I am not able to reply to my customers.
Hello,
Etsy is actively engaged in preventing scammers from targeting our community members. If you receive a suspicious message, please proceed with caution. Etsy Support will never ask you to provide personal information via Etsy Messages, such as your email address or password. Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder.
If you receive a suspicious message, here’s how to report it:
You’ll find examples of common scammer techniques and phishing messages here in our Help Center. Read our Account Security Checklist in the Seller Handbook for more steps you can take to protect your account.
likewise i have emails saying i have messages, they aren't even showing in my inbox
If you can't reply to a message, or the message disappears from your message inbox - it's likely that they were detected as scams and therefore blocked or removed for your protection.
I can’t reply either. I have an email to say I have a message but it disappears.
I had a customer find my website and email me as she couldn’t reply to my message I sent her via etsy
These are most likely scam messages. Etsy has assessed and removed them to prevent sellers getting stung by the scammers. The scammers tend to target new shops, who are more likely to reply and get caught out because they are not yet used to how things work with sales on Etsy.
hings to read:
https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Protect-Your-Account-From-Scammers/m-p/143158945#M1882
https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/New-From-Etsy-section-in-Messages/m-p/143722497#M1899
https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000343128-How-to-Handle-Spam-and-Suspicious-Messages
If you receive an actual order, you will see it in your "Orders and Shipping" section and you will receive an email from Etsy notifying you that you have a sale, and there will be a notification in your dashboard as well.
Hello,
Etsy is actively engaged in preventing scammers from targeting our community members. If you receive a suspicious message, please proceed with caution. Etsy Support will never ask you to provide personal information via Etsy Messages, such as your email address or password. Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder.
If you receive a suspicious message, here’s how to report it:
You’ll find examples of common scammer techniques and phishing messages here in our Help Center. Read our Account Security Checklist in the Seller Handbook for more steps you can take to protect your account.