Hi, I'm new to being a seller on Etsy and have just posted a new listing after being inactive for years. I just got a message which says, Hi is this available? about a listing I just posted. To me the message looks weird as its in a weird bold Times News Roman font but the person favourited my shop also. How do I know if this is an actual customer or a scam? This message was also sent right after receiving a lot of spam messages saying I got a new order.

I don't want to get a bad rating just for not responding to a customer but I do suspect that this is a scam because the item is clearly available as a new listing and the message looks weird.

So I make little crochet dolls based off of horror movies (mostly rocky horror right now, but I want to make more from different movies), and I want to sell them.

But my mom (who makes and sells stuff on there) said that Etsy doesn't allow crafts that are based off of movies at all and that the listings will get taken down (which doesn't make any sense to me since I've seen and gotten items based on movies).

So what are the rules regarding selling crafts that are based on movies? Is there a different way for me to sell my dolls that won't get it taken down?

I'm looking for advice/tips/help in regards to sending a large prop sword made from eva foam with LEDs from Australia to Germany.

I've read you need a Tariff code but could only find 2 separate ones for actual swords or eva foam. Would anyone here know the most accurate one to use?

The LEDs I use can be powered by either a phone sized powerbank or a battery pack that contains space for 3x AA batteries. Am I correct in reading that sending a powerbank is a big no no and will get the item sent back to me?

I've checked Australia Post and DHL which both have limitations on packaging sizes which means I'll need to make parts detachable to be reassembled. Does anyone else have other shipping companies they prefer to use?

This is going to be a big learning experience for me so any advice to lower the learning curve is appreciated. 🙂

https://www.etsy.com/featured/etsydesignawards Anyone think these winners are worthy of an award. I think most are just outlandish IMHO

I purchased what looked like a large stone ring from a shop listed as shipping from the USA (where I am). Per my post’s title, the ring is about a third of the size pictured and I’m not even sure the stone is real (Moissanite).

When I am searching I toggle “US only”. The shop had USA in the title. The shipping notification began in NJ. My first inkling something was off was the shipping label was created well before it began movement. At least 10 days. When I followed up on my order, I realized a different currency was listed. The item arrived and had come from India.

Now I realize it’s a drop-shipper, and they presented as being a US shop, perhaps to hide this?

I contacted the seller and asked them to verify the stone sent was the correct size as the pictures and the ring were nowhere near the same. They said yes, let them know if I wanted it bigger? I’m not sure how they would’ve corrected it. Then I asked about returning the item, and they said I would have to do duty paid to India - not NJ. I declined, I’ll just take the loss as a lesson. I didn’t pay a crazy amount, but I am disappointed. I don’t see a way to block the shop from my searches, and now I’ve noticed nearly all my similar favorited items are probably more of the same.

Is there anything being done about the amount of drop-shippers there are? Are there any tips or tricks to avoid them? Thanks for any advice. I’m trying to not lose faith in this platform - at the same time I ordered a beautiful pendant from another seller that is authentic and beautiful.

I really want to find some rugs with cool designs (preferably gothic or esoteric in nature) done either by the artist themselves or with their consent. No ai or stolen images please.

Hey all - I need some help and have a weird request.

Trying to test my digital art prints to see how they will print on a home computer. The only printer I have right now is non-color so I can't see how my colorful prints will turn out. I decided I'm buying a color printer but I have to save up for it and wait for it to go on sale. So in the meantime, I have no way to test how they will look.

If anyone has a color printer, I'm willing to trade some prints for your time, if you're willing to test the prints on your printer and send a photo back to me of how they look.

If interested, please lmk and I can send you a message with the files.

Unfortunately Etsy doesn't allow me to post free listings - if there is a way to do this and you're more comfortable using Etsy as a middle man, happy to do that as well!

Usually, my Etsy deposits show up in my bank account within 48 hours. But recently, my first deposit took 10 days to arrive, and it showed up as a “transfer” with unexpected commission and VAT charges. Now, my second deposit has been delayed for over a week with no updates. Is anyone else dealing with this issue? Any advice would be appreciated!

My sons birthday is coming up and im searching on etsy for a lot of paper goods, such as thank you tags, cake toppers, table signs. Everything that comes up is a digital download & i’d love to get the items shipped to me already done! I tried to look for something to filter it out but didn’t see anything, unless I missed it! Is there a certain way to search for non digital items?

I was getting a cute gift for my nephew and I filtered to my country and then ordered it. But I only realized after that it came from China and is just mass produced slopped and hasn't even arrived for 3 weeks

I'm just wondering is there a way to actually find legit, local things? I would like to support actual people making things in their spare time.

hi everyone!

Is it possible to make a listing at the lowest possible price, and set a condition in the description?
something along "order for this amount $ and get this product for free" ?

I have had issues signing into my Etsy for over a year. Every time I reset my password it asks me to enter a code from authenticator app which I don’t have. I have tried to download authenticator apps with no luck. I gave Etsy support all the info they asked for and now they won’t respond to me. I have seen that maybe I need to disable 2FA, but can’t do it without logging in.

