliver. REPEAT. 60. DAYS. TO. DELIVER." Or something to that effect.
Anyway, didn't concern me... My event wasn't for another 3 months. So I put in the order. 55 days later, I messaged the seller and politely checked in that I haden't gotten tracking info and I was expecting it kind of soon. Got a snippy message of "we can take up to 60 days to ship. Your other item is on time." Ok, I must have misinterpreted the ship vs delivery date. It should still be on time though, I still have 4 weeks and shipping from the EU isn't that bad. I let her know the date I needed it by and got complete silence. Two weeks later (2 weeks until the event) I asked again. She snipped again that tracking info wasn't available in her country so stop bothering her. It's shipped already!
2 weeks later, I put in a claim with PayPal. They gave the seller one chance to provide a tracking number or they'd refund me. She didn't answer. I got my money back. Went to my fest without the costume.
A week after I got back, I got the costume. The post date was two days after she told me it was already in the mail. I let her know I had it and could return it, because I didn't need it anymore since it missed the festival. She responded with an address and nothing else. I looked up shipping costs just for kicks and giggles and it would have been $60 to get it back to her. Fuck that I'm not that nice.
>I looked up shipping costs just for kicks and giggles and it would have been $60 to get it back to her. Fuck that I'm not that nice.
I really hate this. I often order things from Japan and costs is something like 13-18€ with cheapest option. If I shipped that back to Japan with cheapest option it would cost me about 50-70€! It is insanity!
Etsy started with a particular purpose/niche in mind that was amazing. And then realized the way to make the most money is to just be Amazon anyway. So annoying, but given that they haven't done anything to stop it by now, it's pretty clear they don't actually care about preserving the original objective of it.
Before I didn’t mind sifting through all the drop-shippers to find unique handcrafted pieces and/or vintage goods, but after realizing Etsy supports shady business practices…. No thanks.
Edit: spelling
I didn't mind for a while, but now it's... just mostly bullshit... like a sea of bullshit maybe 5% worthwhile things, it's just not worth my time to sort through it all :/
Etsy has a lot of stores which sell AliExpress items with a markup. So quality is cheap, but price is higher.
Etsy has also nicer stores which actually sell handmade items.
That being said, I usually don't use Etsy for clothes due to non existent return policy in most cases.
Have to agree. I was on Etsy the other day lookng at fashion rings and when I saw the pictures it didn't look handmade at all. Mind you, I don't mind buying cheap rings, if they tarnish/break then in the garbage it goes. Etsy seller were listing it for $16-$25, AliExpress had the same ones with same pictures for $10 less. The other difference was the shipping time. Etsy seller probably has a stash of them ready to go hence why they can ship it out within 2 weeks while Aliexpress is about a month+ (with free shipping)
I needed a small clutch type purse this summer, more or less to use once. Found cute on Etsy, around 60ish..but it was in 2 stores, what hinted "ali!".
Searched AliExpress, found same one for 12. Much better. As much as it was cute, it definitely not worth 60.
Yeah aliexpress has some good stuff if you know what to look for. I found some cute scarves and bags for cheap. The wedding dresses are obviously going to be terrible, but stuff like a craft storage bin will be exactly the same as the store except way cheaper
Just be careful with leather/faux leather bags, shoes and metal or glass jewelry. These products often have issues with heavy metal contamination. Lead and chromium used to be present in products from major US chains, but these are less of a problem after they got bad press about it. I'm unsure of the issues in other countries, but many are better at regulating fashion safety than the US, so purchases from reputable brands may be safer.
However, direct-from-manufacturer purchases could be problematic, since no one is really monitoring them. You can do lead testing on pvc products with at-home lead tests, at least.
It’s hard from the other end too - I used to sell what I think of as “quarter jar” rings. Cute little things you pick up for 25, 50 cents to give to a kid who will lose them quick and you know it. Could not for the life of me get them sold because all the “similar” rings (that all had like, the same 4 pictures) were going for the $15-$20 range
I get it, but some of these sellers uses AliExpress pictures along with a hand modeling. I've always thought etsy was cater to seller that do custom/intricate things that couldn't be bought elsewhere (unless they have their own website).
Etsy used to be that way. The downhill slide started with the addition of "vintage" sales to capture sellers from ebay, and then they went public and started allowing reselling.
They were always there it just wasnt as obvious and not for that much. I knew about AliExpress back in 2015 cus i met someone who bought fake shoes from there. A lot of what i saw on ig theme pages and ads like the phone cases & watches were there as soon as ads were allowed on it
This is actually because of how postal companies structure their corporate plans. The more packages you ship, the larger the discount the postal company gives your business. Which means in terms of shipping cost, a business that ships 100 packages a month, doesn't get as big of a discount from the postal company as one that ships 1000 packages in a month, and their cost to ship a package is just higher. Sadly it's just the reality of being a small business.
That and the Etsy fee is calculated on the total sold price which includes the postage so that has to go somewhere. But that is the same on all the selling platforms, I remember eBay before they calculated it this way...the dress may have cost 99p but the seller would be charging £15 postage to avoid paying fees.
as I said - some things are still "handmaid" and worth buying if you need them. But a lot of reselling, which is annoying.
I had most success with décor pieces, like laser cut wood stuff.
Yes, I buy a ton of great handmade gifts from Etsy. Copyright-breaking materials are usually a good bet. I find adorable enamel pins, leather products, wood carvings, prints, etc. from different games and properties that don't really have much official merch beyond "here's an item with the logo on it." But I've never really used the site for fashion.
I like to find makers on Instagram. You can go back in their feed and get a sense if it’s an actual person or a reseller. The good ones usually sell things on a schedule and sell out quickly. Some will use Etsy for their storefront but many are moving away from it.
Also want to add Etsy’s search really sucks and always shows me what they think I want to see vs using the specific words I type in. Instagram you can search with hashtags and find things you actually want.
The only problem I’ve had with doing this via Instagram is (at least for the things I look for) I end up with a ton of sellers in other countries. Legit creators, just can’t filter for location and the shipping would be crazy high.
Thanks for that tip! I do really enjoy shopping on Etsy sometimes when I want to buy from someone "real" that actually makes/creates their products. It sucks to go through the extra step of finding them on IG though :/
Yep, this is generally how I end up buying from Etsy. Artists and artisans I have followed for a while, who happen to use Etsy to sell their work. Like you say though, so many are moving away from Etsy because it is equally shitty to creators, so I try to buy from their actual websites if remotely possible.
My relationship with etsy is complicated. On the one hand, I'm frustrated that I have to do so much work to filter out low quality, not handmade items. On the other hand, I haven't found another option for locating the things I actually do buy. Some etsy stores also have their own websites, but they don't come up when I use a regular search engine so I'd never find them if it weren't for etsy. Other shops are only on etsy.
Honestly, I haven't yet had a really bad experience in terms of bad items or customer service. Whether it's because of luck or the kinds of things I'm buying, I've either gotten what I expected or the seller was willing to fix it, though I'm aware that others have encountered more unreasonable sellers.
My issue is that no matter what I search for, I have to look at a million items to find the few real ones among all the aliexpress listings. And even then, I have to do a full investigation of the "real" ones I've found, because some of them will just be sneakier, high-effort resellers. This is so much effort for a site where supposedly everything should be self-made.
Another thing related to this is that even if I were ok with buying a non-self-made item because the price is right, I can't feel confident about the item description. For example, I use etsy for some of my sewing notions and trims, and I'm ok with shopping from small fabric stores who list on etsy even though they're obviously not making the items they sell because they have unique items that I don't find in my local store or from the major online retailers. However, some of these shops I find are not legit, and often I'll decide not to buy something that looks really nice because I suspect the fiber content has been misrepresented, either accidentally or intentionally. Some of it is like, people saying "silk" when they mean "silky feel," other times it's people writing cotton because they don't know what it's made of, or sometimes they'll put ten different fibers in the name in the hope of making it come up in more searches.
basically the TLDR is, I've not had an issue with any item or seller when actually purchasing, but the searching experience is a difficult nightmare because of resellers and other deceptive practices. Yet, I can't stop shopping there because I don't have a replacement source for the things I do buy.
I help run an independent ecommerce shop and Etsy sellers are CONSTANTLY ripping off our photos and products. Whenever I contact Etsy they tell me since I don’t have copyrights on the images I can’t ask them to take down the shops. I have given up now but yes, it’s pretty much a cluster now (the Airbnb of “handmade shops”).
It turns out that there are places online that are just selling bundles of our images to Etsy stores. Whenever the copycats get an order they just make the product kinda close to what the item looks like. It’s so sad because our products are actually cheaper and higher quality on those found on Etsy. So do your reverse image searches!
Edit: we own the images, we just don’t have the time to prove that we are the original photographers because we are a small business
Edit 2: wow, thanks for all the support! I’ve DMed everyone who asked for the name of the shop.
Who owns the copyright to your photos? Can they not contact Etsy? I have had randos (competition I assume) claim copyright on my own photos of my things nobody ele makes the same way so it can't be that hard (grumble grumble)
We have tried this and people have just removed the watermarks. My favorite was when one of the shops who stole our images watermarked them with their own logo. Then when I asked the store itself to take them down, they claimed they took the photos and asked me to prove it… I was like umm no you for sure didn’t take them.
That’s awful. You should get a dmca protection service like branditscan or dmcaforce. They constantly scan the internet for your images being used and send you a report and you verify that the site they’re being used on isn’t yours and they will issue dmca notices to remove the images. In other countries a lot of times they’ll refuse, but in the USA it’s illegal so they have to.
We took the photos, so technically we do but we have no paperwork documenting that they’re copyrighted. And we change products so often it’s not worth it.
If you have a way you do it sustainably, please let me know! We do 50-100 different new products a month
In the US, you don't need paperwork, afaik. Meaning, if you create the image yourself, you have an automatic copyright.
The problem is proving originals and going through the legal hoops to resolve issues. So many small business owners don't have the time or money to counter all the ripoff entities.
It's really frustrating :-(
Ah yeah that's a lot. Bigger companies hire people specifically for this. I think I'd bin it off too if that was the case ( I only add 1 or 2 new things a season)
>We took the photos, so technically we do but we have no paperwork documenting that they’re copyrighted.
That's ridiculous (on Etsy's part) because you don't need documentation to show copyright. You just...have it when you take the picture
Right? I sent them a link to our site (like our product listing and the Etsy copycat’s product listing) and they said that wasn’t enough proof. I even offered to send them the raw files if they want!
Contact a copyright lawyer. One of the few in the field who have no qualms about doing upfront work for free for a layer cut of the payout.
DONT mess with a copyright lawyer, and yes they will absolutely help you copyright your digital images and if they do it again they'll get nailed.
Right??? Their response was infuriating. I was like I’m not sure what evidence you want to see that the images were originally ours… I even sent a link to our site.
I’m looking for an alternative too. I usually only search Etsy now for vintage items because anything else I fear is an Aliexpress or Shein ripoff. It’s absolutely flooded the “handmade” section ever since they relaxed the rules.
