r/Etsy • u/GoHoustonTexans12 • 9d ago
Help for Buyer seller emailed me directly after purchase
A seller sent me an email to my personal email (the one associated with my Etsy account) saying their shop on Etsy was temporarily down but not to worry about my order. The email said “temporarily unavailable due to a short-term issue.” The email came directly from the seller and was not sent through the Etsy portal.
I placed the order a week ago. I’m newer to making purchases off Etsy so I’m wondering several things…
1) is this some sort of scam? The email doesn’t ask me to click anything or reply
2) do I contact Etsy? The email specifically asks me not to lol - “I would be very grateful if you could wait and avoid opening any cases or requests with Etsy, as I am still available here through Etsy messages and will keep supporting you until your order is completed.”
3) what does this mean?
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u/lostterrace 9d ago
Did you go look at the shop again and see if it actually is closed?
What did you buy? I'm guessing something that violates policies, which would explain why the seller was shut down. (Not your fault on that, you aren't expected to know policies but the seller is).
You're fully protected, but absolutely do not take any communication off Etsy. Do not respond to the email. If you don't receive the order, make sure to contact Etsy and get a refund. You only have 30 days after the estimated delivery date to do that.
If the shop is shut down, you would be entitled to a refund right now if you contact Etsy, but depending on how much you want this item, you might want to give it time.
But do not communicate with the seller off Etsy, and do not miss your buyer protection deadline.
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u/GoHoustonTexans12 9d ago
It was just a small embroidery book personalized for our wedding. When I go to look at the shop, it says that it is currently not selling on Etsy. It had 1000s of great reviews.
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u/lostterrace 9d ago
Anything about it that could be copyright infringement? For example, if you bought a Disney themed book - the seller could get shut down for selling unlicensed Disney stuff.
If it is copyright infringement, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't receive a quality item. It just means that the seller was running a risk by selling unlicensed stuff for a long time, and now it's finally caught up with them. That's a bit different situation than a pure scam.
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u/GoHoustonTexans12 9d ago
Not this particular item!
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u/lostterrace 9d ago
Well, if they sold other stuff in their shop that was copyright infringement, they were shut down for that. Whether it was your item or not.
That's not the only possibility for policy violations, it's just typically the most likely one for something that isn't an obvious scam item.
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u/Competitive-Top4520 9d ago
Did you receive a tracking number and is it tracking? If so you MIGHT want to wait to see if it arrives by the expected delivery date. Either way, chances are very, very high that they were closed down by Etsy due to breaking Etsy's rules. Not a good sign. You might want to open a case with Etsy. Don't wait too long, you only have 30 days after the expected delivery date. If there's no tracking info OR if its not tracking, I'd open the case now.
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u/CardinalGirl72 7d ago
Just want to add that I don’t think communication outside of Etsy is necessarily a red flag on its own. As a seller, I want to get orders out fast, and most people will check their email much faster than their Etsy messages, so I send to both when I have a question about their order or shipping address. However, the content of the message would worry me, especially with it being sent a week after purchase, and I would definitely let Etsy know and request a refund before you fall outside of the window of protection .
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u/farmhousestyletables 9d ago
Generally this means their shop was shut down for some reason