If you’ve ever been searching for a unique gift, rare vintage piece, or customizable product, you’ve probably come across Etsy — and may even have wondered if it’s safe or not to buy from this platform. Read on to learn how safe it is to shop on Etsy and what scams lurk there. We’ll also give you some top tips on how to protect yourself — plus you’ll discover how you can use the free all-in-one solution Avira Free Security to generally improve your defenses when shopping online.
What is Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace that offers all sorts of unique products from its special categories — from all kinds of arts and crafts to artist supplies, vintage goods, and rare items. Just like eBay and Amazon, millions of vendors from all over the world can sell their products on Etsy. Each of these sellers has their own shop on the platform — and so their own terms and conditions, shipping methods, processing times, and return policies, etc. Since sellers are usually responsible for both shipping and processing orders, the buying experience on Etsy can vary greatly from shop to shop.
Sellers on Etsy are often individuals or small businesses who sell their creative handmade and custom-designed products and who are trustworthy. That said, online marketplaces of this size and popularity also attract scammers and fraudulent sellers who are after the buyers’ money or personal information. That’s why when you buy on Etsy, you can enjoy similar protections as you would when buying something from other online shops and marketplaces.
Read on for what you need to look out for when buying on Etsy, plus an overview of common scams as well as tips on how to avoid them and improve your protection against them. But before we get going, let’s look at Etsy’s security measures first.
How safe is Etsy?
Etsy provides two main security measures to protect buyers from fraud and make online purchases more secure: The integrated payment system Etsy Payments and Etsy Purchase Protection.
Secure payments through Etsy Payments
Payments on Etsy are generally secure because payments are processed centrally through Etsy Payments. Etsy Payments allows buyers to choose from a variety of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and country-specific installment payment services like Klarna.
Etsy Payments acts as an intermediary between the buyer and seller, only releasing the money to the seller once the order has been confirmed. This reduces the risk of fraud for both parties because the funds are not released until the transaction is considered complete in Etsy’s system. Etsy Payments also has built-in fraud detection algorithms. These systems review transactions for unusual activity or potential fraud and may temporarily hold payments until the situation is resolved.
Etsy Payments uses TLS/SSL encryption to transmit sensitive information such as credit card details. Etsy stores this payment information securely and doesn’t share it with sellers. This means that sellers don’t have direct access to buyers’ credit card details or other payment details and sensitive information, reducing the risk of data misuse.
If a seller asks you to pay outside of the Etsy system they’re most likely to be trying to scam you, so always say no and stick to Etsy Payments. If you do make a payment outside of Etsy Payments, you won’t be covered by Etsy Purchase Protection — more on that now.
Protection through Etsy Purchase Protection
Like many other online marketplaces, Etsy offers buyer protection to safeguard customers from fraud and other risks when purchasing online. With Etsy Purchase Protection, buyers can get a refund for eligible orders if an item doesn’t arrive, arrives damaged, arrives after the delivery time frame, or differs significantly from the item description or the photos.
In this case, buyers must first contact the shop from which they bought the item to find a solution directly with the seller. If this is unsuccessful, buyers can open a case with Etsy to resolve the issue with assistance from an Etsy employee. If a buyer paid as a guest, they must first link their order to an Etsy account to open a case with Etsy.
However, buyers can significantly reduce the risk of fraud on Etsy by taking a few precautions.
Tips for your online orders on Etsy
Before buying on Etsy, take a closer look at the online shop you want to purchase from and, above all, its terms and conditions. If a shop or item seems suspicious, you can report it to Etsy via the listing page. The Etsy team will then review the item or shop and, if necessary, contact the seller or take action.
Seller profile: A reputable seller will provide clear information about themselves, the origin of the products, and their business policies in their profile. If this information is missing or very vague, it could be a sign of a scam shop, as could incorrect grammar and/or spelling.
Sales history: The more sales a shop can show, the more reputable and trustworthy it usually is. However, this doesn’t apply to shops that have only opened recently.
Pricing: If the prices are unrealistically low, especially for branded products, always be cautious. The same applies to exorbitantly high prices. Do a Google search to see if you can find the same product at a cheaper price on another platform.
Reviews: Here you can read about the experiences others have had when purchasing from this Etsy shop and how satisfied they were with the purchase process and the quality of the item. If the reviews are mostly bad, avoid placing an order. If in doubt, search for reviews of the seller on Google or social networks to find out how reputable they really are. To do this, enter keywords such as “reviews”, “fraud”, “legitimate”, or “reputable” next to the seller or shop name.
If you’re pleased with your Etsy order, leave a positive review. This will not only put a smile on the seller’s face but also help others to weigh up whether the shop is worth buying from.
Shipping and delivery costs: Check which country the products are shipped from. This will save you from any nasty surprises regarding delivery costs and times as well as possible customs fees if the shop is located abroad.
Returns and refunds: In principle, Etsy sellers aren’t obligated to accept a return or exchange or to provide a refund unless stated in the terms and conditions for the item in question. Sellers on Etsy are responsible for setting out their own refund, exchange, and returns policies for each item they list for sale. If both the buyer and seller are located in the European Union for example, the EU Consumer Rights Directive applies. It guarantees customers certain rights when making online purchases, enhancing their protections.