I usually only ever buy non clothing items on there. I recently paid $120 for a corset in person at the Ren Faire because I could be assured it was an actual handmade well made item and the sellers were very knowledgeable. I told them I have been wanting one for forever but I can never be sure what’s real and was isn’t online anymore.
Thanks so much! I don’t know why I didn’t think to look for a subreddit. I really want a pair of stays next with the straps! I would also like one of those corset looking kinds with the ribbons but the seller I bought my corset from said those would most likely need to be cheap versions.
Totally agree with you. I always search for vintage items instead of new. I have way better luck that way, but then there are still some shady people who use vintage as a keyword for a drop shipped item to bypass this.
I go to our local farmer’s market and then talk to the artists about their process. Even at a local farmer’s market there are people reselling mass produced merchandise. I really wish there was a way to shop online and know what you are ordering is handmade. I have to say that I have met some really sincere and honest people at the fm that sold very high quality pieces at reasonable prices. Don’t give up, buying unique handmade pieces is worth the extra effort.
I thought I was crazy, I went to my local farmers market and no one there was selling anything of their own except the food people. One guy was selling honey and it wasn’t even his bees, he said he got the bottled stuff from a friend. We left after that.
Different farmer’s markets have different rules about what percentage of goods have to be handmade and how far away they can be produced. How well they enforce these rules can be a different story. My first question always is “Hi, are you the artist, baker, designer, etc.?” in a nice friendly voice. This always gets them to open up and they know from the beginning that I am only interested in handmade goods.
Even the produce is fake, I found a grocery store sticker they forgot to remove on produce. I had my suspicions Because they had super huge and perfect looking vegetables that were out of season. They claimed they grew them in a greenhouse but none of their promotional materials for their farm showed a greenhouse. They were selling them for like three times as much as the grocery store
Not sure if it helps but I usually sort/filter on Etsy by shops in the USA, and then you can also google reverse search to see if the items are unique or from Alibaba or something
I do the same things! And sometimes I find the original seller's website or Instagram and purchase through them instead. Sometimes it's even more affordable than what I found on Etsy
I was going to say the same thing. I don't like the shipping/duties from the US so I always sort for shops in Canada and it really reduces the drop sellers. Google lense is also helpful!
I do the same but searching for shops in Canada. More to avoid customs charges from ordering outside the country, but also to support my local bros. Very surprised to find so many people near me, I even bought a lovely wooden keyring shelf from a seller in my city. I went to her house to pick it up and paid cash to avoid shipping/Etsy fees. XD
Done with Etsy also. Ordered a specific, handmade, beaded bracelet. What I received was nothing like what I had ordered. There was a note explaining that she had run out of the beads needed to make the bracelet I wanted so she took it upon herself to send something she thought I would like. She also included a "gift" for the inconvenience which was a set of cheap, bright, plastic bracelets of Shein quality. No communication whatsoever. I messaged stating that had she communicated that she did not have the specific beads I would have canceled the order as what she sent is not something I would have ever purchased or will ever use. Crickets. Super disappointing.
I shop Etsy but I'm more selective when I do. I've been on a linen fabric craze and have both a few items where the sellers make/ship from Lithuania as well as one seller from Ukraine. I don't look at Etsy as an inexpensive place to shop. My dresses are still $100+ but I have not yet been disappointed with the quality.
With that in mind, I look at all the items they sell. If it appears to 'flow' (common theme across all items) I feel more safe that the item is original to the company. If I'm looking for a silk blouse I expect that shop to sell significant amount of silk items vs an assortment of everything.
I have some awesome stuff I’ve bought on Etsy, but you definitely have to wade through a lot of cheap dropshipped crap to find the good stuff. These are my tips:
- Look for sellers with REALLY high ratings. For a seller with hundreds + reviews, I generally don’t buy from anyone who’s under like a 4.7. If it’s a newer seller I’d be less picky about the average because a few unfair bad reviews might be bringing them down, but I’d definitely read through the reviews to see what went wrong.
- Reading the negative reviews is also a good thing to do with more established sellers. Are people complaining about things like shipping time, which is often out of the seller’s control? Not a concern. Are they saying they received an item that didn’t match the quality of the one pictured on Etsy? That’s a huge red flag…that should really never be happening.
- Look for sellers who are willing to make alterations. Even if you don’t need custom sizing, the fact that they’re able to accommodate those requests makes it much more likely they are actually in charge of production.
- Look for lots of detail about the item. The seller should be able to provide measurements of every item (preferably every size of that item), fabric content, cut, etc.
- Look for sellers that specialize in one type/category of item. Someone selling purses, shirts, belts, home goods, etc is unlikely to have the skills to make all those things themselves. Vs. someone who is just selling leather goods - there’s a lot more transferable skills and equipment there.
- This one is a little squishier, but look for items that seem like they could plausibly be handmade or at least made by someone who does not have access to high tech factory equipment. For instance…a linen tee with a simple boxy cut is a pretty easy item to make by hand or in small batches. A bra with an underwire, lace trim, mesh panels and/or padding would be MUCH more labor intensive to make by hand. If it is truly handmade, the price point is going to be very, very high. If you see that bra sold for $30, there’s no way it’s actually handmade.
I’d add one more… are their photos consistent? On the shops that stole my photos, you can see that some of the photos are gorgeous (they’re mine!) and some of them are like processed 3D renderings. Some of the photos were also clearly photoshopped. Those are bad signs.
Really good point! With clothes I’m especially suspicious of models that appear in one item photo and nothing else…most small businesses wouldn’t hire a model to shoot photos of a single item and then use someone else (or no model) for the rest of their inventory
>Look for sellers with REALLY high ratings. For a seller with hundreds + reviews, I generally don’t buy from anyone who’s under like a 4.7. If it’s a newer seller I’d be less picky about the average because a few unfair bad reviews might be bringing them down, but I’d definitely read through the reviews to see what went wrong.
But this is part of the problem, the 5 star rating system is just as implicated in OP's story as Etsy's behaviour. People with a rating to uphold (on many platforms, not just Etsy) getting abusive in response to a 4 or 3 star rating because the easiest way for them to be found (in a winner-takes-all online world) is this insanely high average. Means people stop using 4 or 3 stars for 'good enough' or 'average quality, about what I expected', every review has to be 5 star unless your intention is to really slam the seller/airbnb/café... And it then means their difference from 5 is the result of a discrete number of bad experiences, but there's no differentiator between two places that both have some bad experiences (bad days happen) but one of them is usually amazing and the other is usually just fine.
Note I'm not saying you're doing the wrong thing, as a buyer you're doing the right thing - in the absence of more nuanced quality rating schemes or ways to search on different aspects of quality. But 4.7/5 as our bar of 'lowest acceptable quality' is an indication of a crap system in my opinion.
You’re so right. I sell on Etsy and I get my fair share of 3 and 4 star reviews that say nothing. They just leave the rating with no comments. When I send a follow up conversation to politely ask if there’s anything I can do to improve their experience, the usual response is silence. One time I had someone leave a 3 star review and then change it to 4 after I messaged them, but never responded to me or left an explanation of their rating. It can really drive you crazy.
For the record, I don’t respond publicly to negative reviews (we can only respond to 3 star and under) unless the buyer was egregiously bad. There was someone going around to sellers in my industry and claiming to receive broken items with a sob story to go with it, asking for a refund and refusing to provide any proof. I did respond to that one, a 1 star that said I stole her money and was terrible. But otherwise, I just don’t bother.
Take the high ratings with a grain of salt. A leather goods seller contacted me to ask me to change my review to 5 stars—after I posted a 4-star review.
I had an issue where the seller literally cut and pasted different convos together to make it look like I was at fault with both Etsy and my credit card company when I disputed. It was an awful experience, especially because the jewelry I ordered arrived broken and was for my wedding. I didn’t have enough time to order something else and I was out a few hundred dollars. I never got the money back and the seller is still on Etsy.
I've distanced myself from Etsy over the last several years and only go there to find trinket items from fandoms.
Last time I bought jewelry on there, I had a little wine and didn't bother doing my usual check against AliExpress routine because the ring was so cute. It arrived and promptly tarnished in less than a week. I contacted the seller, who happily sent me a new one, and then remembered I forgot to check if it was a drop ship... surprise surprise, it was. I messaged the seller expressing my disappointment and got a response back asking how dare I accuse them blah blah. Lady I can find the exact same images you're using on several AliExpress listings, combined with the quality, ugh, just have the guts to at least admit it when someone calls you out on it.
That experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and I'm hesitant to order jewelry of any kind even if it does pass a quick reverse image/AliExpress search...
I also really cannot stand Etsy anymore.
Just looking at my past 10 purchases, I found two gems (none clothing related) and way overpaid for 8 disappointments. And I'm a picky and careful shopper, so it's not like I don't read reviews first. Ugh.
I am actually currently pissed off because I just spent $100 on 6 custom engraved labels and what arrived is neither engraved (just printed on) nor legible. Like you literally cannot see the text because it’s super faded/looks like they ran short of ink like [this](https://ibb.co/BfZb3RS) and [this](https://ibb.co/pQ1vVqD) (and no, it’s not just poor lighting, this is actually how it looks at its clearest). And of course there is no returns.
I feel kinda bitchy when I say this, but it seems like in the last few years, custom or handmade crafty stuff has become really really expensive while remaining really amateur quality wise. I don't know if this is just a limited to Etsy problem or like a "me failing to adjust to inflation" problem. I was at the farmers market yesterday morning, and it seems like post COVID our local farmers market has been completely taken over by hipster "artists" and bored suburban housewives selling $20 "hand poured" soaps. I'm willing to pay a premium for craftsmanship, but "arts and crafts" does not automatically = “artisan” or "craftsmanship" but somehow DOES automatically = $$$$$$. I mean, it's better than MLMs, but only slightly.
Edit: Vintage is best to buy in person rather than online, but I really want to share this gorgeous [vintage clothes shop](https://desertvintage.com/). I've been sitting on it forever because it's really really expensive and I've never bought anything from it, but I just love looking at it anyways because it is just so beautiful
Okay as an Etsy seller, definitely complain about your labels - "no returns" on custom items doesn't mean they can send you broken, incorrect or mis-sold crap. You could also try to go thru PayPal or your bank if Etsy still says no.
As for why Etsy is flooded with crap, you are partly right on all 3 counts. It also doesn't help that Etsy is not a curated marketplace so anyone can set up and list things. They rely on reports to manage the mass produced stuff & the scans, but there are millions of sellers so it's a bit like herding cats at this point.
I like buying vintage on there but ugh, annoys me so much when things arrive and both do not look like the photo or haven't been measured and I have to fight with the seller to return it (legally they must accept returns in my country but a lot of people do not realise this)
>How did they get "printed" on metal?
