Good Lifestyle

If you want online shopping , then you have almost certainly heard of Etsy. The retailer sells a range of items, from hand -to -hand crafts to vintage furniture to downloadable games in PDF format. By browsing, you may have wondered: is Etsy legitimate? Read the rest to see what shopping experts have to say, as well as what the site is the best and obvious online scams that you should avoid having a transparent experience.

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What is Etsy?

Etsy is an online market founded in 2005 by Rob Kalin ,, Chris Maguire , And Haim Schoppik . Josh Silverman , the old CEO of Skype and Shopping.com is the current CEO. The company belongs to Etsy, Inc. worth around 8.5 billion dollars .

The platform allows people and small businesses to buy and sell unique items, generally those that are handmade.

"This could be literal products or original models for crafts or even reused images of things like old postcards," said Julie Ramhold , a consumption analyst with the Store comparison site Dealnews.com.

You can currently shop for Etsy Over 40 countries , including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, according to its website. However, Etsy The main public is in the United States , followed by the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada.

Why has Etsy become so popular?

Etsy serves as a sheet for electronic commerce players like Amazon and Temu. "Although there are independent companies on Amazon, it is mainly made up of third parties reselling common articles," explains Ramhold.

"You can find unique and original pieces on Etsy, while Amazon tends to be more mass produced, even sellers who can have original conceptions because they could transfer these conceptions to things like t-shirts Via another company rather than literally the products themselves, ”she explains.

So, if you want one of its kind to find that your best friend and neighbor will not have after plunging certain terms of research in Google, then Etsy is for you. You can also browse the Etsy platform to find or order parts with a sentimental meaning. For example, you can buy a personalized bracelet with a personalized registration or order a Watercolor photo of your home based on a photograph.

The site is also popular to support small businesses and sellers. In 2021, 5.3 million creatives sold on the site, almost a million more than the number which sold there in 2020. Almost 80% of these sellers identify as women, 84% are Companies of one and 95 percent operate from their homes, depending on a Etsy report .

While a reseller on Amazon could never personally record your order, a knitting on Etsy is more likely to be grateful to share his art with the world.

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How to know if a seller Etsy is legitimate

Because it would be impossible for such a large market to regulate each seller on board, you want to make your own reasonable diligence to make sure that your seller Etsy is safe to buy. Here is what to look for to determine if a seller is legitimate.

• Store profile: Make sure that the biography of the Etsy seller, the number of sales and the number of admirers (available to display on the left side of the profile page) have a meaning. "It is important to check the admirers' sales ratio for a store to see if something seems a bit off," said Ramhold. "If you were to see a ton of admirers in a shop and very few sales, especially on items that are not super expensive, you may want to do a little excavation before buying."
• Customer reviews: Customer opinions can tell you a lot about a store. "Buyers will usually note if they had problems with something or if they were very impressed by all the experience," said Ramhold. "Notices that include photos of the items actually purchased are a bonus so that you can compare to the store list."
• Product images: Make sure it looks like the element described in the list. Then reversed Google images to see if the photos appear under other artists or sellers. "This could be an indication that they stole the images for an arc workshop," said Ramhold.
• Delivery rate and shipping time: You will want to know how long your item will take to ship and how much it will cost; You can learn that small characters and, sometimes, criticism. "When you visit a shop page, you can often see Callououts at the top for certain things according to buyers' opinions," explains Ramhold. "For example, one of my favorite Etsy stores has a story of" Smooth Shipping "." If a store does not do so, you will want to investigate why, especially if the items are not on order.
• Response time: The profile of a seller will tell you if they are known for quick responses. This indicates that the seller is active, watch the page and cares to provide a positive experience to his buyers.
• Comments on other social media platforms: Finally, take your search on Etsy to check the account of a seller. "Search for store ads and see if you can find the seller on other platforms like Instagram," says Ramhold. If they do not seem to exist in the real world, their shop can be a scam.
• Enlist a friend's help: If you are still not sure, Ramhold suggests asking a friend to help check a seller. "If you know someone who buys on Etsy, ask him for recommendations for a particular article that you are looking for, or if you do not know if a seller seems legitimate, see if he can alleviate your concerns," she said . "If they agree that something seems to be basic, they can also help you find another seller to help you buy what you need and alleviate the chances of being the victim of a scam."

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Etsy scams to monitor

Sending false or counterfeit products

Let's say that you order a modern vintage dresser from the middle of the century, but that you end up with something that seems to have been slapped for $ 20 - or it's just an obvious false. "If a store is trying to defraud buyers, it can ship bad items entirely because the only goal is to steal the payment information from a buyer and other details," said Ramhold.

