Purchase Declined

[HelenasHallucination]

I am a very new shop and people trying to purchase from me are getting "Purchase Declined" messages.  I even see that I have 2 sales listed on my profile, but don't actually have 2 sales.  I havent got any notifications or anything like that.  I doubt this is a scammer as the person trying to buy is someone from my congregation that actually convinced me to open the shop so they could buy the art I am trying to sell.  I need some help here. 

[BeJeweledByDEBORAH]

These are likely scammers attempting to purchase from your shop because it is new and unfinished. Finish your shop.

[HelenasHallucination]

I did finish my shop as far as I can tell.  Is there something I have to do?

Also, as said before, this is a member of my congregation who saw my art and encouraged me to set up an etsy just so she could buy this. 

[GlassyFields]

might be scammers ... they target new shops. There are quite a few variations of scams ... but one theme is to say they tried to purchase and then contact you with a request for information.

To avoid issues, stick to Etsy for information about purchases. They'll show up on your dashboard and in your financial account. Anything else is almost certainly a scam. Move those messages to spam and/or report them to Etsy. Don't reply and don't click on any links or provide information.

[JustMeToo]

@HelenasHallucination   As mentioned, it is probably a scammer.  One thing you could do to finish your shop is change your United States location to city/state if you are really in the United States.  Many overseas sellers try using United States as their location, so it makes your shop immediately suspect.  Couldn't the member of your congregation have purchased it directly from you?

[taschekats]

It is probably a scam, first, you say you have two sales, Etsy would not process the sales without payment. If no money is showing in your payment account, then, there are not sales.

Did you receive messages from buyers saying their payment was declined, if so, Etsy does the payment processing and a sale is not a sale until the money is in your payment account.

[TheButtonista]

You have had two sales, they are recorded on your shops main page for everyone to see. Those are legit sales. If they were scammers or sales that hadn’t properly gone through then the numbers wouldn’t be showing in that spot.

Even if you cancel an order, the numbers wouldn’t drops back down and removes it from your history.

[VINTAGEbytheMAGPIE]

help.etsy.comHow-to-Set-Up-Your-Shopfront 

[dayspringcollectible]

For the person from your congregation whose order is not going through it could be a problem with their credit card...a typo in the number they entered, over-limit, expired card, etc.

For the two sales that are listed, do they show up in your Finances tab?  If so, they were completed and should be good to go.  If they haven't shown up there, Etsy could be verifying they are legitimate customers.  Don't ship until the money shows up in your account.

[ChristmasMemory]

PLEASE READ- it's not a scammer because he knows the person trying to buy! I put in my cart and all seemed to be fine. Maybe shipping location has something to do with it? Your location says United States but you should narrow it down. 

[TheVintagePineapple]

No idea if these were legitimate purchases that failed to process or they were 2 scam attempts yet, but if you click the 2 sales button on your shop front to see what actually sold, no items appear.  

This same problem was reported by another new seller yesterday and the declined purchase was made by her friend:

Buyers are not able to complete payments - Welcome to the Etsy Community

[Amaradorn]

Whilst there is an issue with scammers making false purchases in new shops (they get cancelled or the transaction doesn't complete), I've also heard stories of legitimate sales being declined by the transaction provider - unfortunately there's not much Etsy can do about it because the transaction provider is a separate company. Perhaps they have tightened up security because of the recent increase in scam activity.

Perhaps your friend could try using a different payment method or they can purchase using their credit card via PayPal. If that's not an option then ask them to try again in a week's time. I had a lady that was trying to buy for several weeks and eventually the transaction did go through.

[dayspringcollectible]

I've had them go through when tried again just minutes later!

[CostumeCoutureNaomi]

Are the sales possibly people you know or are related to who are using your same IP address to purchase from you?

If so, Etsy will decline those sales because shop owners cannot purchase from themselves.  Etsy has very good IP address tracking.

The other possibility for a sale appearing in your dashboard but not processing through, then disappearing, is if something is wrong with the buyer's credit card. 

This does not mean the card is fraudulent or stolen.  It could mean the card is maxed out, has insufficient funds, or the legit owner has fraud protection on the account that flagged the purchase as suspicious.  Etsy will share none of this with you, because it is illegal for them to do so.

[PrimFun]

Do the orders come in, only to say pending and then the orders disappear?  That means the credit card was declined for any number of reasons.  The buyer is instructed to try again with a different card. 

If the buyer is using an old version of the app, ask them to upgrade to the newest one.

If the sale comes in through email or message that is a scam attempt.

If the buyer is using your computer to purchase then Etsy thinks shilling is occuring and they will stop the purchase.

If you actually did have a sale then you need to verify your bank account through Plaid.

United States as a location is not a good idea.  Use at least the state though city and state is preferred. 

Also if you ship internationally then you need shop policies for the EU/UK.  

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

Scammers do tend to target new shops, so even if the current sales turn out to be legitimate, you will still probably receive messages from scammers.
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.

[HelenasHallucination]

So, it turned out the buyer's account got suspended while trying to purchase from me.  She is trying to sort that out now.