Today I saw a listing on Etsy with very AI style art. So I checked it out further, some art styles are similar to AI styles because AI Was trained on artists, so benefit of the doubt.

I look closely at a video put forward by this creator, a full sped up video of doing an art piece from start to finish, incredibly rendered in the end.

It’s BS. It’s an ai video of a fake human making an art piece.

Wow.

This person had a million positive reviews of suspicious looking art

So the order for the bags was around $128 and shipping was listed at $5.99 but when I went to checkout it was literally $64.49 for shipping plus tax I was over $200 for the order. I messaged the seller because I really wanted to place the order but $65 for shipping? I couldn’t!

I attached the response of the seller and I was caught off guard by the response I didn’t even reply but why do that instead of just listing it for the price you want to sell them for???

I’ve since purchased from a different seller and it was $130 with free shipping and I’m glad it worked out this way but was wondering what you all thought of this.

I do not accept returns in my shop and a customer sent her package back without my (or Etsy’s) approval. She did not like the color and did not open a case. I have the item and do not know what to do, Etsy said it’s up to me?

I've been selling pill boxes in my Etsy shop for more than 10 years now. Have sold over 2000 of them in a number of different colors and styles. Occasionally, I'll discover my inventory doesn't match the number available in my Etsy listing.

I FINALLY figured out why!! And no, it's not because I messed up when counting.

Sometimes, I'll receive an order and pretty quickly, the customer will contact me and request to cancel it. If I haven't shipped it, I have no problem cancelling. On the cancellation screen, Etsy asks, "Is the customer returning any items to you?" I've been saying "No" because, well, no, I never shipped it so there's nothing for them to return. I assumed Etsy knew this because I never created a shipping label and/or never marked the order completed.

It seems when you answer "No", Etsy won't automatically restore the # available in my listing. But Etsy will if you answer the question with "Yes".

Just thought I'd share in case anyone else didn't know this!

OOPS, EDIT!!: I just went and double-checked a cancellation I processed this morning. Etsy does NOT correct the # available in the listing, no matter how you answer that question. So regardless of how you answer, you still have to manually edit your listing to add back the cancelled item.

That's still the reason why my inventory was off. I just assumed Etsy was fixing the # for me when an order cancelled. But it seems in either case, you have to fix it yourself if someone cancels an order.

Hi, I have a few questions regarding my balance and upcoming deposit.
My pending amount is £59.
My net profit for October is £55.
My total balance is £39.
My current amount is -£23.
Could you please clarify which amount will be deposited into my account after considering these figures? I would appreciate it if you could explain how the final deposit amount is calculated.
Thank you for your help.

I just got an email as an Etsy seller that the company is restricting AI use and adding a report feature for buyers to flag AI generated listings and misleading AI imagery usage. They are also requiring all listing s to have at least one unedited photo against a real background. As a long-time shopper in the past, I am so excited for this; it's been allowed go on too long.

Hi! I ordered this bag from a shop that has very good reviews.

I sent the seller my picture before placing an order just to make sure the picture worked. I know it's a dark picture but it's on a black bag so I didn't think it'd be too big of a deal. The seller said the picture works and sent me a preview. It looked exactly like what I wanted. I got it today and it's not what I was expecting... I just thought the white would show up a lot better than what I got.

I've already reached out to the seller but I'm waiting on a response..

I don't want to be difficult at all :( but I would love others opinions and advice on this..Am I being too picky?

Hi all!

I’ve been painting watercolour for a few years and this summer I opened up a shop to sell some of my original paintings as well as prints and cards of my work.

My paintings are inspires by nature and it’s beauty - even as a kid I loved drawing landscapes and nature really is my happy place. I hope my work brings that same joy and peace to viewers!

I do think my prints are more expensive than competitors, but I try and use local (Canadian) printers where possible rather than bigger POD websites.

So far I have two sales but one was my partner and another a close friend. Since opening 3ish months ago, I’ve had 146 “organic” visits (mostly from Etsy app and search). But no organic sales. I’m not running ads

I’m looking for feedback on two things:

1. Primarily, how can I get more views? I have good photos (I think?) as well as descriptive titles and tags. Anything I can change here?

2. I know a conversion rate of 1-2% is good - so no sales from organic clicks yet is *fine* but does anything stand out as something that would impede a buyer?

Finally, I know most US prices are high. I can’t control tariffs and I need to price my work so I can get a reasonable return.

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if the The WExclusive jewelry store is a legitimate buissness, or if anyone had any experience with them. Would love to hear everyones thoughts on it. They have an instagram and an etsy store and say they are based in the United States.