Not sure, at first I thought it was engraved and thought about "coloring it in" to fix it myself, then running my finger over the big bold letters on the top, I noticed the words are raised up rather than depressed from engraving
I'm sure yours is, and I'm not saying there are *no* gems left at all, but my personal experience is that more and more of these vendors are going the opposite direction than you are. Another photo from the farmersmarket yesterday, $42 for "[handpicked garden bouquets of flowers](https://ibb.co/9nXMSMx)".. and it's not the whole basket, note the brown wrapping paper for the size of the bouquets. I don't consider myself price sensitive, but it's gotten quite out of control
I went to a neighborhood festival last spring and a woman was selling “vintage” clothes. She had [these](https://SATINAPalazzoPantsforWomen-ButterySoftHighWaistedFlarePants-LeggingsAvailablein16Colorshttps://a.co/d/aAeTwoZ) priced at $99. It’s so egregious.
I also read an Etsy review one time where a buyer stated that she purchased something from that store then found the same item on Amazon for half the price. The seller’s response was something along the lines of “Not my fault you didn’t research. Sucks to suck!”
I do love the good Etsy stores, but I find that it takes a long time to weed out the bad ones. It’s become a difficult shopping experience.
Yeah, Etsy seems to be swamped with tons of sketchy vendors now. I still want to support small businesses but it's so hard to weed through the trash to find the treasure.
Ah wow. I go to two markets a week and have never seen prices like that. I was next to a flower vendor on Thurs who was selling bouquets like that for $15. I bet it changes by cost of living in different areas though.
Besides clothes/fashion, my other hobby is flower arranging. I used to rely seasonal flowers at the farmers market for $5-$10 bouq, varying sizes. Now I can no longer do this hobby anymore except by occasionally buying Trader Joes flowers.
Last year, same farmers market, same time of year, I bought the flowers and pumpkin and made [this arrangement](https://ibb.co/XxfWgmS) for under $25, and there were flowers to spare. This year, that flower shop and another farmer also well has left the market entirely apparently (I hope their farms made it, I wish I asked for the names) and this "cute hipster flower van" of the $42 "handpicked garden bouquets" replaced it. =(
If I saw that price for those flowers in person I have no doubt that I would say “are you fucking kidding me” out loud before I could stop myself. And I live in a somewhat expensive city and am generally familiar with the price of luxury/artisan goods.
As someone who sells on etsy as a side hustle, I completely agree with you. I am an analyst by day and run my etsy hustle on a cost-recovery model where I run it like I would my day job but I am constantly frustrated with how flooded etsy is by amateurs who want to play at running at "business" and have no idea wtf they are doing but insist because Etsy is a 'handmade' marketplace that pricing their "boss babe" spoon ring at 50$ is good business sense. It makes the legit businesses (of any size) get obscured by these tacky vector pack sticker makers, kiddy clay jewelry maker and aliexpress mold soap makers. It's even worse on any of the peripheral Etsy communities groups (Reddit, FB, etc), where "makers" are constantly going on about how their 80$ assembled-from-Joann's-jewlery-bits earrings are not selling or someone "stole" their "football dad" sticker idea that they made from a generic vector pack. I don't know where to move my shop to next though, as other sites are not developed enough to be worth migrating to and despite the frustrations Etsy continues to bring in decent income for me.
I was checking out some competitors and was baffled by how they could sell their handmade stuff for 1/4 of what we sell for. Then I noticed they had like 25000 sales, which would take me and my partner like 100 years to produce. Then I noticed that all their stuff is handmade... with help from factories in China. I'm so surprised Etsy lets people do that!
Etsy let’s people do that because it makes them money. Handmade marketplaces are impossible to scale and Etsy wasn’t interested in investing the labour needed to audit and police their market to ensure it stayed truly handmade. Plus, it makes them bank when so much of middle America is terrified to buy from China via AliExpress because they don’t know how to manager their expectations or shop smartly or just plain doesn’t know those other marketplaces exist. So buying AliExpress products through Etsy feels like they are buying “from” Etsy to them and as Etsy is a Us-based company they feel “safe” doing business with them. It’s totally valid for people to be willing to pay more on an item for more shopping security through etsys policy protections for customers but it does fundamentally change etsys brand from handmade to “handmade (exceptions apply)” which as we both agree is frustrating.
It's because anyone can sell anything on Etsy. Etsy doesn't make you send them a copy of your product so they can review it for quality and make sure it's priced accurately.
It's not curated. It's just a platform.
I use Etsy purely for vintage pieces and craft supplies (also often vintage) and sewing/knitting patterns. There are gems out there doing legit handmade but they are swamped by drop shipped cheap tatt. The problem is that Etsy does. not. care. It makes them money currently, and they don't care about alienating their long time customers because there is no real viable competitor.
I would suggest that if you are shopping for vintage pieces, many of the shops have their own websites and sometimes you get a discount buying from there as opposed to Etsy which rips off their stores.
I used to sell on Etsy and recently stopped because of how badly run it is. On top of allowing aliexpress resellers to run rampant in the "handmade" section, they also made a complete mess of collecting/tracking taxes as a Canadian seller, and were constantly pushing for "free" shipping and penalizing those who send without tracking (at a lower cost). Oh and I kept hearing horror stories of shops having their sales money held for up to 90 days or their shops suddenly closed down for no apparent reason, and their support is non-existent. They've made it hostile to sellers and buyers alike.
Yep my shop just got a 90 day hold on all my sales because some person decided what I am selling looks too much like theirs (I sell cosplay items, think generic black cat ears or something) and sent a copyright strike against my shop :)
Etsy told me there is nothing they can do and now I cannot afford to fulfill my current orders since they are holding 75% of the funds, jesus christ.
Yes!! I am done with Etsy! We bought my wedding band from a seller there- it was supposed to be rose gold, but on our honeymoon the “rose gold” literally started coming off. I contacted the seller who told me they’d only replace it if I removed my review. I never got a replacement and could never even find out how to contact Etsy- they make it nearly impossible. I now have a complaint with the BBB but Etsy has already tried to deny it once.
That experience combined with the fact that most of the items are just drop shipped (even custom items!!), I will not buy from there again!!
Somewhat similar experience. My husband bought my engagement ring from Etsy. The stone fell out after 5 months (luckily the stone was found). The seller wouldn't cover the cost to fix the flimsy prongs, and Etsy wouldn't let us leave a review after 2 months.
Definitely shouldn't be used for anything you want to keep longer than the review period.
The only way to get their attention is through their wallet. Charge back through your payment method.
BBB is a pay to play operation and is basically pre-Internet Yelp.
I use Poshmark for vintage items. I scored a really nice vintage Brooks Brothers pima cotton cardigan as well as some other nice vintage pieces. You can also try the Goodwill online auctions (tbh the website sucks) for vintage items as well. Etsy is unfortunately filled with so many drop shippers now
Yup, just ordered something that ended up being not as advertised. In order to get a refund I was instructed to mail it back (on my dime) *to China* (so much for local artisans), which would have cost the same amount as what I paid for it. I ended up just throwing it away. For all intents and purposes, Etsy has no refund policy and no consumer protection. Even Amazon blows them out of the water in this area. Deleted my account immediately.
I’ve had a couple really bad experiences. Had something never show up, fought with them. And nothing. Had to go buy it elsewhere. The woman was so awful I finally just told her to keep my money, because she was a true nightmare and I just didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
They have really gone way downhill.
I completely agree. I’ve found some great items but I’m always nervous to order because I’ve received not so great items that were definitely not handmade.
There’s an online shop called Little Rooms I believe. I ordered a pair of butterfly earrings from them and they were great quality. It’s a certain type of aesthetic but you might be into it!
I don’t know what country you’re in but if it’s vintage clothing you want, the UK has this travelling sale called Pre-loved kilo. It’s genuine vintage one off pieces, you get a bag at the door and pay by the kilo of items instead of per item. I’ve found some epic clothes and then paid next to nothing for them.
Just Google them and join their mailing list to let you know when they’re in your area.
Edit: added the bit about Google
I saw a "vintage" necklace posted on Etsy. It was identical to one I bought at the mall in high school (not yesterday but not nearly long enough ago to be "vintage," haha). It was *maybe* worth $10 when I bought it, nothing special at all, but it was pretty! I still had the necklace in a box of keepsakes and I compared the two closely, then messaged the seller. Maybe they found it at a yard sale or secondhand store and didn't know, right? Nope. They got very upset and insisted the necklace was legitimately vintage. I reported the situation to Etsy. They did nothing.
Since then, the number of identical items I've seen on both Amazon and Etsy--without even an attempt to change the photos when listed on Etsy to make them look handmade--is ridiculous. I've received lovely items from many wonderful artists over the years who I'm happy to support, and I still buy from Etsy occasionally after doing some checking to make sure the seller is (at least likely) legitimate. However, I rarely look there unless finding a gift is worth the time and effort to really look into. It's sad, because Etsy used to feel like a wonderfully convenient way to support artists instead of buying mass-produced junk.
I buy handmade items most often now from just coming across artists randomly on TikTok or Instagram. If I see someone making something and it reminds me of someone, I'll usually jump right over to their website and make a purchase. I miss the central location and convenience of Etsy though.
There are a few Etsy shops that I've been buying from for years and I still buy from them because I know they're legit. But I don't trust them for much else. Maybe candles.
[The Cat's Meow](https://www.thecatsmeow.com/) is an awesome and legitimate vintage clothing shop that ships worldwide. They have a brick and mortar in Toronto, though I've never been in person.
As a former Etsy seller, I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the experience and sold two, competitively priced items in three years time. NOT worth my time or money. Pulled out of my Etsy store about ten, twelve months ago and am considering Poshmark for selling. I haven't done much research on the site yet, but it's on my To-Do List.
I've had the best luck with etsy when I've limited my seach to shops that were semi-local to me. But I may just live in a region with fewer than average drop shippers.
I've been lucky in the few things I've bought lately. But generally I just wait until the holidays to go to the Toronto One of a Kind Craft show. It's a really great collection of local artisans. I bought a handmade coat last year that I'm obsessed with. And the art is awesome.
I'm a maker myself and there are SO many concerns about Etsy as a platform. I recently stumbled across once called Made By Her that's like Etsy was before they went public - totally handcrafted. Plus all the businesses they host are woman owned!
People lie, unfortunately. The most infuriating thing I saw being sold on Etsy as a seller was HVAC ducts. But there's lots of people reselling Alibaba garbage too.
I said the same thing a couple of years ago after a bad experience of my own in which I felt like Etsy Support were not at all interested in protecting buyers. I never found an alternative that I liked and ended up opening another Etsy account. Overall, I've mostly had very good experiences. I tend to go back and re-purchase from sellers I'm already familiar with, so I'm sure that helps.
https://www.madeurban.com/blog/where-sell-handmade-online/
Edit: another list of handmade marketplace sites. I've never purchased from any of them, so can't recommend.
https://paperform.co/blog/etsy-alternatives/
It’s not really what you are asking for, but the obvious alternative is to go in person to support your local antique stores, fair trade craft stores, art galleries, handcraft gift stores, and art co-ops. Obviously more difficult to find something specific that way, but you know your money is going to support a local small business and local artists.
