If you’re an Etsy shopper, you might end up not being happy with the thing that you bought for some reason, and you could want a refund or to return the item.
Since Etsy isn’t one big shop, there isn’t one central customer service number to call to arrange for a refund, so what should you do if you want to return something?
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To ask for a full refund on Etsy, you’ll need to contact the business that you bought the product from.
Remember that Etsy doesn’t sell anything itself, everything that you buy is going to come from the independent shop owners. They’re the ones who will set the refund policy for their own shops.
Let’s look at some fairly common situations to see how a refund request might be handled.
Do Etsy Sellers Have To Give Refunds?
Every Etsy shop has its own return and refund policies, but Etsy tries to streamline this by giving sellers a template for Etsy shop policies that they can use if they’d like to.
If the shop owner doesn’t want to use the template, they can write their own policy, so you should check that before purchasing anything to see any potential issues you might have and to decide whether you want to buy and abide by the seller’s policies.
If you’re not happy with a stated return policy, it might be a good example to buy from a different Etsy store.
Some things, like digital products, have an automatic no-return policy, because they’re digital. Once they’re downloaded the customer has the product, so it’s not fair to expect an Etsy shop owner to refund those.
There are also special items like personal care, underwear, face masks, and lingerie may or may not be refundable depending on the seller’s policies.
If items have been worn or used it’s unlikely that the seller will be able to use them for anything if they’re returned, so those items might not be refundable.
Personalized items can’t be refunded because they’re unsellable to anyone other than you. When you order something with personalization make sure that you order the right thing and send the seller the right details!
Damaged goods probably can’t be refunded…Most sellers will expect items to be returned to them before the refund is issued, and if the item is damaged they probably won’t refund it.
Not everything is refundable, to sum it up, so contact the seller about it, but if you damaged or wore something, you might not be able to get a refund for it.
For an article that goes into more detail about returning Etsy items, click here.
How to get a refund if the product is defective.
If the product that you bought has an obvious flaw, contact the seller directly by using the Etsy messages system (read about that here.) Keep all of your messages on Etsy so that they can track the conversation in case you need to file a case at some point. Etsy can see the messages that you send to sellers, so keep it friendly!
If there is a genuine flaw with the item the seller should accept the return and issue a full refund when it gets back to them.
They may or may not pay for the return shipping, but in cases where something is defective they should pay to have it returned to them.
Sellers can send you a return shipping label that you can print out and tape to the box that the original item came in. That will avoid you having to pay for the return label, since it wasn’t your fault that the item was flawed.
Keep in mind that “defective” means that there was a genuine flaw with the item. If the thing that’s wrong is something like you not liking the color that you bought, that’s not a flaw.
Each seller’s policy about customers wanting refunds because they change their minds will be different, but most independent sellers have limits.
Refunds that are requested for the reason of “item not as described” cover actual problems with the product itself, but things like buyer’s remorse aren’t included in this category!
How to get a refund if the order doesn’t arrive.
If your order never ships, or if the package says that it was delivered but you didn’t get it, you should contact the seller to see what you should do.
The seller should be able to tell you details about the shipment, and if they did send it but they forgot to mark it shipped they can correct that.
If they didn’t ship it, they should tell you why, but if it’s way past the shipping date, you should just ask for a refund. If they won’t refund it, you can file a purchase protection claim with Etsy directly and they’ll cancel the order and refund the price for you.
If the order was marked as delivered but you don’t have it, you can read this article about more steps to take, but you need to contact the seller first to let them know: What to do if your Etsy package is stolen.
Sometimes packages will show up after they’re marked delivered, and it can take up to 72 hours, according to the USPS website. So the usual advice will be to wait for the next day’s mail to see if it shows up.
I’ve had mail arrive 5 days after it was marked delivered, so there can definitely be delays!
How to get a refund if you don’t like the product.
If you just don’t like the thing that you bought, you’ll have to contact the seller and hope that they’ll accept a return. Since Etsy sellers are independent small businesses, buyer’s remorse isn’t usually a reason that we accept for refunds.
I mentioned the shop policies, and it’s up to Etsy shoppers to make sure they understand the conditions that each seller sets for refunds BEFORE buying from the shop.
I sell cake decorating supplies that are considered to be edible, so I don’t usually accept returns. I don’t know if the packages have been opened or not, so I have to address everything on a case-by-case basis.
When I get a help request from a customer I want them to have a positive experience, but it’s a lot easier if people read the product description and understand my return process before purchasing!