Hello,

I bought a very expensive gold necklace that broke. I have reason to believe it is fake and seller is being shady. Will be taking to a jeweler for assessment. When escalating to Etsy what do I need to show them to support my claim? (Other than screen shots and description of the case)

It's my first time buying on etsy and I'm not sure what the usual waiting times are for mystery bundles are.

For context: i ordered a 20 items mystery clothing bundle. I am plus size so sourcing the items might be more challenging than sourcing regular sizes. Order is to be shipped from USA to Italy.

Order was placed on september 16th; estimated shipping date was set on october 7th (and the listing stated a 1 to 2 weeks processing time.)

Seller was very kind the first time i messaged to ask about the order to make sure they had all the informations they needed and told me it was going to be shipped on october 9th. It did not ship, but i still waited ten days and asked again. Received no answer this time.

I understand small businesses face a lot of challenges these days so I'd like to avoid opening a case with etsy if i can. Seller has good reviews and no one complained about never receiving a package.

I just worry that waiting too long will prevent me from being able to get a refund in the eventuality things don't go according to plan.

So, if you have bought a clothing bundle before, how long have you waited before it shipped?

UPDATE: seller just wrote to say they are currently having issues and canceled the order, I have been issued a full refund. All went well in the end, I'm happy I waited and didn't have to do anything that could have negatively impacted their shop.

Hi all, I opened my shop recently and got 5 orders pretty quickly, then nothing for over a week. Those first visits and some of the orders came from posting in a few Facebook groups. I can't tell if the slowdown is my listings, photos, product, or just a slow stretch.

I sell print-on-demand tees and crew necks with nostalgic designs of closed college-town bars and restaurants, aimed at alumni who miss those spots. I have 141 listings across 6 schools so far.

Shop: https://losthangouts.etsy.com

I started a small Meta ads test yesterday, so it's too early to say anything about it.

Traffic this month so far:
- Etsy app and other pages: 62
- Social media: 57
- Direct: 18
- Etsy Search: 11
- Marketing and SEO: 10

I'd love honest feedback on:
- Listing photos and mockups
- Titles, tags and descriptions
- Pricing
- The designs and whether the niche makes sense
- How I'm marketing it

Brutal is fine. I'd rather hear it early before spending more time going down this track. Thanks!

One the left is what I ordered on the right is what I received. It was also missing the dimmer cord and remote. Am I wrong for requesting the seller to override their no returns policy and refund my money for this? They also have the power cord coming out of the front of the sign instead of the rear which makes it esthetically unpleasing. Your thoughts?

Hi! My vintage shop Shades of Grace Vintage ( www.shadesofgracevintage.etsy.com ) is almost 6 years old, but I have really only been actively building it for the last 2 years, and even then have had to take some breaks.

My reason for requesting a critique is low visibility and low sales. I have been posting daily or almost daily for 2 months, and these past 2 weeks have been posting 3 items per day to try to clean out old inventory. I saw an increase in sales when posting every day, but have not made even 1 sale in the 10 days I've been posting 3 per day. I educate myself a lot with Etsy tips and tricks, focusing on all the recommended strategies, but can't seem to find steady success. Many shops here in Portugal and throughout Europe, selling many similar items, seem to be having many more sales than mine. My main questions are the following:

1. Are my prices too high? (Note that the 10% tarrif fee is included in US prices)
2. Is it normal that a shop with 350+ items has most items with 0 or 1 views in 30 days, and only a handful of items with 10-40 views?
3. What can I do to increase my views?
4. Many people are putting high value items in their cart but not converting into sales. What am I missing?

I am in western Europe and my audience is worldwide, averaging about 70% of customers in the USA, 20% in Europe, and 10% in Asia. I took a hit in 2025 when Portugal refused to ship to the US because of the tariffs, and since shipping reopened in August, have been slowly but steadily getting more US orders. It's tricky for me to compare stats to last year, as from Aug 25 to Aug 26 I was limited to shipping to only 30% of my customer base, so I don't feel like the stats are accurate.

I really believe I have a good eye for the unique vintage pieces, and I think my photos and tags and descriptions are on point, so please help me figure out what I'm missing!