How to identify this scam: This is easy: "If the opinions indicate that they have received the wrong article and that it has not been corrected, jump the store and look elsewhere," explains Ramhold. In addition, if an agreement seems too good to be true, it could be the case.

Sending your order to the bad address

Here, the crooks Etsy will send an article to the bad address so that it is marked as delivered. It makes things more difficult, and sometimes even impossible, so that you get a refund on the room.

How to identify this scam: Again, you will have to examine the opinions. "They should be available because opinions are not supposed to be deleted unless they violate Etsy policies." Also check your contact details in your confirmation email. If the shipping address is incorrect, immediately contact the seller or Etsy.

Request the Etsy payment platform on payments

Etsy can process payment via the site, so beware of anyone asking you to use an application like Venmo or Zelle. "They could also request gift cards or cable transfers like payment instead, but you should never use these methods for an Etsy order," said Ramhold. "All are more difficult to reverse, so you will not receive your order, and you will end up having to fight stronger for a refund."

How to identify this scam: Avoid the trap in the first place. "If a seller asks you to do something like that, jump it and shop elsewhere," suggests Ramhold.

Same article listed for different prices

Sometimes you will see the same article listed by two different Etsy sellers at different prices. With this scam, you do not get a unique element and can even get something to solve from Amazon. The seller can even haggle with you to try to make you pay the higher price.

How to identify this scam: Do an inverted image search to see if you can find the product you buy elsewhere.

Send you a completely different product

For example, you order a handmade lamp and get an bulb or an item from a large -scale retailer that seems somewhat similar but no.

How to identify this scam: Read criticism. If a seller has a story to do this, he will probably do it again.

Completely false Etsy shops

In this case, an Etsy crook will head to a fraudulent website that looks like Etsy but which is not, forcing you to click on a malicious link or to engage another type of scam.

How to identify this scam: Make sure you Always on the legitimate camoueur Etsy website; All URL Etsy will start with Etsy.com or Help.etsy.com, while the Falus Stores Etsy will not. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Malware scams

Many sellers in Etsy have reported to receive suspect The messages of "potential buyers" include malicious ties that can compromise your personal data and potentially damage your device.

How to identify this scam: Pay attention before clicking on suspicious links and never respond to messages that do not reach the Etsy reception box.

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What happens if I am scammed on Etsy?

• Contact the seller immediately: As soon as you realize that the item you received is not what you have ordered, or enough time has passed so that you do not believe that your order arrives, contact the seller and ask for a refund.
• Place a ticket with ETSY support: If the seller is useless, you will have to underline the question with Etsy. Go to Etsy aid center And put an assistance ticket. They will contact you with the next steps.
• Contact your bank: If you have used a credit card, you can challenge the costs with your credit card company. If you suspect that your personal information may have been compromised, your bank can help you take the appropriate measures to make sure that your online accounts remain secure.
• Report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Head to the FTC website to report the incident And potentially prevent others from falling for the same scam.
• Change your Etsy password: If your Etsy account is compromised, you will want to prevent the crook of future newspapers. If your Etsy password is the same as one of your other accounts, such as a bank or a messaging account, you will also want to modify the password.
• Keep an eye on your bank statements: Make sure that no suspicious activity takes place after the scam.

How to protect yourself in the future

• Protect your password: Use a single and difficult password to guess for each of your accounts, including your Etsy account.
• Look for the seller a lot: You will want to read their criticisms and locate them on social networks outside the Etsy platform.
• Use a VPN when you use the platform: A virtual private network prevents hackers from being able to intercept your connection on public Wi-Fi.
• Do an inverted image search before buying: You will be able to see if the product is associated with other stores or sellers or if it is really authentic and unique.
• Avoid clicking on suspect links: Whether they come by e-mail or in the Etsy reception box, do not click on suspicious links because they could be infected with malware.
• Block and report spam messages: All Etsy's legitimate messages will be marked "from Etsy" in the Etsy reception box. If you receive a suspicious message, block it and report it to Etsy.
• Activate Multi-Factory Authentication: You can also go to Security section Under the parameters of your account and activate authentication with two factors.
• Use antivirus software: Most computers have automatically integrated it, but you can also find a downloadable.

Conclusion

Before buying from Etsy, be sure to search for the seller and read the opinions on products. This would help you if you also feel aware of the current Etsy scams so that you can take measures to avoid them. For more retail and purchase advice, be sure to visit Better life again soon.