Hey folks! So have you gone onto Etsy recently and want to buy something that's handmade but not sure if a seller is a scam or legit? You're not alone!
So I've run into some issues on Etsy myself, especially with the popularity of my Howl's Moving Castle Rings, and this has led to knockoff sellers either jumping onto the bandwagon, or in some cases outright stealing my design!
So intead of bashing other sellers, because it's not worth the stress and loss of sleep, I figured this would be a good time to educate you some must know tips when you're buying online.
- When looking online for something on Etsy, compare images. Do they look all the same? Well unless they are from the same seller who makes a variety of choices and materials, like I do, they most likely got them off a site like AliExpress or another site like that. If that's the case, it's not hand made!
- How long has the shop been around? If it's been less than a year, they are most likely selling quck and then vanishing. You place an order and then poof, they vanish! Happens with other websites too, and I'm pretty sure we all got caught by that at one point or another.
- Is the price too good to be true? For example, if someone is selling a ring they claim is handmade in 925 silver for 20$, most likely it's fake metal plated to look like silver!
- How many reviews do they have? Read the reviews of the seller before buying. Often they will tell you alot about the shop and how they deal with customer issues. Example I have is a friend discoverd that a seller was selling NSFW 3D models instead of what they were advertising, and it wasn't even their file! They found this out after the fact, and saw the reviews after. So read the reviews!
- Check out their shop listing photos. Is it of the same type of collection, or does it look like an AliExpress page? Most likely they drop ship, especially if they sell for real cheap! Also some steal the photos from other handmade sellers to sell their garbage. It's happened to me ore times than I can count!
- Check to see if their profile and TOS is filled out. Most drop sellers don't fill this info out because they don't care and aren't too worried about returns or refunds because they can just close shop and leave!
My last note is if you find a creator you really love their work, find them on their social media sites and buy directly from them if possible. Support the makers & creators, they want and deserve your support and love! Because they work hard to make all the pretties you want!
I hope this helps folks who are shopping online to navigate the pitfalls that they can find, and you can find some amazing creators. And if you ever have any questions, just ask away!