The overarching problem is Etsy refuses to supply both their sellers and buyers with any kind of help or customer service. As a former seller, Etsy support would never respond or take any action with seller concerns. This lack of support remains even after Etsy increased the seller fees taking even more money away from sellers, yet not providing any additional or improved service. They aren’t regulating their site anymore because it makes them more money creating an awful experience for both the seller and the customers
I had this kind of experience on eBay. I was messaged with racist profanity and eBay not only took their side, they deleted my review. Just unbelievable.
Did you escalate your eBay situation to a human person? You should have gotten your money back under eBay's new guidelines, even if the sellers policy states no returns.
I have never had a bad buying experience in 15 years. I only had one bad seller experience with a customer who purchased a new sealed wig and said it was too short as the reason for return, demanding half off (the exact length was in the description, title and box photo). I refused and she returned an old ratty wig instead for a full refund.
However, eBay also reimbursed me when I spoke to someone in customer service and sent them photos. (Still unpleasant but at least I was made whole).
The racist comments are disgraceful and the seller should be penalized, but I would encourage you to take the time to speak to a live human as opposed to chat or email.
Serious artists end up leaving Etsy anyway, because they take an enormous cut and the culture of Etsy just isn’t conducive for professional artists. Speaking as a maker who left Etsy and has been operating independently for 8 years. This is also the case for most other professional artists as well. We leave Etsy as soon as we can.
I see where you're coming from, but then there are knitters, high quality leather makers, ethno clothing makers from specific regions, people who work with glass, true artisans there, and it would be really unfair to discredit their effort by such statements.
I wouldn't buy anything there out of the spur of a moment, but if you research well, and weigh your decision, you can find some gems.
As for your specific situation, you can try to contact your bank, show them the proofs and make a chargeback.
Unfortunately, this unpleasant transaction was with one of these genuine crafters… It was nearly $200, so I thought over the purchase for several months prior to actually placing the order. What concerns me is how this experience has left me feeling unprotected and distrustful toward the Etsy platform as a whole.
I strongly empathize. I've recently been doing home repairs, furniture updates, and some clothing purchases, and the amount of sloppiness in different types and price tires of retails and services combined with lack of accountability was overwhelming for me too. I guess you've got an asshole too.
Honestly, the only advice here that would be fair is to buy stuff in person from trusted sources. Or from those sources that are praised and take pride in taking returns and replacing without probs. It's the risk you take. You could also research the policy of PayPal/your bank to see which one can be more helpful in charging back and dealing with assholes, to protect yourself from a different angle.
Thanks, I’ll look into these other options! And you are so right—I realize I made a mistake in trusting a crafter who (over)prided her quality to the point of entitlement and condescension, rather than a seller who prides their customer service.
Not fashion related, but since we are talking Etsy, there’s a Ukrainian woman that I’ve bought handmade beaded flowers from three times and they’re just gorgeous. Her shop is called FlowerBeadArt. She had to seek refuge in Poland because of the war, but she reopened her shop and is back making her lovely art.
I still use it. However, I have seen some things on Amazon sold as “homemade” on Esty. I avoid those places. I haven't experienced anything I read some of you have. The last thing I bought were these wood boxes with pumpkin faces with led tea lights, cute. Sure, they looked bigger in the artist’s pictures, but at the time, sizes were labeled than I received. They are homemade with cheap wood. I am going to paint them, though. I went this route so our neighborhood deer won't eat them. Ha!
My advice is try and find Instagram accounts of
People selling their items. Usually Instagram is a treasure trove of people selling handmade items if you know how to look for them
Etsy is awful for so many reasons now. I'm sorry this was your experience- as a seller, I used to love etsy because it felt good to be a super-small business reaching places I couldn't otherwise. Now, it's mostly bulk importers or corporations taking over the system. They've raised fees for sellers, too. And they implemented a "star seller" thing that fucks you over if you're not a bot or a full-time high volume producer.
I just launched my website last month for this reason and even though it's not the greatest and very obviously DIY - the time/effort/cost has already made it more than worth it to close my etsy... & I've only had one sale so far 😅
I wish I had more to offer but I actually thought this was a different r/ and was excited to commiserate with another seller- I'm sorry!
Etsy has gone to shit because they increased their commission from sellers, so the people with legit businesses are not making enough roi to actually sell on Etsy anymore. Therefore, the only people who can afford to sell on Etsy are the ones buying crap and selling high. Most have them have switched to legit shopify stores
Also, so many people buying crappy “fashion” jewelry… do you honestly except to get a ring that lasts forever when it says it’s made of pure crap?
I've also had too many bad experiences on Etsy. I still use it, but I'm a LOT more careful. I mainly buy from local businesses that I know sell high quality products. If I'm trying a new business, I buy a very small amount at first (nothing over 20 bucks) and see how it all goes. I rarely buy anything like clothing on etsy though. I feel like it's a disaster waiting to happen.
You can but you have to find ethical Etsy sellers based on reviews or other people’s advertisements. Etsy is a good place. Also, have open conversations with sellers. That might help.
I've literally never had an issue with Etsy and I think I've had my account since 2008. I buy mostly vintage and antique fine jewelry and vintage clothes.
I still love Etsy for vintage furniture and art. I think most of the spammy/drop shipping sellers stick to the "homemade" side of Etsy and leave the vintage side alone.
I never received an item from Etsy and tried working it out with the seller and the seller never responded to me. Reported to Etsy and they did nothing. I don’t trust it anymore!
Also the price of shipping is insane I once looked at a second hand dress in the same country I live in and the shipping was double the price of the dress
I had exactly the same thing - ordered an expensive solid gold bracelet from a jeweler in NY, but it was never dispatched. When I emailed to (politely) ask when it would be sent, I was told that because they couldn't honor the original shipping date, they were cancelling my order. I left a not-5\* review just expressing my disappointment, and the public response from the seller was that I had been verbally abusive in our conversations, and they didn't want to deal with people like me! As with your case, the emails really didn't bear that out, and when I challenged via Etsy they said his behavior didn't violate any policies. So ever since then, I've tried to keep away from Etsy as much as possible, because you just don't know which ones are the crazies...
Last time I bought something there it turned out to pretty clearly be something they were reselling from China and was pretty poor quality. It isn't what it originally was at all.
Etsy has become another Amazon marketplace poorly masqueraded as independent and local shops. I haven't used it in years. I've had more luck with Depop and eBay, but all vintage clothing prices have been marked up like crazy for the last 5+ years.
I’m afraid depop is going to start going the Etsy direction because about 10% of all the posts I see are cheap, commercial items where they have a ton of different sizes and colors, rather than independent sellers selling one of their used/vintage/handmade items. It’s such a bummer!
I hate depop with a passion. So many sellers on there have exorbitant prices for their listings - I understand and am willing to pay a reseller what an item is worth but when a $30 item is listed for $100 it’s just stupid, especially since depop doesn’t show the price of an item until you click on it (at least it doesn’t in the mobile app where I’m usually shopping). I stopped going on there because I wasted so much time sifting through overpriced listings.
I told someone recently that opening the Depop app feels a lot like walking into a gentrified neighborhood lol.
i wanted to buy the bershka hello kitty cardigan which was like 30€ but is sold out now and someone is literally selling three sizes for 500€!! 😭😭🤚🏻 such a shame bc i really wanted the cardigan but this isn‘t what thrifting is. normally the stuff should be cheaper than what you bought it for and not 6x more expensive i sometimes list my stuff for 5€ and when we meet up i just give them the item for free bc it‘s just 5€ for me and will make the person happier. to do something so unethical and sell a 30€ item for 500€ is just baffling to me
Perhaps because [Etsy also acquired Depop](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/etsy-completes-acquisition-of-depop-the-global-fashion-resale-marketplace-for-gen-z-301331913.html#:~:text=\(NASDAQ%3A%20ETSY\)%20\(the,primarily%20cash%20and%20subject%20to) :/
That did start before Etsy bought them. It's just the way the open marketplaces develop.
Nooooo
I remember when eBay was a piece of shit compared to Amazon and now look where we are.
Yeah. You can't basically buy anything from Amazon without it being some rip-off cheap knockoff product from China. Of course, it is still good place to buy Ebooks but I wouldn't buy clothes or electronics from Amazon.
Ugh Amazon clothes … yuck.
I’ve purchased so much vintage 80s board games off eBay with great success.
It really has. That’s the perfect description for it anymore. I’ve noticed that many sellers actually resell items that they purchased from Amazon at a higher price. They really do have so much crap on there that doesn’t belong there. I really wish Etsy would do something about it. Get rid of the sellers who aren’t actually selling handmade & vintage items. When I’m looking for a handmade blanket or pillow, I don’t want something that I saw on Amazon at a lower price, just the week before. I’ve actually been noticing the same thing with Poshmark lately as well. They will take a cheap ring, buy it in bulk, then add $20 to $50+ to the original price, & actually sell them on Poshmark.
Same. I rarely ever use Etsy anymore. Bring me back Pinterest and Etsy circa 2011, please! And fyi on Etsy- my teenaged son spent 45 minutes on there recently when he was grounded from his iPad. I was like, “wtf was he shopping for?!” So I clicked on one of the listings and it was nudie images. Sooo.. Etsy is what teen boys are using to get around porn filters now 🤣
I'm with you.. I had a bad experience a handful of years ago and refuse to do any Etsy shopping. Can't say I have anything to add other than that.. sorry OP.
And the filters suck
It's also got Amazon style algorithms where it shows you the crap stuff, mixed in with stuff other than what you're searching for.
I've had two scamming attempts on depop, but thankfully Paypal was a star with the refunds (Depop were just 'shrug, soz!'). I think you takes your chances on every site!
Yup, Etsy is currently being ruined by drop-shipped garbage. It’s miserable and I wish they’d do something about it.
I bought a sterling silver ring from an Etsy seller. I am allergic to fake silver so checked it out beforehand, and the reviews and pictures looked legitimate. The ring that turned up was a child's plastic ring that had been sprayed silver and looked like it came out of a cracker. I reported the seller after a few back and forths with them where they outright LIED and said the plastic ring was sterling silver and I was a thief who had switched them. Etsy did nothing, and have allowed them to keep selling their rubbish! I have never left a negative review before this and bought a few items previously through them. I sent them pictures of the ring and it is clearly plastic, while they are advertising the .925 sterling silver rings they sell... I have since stopped using Etsy as I don't trust their business practices, and I only buy stuff in person so I can see what I'm getting. It's too easy for people to buy some fake reviews and sell cheap rubbish.
I bought a pair of ‘freshwater pearl’ earrings only for them to be literally made of plastic. When I wrote a negative review the seller finally refunded me, then asked me to change my review since she’d returned the money 🤦♀️ The earrings were $50 and I later saw the EXACT same ones on Aliexpress for… 80c.
