Etsy

[kaysixteen]

Anyone have experience buying merchandise through this service?

[Parasaurolophus]

Yup. It's great.

[namazu]

Yes, I've bought many things through Etsy (fabric, religious items, blankets, phone case, most recently a cobalt glass vase) and have generally been happy with everything I've received.  I've mostly stuck to vintage and artist/craftsperson-made items as opposed to the mass-produced stuff that is now also sold on the site.  Just be careful to check the shipping costs, and especially if you purchase something from overseas, be aware that there may be customs due.

[Hegemony]

Yes, I've bought a number of things. All were as promised.

[kaysixteen]

I confess I asked this question to see whether the listees' experience would be the same as mine.   Briefly:

So I had a FB algorithm send me a link to a 'dog mom' t-shirt ad from some third party vendor selling through Etsy.com, a firm I have heard of but never used.   My aunt is, well, a dog mom, a classically defined dog person, and her doggie, which she got only about a month before my mom passed away (she had gone maybe 13 years without one, tried to substitute a cat, and was ready to return to canine life) has really been a godsend for her (she had essentially never lived alone before).   I try to buy various dog themed stuff for her for Christmas.  I decided to buy the dog mom shirt, with a personalized name available, but when I got the drat all thing, it was personalized all right... with MY name.   I just cannot give my aunt this  'Dog Mom' shirt, paw print and all, with 'K16' below the paw.  A complaint to the vendor has gotten me a screen shot of the same receipt that came in the bag, which, sure enough, has 'Tom' on it under 'personalization', and I am told, essentially, 'too bad'.   I tried to utilize Etsy's complaint option, but I cannot get through-- my password was invalid, and several attempts to get them to send me a code to fix it were unsuccessful.   I did eventually use a general help link on their website, and got the runaround, and no assistance in filing any complaints against the vendor.

So here's the deal: I tried out this service because of the algorithm-generated FB ad, but, well, if I had not had a brain fart, I would have just bought a similar product via Amazon.  I have bought from Amazon 3d party vendors for 15 years, with nary a problem, and the few returns I have had to make have also gone without a hitch.   Consider John Q. Public, who has used 'Shine It Up' toothpaste for 40 years, but decides to try out a new competitor paste due to a tv ad, a catchy store endcap, whatever, and 'NewBrightUp' turns his teeth an off shade of green.  This would be a one strike you're out consequence, and back to old reliable Shine it Up JQP will be going.

[Hegemony]

Have you tried disputing the charge with the credit card company? If you have proof that your order was not fulfilled as ordered, the card company should stop payment.

[Anselm]

I bought through Etsy just once and that went well but I find that their search function is flawed and difficult.

[AvidReader]

Is 'Tom' the dog's name? If so, I'd take a photo of the shirt AND the receipt to show the discrepancy.

I've never had an issue with Etsy, including returns for a custom sewing job that came without a lining and was quickly corrected--but there's a range of sellers, including (now) a lot of cheap overseas stuff that truly isn't any better than the 3rd party sellers on Amazon.

If you can get back into your account, leave the seller a 1-star review with the discrepancy photo included.

AR.