Please help!

Hi! I have Printful connected to Etsy, but there are countries I don't want to ship to... I've modified the shipping profile that was automatically created by Printful on Etsy, and I've disabled the countries I don't want to ship to. But, even though the changes seem to be saved, the next day the countries I had deleted will reappear... I've been told that I should make a duplicate of the original Printful shipping profile, modify the shipping countries, and associate this duplicate profile with my products... however, I try to duplicate the original shipping profile and Etsy gives me the error "we couldn't update your profile". Does anyone know why I can't duplicate it? thanks!

I'm thinking about buying artifical flowers bouquets, corsages, etc for my wedding from a seller in Ukraine. The total purchase amount would be around $650.

Just wondering if anyone from Canada has purchased anything from a Ukrainian seller recently and had to pay customs, and if so, how much it was in relation to the total item cost.

Thanks in advance!!

I was recently at a craft market and I purchased a suncatcher sticker from a shop. I’ve made my own suncatchers before but only by layering vinyl on top of the cling itself. This shops decals were a sticker on a paper backing and the design was printed like with ink and not vinyl or uvdtf. They were also die cut. Does anyone know of any websites that do this? Definitely looking for a wholesale website. Thanks in advance! Any advice is appreciated!

The rules say to read the Etsy seller handbook, that doesn't help me because I learn by doing. I've already taken a look and am still extremely confused.

I'm trying to get started selling stickers. My original plan was to use printify but expecting people to spend 8$+ on a sticker from an unknown seller/ artist is absolutley absurd, so now I'm trying to do it myself. I've never shipped anything in my life before, let alone on Etsy, and I'm extremely overwhelmed. I'm not gonna understand what I'm supposed to do and how until I SEE the process of receiving an order and all the various questions Etsy's gonna ask, details, options, etc. How do I just get to the page where that happens?

hey everyone! im trying to understand what qualifies as “low competition” on etsy. when searching for keywords, how many search results should i aim for if i want my listing to have a good chance of standing out? any insights on what search result numbers indicate low, moderate, or high competition?

Sellers? How are you shipping your watercolors?

I do 12x16 and have sold some online a few years ago. I basically just rolled them in a shipping tube. No complaints.. Is there a better way? Should I spray with a fixative? Should I get cheap frames, or let the buyer frame how they want. Any thoughts/ideas are appreciated

Recently I refunded a shipping overage. Somehow the refund went to the wrong buyer. Is there a way to reverse this? If not what’s the best way to proceed?

I sell custom dolls that require personalization details so I can make the dolls/ skin,eye,hair color, etc. Everything I need is listed in the personalization when ordering and also in the description so theres no way to miss it. A customer ordered a doll from me but only left the name of the person the doll is gonna be for, a lot of people do that even tho Ive asked them not to but wtv and just give me the details or send a picture in the chat so I only noticed it later that he didnt give me anything other than a name. I messaged him that I will extend the send out date (which I did) but will have to cancel his order if he doesnt give me something I can work with, he got back to me after over a week later and apologised for the delay but still didnt give me anything. I will probably have to cancel his order cuz the extended send out date is ending soon and thats fine by me but my question is do I have to give him a full refund? Im not dying to keep his money but its not my fault he wont get his doll cuz he gave me nothing I can work with just wasted my time. Im not sure what to do I dont have a policy for this cuz this has never happened before I never thought about creating one.

How do I create an anonymous Facebook account to advertise my Etsy shop without using my personal name? I have a personal Facebook account, but when I go to create another it insists I use 'my real name.'

I was wondering is someone could answer this for me. I have has my Etsy shop open for 2 weeks and 4 days, and so far 134 visits have been from using my link, 37 from Etsy app and other pages and a mere 8 from Etsy search? I don't know why I'm not appearing in Etsy search? Has my Etsy shop not been established long enough? I've made sure that most of my listings have good SEO and I'm slowly working my way through improving the others. Does anyone have an answer?

I’m not sure when Etsy rolled out their most recent update on the app, but now when I go to the favorites tab, there’s no option to search. I have hundreds of items favorited and don’t want to have to scroll through everything when I’m trying to pinpoint one specific item. Is anybody else having this problem?

…which means they must appreciate it enough to hang up in their home or for a friend for their home, etc? That feels unreal and is huge for me 😅 Not sure if that would even count as any kind of accomplishment or milestone for most, but it counts to me and makes me so happy! I am currently on employment hiatus and really started seriously pursuing my creative endeavors and felt brave enough to put myself/my art out there after dealing with crippling depression and burnout. But that one sale from a stranger makes me so happy.

Wanna share in case this resonates with anyone who just started and put themselves out there and also is struggling with impostor syndrome and/or trying to sell in a saturated/AI-dominated market.

Has anyone had issues with listings on Etsy un-linking from listing photos? I have 360 products and I have re-linked it 3 times already! Is it cause my shipping profile is fixed not calculated? thanks.

