Anyone have problems with Etsy?

[1GoldenSun]

I'm finally done with Etsy. It's gotten to the point where I've had more bad experiences than good ones.

So often when I order something, right around the time I'm expecting to receive the item, I get a notification that the item is out of stock. Sometimes I don't care all that much and just take my refund, but sometimes it's something I was counting on.

For my son's last birthday, I ordered wands for his Harry Potter party. I ordered them waaaay in advance to be safe, but they never arrived and I couldn't get a response from the seller. Finally I filed a dispute with my credit card, after which the seller finally contacted me. I did get my money back, but I did not get wands for the party, and the seller essentially held my money interest-free for about two months.

This has happened again and again. In mid-November I ordered personalized Christmas stockings for my son's swim coaches. A week later I heard that the stockings I ordered were out of stock, and I immediately received a refund, so ok, it was quick, so no big problem there. I ordered from another seller on November 20. Just today, I got a notice that they are out of stock and that they may have to issue me a refund. At this point, it's getting late to order stockings for a third time. I did find some that will get here in time, but I didn't dare order through Etsy this time! Plus, I don't know how long it's going to take the Etsy seller to refund my money so right now the money out of my pocket is double.

What gets to me is that these sellers are holding on to my money for weeks or months before finally returning it. I can use my money in better ways than handing it over to some stranger to hold on to for me for a while. I don't exactly think this is a scam, but how does it take weeks or months before these sellers realize they can't complete an order? Don't they watch their inventory? You shouldn't even be able to order something from them that they don't have.

If it happened only every now and then and I was quickly (like within a few days of ordering) notified that the item was out of stock, and my money promptly returned, I would understand. Accidents happen. But I'm starting to wonder if this is even accidental.

Anyone else have bad experiences with Etsy?

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I've only ordered a handful of things from Etsy, but I've never had an issue. I did look through pages and pages of reviews to find anything negative and found nothing.

 

[nkereina]

I think a lot of Etsy stores are people who get crafty and start the store just for fun. When other things start to take priority or their store doesn't take off like they'd hope, their energy for the store and the projects fizzle out. When I order from Etsy, I make sure the seller has been around a while, completed a good number of sales, and has positive feedback. Like eBay, I do run into a bad apple once in a while, but that's the risk you take on sites like these.

 

[Cbtexan04]

My wife runs an Esty store; it really ranges from individual to individual. You'll have folks who won't update their quantity to accurately reflect how much they have available, and then when someone orders something they have to go back and refund the order.

Also, nkereina is totally right-- Etsy is filled with stores that aren't really being actively managed.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I do an obscene amount of shopping on Etsy and I’ve never had a problem. Came close once — The item had a turn around time of a couple of months. When I ordered it, the store was wildly popular and well-reviewed. Then something happened in the seller’s personal life and she couldn’t keep up with her deadlines. She was months behind on her orders, all the reviews turned negative and the shop tanked. I reached out to her to check the status of my order. Her communication was spotty, she didn’t ship when she said she would, yada yada.... I was 99% certain I was not going to receive the item at all, let alone in time for my son’s birthday party (which is what it was for). In the end, she took it to FedEx the night before the deadline and paid for overnight shipping, so I did get it in the nick of time. Etsy closed her shop a few days later due to the volume of complaints against it.

 

[nene0182]

Ive never personally had any issues with Etsy sellers but I’ve heard some of the horror stories. I personally have over 1600 sales on Etsy with 5 star reviews and have never had to refund or cancel any order unless requested by the customer. But I also make sure I have supplies on hand or easily able to be purchased before listing. I take my Etsy business very seriously unlike some who seem to see it more like a hobby that brings in a little extra income once in awhile.

 

[lorimay]

Wow, sorry about the issues you've had. I hate when I order something and think I'm all set, then I get an out stock or order cancellation email.
I have only order a handful of times from Etsy and have had no issues.