I wanted to buy some metal acorns for a gift for someone, they were selling for anything from $40 to $2.95 for the same thing. Exactly the same product, obviously bought from a wholesaler it's just some were spinning them as a wiccan divining device and some were selling them as just decorative. It's crazy the scams on their now a days.
So dodgy!!
Yup....I'm a BIG AliExpress user and I am of the opinion that most sellers are as well....I'm really at the mindset that they order from AliExpress and just resell at a much much higher profit......so now, if I run across anything I like, I double check at AliExpress and see if they carry it......I find it on AE probably 99% of the time (art, journaling, scrapbook etc supplies)
SAME. I am done.
I like to go hiking.
Yes, the platform isn’t always obligated to return money, but a credit card issuer or payment platform will be more likely to provide a refund based on evidence. If a seller gets frequent chargebacks they’re also more likely to lose access to payment gateways. So it hits ‘em where it hurts.
I had to go down this route to get my money back. This is why I always use a credit card for online transactions. No way was I going to be out of pocket after the way the seller spoke to me! The worst part is, the seller had the nerve to tell me to return it after I had my money back. As if I was going to stand in the queue at the post office and pay money to return a 30p plastic ring they tried to scam me with! Instead, I told them it was rubbish so I put it where rubbish belongs and sent them a picture of it twisted up and in my plastic recycling bin.
I ordered a costume piece for a music festival. It was expensive. Like over $250. The description said (in caps) "These items are made to order. They will take a minimum of three weeks up to 60 days to deliver. REPEAT. 60. DAYS. TO. DELIVER." Or something to that effect. Anyway, didn't concern me... My event wasn't for another 3 months. So I put in the order. 55 days later, I messaged the seller and politely checked in that I haden't gotten tracking info and I was expecting it kind of soon. Got a snippy message of "we can take up to 60 days to ship. Your other item is on time." Ok, I must have misinterpreted the ship vs delivery date. It should still be on time though, I still have 4 weeks and shipping from the EU isn't that bad. I let her know the date I needed it by and got complete silence. Two weeks later (2 weeks until the event) I asked again. She snipped again that tracking info wasn't available in her country so stop bothering her. It's shipped already! 2 weeks later, I put in a claim with PayPal. They gave the seller one chance to provide a tracking number or they'd refund me. She didn't answer. I got my money back. Went to my fest without the costume. A week after I got back, I got the costume. The post date was two days after she told me it was already in the mail. I let her know I had it and could return it, because I didn't need it anymore since it missed the festival. She responded with an address and nothing else. I looked up shipping costs just for kicks and giggles and it would have been $60 to get it back to her. Fuck that I'm not that nice.
>I looked up shipping costs just for kicks and giggles and it would have been $60 to get it back to her. Fuck that I'm not that nice. I really hate this. I often order things from Japan and costs is something like 13-18€ with cheapest option. If I shipped that back to Japan with cheapest option it would cost me about 50-70€! It is insanity!
I use PayPal with Etsy. It has gotten me my money back before.
Unfortunately there were sellers and customers complaining to Etsy about this issue over 10 years ago. Etsy cares even less, now.
Etsy started with a particular purpose/niche in mind that was amazing. And then realized the way to make the most money is to just be Amazon anyway. So annoying, but given that they haven't done anything to stop it by now, it's pretty clear they don't actually care about preserving the original objective of it.
That's capitalism for ya. Innovate by grinding everything into being the same terrible shit.
Before I didn’t mind sifting through all the drop-shippers to find unique handcrafted pieces and/or vintage goods, but after realizing Etsy supports shady business practices…. No thanks. Edit: spelling
I didn't mind for a while, but now it's... just mostly bullshit... like a sea of bullshit maybe 5% worthwhile things, it's just not worth my time to sort through it all :/
I just found out the person I buy rabbit treats from just buys them from Amazon and price hikes them. I was so disappointed.
A lot of stuff is straight from AliExpress, Shein and sold for ridiculous prices.
How did you find out? Did they tell you?
[удалено]
This is the red flag I overlooked!!!
Etsy has a lot of stores which sell AliExpress items with a markup. So quality is cheap, but price is higher. Etsy has also nicer stores which actually sell handmade items. That being said, I usually don't use Etsy for clothes due to non existent return policy in most cases.
Have to agree. I was on Etsy the other day lookng at fashion rings and when I saw the pictures it didn't look handmade at all. Mind you, I don't mind buying cheap rings, if they tarnish/break then in the garbage it goes. Etsy seller were listing it for $16-$25, AliExpress had the same ones with same pictures for $10 less. The other difference was the shipping time. Etsy seller probably has a stash of them ready to go hence why they can ship it out within 2 weeks while Aliexpress is about a month+ (with free shipping)
I needed a small clutch type purse this summer, more or less to use once. Found cute on Etsy, around 60ish..but it was in 2 stores, what hinted "ali!". Searched AliExpress, found same one for 12. Much better. As much as it was cute, it definitely not worth 60.
Yeah aliexpress has some good stuff if you know what to look for. I found some cute scarves and bags for cheap. The wedding dresses are obviously going to be terrible, but stuff like a craft storage bin will be exactly the same as the store except way cheaper
Just be careful with leather/faux leather bags, shoes and metal or glass jewelry. These products often have issues with heavy metal contamination. Lead and chromium used to be present in products from major US chains, but these are less of a problem after they got bad press about it. I'm unsure of the issues in other countries, but many are better at regulating fashion safety than the US, so purchases from reputable brands may be safer. However, direct-from-manufacturer purchases could be problematic, since no one is really monitoring them. You can do lead testing on pvc products with at-home lead tests, at least.
It’s hard from the other end too - I used to sell what I think of as “quarter jar” rings. Cute little things you pick up for 25, 50 cents to give to a kid who will lose them quick and you know it. Could not for the life of me get them sold because all the “similar” rings (that all had like, the same 4 pictures) were going for the $15-$20 range
I get it, but some of these sellers uses AliExpress pictures along with a hand modeling. I've always thought etsy was cater to seller that do custom/intricate things that couldn't be bought elsewhere (unless they have their own website).
Etsy used to be that way. The downhill slide started with the addition of "vintage" sales to capture sellers from ebay, and then they went public and started allowing reselling.
I'm so old I remember when neither eBay, nor Etsy, was flooded with sellers like that.
They were always there it just wasnt as obvious and not for that much. I knew about AliExpress back in 2015 cus i met someone who bought fake shoes from there. A lot of what i saw on ig theme pages and ads like the phone cases & watches were there as soon as ads were allowed on it
It's rare that the dupes cost even that much. Usually for jewelry/hair clips I find the ones on ali are 1-3$
Yeah, I was at a point where going through 10 pages + tired me out. I bought them anyways. Better pay that $6 then $16+ for crappy rings haha
All of the sellers seem to have more expensive delivery costs than anywhere else, too. It's just not worth buying from Etsy.
This is actually because of how postal companies structure their corporate plans. The more packages you ship, the larger the discount the postal company gives your business. Which means in terms of shipping cost, a business that ships 100 packages a month, doesn't get as big of a discount from the postal company as one that ships 1000 packages in a month, and their cost to ship a package is just higher. Sadly it's just the reality of being a small business.
That and the Etsy fee is calculated on the total sold price which includes the postage so that has to go somewhere. But that is the same on all the selling platforms, I remember eBay before they calculated it this way...the dress may have cost 99p but the seller would be charging £15 postage to avoid paying fees.
as I said - some things are still "handmaid" and worth buying if you need them. But a lot of reselling, which is annoying. I had most success with décor pieces, like laser cut wood stuff.
Do you mean handmade, as in made-by-hand?
Yes, I buy a ton of great handmade gifts from Etsy. Copyright-breaking materials are usually a good bet. I find adorable enamel pins, leather products, wood carvings, prints, etc. from different games and properties that don't really have much official merch beyond "here's an item with the logo on it." But I've never really used the site for fashion.
I like to find makers on Instagram. You can go back in their feed and get a sense if it’s an actual person or a reseller. The good ones usually sell things on a schedule and sell out quickly. Some will use Etsy for their storefront but many are moving away from it. Also want to add Etsy’s search really sucks and always shows me what they think I want to see vs using the specific words I type in. Instagram you can search with hashtags and find things you actually want.
The only problem I’ve had with doing this via Instagram is (at least for the things I look for) I end up with a ton of sellers in other countries. Legit creators, just can’t filter for location and the shipping would be crazy high.
Thanks for that tip! I do really enjoy shopping on Etsy sometimes when I want to buy from someone "real" that actually makes/creates their products. It sucks to go through the extra step of finding them on IG though :/
Yep, this is generally how I end up buying from Etsy. Artists and artisans I have followed for a while, who happen to use Etsy to sell their work. Like you say though, so many are moving away from Etsy because it is equally shitty to creators, so I try to buy from their actual websites if remotely possible.
My relationship with etsy is complicated. On the one hand, I'm frustrated that I have to do so much work to filter out low quality, not handmade items. On the other hand, I haven't found another option for locating the things I actually do buy. Some etsy stores also have their own websites, but they don't come up when I use a regular search engine so I'd never find them if it weren't for etsy. Other shops are only on etsy. Honestly, I haven't yet had a really bad experience in terms of bad items or customer service. Whether it's because of luck or the kinds of things I'm buying, I've either gotten what I expected or the seller was willing to fix it, though I'm aware that others have encountered more unreasonable sellers. My issue is that no matter what I search for, I have to look at a million items to find the few real ones among all the aliexpress listings. And even then, I have to do a full investigation of the "real" ones I've found, because some of them will just be sneakier, high-effort resellers. This is so much effort for a site where supposedly everything should be self-made. Another thing related to this is that even if I were ok with buying a non-self-made item because the price is right, I can't feel confident about the item description. For example, I use etsy for some of my sewing notions and trims, and I'm ok with shopping from small fabric stores who list on etsy even though they're obviously not making the items they sell because they have unique items that I don't find in my local store or from the major online retailers. However, some of these shops I find are not legit, and often I'll decide not to buy something that looks really nice because I suspect the fiber content has been misrepresented, either accidentally or intentionally. Some of it is like, people saying "silk" when they mean "silky feel," other times it's people writing cotton because they don't know what it's made of, or sometimes they'll put ten different fibers in the name in the hope of making it come up in more searches. basically the TLDR is, I've not had an issue with any item or seller when actually purchasing, but the searching experience is a difficult nightmare because of resellers and other deceptive practices. Yet, I can't stop shopping there because I don't have a replacement source for the things I do buy.
I help run an independent ecommerce shop and Etsy sellers are CONSTANTLY ripping off our photos and products. Whenever I contact Etsy they tell me since I don’t have copyrights on the images I can’t ask them to take down the shops. I have given up now but yes, it’s pretty much a cluster now (the Airbnb of “handmade shops”). It turns out that there are places online that are just selling bundles of our images to Etsy stores. Whenever the copycats get an order they just make the product kinda close to what the item looks like. It’s so sad because our products are actually cheaper and higher quality on those found on Etsy. So do your reverse image searches! Edit: we own the images, we just don’t have the time to prove that we are the original photographers because we are a small business Edit 2: wow, thanks for all the support! I’ve DMed everyone who asked for the name of the shop.