Popular scams on Etsy
Etsy has a strict set of rules that sellers must follow. These rules are designed to protect both buyers and sellers. Etsy also has systems in place to detect and prevent fraud. These include automated systems and algorithms to monitor suspicious activities. These systems continuously look for unusual patterns of behavior, such as sudden increases in sales, the creation of multiple accounts from the same IP address, or unusual price changes. The algorithms are trained to recognize patterns that might indicate fraud, like the use of stolen images, identical product descriptions in different shops, or the appearance of several new shops with similar products.
However, these mechanisms do not, of course, offer 100 percent protection against scams. Let’s take a look at some examples.
Malicious website
Scam: In this case, the scammers lure potential buyers with supposedly lower prices to an external website that aims to spread malware or steal personal information such as payment details.
Defense: Never leave the Etsy platform, and always use Etsy Payments for transactions.
Spoof Etsy website
Scam: Sometimes scammers try to direct their victims to a fake website that may look deceptively like the real deal at first glance. These websites can be infected with malware or attempt to obtain personal information such as your Etsy account credentials.
Defense: To make sure you are on the actual Etsy website, check the URL in the address bar, which always starts with etsy.com or help.etsy.com. And of course, the address should always be preceded by https:// — which is a sign of a secure website. Also check to see the URL is spelled correctly and doesn’t include any other letters or characters.
Spoof Etsy emails
Scam: Phishing scammers also usually target sensitive data and can act in the name of Etsy, sending phishing emails which can forward you to a malicious web page.
Defense: When Etsy emails you, you’ll also find a copy in Etsy’s messaging system where messages from Etsy can be found under the “Messages” tab within your Etsy account. It’s best to forward suspicious Etsy emails to spoof@etsy.com and communicate exclusively via the messaging function on the Etsy platform.
Top tip: Use 2FA (two-factor authentication) and Avira Browser Protection
The scams presented so far generally have one thing in common: The scammers want to lure you to a malicious web page and trick you into revealing your payment info, login details, or other confidential information. If your Etsy account login details fall into their hands, the scammers can access your Etsy account and your payment information.
Therefore, be sure to use two-factor authentication (2FA) which you can find in your Etsy account settings under Security and then Two-Factor Authentication. This prevents scammers from logging in to your Etsy account, even if they have your login information. To do this, they’d also need the code that’s required for you to log in. This can be sent by text or phone call if 2FA is turned on or generated using an authenticator app.
The browser extension Avira Browser Safety not only helps you protect yourself from malicious and phishing websites and unsafe online shops while surfing and shopping but also helps you save a ton of money. Thanks to the price comparison function, you can see the best prices and deals for a particular product from trustworthy providers and verified, secure online shops. In addition, with Avira Browser Safety you can also prevent websites from tracking you as well as block ads and unwanted apps in your downloads.
Counterfeit or inferior products
Scam: Sadly, this scam is quite common. Here, the buyer receives either a counterfeit product or inferior goods instead of the one-of-a-kind, high-quality item advertised in the Etsy shop. Often, these items are mass produced in a factory and don’t live up to the buyer’s hopes or the seller’s claims. These shops often use product images and/or product descriptions that come from other sources and are used there illegally.
Defense: Do a reverse image search on Google to find out if the images may have been stolen from another website or are stock images. Open a case on Etsy if you receive a product that’s not as described and the seller doesn’t accept the return or refund the purchase price.
Spoof Etsy shops
Scam: In this case, the scammers set up spoof shops on Etsy and delete them again after receiving the money, before the buyer or Etsy can take action. Since the goods never existed, they will of course never turn up.
Defense: Watch out for the warning signs as described above and contact Etsy if you’ve fallen victim to such a scam.
Payments made outside the platform
Scam: To get buyers on Etsy to make payments outside of the platform, scammers lure them with discounts which they supposedly can only offer by avoiding Etsy’s fees. Either that, or they blame temporary technical issues with Etsy Payments or some other great reason. In this case too, if you’re a buyer, you’ll end up waiting in vain for your item to ever arrive.
Defense: Since your order isn’t covered by Etsy Purchase Protection when paying outside of the Etsy system, you should never accept this offer — especially not when payments are requested via systems that make chargebacks (where you dispute a charge on your credit or debit card) difficult. If you’re asked to make such a payment, report the shop to Etsy using the appropriate function.
Incorrect delivery address
Scam: In this case, the scammers deliberately deliver the goods to a false address that belongs to themselves so that it shows as “delivered” — and the buyer can’t claim a refund.
Defense: If you haven’t received an order that was shown as “delivered”, make sure that you’ve provided the correct delivery address and that the package has not ended up with your neighbor or is still with the parcel service. Contact the seller and open a case with Etsy if they don’t cooperate.
Different prices for the same product
Scam: Here, scammers offer the same product in different Etsy shops at very different prices. If a buyer chooses one of the cheaper offers, the scammers will claim that it’s only available at a higher price and refer to that offer. Although this isn’t necessarily a scam, such methods are pretty unfair.
Defense: It’s best to just avoid placing an order if you’re made such an offer.
Additional steps to protect your Etsy purchases
- Check your credit card statements and bank statements regularly for suspicious charges.
- Protect your Etsy account (and other online accounts) with a strong password. A password manager can help you generate and store complex passwords. One is included in the all-in-one solution Avira Free Security.
- Use Avira Browser Safety, which is also included with Avira Free Security, to protect yourself from malicious websites when shopping online.
- When shopping using unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots, use a VPN to encrypt your data traffic — one is also included with Avira Free Security.
Etsy is a trademark of Etsy, Inc.
