scam question

[MetalAccess]

Hello, I just received a message, I suspect a scam, but that could explain my problem. I have more than 250 visits and I haven't sold anything since creating my store. Someone sent me a message telling me that I have to provide proof of address, that I prove my identity, etc., but I don't trust their link. So I think it's a scam, because if there was a problem, I would surely have received an email. But could there be this kind of problem, that I may not have verified my identity and that people cannot buy from my store? Help me!

[dayspringcollectible]

Scam.  Ignore and send the message to spam.  Any legitimate message from Etsy will be in your Message folder under From Etsy.

250 visits without a sale for a new shop is not unusual.  In fact, it can take weeks or even months to get your first sale, which can end up meaning thousands of clicks before you start selling.

[NanaLetha]

Scam!

[ModKenneth · 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. 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.

[MetalAccess]

Okay, but how do I know if it's true, have I completed everything necessary to sell my items?

[audreytherese]

You have accepted payment methods at the bottom of your shop front. This is the first indication that you are completely set up and able to take orders. 

[PrairiePrimitives]

@MetalAccess Read what ModKenneth wrote again ...

"Any legitimate message from us will show in your "From Etsy" folder."

If you get an Etsy message and it claims or seems to be from Etsy but it's NOT in the "From Etsy" folder, it ... is ... NOT ... from ... Etsy. I don't know how to make it any clearer than that. 

If you get a similar message in your email, don't click on anything and, if you can't verify it's authenticity on your own, come to the forums and ask about it (without disclosing the potential scammer's name or email address, etc.). 

[Adorabilities]

Yes, Etsy messages will be in the "from Etsy" folder.

Legitimate email messages sent directly from Etsy will not be in the "from Etsy" folder. 
(This causes some confusion, as Etsy messages are also sent as notifications through email.)

If Etsy needs you to verify something, they may send you an email, but you should also see the request for information on your shop dashboard. Sign in directly to your shop manager (not through a link) and see if Etsy's requiring you to do anything.

[BagmakerSupply]

@MetalAccess: You are a new shop with no sales so you are a prime target for scammers - being incomplete (no location, about, policies) makes you even more attractive to scammers and is hurting you in organic search. The reality of Etsy today is that you need to initially drive your own traffic and sales so that the algorithm learns that people want what you are selling.

There are many Etsy help articles that point you in the right direction.

You will probably find more help in the https://community.etsy.com/t5/Shop-Critiques/bd-p/shop-critiques?ref=gnav and / or https://community.etsy.com/t5/Marketing-Your-Business/bd-p/marketing?ref=gnav forums as this one is for technical issues.

[vintageNCtreasures]

@MetalAccess 
How do you know it's a scam?
The main thing is #1 below.

#1: Did you notice this info below that message on your message page?
Every message you receive on Etsy states:
"To stay protected, stay on Etsy. Never follow links to other sites, and don’t share contact, account, or financial info with anyone in Messages. Learn how to spot spam.

#2: ALL messages from Etsy will be in the FROM ETSY folder on your message page. 
If not there, it's not Etsy but a scammer.

#3: Etsy has your address and email, since you have Etsy payments YOU have been verified. 
Etsy will NEVER send you a message  to verify anything.

If anything needs updated on YOUR account, you'll see a notice on your dashboard/finance page. 
If nothing is there, nothing needs updating.
If there's a problem with a buyer's payment you will NEVER get a message from Etsy.
If a someone contacts you pretending to be a buyer and wants to you to click on a link to "accept" their payment, that is also a scam. 

More info 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

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/1087958808206

[ButterflyFeetDigital]

More to read:

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

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.

[ChillwolfArt]

Hi, Welcome to Etsy. I'm very sorry you've been targeted by scammers. I'm glad you inquired about it, and did not give them information. They tend to go after new Sellers. In my opinion, the verbiage in small font about scams, which shows on Messages, seems like an afterthought. You don't see it until you receive the Message, and by that time you think, "Oh boy, I'd better hurry up and address this Message". I would love to see an Alert in our Shop Dashboard; one which every Seller would view before they list their first item/s (which is when scammers hit a lot of people). The scammer problem here does indeed warrant an "Alert", a prominent Banner in our Dashboard.

Best Wishes to you.

[VintageFromOccitanie]

I opened my Etsy shop last night (less than 24 hours from me writing this post), and listed two items and by now I have received 3 spam messages informing me of a sale and asking for my bank information. I've spent the whole day watching my shop and tweaking it, so thanks to that I've noticed as well two ghost sales. Each of my two items was marked as sold for a short period on the dashboard, but not on the Orders section, also no email or notification. Shortly after the items were relisted and I was charged for it, no real sale happening. I have screenshots of the second time this happened. And my items appear in someone's cart after this, I guess this cart is not of a real buyer. 

Frustrating and discouraging... 

[ChillwolfArt]

@VintageFromOccitanie  Welcome to Etsy, and I'm sorry this happened to you; these idiot scammers make me sick. I am glad however, you did not fall for it and give out banking information, which is exactly what they want.
The ghost sales most likely are ones which Etsy caught, so they did not go through. When you have a TRUE Order, it will appear under "Orders" (Left Column in Shop Manager). It will also show in your Payment Account. If it isn't there, you have no Order.
I hope these scammers drop off for you (in a perfect world, they would drop off the face of the earth).

[BagmakerSupply]

@VintageFromOccitanie: Having an incomplete (no location, about, etc) shop makes you even more attractive to scammers and is hurting you in organic search.

The 'in x people's carts' is a contentious number and is intended as a buyer nudge not information for the seller. There are many reasons that someone puts an item into their cart and many have no intention of actually purchasing.