Talk to Etsy

[2sellers]

Where do I go to talk to a live person from Etsy. I have been going around circles, but to no avail. Where can I ask Etsy a question? I need to put in a claim for a customer, who bought an item and it broke in the mail. Where do I start the claim? Thank you for any help.

Doris 

[NanaLetha]

Did you have insurance? The buyer puts the claim into Etsy, not the seller. 

[SugarTaffySoap]

Go to your dashboard under Community & Help> Contact Us>Selling on Etsy.  Here's more info under the Purchase Protection Program." Only orders up to $250 inclusive of shipping and taxes will qualify, and the order must be shipped with tracking or with an Etsy shipping label. For items shipped by Priority Mail, the seller must first file a claim with the shipper before Etsy will issue a refund for a lost or damaged item. The item must also have been shipped on time, with an estimated delivery date set by the seller and careful packaging. The item listing needs to have an accurate description and clear photos as well." 

[JMOldeVintage]

@2sellers - Yes, the buyer has to open a case against your shop. From there Etsy may or may not refund the buyer out of their pocket. They do have the option to take the funds from your shop's account.

Myself, I'd be reluctant to tell a buyer to open a case against my shop. Also, for damages, I believe Etsy refunding out of their pocket can only be done once in a calendar year. So you need to decide if you want to ask the buyer to go to the effort to open a case, based on cost of item, etc.
Also, I believe the shop owner may have to pursue collecting insurance $$ from USPS first. To do this you'll need to have your buyer send photos of the item & packaging. They will need to hang onto everything since USPS will probably request they bring everything to their local post office for inspection. 

In the end, it may be better for you to just tweak your prices a bit & add in a bit extra for self-insurance purposes. Sure you can try filing a claim with USPS but you won't be dependent on it. And since any coverage thru Etsy is very limited, it's probably best to not rely on them.

[2sellers]

Thank you for your reply's.

[VintageRescueSquad]

You have to start the claim with your shipper (post office, Fedex, whoever), assuming you purchased insurance on the item. There is no need to talk to etsy.

[lovinglola]

is the package insured?  Did you see pictures of the broken item?

I think you need to contact post office or your buyer needs to contact post office but if package isn't insured then I don't think you have any recourse.

And I don't think you'll get a response from Etsy.   No longer any phone contact.  Try an email to Etsy Support.

good luck.

[2sellers]

Sorry I did not go into any preliminary details. The item did cost $215. plus postage $41. plus tax. I did put in a claim to the USPS for the buyer with all the necessary pictures and details. The buyer got $100. from USPS. Etsy now has a new policy that they will compensate for up to $250. I was hoping to get at least the postage and tax back for my buyer. The pictures showed the item was double boxed and had FRAGILE stickers all around. I just got frustrated not being able to talk to any one from Etsy. Thank you for all your help.