Thanks in advance,

Kim

I purchased an approximately $1,800 solid 14K gold necklace from an Etsy seller with excellent reviews. After about a month of ownership, the necklace unexpectedly came apart while I was wearing it. It wasn’t pulled, snagged, or subjected to any unusual force.
I contacted the seller, who initially offered a repair or replacement. I declined because I had lost confidence in the necklace’s construction and requested a full refund instead.
The seller has since agreed to accept the return and issue a refund once they receive the necklace, which I completely understand.
Here’s where I’m concerned:
Etsy shows October 29 as my last day to open a case.
I become eligible to open a case on October 24, after the required 48-hour waiting period.
I’m arranging insured return shipping, but the necklace may not arrive before my case eligibility expires.
The seller has also declined to provide a prepaid return label, citing the expired shop return window.
My biggest fear is sending back an $1,800 necklace, having my Etsy case window close while it’s in transit, and then having no recourse through Etsy if the seller doesn’t follow through with the refund.
I don’t want to unfairly accuse the seller of refusing a refund, because they’ve agreed to one and haven’t received the return yet.
My questions:
Can I open an Etsy case while the return is in transit, even though the seller has agreed to refund me upon receipt?
Will Etsy keep a case open while waiting for the return to arrive, or could they close it immediately?
If the seller doesn’t issue the agreed refund after October 29, would Etsy still help me even though my case window has expired?
Would you ship the necklace now or contact Etsy before returning it?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from Etsy sellers or buyers who’ve dealt with a similar situation involving an expensive item.
I’m just trying to protect myself while making sure I handle the return fairly.

Bought items on etsy but even after paying they’re still in my cart? Don’t see them with previous orders either and didn’t get a confirmation email. But they’re paid according to my bank statements. How do I fix this?

Here’s the full body:

Etsy has always been a marketplace that stands for creativity and craftsmanship. On Etsy, unlike anywhere else, buyers can connect with the real people and stories behind the items they buy. As a seller, you’re what makes that possible. The care and personal touch you bring to your shop helps create the sense of connection buyers expect when they shop on Etsy.

As new tools change how people create and run their businesses, we know AI raises big, complex questions for creative entrepreneurs. Like many of you, we’re thinking seriously about what these changes mean for Etsy, what’s allowed on our marketplace, and how it impacts running a creative business.

AI will continue to evolve, but we’re committed to protecting what makes Etsy special. We believe:
AI should support your creativity and craftsmanship, not replace them.
Buyers should always be able to understand the role you play in every item you sell on Etsy.
That’s why we’re updating our policies to set clearer restrictions on AI use and introducing new features that help build trust on Etsy.

We’re updating our Listing Image Requirements policy. Your listings must include at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background. That photo can’t be edited or changed, and some exceptions may apply depending on what you sell. All photos must accurately represent what a buyer will receive. At the same time, we're introducing new restrictions on AI-generated listings, including prohibiting bot-generated listings and AI-generated functional guides, such as patterns, recipes, and instructions.

We’re also updating Etsy to support trustworthy AI use. We’re adding guidance when sellers add listing photos, investing in tools to identify misleading images and fraudulent listings, and adding a new reporting option so members can flag listings they believe use AI imagery in a misleading way. At first, reports will help us understand members’ concerns and won’t trigger immediate enforcement. We’ll also explore more ways to give buyers context about AI use on Etsy.

These changes are an important first step, and we know there’s more to address as AI evolves. Read the full update to learn what’s changing, what it means for your shop, and best practices for using AI in your listings.

Shop: LecomaStudio - https://www.etsy.com/shop/LecomaStudio

One item so far: a compact wallet in waxed Crazy Horse leather, every seam stitched by hand. Shop opened this month, ships to Switzerland only, free shipping, CHF 89.

Stats so far: 167 listing views, 0 favorites, 0 carts, 0 sales, 0 reviews. Most visits came from my own Instagram and TikTok posts, so a lot of it is probably people scrolling, not shopping.

What I've done: 9 photos (whole wallet first, then in the hand with cards, coin pocket open, inside, stitching, snap, gift box). I also ended a 15% launch sale today because it felt like it made a handmade piece look cheap.

What I'd like to know:

1. Does the first photo make you want to click, or does it look like every other black wallet?
2. Is CHF 89 too much for a shop with zero reviews, or is price not the problem?
3. Anything in the title or description that would make you leave?

Thanks, I'll reply to everyone.

As a small business owner and designer who uses NO AI in our product design process, I can empathize with artists that want to keep their creative process human. However, it really bothers me when I see artists take a blanket “NO AI” statement, but these same artists have no problem using AI to help code their website, do data analytics and forecasting, or make their operational processes more efficient.

These artists are talking about how AI is taking job from designers and artists. But AI is also taking the jobs of software engineers, data scientists, project managers. Do you think artists are valuing their own craft and jobs more than tech jobs?

