Hopefully, nothing will go wrong with anything that you buy through Etsy, and every item you get will arrive just as you ordered it, and you’ll love them all. However, there are still rare but unfortunate scenarios when your order won’t be right; an item won’t be like it was described, will be broken or missing parts, or won’t be delivered at all.
If you have a problem with an order on Etsy, the best thing to do is let the seller know, and try to work something out with them personally. If the seller doesn’t respond to or doesn’t want to co-operate with your request, then you can contact Etsy customer service and ask them to step in.
To contact an Etsy seller:
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Go to www.etsy.com in your web browser and log in.
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Find the shop that sold you the item that you had a problem with (see our How to Search on Etsy tutorial for how to find a shop), and click on its name to go to its page. Then under “Shop Owner”, click Contact Shop Owner.
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You can also contact the shop owner, while including a link to the item that you had a problem with, in two ways. The first is by clicking You (i.e. your account) in the top-right corner and selecting Purchases and Reviews, finding the item that you had a problem with, and clicking Contact The Shop.
The second is by finding the defective item itself (see our How to Search on Etsy tutorial for how to find an item) — if it’s still listed, because the author is selling more than one copy of it — and clicking Ask A Question in the general information window.
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Click in the box labelled “Subject” and type in something like “Problem with [whatever the item is] — [Broken/Incomplete/Missing etc.]”, and then click in the box labelled “Message” and type in more details about the exact problem and any other relevant information.
You can also click Attach Image to search through your computer files for a picture to send along with your message. If applicable, you can use this to attach pictures you’ve taken of the item to show the seller visual evidence of the problem you’re having with the item.
When you’re done, click Submit.
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If the seller responds to your message, it will show up in your “Conversations” system. This is basically just Etsy’s internal version of email between its users. To access it, click You (i.e. your account) in the top-right corner, and select Conversations.
From there, you can open the message, read it, and reply to it, just like you would with your usual email client.
If the buyer doesn’t respond to your message, or you exchange a series of messages with them and can’t work out how to fix the problem you’re having, you might want to contact Etsy directly at that point.
To contact Etsy customer service:
If you want to get in touch with Etsy directly regarding a problem with your order, here’s what to do. (We’ll assume that you’re still logged into Etsy right now. If not, go to Etsy and log in now.)
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Scroll to the bottom of pretty much any page on Etsy, and click Help.
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Scroll to the bottom of the page and under “No Luck?” click Contact Us and We’ll Get Back to You As Soon As Possible.
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Click the drop-down menu labelled “What Can We Help You With?” and click Buying on Etsy. Then, when the drop-down menu labelled “Tell Us More” appears, click it and select I Have Not Received My Order.
This will open up three contact options: Open a Case (which we’ll describe in the next section), Contact Us by Email, and Request a Phone Call.
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If you click Contact Us by Email, you will see a window like the one in the screenshot below open.
Click the drop-down menu labelled “Which Order?” and select the order that you’re having a problem with. From there, the process is similar to sending a note to a seller about a problem with an item: add a subject explaining your problem in brief, type a message outlining the context and details of the issue, and attach any pictures that could serve as evidence of your plight.
When you’re done, click Get in Touch, and watch your email account for a response from Etsy!
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If you click Request a Phone Call, you will see a window like the one in the screenshot below open.
Click in each box here and type in, respectively, your full name, your phone number, and an explanation of the problem you’re having. Then click Request a Phone Call.
As you can see in the screenshot, Etsy’s English-language phone lines are available 7 days a week from 10 AM to 10 PM, Eastern Standard Time. Stay by your phone, because Etsy will likely call you back within 15 minutes.
To open a case on Etsy:
Etsy’s customer service department can help you resolve a problem with an order you’re having, provided that your request meets two time requirements:
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It is not filed before your order’s estimated delivery date (i.e. the time that the seller declares that it will take to process and ship the order after the date that you order it).
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It is not filed more than 60 days after the estimated delivery date of your order.
And, of course, taking your case to Etsy’s customer service department should be a last resort, used only if you have already tried and failed to reach a deal with a seller themselves.
To open a case against a seller through Etsy customer service:
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Click on You (i.e. your account) in the top-right corner, and select Purchases and Reviews.
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Find the order that you’re having a problem with, and then click either I Haven’t Received This Item or Item Isn’t as Described.
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Scroll down to the box labelled “File a Report with Etsy” and click Report It to Etsy by Opening a Case.
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Fill in the required information, choose how you would like the problem to be resolved (e.g. refund, exchange, replacement, and so on), and click Submit.
After opening a case against a seller on Etsy, you and the seller will interact through and update a special “case log”. This will keep track of the progress that you both have made towards solving the problem. It can include any communication between the two of you, any evidence submitted by either of you, as well as any updates in the status of the order in question.
If, after one week, the seller has not responded adequately to your concerns or you have both been unable to work out a mutually-acceptable solution, you can ask Etsy’s Trust and Safety Department to step in and review your case. They may ask you and/or the seller for additional evidence to help reach a decision, such as receipts, trusted observer opinions, or legal documents. If Etsy eventually rules in your favour, they may offer you a refund on behalf of the seller.
Be aware that there are some situations in which you will not be able to open a case against a seller on Etsy. See this article on Etsy cases for a list of scenarios in which you are or are not allowed to open a case.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about getting in contact with an Etsy seller, or Etsy’s customer service department, if you have a problem with an order!
