As if we all don’t have enough hassles with Etsy to deal with, recently (late October 2021) it was discovered that Etsy is encouraging buyers to open cases against sellers if they haven’t resolved an issue in 48 hours.
And guess what – sometimes customers use cases to demand things that they’re not entitled to or are even part of the listing. If this new move isn’t just another way for buyers to be more of a hassle for sellers on Etsy, I don’t know what is. I don’t know whose kids these are, but they seem to think that bullying and extorting Etsy shop owners is the way to go.
Well, not at my shop, it isn’t. I have my policies in place, stated everywhere. I’m happy to answer questions and provide additional details with any and every potential customer. But what I won’t put up with is someone downloading my designs, then saying it wasn’t what they wanted or they didn’t know something clearly stated in the listing, and then expecting the item for free. I don’t work for free.
Just in the past few days I had 2 cases opened up against my shop, which has been case-free for YEARS. I seem to get one psycho-buyer on Etsy each year.
The main reason for 1-star reviews on my shop? They just don’t read the listing description or are flat out rude-ass Karens.
One case recently filed blatantly and admittedly didn’t read the listing description, and demanded that I hand over demo images (which were not mine) and give her fonts (again, not mine to give or license). She wasn’t happy, and opened up a case against my shop, even though I specifically make these disclosures in the listing description. WHY?!
I’m like, dude. Just because you don’t read the listing description and understand the terms of the purchase you made doesn’t mean you are entitled to open a case. In fact, according to the legal terms of case resolution, this particular one can be classified under section three (3) of Etsy’s “Cases for Buyers” as “Items that are accurately described but don’t meet a buyer’s expectations.” This actually applies to the other case that got filed against my shop, some buyer from Calgary, Alberta who took issue with the “quality” of the icons (Canva elements). Icons that weren’t even made by me but were shown on all of the preview images.
Damn, Etsy. Why would you want to encourage this behavior? Sellers work hard to accurately describe items, myself included, and we get these nut-job-Karens bitching and moaning about small details they failed to comprehend. Everyone else loves the designs that come out of my shop and I get a ton of 5-star reviews; it’s the nut-job-Karens and “I’m-broke-so-I’ll-complain-and-get-it-for-free” types that hurt our shops. This is going to bring all kinds of cases and escalated issues throughout the holiday season, and I’m already over it.
If there was actually something wrong with a listing or a description, I own up to it and bend over backwards to make it right with my customer(s). And I send some additional freebies. But to take issue with perfectly good listings and make a mountain out of a molehill just to get free product is a bit much, right?
Etsy, if you’re reading this, you seriously need to rethink this. We are normal people behind the curtain. Not huge corporations who have profits abound to deal with your psycho freebie-mongering customers. Get your shit together and start siding with your bread and butter customers who make you money – your sellers.