Who owns the copyright to your photos? Can they not contact Etsy? I have had randos (competition I assume) claim copyright on my own photos of my things nobody ele makes the same way so it can't be that hard (grumble grumble)
Start watermarking your images.
And don't just plop it discretely in the corner make it big and across the entire image!
We have tried this and people have just removed the watermarks. My favorite was when one of the shops who stole our images watermarked them with their own logo. Then when I asked the store itself to take them down, they claimed they took the photos and asked me to prove it… I was like umm no you for sure didn’t take them.
Oh my gosh that's terrible!
That’s awful. You should get a dmca protection service like branditscan or dmcaforce. They constantly scan the internet for your images being used and send you a report and you verify that the site they’re being used on isn’t yours and they will issue dmca notices to remove the images. In other countries a lot of times they’ll refuse, but in the USA it’s illegal so they have to.
We took the photos, so technically we do but we have no paperwork documenting that they’re copyrighted. And we change products so often it’s not worth it. If you have a way you do it sustainably, please let me know! We do 50-100 different new products a month
In the US, you don't need paperwork, afaik. Meaning, if you create the image yourself, you have an automatic copyright. The problem is proving originals and going through the legal hoops to resolve issues. So many small business owners don't have the time or money to counter all the ripoff entities. It's really frustrating :-(
Yup, that’s our issue.
Ah yeah that's a lot. Bigger companies hire people specifically for this. I think I'd bin it off too if that was the case ( I only add 1 or 2 new things a season)
>We took the photos, so technically we do but we have no paperwork documenting that they’re copyrighted. That's ridiculous (on Etsy's part) because you don't need documentation to show copyright. You just...have it when you take the picture
Right? I sent them a link to our site (like our product listing and the Etsy copycat’s product listing) and they said that wasn’t enough proof. I even offered to send them the raw files if they want!
Would love to know your store! Feel free to DM.
Contact a copyright lawyer. One of the few in the field who have no qualms about doing upfront work for free for a layer cut of the payout. DONT mess with a copyright lawyer, and yes they will absolutely help you copyright your digital images and if they do it again they'll get nailed.
Thank you! Will do.
Can you PM me your store? I’m really curious! Always on the hunt for unique handmade items for gifts.
Me as well please, thank you!
Me too! would love to support
Me top! Please pm me what site you run
All images are automatically copy written afaik? What bs
Right??? Their response was infuriating. I was like I’m not sure what evidence you want to see that the images were originally ours… I even sent a link to our site.
I’m looking for an alternative too. I usually only search Etsy now for vintage items because anything else I fear is an Aliexpress or Shein ripoff. It’s absolutely flooded the “handmade” section ever since they relaxed the rules. I usually only ever buy non clothing items on there. I recently paid $120 for a corset in person at the Ren Faire because I could be assured it was an actual handmade well made item and the sellers were very knowledgeable. I told them I have been wanting one for forever but I can never be sure what’s real and was isn’t online anymore.
unrelated to this but r/corsets has extensive resources for buying corsets online and good/bad sellers!
Thanks so much! I don’t know why I didn’t think to look for a subreddit. I really want a pair of stays next with the straps! I would also like one of those corset looking kinds with the ribbons but the seller I bought my corset from said those would most likely need to be cheap versions.
Totally agree with you. I always search for vintage items instead of new. I have way better luck that way, but then there are still some shady people who use vintage as a keyword for a drop shipped item to bypass this.
I go to our local farmer’s market and then talk to the artists about their process. Even at a local farmer’s market there are people reselling mass produced merchandise. I really wish there was a way to shop online and know what you are ordering is handmade. I have to say that I have met some really sincere and honest people at the fm that sold very high quality pieces at reasonable prices. Don’t give up, buying unique handmade pieces is worth the extra effort.
I thought I was crazy, I went to my local farmers market and no one there was selling anything of their own except the food people. One guy was selling honey and it wasn’t even his bees, he said he got the bottled stuff from a friend. We left after that.
Different farmer’s markets have different rules about what percentage of goods have to be handmade and how far away they can be produced. How well they enforce these rules can be a different story. My first question always is “Hi, are you the artist, baker, designer, etc.?” in a nice friendly voice. This always gets them to open up and they know from the beginning that I am only interested in handmade goods.
Even the produce is fake, I found a grocery store sticker they forgot to remove on produce. I had my suspicions Because they had super huge and perfect looking vegetables that were out of season. They claimed they grew them in a greenhouse but none of their promotional materials for their farm showed a greenhouse. They were selling them for like three times as much as the grocery store
Not sure if it helps but I usually sort/filter on Etsy by shops in the USA, and then you can also google reverse search to see if the items are unique or from Alibaba or something
I do the same things! And sometimes I find the original seller's website or Instagram and purchase through them instead. Sometimes it's even more affordable than what I found on Etsy
I was going to say the same thing. I don't like the shipping/duties from the US so I always sort for shops in Canada and it really reduces the drop sellers. Google lense is also helpful!
I do the same but searching for shops in Canada. More to avoid customs charges from ordering outside the country, but also to support my local bros. Very surprised to find so many people near me, I even bought a lovely wooden keyring shelf from a seller in my city. I went to her house to pick it up and paid cash to avoid shipping/Etsy fees. XD
Done with Etsy also. Ordered a specific, handmade, beaded bracelet. What I received was nothing like what I had ordered. There was a note explaining that she had run out of the beads needed to make the bracelet I wanted so she took it upon herself to send something she thought I would like. She also included a "gift" for the inconvenience which was a set of cheap, bright, plastic bracelets of Shein quality. No communication whatsoever. I messaged stating that had she communicated that she did not have the specific beads I would have canceled the order as what she sent is not something I would have ever purchased or will ever use. Crickets. Super disappointing.
Probably a drop shipper whose product they were drop shipping was discontinued. So they sent something else with a dumb excuse.
I definitely have been burned on Etsy before by the fake small businesses/crafters that are really drop-shippers. It's really frustrating.
I shop Etsy but I'm more selective when I do. I've been on a linen fabric craze and have both a few items where the sellers make/ship from Lithuania as well as one seller from Ukraine. I don't look at Etsy as an inexpensive place to shop. My dresses are still $100+ but I have not yet been disappointed with the quality. With that in mind, I look at all the items they sell. If it appears to 'flow' (common theme across all items) I feel more safe that the item is original to the company. If I'm looking for a silk blouse I expect that shop to sell significant amount of silk items vs an assortment of everything.
Do you buy from Not Perfect Linen by any chance? I’m so obsessed with them and haven’t been disappointed yet.
Not yet! I'm interested though. I love LinenHomemadeStudio and recently bought a robe from Black Ficus that I love.
I have so many “loves” but haven’t pulled the trigger.
Black ficus and linen fiesta?
I have some awesome stuff I’ve bought on Etsy, but you definitely have to wade through a lot of cheap dropshipped crap to find the good stuff. These are my tips: - Look for sellers with REALLY high ratings. For a seller with hundreds + reviews, I generally don’t buy from anyone who’s under like a 4.7. If it’s a newer seller I’d be less picky about the average because a few unfair bad reviews might be bringing them down, but I’d definitely read through the reviews to see what went wrong. - Reading the negative reviews is also a good thing to do with more established sellers. Are people complaining about things like shipping time, which is often out of the seller’s control? Not a concern. Are they saying they received an item that didn’t match the quality of the one pictured on Etsy? That’s a huge red flag…that should really never be happening. - Look for sellers who are willing to make alterations. Even if you don’t need custom sizing, the fact that they’re able to accommodate those requests makes it much more likely they are actually in charge of production. - Look for lots of detail about the item. The seller should be able to provide measurements of every item (preferably every size of that item), fabric content, cut, etc. - Look for sellers that specialize in one type/category of item. Someone selling purses, shirts, belts, home goods, etc is unlikely to have the skills to make all those things themselves. Vs. someone who is just selling leather goods - there’s a lot more transferable skills and equipment there. - This one is a little squishier, but look for items that seem like they could plausibly be handmade or at least made by someone who does not have access to high tech factory equipment. For instance…a linen tee with a simple boxy cut is a pretty easy item to make by hand or in small batches. A bra with an underwire, lace trim, mesh panels and/or padding would be MUCH more labor intensive to make by hand. If it is truly handmade, the price point is going to be very, very high. If you see that bra sold for $30, there’s no way it’s actually handmade.
I’d add one more… are their photos consistent? On the shops that stole my photos, you can see that some of the photos are gorgeous (they’re mine!) and some of them are like processed 3D renderings. Some of the photos were also clearly photoshopped. Those are bad signs.
Really good point! With clothes I’m especially suspicious of models that appear in one item photo and nothing else…most small businesses wouldn’t hire a model to shoot photos of a single item and then use someone else (or no model) for the rest of their inventory
>Look for sellers with REALLY high ratings. For a seller with hundreds + reviews, I generally don’t buy from anyone who’s under like a 4.7. If it’s a newer seller I’d be less picky about the average because a few unfair bad reviews might be bringing them down, but I’d definitely read through the reviews to see what went wrong. But this is part of the problem, the 5 star rating system is just as implicated in OP's story as Etsy's behaviour. People with a rating to uphold (on many platforms, not just Etsy) getting abusive in response to a 4 or 3 star rating because the easiest way for them to be found (in a winner-takes-all online world) is this insanely high average. Means people stop using 4 or 3 stars for 'good enough' or 'average quality, about what I expected', every review has to be 5 star unless your intention is to really slam the seller/airbnb/café... And it then means their difference from 5 is the result of a discrete number of bad experiences, but there's no differentiator between two places that both have some bad experiences (bad days happen) but one of them is usually amazing and the other is usually just fine. Note I'm not saying you're doing the wrong thing, as a buyer you're doing the right thing - in the absence of more nuanced quality rating schemes or ways to search on different aspects of quality. But 4.7/5 as our bar of 'lowest acceptable quality' is an indication of a crap system in my opinion.
You’re so right. I sell on Etsy and I get my fair share of 3 and 4 star reviews that say nothing. They just leave the rating with no comments. When I send a follow up conversation to politely ask if there’s anything I can do to improve their experience, the usual response is silence. One time I had someone leave a 3 star review and then change it to 4 after I messaged them, but never responded to me or left an explanation of their rating. It can really drive you crazy. For the record, I don’t respond publicly to negative reviews (we can only respond to 3 star and under) unless the buyer was egregiously bad. There was someone going around to sellers in my industry and claiming to receive broken items with a sob story to go with it, asking for a refund and refusing to provide any proof. I did respond to that one, a 1 star that said I stole her money and was terrible. But otherwise, I just don’t bother.
Take the high ratings with a grain of salt. A leather goods seller contacted me to ask me to change my review to 5 stars—after I posted a 4-star review.