Some artists who sell jewelry or fashion accessories don’t accept returns because they’ve had experiences with people wearing their unique items and then trying to return them for a refund after they’re done wearing them.
This isn’t reasonable, but we’ve all been conditioned to think that we can return anything at any time because of mass-market retailers. Small businesses can’t operate that way, though.
If you really don’t like the thing you bought, and you haven’t used it, contact the seller to see if they’ll accept a return.
If they will, they’ll go through their refund process with you, including the time frame for returning the products, and when they’ll issue the refund via the original payment method.
You’ll probably have to pay for the return shipping, and it’s also possible that the seller won’t refund the original shipping costs for this kind of return.
Don’t expect to be able to keep the thing and get a refund too, that’s not reasonable either. Be nice about it and it will be more likely that the seller will be willing to work with you.
Can you get a refund if you broke the item?
If you straight-out broke the thing that you bought, it’s not likely that you’re going to get a refund for it.
That would be like me buying a vase at a large business, bringing it home, dropping it, and then trying to take the broken pieces back to the store for a refund.
They wouldn’t let me return that, that’s my own clumsy fault and I would have to just go get another one.
I know Etsy sellers who have had customers run over their own packages with their cars by accident, then tell the seller that they should get a refund because they ran it over and ruined it. (I’m not kidding, that really happened.)
That’s highly unreasonable, and I don’t know any sellers who will refund for reasons like that.
It’s always possible to write to the seller and ask if you can get another one of whatever it is you bought, and ask if they have any discounts available.
They might have a returning customer discount they can offer you, but it’s not likely that they’ll agree to refund the original thing that you destroyed.
How to get a refund for something that was damaged in transit.
If something that you received was damaged in the mail, you can let the seller know through the Etsy messages system and see what you should do.
Etsy’s Purchase Protection Program might cover damage to a package that results from the shipping company, or the seller might have purchased insurance on the package.
Depending on what the damage is and why it happened, the post office might pay to cover it, but the seller has to handle the insurance part of it.
Contact the seller and let them know what happened, and save the packaging to show them
The post office always requires photos of the damaged package, so don’t throw anything away.
To see the full Artisan Shopping Directory sections, including signups for discounts, click here.
Can you get a refund for something that isn’t what you ordered?
If you get something that’s substantially different from what you ordered, based on the listing photos and description, you can contact the seller about that.
This would be things like you ordering something that says that it’s handmade, but when you get it there’s a label in it that shows it was made in a factory.
Keep in mind that slight variations in color are considered normal since computers display colors differently, and nobody can match colors exactly.
But if you open your package and say “what the heck is this,” then when you go check the product listing description it’s definitely not what was described, contact the seller right away.
If they’re not helpful, or refuse to answer you, you might have run into a scammer, which is becoming more common on the Etsy platform and online in general.
There are a lot of people setting up shops on Etsy, then disappearing with customers’ money and not shipping things the right way, which obviously results in a bad user experience.
I wrote an article about that here: Does Etsy Sell Fake Stuff? Pro Tips For Spotting Scammers.
If this happens to you, as a last resort you can file a claim through Etsy’s Purchase Protection, which you can access after you’ve messaged the seller.
If Etsy Support sees that the seller has been ignoring you, they’ll most likely refund for you.
If the item IS what was ordered, though, Etsy probably won’t refund it, because the Etsy policies have both buyer and seller protection in mind. Make sure to read the description before you order something!
Can I buy things to try on, then send back the ones I don’t like?
If you buy things with the intention of sending them back, you might not have good luck returning them.
Etsy sellers don’t work like Amazon, and some don’t accept returns at all. Make sure that you read the shop policies before buying, and don’t assume that you can return things.
This also goes for things like buying home decor items, then deciding that it doesn’t match the other things in your house.
Make sure that you like the things in your Etsy order, because most sellers won’t let you return things just because you bought a bunch of things and want to return most of them.
This falls under the “just didn’t like it” buyer’s remorse situation I described above, and it’s not a good reason for a refund on Etsy.
This is also similar to people who buy a bunch of things for a party or a wedding, then ask to return the things they didn’t use after the event is over.
In general, you’re not going to get refunds for those extras, so buy carefully.
Can I get a refund for vintage items?
In general, most vintage sellers sell things as-is, and don’t accept returns for a refund. The exception to this would be if the item falls under the not-as-described category, but most vintage sellers are very careful about describing things accurately.
If you’re buying a vintage item make sure to pay attention to the description where any flaws and damage to the item will probably be described.
Check the listing photos, and if you have questions about the condition of an item, it’s a good idea to contact the seller before buying it.
