Review by a person who did not buy the item -

[AJoyfulCreation]

Please tell me if it is possible for a person to hack into my Etsy shop and post a bad review even though they didn't buy it?

A person posted a 3 star review and said my hat was too big.  I went back to all the people who purchased that hat in the last two years and could not find the person.  I have had almost all 5 stars and I was just curious about who it was that wasn't happy.  When I clicked on their user name it came back and no followers, not following anyone and no favorites.  

They showed the photo of the hat that they were reviewing.  

Is there a way to find out the date that they bought the hat so I can at least look at the sale day of all the hats that matched the one they reviewed.

If non can be found is there a way for tech to be able to figure out if they are not actually a customer but rather someone that just wants to put bad reviews on people's shop?

In this time of hackers, scammers and the like, I am thinking that anything is possible.   If this is a hacker, I want to have the review removed.  

Thank you for any help!

[Amaradorn]

Only the buyer account can leave a review. Even if someone gained access to your account (a hacker) - they could not leave a review on the same shop account.

I think the review window is 100 days, so it would be someone who purchased the item within that time period. It's possible that the person changed their online account (screen) name after purchasing so that might be why you can't find them in your orders (although I would have thought that it would have updated in all places automatically).

[Natalya1905]

Shop Manager - Orders - Completed. 

Scroll down to see the review you mentioned. There will be more information on the transaction (order number, date, etc.)

Off-topic, but important. There could be a bigger issue than this review: your eyeglasses cases. They have trademarked sports teams and military logos. Without a license, it's IP infringement that puts your entire shop at risk. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

@Natalya1905 I have never noticed before that there is a link on the order to click to see the review left by the buyer. This just proves we learn something every day! Thanks for sharing!

[AJoyfulCreation]

I found the sender of the review.  I didn't find it because of finding the order number, date, etc.  I went back and looked and I still don't see the information you have above.  I can't remember how I found them.  It was bought by a customer in Scotland.  I sent a reply to her and said that if she can send the hat back and it is in good shape, I will refund her money.  I won't refund my shipping costs, though.  I told her that.

[mommawhazelsquilts]

@Natalya1905Sadly, your post was totally ignored.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@AJoyfulCreation 

If you sell to the UK (Scotland) or an EU country, you have to have 30 day return policies on all your listings,

If the buyer is in Scotland, you have to refund in full, you cannot legally withhold shipping

[bradgoodell]

Only buyers can leave reviews, and they have to have an Etsy account, and the review is always linked to a purchase.  What may have happened is a Guest Buyer bought the item, and opened an Etsy account afterwards linking her previous purchases.  Then she left a review.

Easiest way to check:  Search your completed sold items for that hat.  it will show which ones have a review.  Then you can click on the review and see what was said.  That will connect the sale to the reviewer for you.  

[AJoyfulCreation]

Since I found what I needed, how can I stop replies on this?

[RebecaMojicaJewelry]

You can't stop people from replying, but you can choose a response and mark it as a solution. That will pin it to the top and also give it a checkmark in the forums main page.

[BootifulLabels]

Sounds like the buyer has had a name change.  Perhaps she bought the hat before her wedding and is now reviewing it under her married name.  If she changed her user name on Etsy due to marriage, her purchase history updates to the new name and she can still leave reviews for purchases within the usual timeframe.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

Edited due to incorrect nesting

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@AJoyfulCreation If the Buyer is in UK (Scotland) EU / UK Distance Selling Regulations stipulate that you must refund in full upon return. You cannot withhold the Shipping funds.

Edited to add: I have just looked at some of your Listings and you do not accept Returns or Exchanges.

As you sell to EU / UK you must offer a 14/14 day Return Policy. If this Buyer chooses not to Return and opens a NAD Case, Etsy will, most probably, Refund in full 

You need to set up your Return Policies and add your GDPR Policy Statement if you want to continue to sell to UK / EU

[GroundZeroCreations]

@AJoyfulCreation As @CarpetCollectionAU pointed out, when selling to the EU / UK, you cannot withhold refunding shipping charges if the return is requested with the 14 days return policy described within their laws. When you sell internationally, you are required to honor their laws. When you sell within the US, you are governed by US laws. So it is imperative that you know the date of the sale before you start stating you will not refund shipping charges. And that return period does not begin until the buyer has received the order. 

If the buyer files a case with Etsy, it is 99% sure that they are going to refund the buyer and let her keep the merchandise, since your policies are not compliant with the laws for selling in that country. On top of that, all the buyer has to do is state it was not as described. Since you say your hats fit an average size head and she says it is too large, that leaves a lot of room for challenge. What constitutes average?

If you want to continue selling internationally to EU / UK, you should probably acquaint yourself with the laws that govern sales to that country. https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/selling-to-eu-and-uk-buyers/239965962014

[OmasFabricStash]

I will never understand why some sellers think not having any followers or following others have anything to do with how reliable they are. The same with having no favorites. Should buyer toss some things in their favorites pile and start following sellers just so there isn’t a problem if they want to buy something?