As a new Etsy seller, I want to warn you about a scam I’ve encountered multiple times on the site.
I’ve gotten messages from supposed buyers saying Etsy is requiring me to provide my email address so they can send me a link to complete the purchase.
Don’t fall for this – it’s 100% a scam!
I know as a new seller it can be confusing to navigate Etsy’s policies and procedures.
But buyers absolutely do not need your email to buy from your shop. Etsy does not require this whatsoever. These messages are scammers trying to get your personal info.
If you reply to these messages with your email, you risk the scammer sending you to a fake Etsy site designed to steal your password, financial information, or install malware on your device.
Never reply to these messages or click on any links they send. Simply mark the message as spam and report the account to Etsy. You can check your Orders page to confirm no real order has been placed.
Legitimate Etsy buyers make purchases right on the site using Etsy Payments.
This allows them to securely use various payment methods and you get deposits directly to your bank account.
There’s no reason a real buyer would need you to provide your email.
Here are some common red flags that indicate a message is an Etsy scam:
- Asking you to purchase and send gift cards or add unnecessary extra items to their order. This is an overpayment scam.
- Sending a link instead of purchasing through Etsy. The link likely leads to a phishing or malware site.
- Offering to pay more than your asking price. This is a huge red flag for a scam.
- Insisting you communicate outside of Etsy Messages. Scammers want to get you off Etsy.
- Not seeming to have actually looked at your listing based on their questions.
- Refusing to use Etsy Checkout. This means they avoid Etsy purchase protection.
- Expressing interest in a high value item. Scammers target more expensive listings.
I know it can be tempting as a new seller to engage with a supposed buyer and make your first sale. But it’s just not worth the huge risk. Don’t let scammers take advantage of your eagerness to make that first Etsy sale.
Protect yourself by thoroughly reading up on Etsy policies, only communicating via Etsy Messages, and not providing your email or other personal info. If something seems sketchy, trust your gut!
You can avoid so many headaches by using caution when interacting with potential buyers. Never feel pressured to provide info or engage outside of Etsy. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
I hope by sharing my own experiences with these scams, I can help prevent the same thing happening to you. We sellers have to stick together and shut these scammers down!
Let’s keep our Etsy shops scam-free by holding strong against these shady practices. Don’t be afraid to report any suspicious behavior you encounter. If we all commit to keeping our guards up, scammers will have a much harder time taking advantage of sellers.
Stay vigilant and keep your account secure.
With some simple precautions, you can avoid falling victim to the prevalent scams on Etsy. Protect your shop and your hard-earned money by being an informed seller.
Don’t let scammers steal your excitement of opening up your Etsy shop. There are tons of genuine buyers out there – we just have to be smart enough to recognize and avoid the bad ones.
Recommended Tools For Etsy
Design Nexus newsletter – Get simplified Etsy tips and modern marketing strategies — plus a free Digital Product Starter Kit!
Creative But Fine newsletter – This is your source if you want more detailed guides about Etsy and graphic design.
I have made an entire section of helpful and mostly free tools you can use to build a successful online business on Etsy. See the tools here.
Kittl – A go-to place for any person, who wants to make money with print-on-demand on Etsy.
Creative Fabrica. They have millions of cheap graphics that can elevate your t-shirt design.
Vectorizer – This tool transforms your image into a vector with seconds. scalable without losing the quality.
Disclosure: Some of the links above may contain affiliate partnerships, meaning, at no additional cost to you, NechEmpire may earn a commission if you click through to make a purchase.
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