Phantom Orders ($1000 worth)

[BohoBeauty25]

I keep getting "phantom" orders, where they show up on the dashboard but nowhere in the orders page, payments page, etc. ONLY on the shop dashboard, where they stay a while then disappear. I really need the income, so this is driving me nuts. What gives? I've gotten 5 $200 phantom orders that have added up to $1,000.

[NanaLetha]

Those are scammers who target new shops.

[BohoBeauty25]

How does it work though?

[NanaLetha · Accepted solution]

Some of them are using stolen credit cards. The payment processing company is canceling the orders. 

[BohoBeauty25]

Ooh, well that sucks.

[Donobob]

And as hungry as you may be, it is better to give a couple days before shipping to give time for Payment Processing Company to catch the fraudulent payments. They don't get them all immediately. so 48 hours is a good interval to wait.

[NanaLetha]

@Donobob  OP’S shop is instant downloads only. 

[BohoBeauty25]

Is the cart thing a scam too? Like the "4 people have this in their cart" message?

[Donobob]

Out and out theft then too. Stolen card and then get a stolen DL that is never paid for.

Etsy should have some protection for this problem. I mean WTF else is a platform good for beyond protection and volume. And what good is volume when the thieves are left to steal at will, or even facilitated by the platform.

[GlassyFields]

The notice about being in carts isn't a scam ... but it doesn't mean much.

Shoppers put items in carts for lots of reasons. Much is never actually purchased.

Etsy cleans out the carts every so often.

An Etsy promotional coupon for abandoned carts might help, but be careful. It also eats into profit.

Digital downloads is a very saturated market. Millions of shops. Hard to compete. 

An Etsy store might drive some income, but I wouldn't count on it - especially in the short term.

[Amaradorn]

Yeah sorry, it does sound like scammers. They are actively targeting new shops. They make a (fake) purchase and then send you phishing messages or emails - so be on the look out for those.  Don't click on links or share your card details. Etsy has been catching many of the scam messages and deleting them but occasionally a few get through. You can always come here to check if a message is legit before taking any action.

[BohoBeauty25]

Oh ok, tysm!

[NanaLetha]

@BohoBeauty25  The thing is not a scam but it doesn’t mean they will buy. 

[BohoBeauty25]

Ah, ok. Thanks for your help!

[Donobob]

4 people have  XXX in their cart is from Etsy.
Etsy gives you the ability to send a coupon to people that carted your item in hopes that they finish the purchase.

[BohoBeauty25]

Oh neat, got it.

[Donobob]

Any interaction you do with Etsy, do it through the site while signed in.
DO NOT INTERACT WITH AN EMAIL. Scammers are on you for the time being, so go to the source online for Etsy.

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

Things to read:

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Protect-Your-Account-From-Scammers/m-p/143158945#M1882

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/How-to-Spot-a-Scam-No-a-Buyer-Doesn-t-Need-Your-Ema...

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.

[BohoBeauty25]

Thank you!!

[TheVintagePineapple]

@BohoBeauty25 

''Is the cart thing a scam too? Like the "4 people have this in their cart" message?''

Typically, the cart #s are not scams.  But it's very suspicious for one listing that was just posted today to already be in 7 carts.  It could be that scammers are putting your listing in their carts in order to purchase it with stolen cc's, and then continue the scam with messages to you about problems completing the purchase.  The messages vary, but it comes down to asking you for your financial info so they can drain your money.

[Macratella]

it is really weird- I have order on dashboard, revenue also shows the amount. But no open orders and payment statement also not updated. Also nr of sales not updated. It is scary cause really looks real. Until is in open order folder whith buyer data, I guess is another scam-more elevated one.

[ModAngie · Accepted solution]

Hello,

Etsy is actively engaged in preventing scammers from targeting our community members. If you receive a suspicious message, please proceed with caution, and do not click on any suspicious email links. 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:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com and go to Your Account.
2. Go to Messages. 
3. Select the suspicious message from your inbox. 
4. Choose Report.

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.