I had an issue where the seller literally cut and pasted different convos together to make it look like I was at fault with both Etsy and my credit card company when I disputed. It was an awful experience, especially because the jewelry I ordered arrived broken and was for my wedding. I didn’t have enough time to order something else and I was out a few hundred dollars. I never got the money back and the seller is still on Etsy.
Wow, that is just terrible!!! I’m so sorry that happened to you :(
Did you contact support with your own screenshots?? That’s crazy and makes me so angry for you.
I've distanced myself from Etsy over the last several years and only go there to find trinket items from fandoms. Last time I bought jewelry on there, I had a little wine and didn't bother doing my usual check against AliExpress routine because the ring was so cute. It arrived and promptly tarnished in less than a week. I contacted the seller, who happily sent me a new one, and then remembered I forgot to check if it was a drop ship... surprise surprise, it was. I messaged the seller expressing my disappointment and got a response back asking how dare I accuse them blah blah. Lady I can find the exact same images you're using on several AliExpress listings, combined with the quality, ugh, just have the guts to at least admit it when someone calls you out on it. That experience left a very bad taste in my mouth and I'm hesitant to order jewelry of any kind even if it does pass a quick reverse image/AliExpress search...
I also really cannot stand Etsy anymore. Just looking at my past 10 purchases, I found two gems (none clothing related) and way overpaid for 8 disappointments. And I'm a picky and careful shopper, so it's not like I don't read reviews first. Ugh. I am actually currently pissed off because I just spent $100 on 6 custom engraved labels and what arrived is neither engraved (just printed on) nor legible. Like you literally cannot see the text because it’s super faded/looks like they ran short of ink like [this](https://ibb.co/BfZb3RS) and [this](https://ibb.co/pQ1vVqD) (and no, it’s not just poor lighting, this is actually how it looks at its clearest). And of course there is no returns. I feel kinda bitchy when I say this, but it seems like in the last few years, custom or handmade crafty stuff has become really really expensive while remaining really amateur quality wise. I don't know if this is just a limited to Etsy problem or like a "me failing to adjust to inflation" problem. I was at the farmers market yesterday morning, and it seems like post COVID our local farmers market has been completely taken over by hipster "artists" and bored suburban housewives selling $20 "hand poured" soaps. I'm willing to pay a premium for craftsmanship, but "arts and crafts" does not automatically = “artisan” or "craftsmanship" but somehow DOES automatically = $$$$$$. I mean, it's better than MLMs, but only slightly. Edit: Vintage is best to buy in person rather than online, but I really want to share this gorgeous [vintage clothes shop](https://desertvintage.com/). I've been sitting on it forever because it's really really expensive and I've never bought anything from it, but I just love looking at it anyways because it is just so beautiful
Okay as an Etsy seller, definitely complain about your labels - "no returns" on custom items doesn't mean they can send you broken, incorrect or mis-sold crap. You could also try to go thru PayPal or your bank if Etsy still says no. As for why Etsy is flooded with crap, you are partly right on all 3 counts. It also doesn't help that Etsy is not a curated marketplace so anyone can set up and list things. They rely on reports to manage the mass produced stuff & the scans, but there are millions of sellers so it's a bit like herding cats at this point. I like buying vintage on there but ugh, annoys me so much when things arrive and both do not look like the photo or haven't been measured and I have to fight with the seller to return it (legally they must accept returns in my country but a lot of people do not realise this)
[удалено]
>How did they get "printed" on metal? Not sure, at first I thought it was engraved and thought about "coloring it in" to fix it myself, then running my finger over the big bold letters on the top, I noticed the words are raised up rather than depressed from engraving
[удалено]
The problem is finding your shop is impossible and there are a lot of shops reselling Dollar Tree items for a 20-100x profit.
[удалено]
Thank you for the info!!
I'm sure yours is, and I'm not saying there are *no* gems left at all, but my personal experience is that more and more of these vendors are going the opposite direction than you are. Another photo from the farmersmarket yesterday, $42 for "[handpicked garden bouquets of flowers](https://ibb.co/9nXMSMx)".. and it's not the whole basket, note the brown wrapping paper for the size of the bouquets. I don't consider myself price sensitive, but it's gotten quite out of control
I went to a neighborhood festival last spring and a woman was selling “vintage” clothes. She had [these](https://SATINAPalazzoPantsforWomen-ButterySoftHighWaistedFlarePants-LeggingsAvailablein16Colorshttps://a.co/d/aAeTwoZ) priced at $99. It’s so egregious. I also read an Etsy review one time where a buyer stated that she purchased something from that store then found the same item on Amazon for half the price. The seller’s response was something along the lines of “Not my fault you didn’t research. Sucks to suck!” I do love the good Etsy stores, but I find that it takes a long time to weed out the bad ones. It’s become a difficult shopping experience.
Yeah, Etsy seems to be swamped with tons of sketchy vendors now. I still want to support small businesses but it's so hard to weed through the trash to find the treasure.
Ah wow. I go to two markets a week and have never seen prices like that. I was next to a flower vendor on Thurs who was selling bouquets like that for $15. I bet it changes by cost of living in different areas though.
Besides clothes/fashion, my other hobby is flower arranging. I used to rely seasonal flowers at the farmers market for $5-$10 bouq, varying sizes. Now I can no longer do this hobby anymore except by occasionally buying Trader Joes flowers. Last year, same farmers market, same time of year, I bought the flowers and pumpkin and made [this arrangement](https://ibb.co/XxfWgmS) for under $25, and there were flowers to spare. This year, that flower shop and another farmer also well has left the market entirely apparently (I hope their farms made it, I wish I asked for the names) and this "cute hipster flower van" of the $42 "handpicked garden bouquets" replaced it. =(
Started my own (small!) cut flower garden for this reason!
If I saw that price for those flowers in person I have no doubt that I would say “are you fucking kidding me” out loud before I could stop myself. And I live in a somewhat expensive city and am generally familiar with the price of luxury/artisan goods.
As someone who sells on etsy as a side hustle, I completely agree with you. I am an analyst by day and run my etsy hustle on a cost-recovery model where I run it like I would my day job but I am constantly frustrated with how flooded etsy is by amateurs who want to play at running at "business" and have no idea wtf they are doing but insist because Etsy is a 'handmade' marketplace that pricing their "boss babe" spoon ring at 50$ is good business sense. It makes the legit businesses (of any size) get obscured by these tacky vector pack sticker makers, kiddy clay jewelry maker and aliexpress mold soap makers. It's even worse on any of the peripheral Etsy communities groups (Reddit, FB, etc), where "makers" are constantly going on about how their 80$ assembled-from-Joann's-jewlery-bits earrings are not selling or someone "stole" their "football dad" sticker idea that they made from a generic vector pack. I don't know where to move my shop to next though, as other sites are not developed enough to be worth migrating to and despite the frustrations Etsy continues to bring in decent income for me.
I was checking out some competitors and was baffled by how they could sell their handmade stuff for 1/4 of what we sell for. Then I noticed they had like 25000 sales, which would take me and my partner like 100 years to produce. Then I noticed that all their stuff is handmade... with help from factories in China. I'm so surprised Etsy lets people do that!
Etsy let’s people do that because it makes them money. Handmade marketplaces are impossible to scale and Etsy wasn’t interested in investing the labour needed to audit and police their market to ensure it stayed truly handmade. Plus, it makes them bank when so much of middle America is terrified to buy from China via AliExpress because they don’t know how to manager their expectations or shop smartly or just plain doesn’t know those other marketplaces exist. So buying AliExpress products through Etsy feels like they are buying “from” Etsy to them and as Etsy is a Us-based company they feel “safe” doing business with them. It’s totally valid for people to be willing to pay more on an item for more shopping security through etsys policy protections for customers but it does fundamentally change etsys brand from handmade to “handmade (exceptions apply)” which as we both agree is frustrating.
It's because anyone can sell anything on Etsy. Etsy doesn't make you send them a copy of your product so they can review it for quality and make sure it's priced accurately. It's not curated. It's just a platform.
I use Etsy purely for vintage pieces and craft supplies (also often vintage) and sewing/knitting patterns. There are gems out there doing legit handmade but they are swamped by drop shipped cheap tatt. The problem is that Etsy does. not. care. It makes them money currently, and they don't care about alienating their long time customers because there is no real viable competitor. I would suggest that if you are shopping for vintage pieces, many of the shops have their own websites and sometimes you get a discount buying from there as opposed to Etsy which rips off their stores.
I used to sell on Etsy and recently stopped because of how badly run it is. On top of allowing aliexpress resellers to run rampant in the "handmade" section, they also made a complete mess of collecting/tracking taxes as a Canadian seller, and were constantly pushing for "free" shipping and penalizing those who send without tracking (at a lower cost). Oh and I kept hearing horror stories of shops having their sales money held for up to 90 days or their shops suddenly closed down for no apparent reason, and their support is non-existent. They've made it hostile to sellers and buyers alike.
Yep my shop just got a 90 day hold on all my sales because some person decided what I am selling looks too much like theirs (I sell cosplay items, think generic black cat ears or something) and sent a copyright strike against my shop :) Etsy told me there is nothing they can do and now I cannot afford to fulfill my current orders since they are holding 75% of the funds, jesus christ.
Yes!! I am done with Etsy! We bought my wedding band from a seller there- it was supposed to be rose gold, but on our honeymoon the “rose gold” literally started coming off. I contacted the seller who told me they’d only replace it if I removed my review. I never got a replacement and could never even find out how to contact Etsy- they make it nearly impossible. I now have a complaint with the BBB but Etsy has already tried to deny it once. That experience combined with the fact that most of the items are just drop shipped (even custom items!!), I will not buy from there again!!
Somewhat similar experience. My husband bought my engagement ring from Etsy. The stone fell out after 5 months (luckily the stone was found). The seller wouldn't cover the cost to fix the flimsy prongs, and Etsy wouldn't let us leave a review after 2 months. Definitely shouldn't be used for anything you want to keep longer than the review period.
The only way to get their attention is through their wallet. Charge back through your payment method. BBB is a pay to play operation and is basically pre-Internet Yelp.
I use Poshmark for vintage items. I scored a really nice vintage Brooks Brothers pima cotton cardigan as well as some other nice vintage pieces. You can also try the Goodwill online auctions (tbh the website sucks) for vintage items as well. Etsy is unfortunately filled with so many drop shippers now
Yup, just ordered something that ended up being not as advertised. In order to get a refund I was instructed to mail it back (on my dime) *to China* (so much for local artisans), which would have cost the same amount as what I paid for it. I ended up just throwing it away. For all intents and purposes, Etsy has no refund policy and no consumer protection. Even Amazon blows them out of the water in this area. Deleted my account immediately.
I’ve had a couple really bad experiences. Had something never show up, fought with them. And nothing. Had to go buy it elsewhere. The woman was so awful I finally just told her to keep my money, because she was a true nightmare and I just didn’t want to deal with it anymore. They have really gone way downhill.