I apologize if this is not allowed (I did read the faq but this feels like a post that will get taken down).

I've helped one store in my city sew and fulfill orders before, especially during holiday rush times, but I'm unsure where to look for a new gig like this. The shop I worked for was like 10 years ago and I just happened to find her post looking for sewers on Craigslist.

Does anyone know if there is a place etsy sellers often go where I could either respond to requests or post my availability?

Hey all. Looking for Australian shops only. I'm starting to buy Christmas gifts for my extended family and the budget is pretty tight this year, so staying under $25 AUD per person is important. Cannot be more than $30 max including shipping. Share your shop below.

Stickers, greeting cards, gifts for her, gifts for him, gifts for a teenage boy. Lots of people to buy for, I'm not really sure where to start. Some interests they have, but open to any ideas:

• Gardening
• Cats
• House DIY and maintenance
• Console and PC gaming (including vintage/retro consoles)
• Crystals, crystal jewellery and witchy woo things
• Candles
• Minimal / dainty stylish jewellery (nothing chunky)
• Teenage boy stuff... I don't know what teen boys like 😂 Any ideas there would be amazing. He's 15.

Happy to support new sellers and sellers with low sales if they have what I'm looking for. I'm hoping to do photo reviews this year to show thanks 😊🎄🎁

Can someone explain to me how it works to use PirateShip? I forgot to use it for my second sale I got today, and they shipping cost seemed insane to me. So....sale comes in, got it. I go to pirateship and upload the sale? And then what, pick whatever way the customer asked for it to be shipped? How do I refund the customer on etsy because won't pirateship be a lot cheaper? I'm sorry, I don't understand things the easiest, I'm better as a visual learner with someone walking through the steps with me. It cost my customer $9.42 to ship earrings from modest to east coast. That seems like way too much, but I also don't think if I put shipping into the price of my items people will even look. But I don't know. I'm starting to second guess myself.

I don't have the item yet but I'm pretty sure this is a drop shipping shop. Live and learn.

The issue is that UPS is going to charge me fees upon arrival because the item is not from the US like I expected. So I guess I don't know what to do when they do arrive, or what my next steps are.

ETA: The item said "Delivery from: United States", but it was shipped from Turkey.

I love Etsy. I’ve bought a few great pieces of art on there for my little cost flat. I’ve been looking a long time for the perfect one for a specific place, and this painting seemed perfect. It was filled with plants with a girl sitting in the middle surrounded by crystals. Just like me.

The only thing was, the girl had long wavy hair and different coloured skin. Fine for a different place but because the painting reminded me of my own flat, I wanted the girl in the artwork to resemble me. I messaged an artist to find out if she did customisations and how much it would cost to change the hair to black shoulder length and if possible change the outfit to gym clothing. Oh and also change the words in the book from “Love Spells” to “Affirmations”

She responded very quickly and said it would cost £20 via PayPal, then once I had decided on the size, pay for the actual piece. I needed some time to decide on the size but it was going to happen and I went ahead and paid £20 via PayPal. I naively selected Friends & Family thinking “I’ll save her the PayPal fees” and “What could possibly go wrong” so I can’t even get a refund via PayPal.

She sent the changes that same night. Very minor changes. No change to the outfit (she didn’t say she couldn’t change it so I was under the impression that the £20 included this. But fine. I’ll let go of that). The book was fine. The hair was shoulder length as requested by me, but when I saw it, I realised my hair isn’t actually shoulder length and wanted it longer.

I messaged back and asked if this could be changed. No reply that day.

That evening, I realised that I was requesting a change that was outside my original request, so I messaged again and apologised, it was an error on my part and offered to pay extra if she wanted me to.

No reply.

Maybe something had happened? But I checked her Instagram and she was active on there. So left another message on the second day to tell her I was disappointed to have not heard back from her, and that she needed to make it clear about any additional costs for further design changes.

No reply.

It’s now Day 4. I must have pissed her off because she never replied back. So I spent £20 on NOTHING. I can’t leave a bad review because she asked me to transfer £20 via PayPal and because I selected Family & Friends, I can’t request a refund from PayPal either.

I must have pissed her ego off because I wanted to change HER design too much. She obviously has never worked with clients because there are usually a few design changes because clients don’t know how to describe what they want accurately. She said she would send it through for me to check, and I assumed that there would be at least ONE change. Otherwise what’s the point in sending through to check? If I’d known, I would have been much more descriptive ie “hair down to the buttons on the top” rather than “shoulder length hair” I’ve worked in design myself and trust me, she did a lazy job.

I’m so confused. Did I do something wrong?

I’m shocked at how unprofessional she turned out to be, and the lack of integrity. I would love to call her out on here.

Lesson is to ask the seller to add customisations onto their inventory so you are protected. And sellers really need to specify the number of design changes allowed, and how much it costs for extra changes. If you don’t like people changing your beloved work, don’t offer customisations!!!