damaged goods, shop has disappeared

[2koolkatz]

I bought a leather handbag from a Pakistan based Etsy shop. When it eventually arrived it was wrecked. it had been crammed into the smallest plastic bag possible and was marked, scuffed and bent out of shape. It was a mess. I contacted the seller who asked me to send it back and he would give me a full refund. After much confusion over what his address was, I finally sent it back at no small postage cost. The tracking showed it had arrived at Karachi airport and was awaiting customs clearance. Then nothing. I contacted the seller who said he was monitoring the situation but said I should chase it up as well! fast forward a month and there was still no movement at Karachi airport.
A few days later the bag turned up at my door, in a worse state than I had sent it covered in labels saying "no such address", "not collected from airport", "couldn't contact recipient" etc. I tried to contact the seller to tell them what had happened but no reply. I have now found out he is not selling on Etsy any more. There doesn't seem to be any way of getting any redress through Etsy so it seems I am a few hundred quid out of pocket. Not happy!!

[murdered_by_ebay]

that is called counterparty risk , in the future you select a counterparty that has a reputation , even if it is in the third world there is a difference between a casual seller and a brand with many regular customers

[sax4]

Never a good idea ordering from Pakistan. I saw some interesting jackets for a decent price from Pakistan sellers, I then looked at the reviews and thought...nah

[agent006140]

Take a look at Etsy buyer protection and return policy.
Did you use a credit card to pay for the item?
If he is not selling on Etsy,he could be banned by Etsy,you may not be the only one being scammed,so take a look at what Etsy has to protect its buyers,or your cc issuer

[2koolkatz]

Thanks for the replies. It was my wife who ordered the bag so had no input to the purchase. Looked afterwards and saw the seller had two sales with two reviews. One saying they received a beautiful bag (suspect), and the other saying they had received a load of rubbish like myself.
I think I might have to put this one down to experience. I might try the cc route but I don't hold out much hope. You live and you learn I guess.

[CCTV33]

Originally Posted by 2koolkatz

Thanks for the replies. It was my wife who ordered the bag so had no input to the purchase. Looked afterwards and saw the seller had two sales with two reviews. One saying they received a beautiful bag (suspect), and the other saying they had received a load of rubbish like myself.
I think I might have to put this one down to experience. I might try the cc route but I don't hold out much hope. You live and you learn I guess.

You could try contacting the platform to request a refund.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by 2koolkatz

Thanks for the replies. It was my wife who ordered the bag so had no input to the purchase. Looked afterwards and saw the seller had two sales with two reviews. One saying they received a beautiful bag (suspect), and the other saying they had received a load of rubbish like myself.
I think I might have to put this one down to experience. I might try the cc route but I don't hold out much hope. You live and you learn I guess.

The cc route can go well by lodging a complaint - you could also lodge one with etsy directly, might have clout since the seller is gonzo too

[agent006140]

The seller could be gone because Etsy banned him,since Etsy allowed him to sell on its site,it should be held accountable for bad transactions.

[Automasters]

Yes sounds like they got the boot. That's one of the quickest ways to get banned, to sell questionable stuff like that...

[Automasters]

I tell you what though, thank God for Etsy, because eBay sales are completely DEAD. Etsy brings in more hits due to their advertising on Google shopping, so I'd be careful not to get suspended from there.

[agent006140]

But we are paying for Google Search and it is not a small sum

[2koolkatz]

Not sure how I contact Etsy. It's too late to raise a case now and none of the online help/FAQ covers issues like this.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by 2koolkatz

Not sure how I contact Etsy. It's too late to raise a case now and none of the online help/FAQ covers issues like this.

How is it too late to raise a case? How much time has passed? At least lodge with your credit card provider asap

[agent006140]

There is Etsy buyer and seller protection,go to Etsy site,the rep will respond .
cc chargeback is 180 days in US,so it is never too late.
Etsy buyer protection has a dollar limit,say $250,not sure

[meerce]

When the store is not selling anymore - open case with Etsy and you will get refund no matter what you say.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by meerce

When the store is not selling anymore - open case with Etsy and you will get refund no matter what you say.

This is the answer that is being searched nice, if true - I don't have a ton of experience with etsy returns / claims

[SaiJin]

Originally Posted by 2koolkatz

Not sure how I contact Etsy. It's too late to raise a case now and none of the online help/FAQ covers issues like this.

844-935-3879. If in North America

Try this. If it doesn't work anymore, send them an email over and over again requesting a phone call back.

[SaiJin]

PS: It is NEVER a good idea to return an item outside of USA to places like China, India, PAKISTAN or other countries "like these" if you know what I mean.

Just for future knowledge.

[2koolkatz]

I'm in the UK by the way. Currently going through suggested options. Will report back.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by SaiJin

PS: It is NEVER a good idea to return an item outside of USA to places like China, India, PAKISTAN or other countries "like these" if you know what I mean.

Just for future knowledge.

Nice reiteration tip

[agent006140]

I browsed Ebay buyer protection,it goes on and on and on,no mention of the $$ limit,but there is buyer and seller protection.
For seller,it is $250

[2koolkatz]

All sorted. Got to speak to a person (well online anyway) and they have authorised a full refund. "Spoke" to the help bot for a while which eventually told me the order was too old to raise a case. Thankfully, it then asked if I would like to speak to a person! Anyway, it was all very quick and easy from then on and it resulted in a happy ending.