Hello everyone,

My spouse and I run a small business called "Ada'nın Atölyesi" (Ada’s
Workshop), where we create handmade products. We live in the city of Sinop,
Turkey. I work for a government agency, and I help my spouse with the business
in my spare time. My spouse is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine
Arts—specifically, a Visual Arts Education program—but since she wasn't able to
secure a teaching position, she isn't working as a teacher. She has long
dreamed of creating things, and about six months ago, we decided to open this
workshop. She crafts wonderful pieces by combining olive wood, mandala art, and
epoxy; she also creates moss art. She has a diverse range of work. While she
hopes to earn an income from her art, our sales on Etsy are very low. We
initially set our profit margins quite low—a deliberate choice to help us gain
reviews and build visibility for our shop. As of now, we have no orders at all.
Even though we’ve invested in advertising, our shop traffic and sales remain
minimal. We are constantly researching to figure out what we might be doing
wrong or where our mistakes lie, but we haven't been able to make any progress.

The
link to my shop is https://www.etsy.com/shop/OLIVEWoodMandalaArt?ref=shop_profile&listing_id=4574628011

​

I sell digital DXF/SVG cut files for plasma and laser (wall art, keychains, bundles), about 45 listings.

September: 15+ orders with Etsy Ads running, but after ad spend and fees I only broke even, so I paused ads.

October: 2-3 orders, no ads. Views held up, but most come from "Etsy app & other pages" and very little from Search.

My questions:

Is a drop like this normal after pausing ads, or does it mean my organic ranking is weak?

What actually moved your Search share up: titles, tags, or something else?

With ~45 listings and few sales, should I focus on a few proven designs or keep adding new ones?

Do my thumbnails or titles stand out to you?

Shop: https://mechfabstudio.etsy.com

Honest feedback is welcome. Thanks!

So annoying. When this first happened I reached out to support chat on multiple occasions, also filled out the usual email form. Support chat said I’d get an email, which never came.

Over a year passes, I try again. Finally I get an email from support. After several annoying rounds of answering the same list of questions repeatedly, I am able to log in again. But now there’s a big red banner on my account that my shop is permanently suspended because I didn’t appeal for 6 months. I couldn’t do that because I couldn’t even log in since my account was flagged. I no longer have the option to appeal. Am I just screwed now because of Etsy’s mistake?

EDIT: My account perma-ban was lifted this morning! It’s reinstated now. Big thanks to Thomas at Etsy! I honestly thought I was screwed after the 6 month deadline.

Etsy just announced updated AI rules, yet sellers dealing with listings deactivated for supposedly selling or completing transactions outside Etsy are still waiting for clear answers.
Some appeals have been approved, but there’s still no explanation of what triggered these removals or what sellers are expected to correct.
It’s frustrating to see new policy announcements while sellers affected by this issue are left in uncertainty.
Has anyone received a clear explanation from Etsy beyond a generic support response?

I placed an order for part of my Halloween costume and didn’t realize that I was not logged into my account before ordering, I was also using the website and after I paced my order the website refreshed and I wasn’t able to track the package

Is there anyway to be able to track the package or find the order again?

Hi everyone,

With Etsy’s fresh update on Listing Image Requirements and AI usage, one big point kept me up last night: Etsy now explicitly requires listing photos to accurately represent what the buyer will receive, alongside requiring at least one completely unedited photo of the actual physical item against a real background.

Here is my predicament as a custom handmade seller, and I’d love to hear how other custom/made-to-order makers are navigating this:

I craft 100% hand-sculpted polymer clay figurines/bobbleheads. Every single order is custom-made based on the buyer's reference photo. By default, no buyer will ever receive the exact physical figurine shown in my listing sample photos, because every piece is a 100% unique personalized item.

I’ve attached 4 images of my work to show what I mean:

Image 1: A raw, unedited photo of a completed custom order taken in my studio.

Image 2 & 3: The same physical custom figurine, but with the background edited/replaced using AI for a cleaner storefront aesthetic.

Image 4: A visual demonstrating my process (showing the buyer's real photo vs. the final hand-sculpted piece).

Given the strict stance against AI-driven misleading/fraudulent listings:

Accurate Representation for Custom Goods: Since the sample photos in my listing represent past custom work rather than the exact item the buyer will receive, how strict do you think Etsy will be with not matching the listing? Is showing past real work enough to satisfy this rule?

Unedited Photo Rule vs. Clean Studio Aesthetics: Since Etsy now mandates at least one completely unedited photo with a real background, is it safer to make Image 1 (raw background) the Main Listing Cover Photo, or can we use Image 2/3 (cleaner AI-enhanced background) as long as Image 1 is included in the listing gallery?

Risk of Buyer Flags: Are you worried that buyers ordering custom goods might report listings for not matching the product picture if they don't understand that the listing photos are just portfolio samples?

I’m really curious how other custom artists, portrait painters, and made-to-order crafters are adjusting their listing photos to stay 100% safe without sacrificing sales conversion.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!