Introducing Etsy Seller Protections!

[Former_Member]

Hi all,

I wanted to let you know that we have launched and announced Etsy Seller Protections today! We are really excited to offer this program to our sellers, as we can now guarantee that funds from your orders will be protected in the event of a problem if the order meets some outlined requirements.

Head over to the blog post to read more:
https://www.etsy.com/blog/news/2012/introducing-etsy-seller-protection/

I'll be around in the team today and in the forums if anyone has any questions. Let me know!

[TheSlyFox]

This is fantastic! I am wondering if the feedback system will be overhauled to go hand in hand with the seller protection?

But, still, what a great step forward. Thank you guys, again, for listening to our feedback and coming up with ways to help us run our businesses more safely!

[Former_Member]

Hey Celia,

No, feedback unfortunately is not part of this new program. Hopefully this is something that we'll be able to tackle soon.

[TheSlyFox]

Well, no matter what, I feel so much better having a limit on disputes, I am so glad you guys tackled that in this update! Thanks, Nicole!!

[Former_Member]

This is welcome news. And like Celia said, thanks again for listening to our concerns and addressing them.

[Former_Member]

Ok I've read it, but confused ..... it says Etsy covers ..... do you mean Etsy is going to pay? Or are they going to dip into our bank accounts and take it.

[Former_Member]

Hey Linda -

When we say that you're "covered" we mean that your funds are guaranteed protection in the event of a dispute, if the transaction meets the requirements for Seller Protection Program.

There's some additional info in a new section of the DOs and DON'Ts here: https://www.etsy.com/help/article/483#transactions_sellers

[Former_Member]

question ......... I know this is for the seller, but ......... I seen something that upset me, let me ask about that here.

A seller takes a downpayment for a custom order ....... 3 months later the custom order is not down, the buyer asked many times about this and got a push off .,,,, the money they put down was never returned .... the buyer is out of luck with paypal cause it's over 45 days .... but they left proper feedback so others will be worn ..... the seller as done this more than once and gets to skip off into the sunset with ill-gotten gains ........ How does etsy protect the buyer in cases like this?

Not only did this buyer not get her item, due to them leaving proper feedback the seller left them nasty, hateful feedback ........ just me, but I do think this left a very bad eye on every seller here and would so love to know how etsy protects us all.

[Former_Member]

Hi again, Linda,

The time frame to open a dispute on Etsy is contingent on the date that the item ships. In the situation you mention above, it seems like the buyer would still be able to file a case. However, it's really hard for us to respond to hypothetical situations like this without knowing the whole story.

Here's the relevant sections from our updated policies -- this might better answer your question:

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A buyer has a limited timeframe in which to report a problem and open a dispute case:

If the seller stated a ships-by date using the tools provided by Etsy, then the dispute timeframe is relative to the that date. The buyer may open a case after the ships-by date or after the seller marked the order as shipped, whichever is sooner. The option to report the problem is available for 45 days.

If no ships-by date was specified using the tools provided by Etsy, the buyer may report the problem no sooner than 7 days and no later than 75 days after the transaction date.

[Former_Member]

Thank you! Yes that answered my questions .......

[StepOriginals]

Is there a charge for this service?

[LollysCubbyHole]

That is awesome news! I will head over and get the details.....

[Former_Member · Accepted solution]

Sandy Tepper from StepOriginals says
Is there a charge for this service?

---

Nope! All transactions that are eligible wil be covered by this new program. If you ensure that you meet the requirements for all of your orders, you don't have to worry about a thing. You can read the full requirements here:

https://www.etsy.com/help/article/483#transactions

[Former_Member]

So I have a situation where a buyer received an empty package. There was tracking on the package. How do I apply for the seller protection refund?

[PinchtheMuse]

You don't. It's not package insurance. Your buyer has to open a case against you before seller protections would kick in.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the response PinchtheMuse.

[ninedoorsvintage]

Good to know and thank you for implementing this for sellers. I am another seller that would love to see the feedback system overhauled as soon as possible to go along with this new update. Thanks for letting us know.

[Former_Member]

Where do you sign up?

[Former_Member]

Thanks much for the information!

[sewbigkeepsake]

Good information...exchange! Thank-you.

[HowCuteAreYou]

I use a notification in my shop announcement for my delivery schedule. I update it often. I make custom crochet items and it would be too difficult to use the Ship By section on the listing since my shipping dates are always changing. When a customer purchases an item I always send them a notification with the date they are on my schedule. Am I covered?

[MarleyJaneDotCom]

What about packages lost by the post? I have tracking information that says that it is in the posts hands but it has been lost. What about international shipping that does have delivery confirmation?

[enchantedbeas]

I am using Etsy Shipping Labels for my shipping needs especially when I get paid through DC. When I ship Internationally there is no way to find out from tracking if the parcel was received (there are some few exceptions though, I was able to see DELIVERED -in UK for example).

So you have to trust the buyer...Is there another way to find out if the package was received? Or, if the buyer is stating he/she hasn't received the item you have to reimburse?

[Former_Member]

Most of the time people are honest, but before refunding, I usually come up with some sort of insurance company policy that they send me a sworn statement that they did not receive..When I go on to say that my insurance company has been very good at finding the point of the fraud, whether it be the postal system here, oversees, etc, miraculously the majority of packages have shown up the next day...It has been a very succesful email for me to send out.

[enchantedbeas]

Thank you, griffincat !