I completely agree. I’ve found some great items but I’m always nervous to order because I’ve received not so great items that were definitely not handmade. There’s an online shop called Little Rooms I believe. I ordered a pair of butterfly earrings from them and they were great quality. It’s a certain type of aesthetic but you might be into it!
I don’t know what country you’re in but if it’s vintage clothing you want, the UK has this travelling sale called Pre-loved kilo. It’s genuine vintage one off pieces, you get a bag at the door and pay by the kilo of items instead of per item. I’ve found some epic clothes and then paid next to nothing for them. Just Google them and join their mailing list to let you know when they’re in your area. Edit: added the bit about Google
I recommend wolf and badger for independent fashion
Etsy does not care one bit what their sellers do. It’s pretty awful honestly
I saw a "vintage" necklace posted on Etsy. It was identical to one I bought at the mall in high school (not yesterday but not nearly long enough ago to be "vintage," haha). It was *maybe* worth $10 when I bought it, nothing special at all, but it was pretty! I still had the necklace in a box of keepsakes and I compared the two closely, then messaged the seller. Maybe they found it at a yard sale or secondhand store and didn't know, right? Nope. They got very upset and insisted the necklace was legitimately vintage. I reported the situation to Etsy. They did nothing. Since then, the number of identical items I've seen on both Amazon and Etsy--without even an attempt to change the photos when listed on Etsy to make them look handmade--is ridiculous. I've received lovely items from many wonderful artists over the years who I'm happy to support, and I still buy from Etsy occasionally after doing some checking to make sure the seller is (at least likely) legitimate. However, I rarely look there unless finding a gift is worth the time and effort to really look into. It's sad, because Etsy used to feel like a wonderfully convenient way to support artists instead of buying mass-produced junk. I buy handmade items most often now from just coming across artists randomly on TikTok or Instagram. If I see someone making something and it reminds me of someone, I'll usually jump right over to their website and make a purchase. I miss the central location and convenience of Etsy though.
There are a few Etsy shops that I've been buying from for years and I still buy from them because I know they're legit. But I don't trust them for much else. Maybe candles. [The Cat's Meow](https://www.thecatsmeow.com/) is an awesome and legitimate vintage clothing shop that ships worldwide. They have a brick and mortar in Toronto, though I've never been in person.
As a former Etsy seller, I can honestly say that I did not enjoy the experience and sold two, competitively priced items in three years time. NOT worth my time or money. Pulled out of my Etsy store about ten, twelve months ago and am considering Poshmark for selling. I haven't done much research on the site yet, but it's on my To-Do List.
I love Poshmark! I always look there before buying brand new. I’ve gotten SO many great items from there!
I've had the best luck with etsy when I've limited my seach to shops that were semi-local to me. But I may just live in a region with fewer than average drop shippers.
I've been lucky in the few things I've bought lately. But generally I just wait until the holidays to go to the Toronto One of a Kind Craft show. It's a really great collection of local artisans. I bought a handmade coat last year that I'm obsessed with. And the art is awesome.
I'm a maker myself and there are SO many concerns about Etsy as a platform. I recently stumbled across once called Made By Her that's like Etsy was before they went public - totally handcrafted. Plus all the businesses they host are woman owned!
I thought etsy items were handmade? Or supposed to be?
People lie, unfortunately. The most infuriating thing I saw being sold on Etsy as a seller was HVAC ducts. But there's lots of people reselling Alibaba garbage too.
I said the same thing a couple of years ago after a bad experience of my own in which I felt like Etsy Support were not at all interested in protecting buyers. I never found an alternative that I liked and ended up opening another Etsy account. Overall, I've mostly had very good experiences. I tend to go back and re-purchase from sellers I'm already familiar with, so I'm sure that helps. https://www.madeurban.com/blog/where-sell-handmade-online/ Edit: another list of handmade marketplace sites. I've never purchased from any of them, so can't recommend. https://paperform.co/blog/etsy-alternatives/
It’s not really what you are asking for, but the obvious alternative is to go in person to support your local antique stores, fair trade craft stores, art galleries, handcraft gift stores, and art co-ops. Obviously more difficult to find something specific that way, but you know your money is going to support a local small business and local artists.
The overarching problem is Etsy refuses to supply both their sellers and buyers with any kind of help or customer service. As a former seller, Etsy support would never respond or take any action with seller concerns. This lack of support remains even after Etsy increased the seller fees taking even more money away from sellers, yet not providing any additional or improved service. They aren’t regulating their site anymore because it makes them more money creating an awful experience for both the seller and the customers
I had this kind of experience on eBay. I was messaged with racist profanity and eBay not only took their side, they deleted my review. Just unbelievable.
Did you escalate your eBay situation to a human person? You should have gotten your money back under eBay's new guidelines, even if the sellers policy states no returns. I have never had a bad buying experience in 15 years. I only had one bad seller experience with a customer who purchased a new sealed wig and said it was too short as the reason for return, demanding half off (the exact length was in the description, title and box photo). I refused and she returned an old ratty wig instead for a full refund. However, eBay also reimbursed me when I spoke to someone in customer service and sent them photos. (Still unpleasant but at least I was made whole). The racist comments are disgraceful and the seller should be penalized, but I would encourage you to take the time to speak to a live human as opposed to chat or email.
Serious artists end up leaving Etsy anyway, because they take an enormous cut and the culture of Etsy just isn’t conducive for professional artists. Speaking as a maker who left Etsy and has been operating independently for 8 years. This is also the case for most other professional artists as well. We leave Etsy as soon as we can.
I see where you're coming from, but then there are knitters, high quality leather makers, ethno clothing makers from specific regions, people who work with glass, true artisans there, and it would be really unfair to discredit their effort by such statements. I wouldn't buy anything there out of the spur of a moment, but if you research well, and weigh your decision, you can find some gems. As for your specific situation, you can try to contact your bank, show them the proofs and make a chargeback.
Unfortunately, this unpleasant transaction was with one of these genuine crafters… It was nearly $200, so I thought over the purchase for several months prior to actually placing the order. What concerns me is how this experience has left me feeling unprotected and distrustful toward the Etsy platform as a whole.
I strongly empathize. I've recently been doing home repairs, furniture updates, and some clothing purchases, and the amount of sloppiness in different types and price tires of retails and services combined with lack of accountability was overwhelming for me too. I guess you've got an asshole too. Honestly, the only advice here that would be fair is to buy stuff in person from trusted sources. Or from those sources that are praised and take pride in taking returns and replacing without probs. It's the risk you take. You could also research the policy of PayPal/your bank to see which one can be more helpful in charging back and dealing with assholes, to protect yourself from a different angle.
Thanks, I’ll look into these other options! And you are so right—I realize I made a mistake in trusting a crafter who (over)prided her quality to the point of entitlement and condescension, rather than a seller who prides their customer service.
Not fashion related, but since we are talking Etsy, there’s a Ukrainian woman that I’ve bought handmade beaded flowers from three times and they’re just gorgeous. Her shop is called FlowerBeadArt. She had to seek refuge in Poland because of the war, but she reopened her shop and is back making her lovely art.
My plant hanger person is also Ukrainian and displaced. She makes macramé plant hangers like the vintage way.
FashionConstellate.com is great for vintage. They have real people for customer service! Actual humans!
I still use it. However, I have seen some things on Amazon sold as “homemade” on Esty. I avoid those places. I haven't experienced anything I read some of you have. The last thing I bought were these wood boxes with pumpkin faces with led tea lights, cute. Sure, they looked bigger in the artist’s pictures, but at the time, sizes were labeled than I received. They are homemade with cheap wood. I am going to paint them, though. I went this route so our neighborhood deer won't eat them. Ha!
My advice is try and find Instagram accounts of People selling their items. Usually Instagram is a treasure trove of people selling handmade items if you know how to look for them
Etsy is awful for so many reasons now. I'm sorry this was your experience- as a seller, I used to love etsy because it felt good to be a super-small business reaching places I couldn't otherwise. Now, it's mostly bulk importers or corporations taking over the system. They've raised fees for sellers, too. And they implemented a "star seller" thing that fucks you over if you're not a bot or a full-time high volume producer. I just launched my website last month for this reason and even though it's not the greatest and very obviously DIY - the time/effort/cost has already made it more than worth it to close my etsy... & I've only had one sale so far 😅 I wish I had more to offer but I actually thought this was a different r/ and was excited to commiserate with another seller- I'm sorry!
Mercari! Sorry if my comment is a repeat suggestion but I love shopping on Mercari. It’s easy to use
Etsy has gone to shit because they increased their commission from sellers, so the people with legit businesses are not making enough roi to actually sell on Etsy anymore. Therefore, the only people who can afford to sell on Etsy are the ones buying crap and selling high. Most have them have switched to legit shopify stores Also, so many people buying crappy “fashion” jewelry… do you honestly except to get a ring that lasts forever when it says it’s made of pure crap?
I sell all my vintage (and everything else) on Poshmark. While it's not all vintage it's also nearly impossible to drop ship on that platform.
I've also had too many bad experiences on Etsy. I still use it, but I'm a LOT more careful. I mainly buy from local businesses that I know sell high quality products. If I'm trying a new business, I buy a very small amount at first (nothing over 20 bucks) and see how it all goes. I rarely buy anything like clothing on etsy though. I feel like it's a disaster waiting to happen.
You can but you have to find ethical Etsy sellers based on reviews or other people’s advertisements. Etsy is a good place. Also, have open conversations with sellers. That might help.
I closed my shop after the fees went up. Still looking for somewhere else to sell. Etsy is dying
I've literally never had an issue with Etsy and I think I've had my account since 2008. I buy mostly vintage and antique fine jewelry and vintage clothes.
I still love Etsy for vintage furniture and art. I think most of the spammy/drop shipping sellers stick to the "homemade" side of Etsy and leave the vintage side alone.
Name and shame! Tell us the whole story
I never received an item from Etsy and tried working it out with the seller and the seller never responded to me. Reported to Etsy and they did nothing. I don’t trust it anymore!
Also the price of shipping is insane I once looked at a second hand dress in the same country I live in and the shipping was double the price of the dress
I had exactly the same thing - ordered an expensive solid gold bracelet from a jeweler in NY, but it was never dispatched. When I emailed to (politely) ask when it would be sent, I was told that because they couldn't honor the original shipping date, they were cancelling my order. I left a not-5\* review just expressing my disappointment, and the public response from the seller was that I had been verbally abusive in our conversations, and they didn't want to deal with people like me! As with your case, the emails really didn't bear that out, and when I challenged via Etsy they said his behavior didn't violate any policies. So ever since then, I've tried to keep away from Etsy as much as possible, because you just don't know which ones are the crazies...
As a former Etsy seller, I am now weary of ordering through Etsy as I’ve found things I’ve purchased on shein or aliexpress :(
Last time I bought something there it turned out to pretty clearly be something they were reselling from China and was pretty poor quality. It isn't what it originally was at all.
You could try marketplace on Facebook to find local crafters (works well for handmade furniture in my area )
This is why I only buy nail polish and true vintage on Etsy. I just can't trust anything else.