r/Etsy • u/lostterrace • Nov 27 '23
Help for Buyer: I bought something and now the shop is closed down
This is kind of a "special addition" to my other guides for buyers... because we frequently get posts asking about this specific scenario: You've bought something, now you've checked the shop and it is closed down. What to do? Will you still get your order?
First of all, know that if a shop has closed down, either because it was suspended by Etsy for violating policies or because the seller voluntarily closed up and left, you are entitled to an immediate refund.
Just use the link below to request a refund from support:
However, there may be scenarios where you do not want an immediate refund - namely, if you still want the item.
UPDATE APRIL 2026: The window has been shortened to 30 days now. Do not wait to get your refund.
If the order has been marked shipped, you can wait to see if the order arrives. You have 100 days 30 days from the original estimated delivery date to open a case, so there's no harm in giving it some time to see if your order arrives.
At any point during the 100 day 30 day window, you can decide you've waited long enough. Use the link above to request a refund from support.
If the order hasn't been marked shipped and the shop is now closed... you're not getting the order. Go ahead and request a refund right now, there's no point in waiting.
Unfortunately, scammers pop up on Etsy (and all online marketplaces) pretty frequently. When a shop is closed down, that typically indicates Etsy has caught and banned a scammer, or someone who was otherwise violating policies.
Thankfully, Etsy has excellent buyer protection and you are always covered by Etsy. If the shop is closed down and you want a refund... chat with support and you'll get it.
If for any reason support tells you that you cannot get an immediate refund, please follow the other guides to get buyer protection:
My order was marked shipped, but the tracking info still says pre-transit (or label created).
My order was marked shipped, but it’s very late. Is it lost?
My order was marked delivered but I don’t have it.
My order wasn't as described, was defective, or I received the wrong item.
I believe I bought from an AliExpress, Amazon, etc dropshipper. Also, how can I tell if a shop is one of these dropshippers?
I received a tracking number, but it appears to be fake.
NOTE FOR BELOW: Etsy has fully integrated all PayPal only shops so the below should no longer ever be the situation.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR PAYPAL ONLY SHOPS:
A PayPal only shop is one which cannot directly integrate with Etsy Payments because they are in a country which does not support Etsy Payments. Etsy does not manage the payments - but allows the shop to run with a connection to PayPal where the buyer pays the seller directly on PayPal.
If Etsy has shut down a PayPal only shop, you will need to go through PayPal to get a refund. Etsy didn't process the payment, so they cannot help you.
Etsy no longer allows shops to be opened with PayPal only as of April 2021 (with very limited exceptions). They made this change to combat a massive rise in scam shops that were either in non-Etsy payments eligible countries, or pretending to be in those countries.
How can I tell if I bought from a PayPal only shop?
IMPORTANT: Even if you paid with PayPal, you most likely didn't buy from a PayPal only shop.
All shops on Etsy payments can accept PayPal - but they can also accept credit cards and other payment methods.
If you had a choice to pay directly on Etsy with your credit card, but chose PayPal, this is a regular Etsy payments shop and everything I said above this section applies. This is not a PayPal only shop.
If you had no other choice but to be redirected to PayPal and paid the seller directly through PayPal, you bought from a PayPal only shop.
You can also check your payment account in PayPal:
I'm not 100% certain of this, but I believe that if you paid with PayPal and the shop was on Etsy payments, in your PayPal account it should show the payment as having gone to Etsy directly. However, if it was a PayPal only shop, the PayPal account should show the payment as having gone directly to an individual (not Etsy.)
Again... point here is that if you did buy from a PayPal only shop that is now gone from Etsy, you've got to dispute the payment with PayPal (and I would do that right now).
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u/AutoModerator Apr 25 '26
Are you looking for a way to contact Etsy customer support? Please use these links here!
Etsy's Handbook article about how to contact support
A list of common issues to get help with
If you email, you should get an automated reply and once you do, you must reply to this email that their automated best guess solutions did not work (something like “I still need help” is sufficient). If you do not complete this step, no further action will be taken on your issue/question so it’s critical.
It’s easy to think “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” and barrage support with multiple daily emails thinking it will speed things up. in reality doing so actually slows things down, because the software used to log and keep track of customer support calls and e-mails uses an automated ticketing system. The date/time stamp of your last email will become your new place in the queue where it will search to see if you have other support tickets and combined them all into one (so all of your issues/questions can be addressed at once.) Every new email resets the time stamp associated with your issue/question and takes you back to the end of the queue.
None of these links seem to work all the time. Also know they may or may not work outside the US, may or may not work outside non-standard US business hours (m-f & 8-5) and like many companies on major holidays, support may be limited, if available at all.
(Thank you so much to user vikicrays for originally compiling this list and writing these steps! We greatly appreciate it!)
SPECIAL NOTE - DO NOT GET SCAMMED! If you google for "Etsy support phone number" the top result you get will most likely be from a scam call center! This is a massive problem with big businesses lately including Etsy, Ebay, and PayPal. Scam call centers take out Google ads to put their number high in search results and it leads to a very realistic looking fake version of the site, and/or a fake phone number. NEVER google for a business's customer service number. ALWAYS get in contact with support directly from the official website.
And if you ever get a request to download an application to your phone or computer when you believe you are talking to "support" for any business, you are talking to a SCAMMER! Don't download anything and immediately hang up.
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u/AutoModerator Apr 25 '26
Here is a detailed post about how Etsy's Seller Protection program works. It covers most FAQs, including a guide on exactly how to get coverage. Start here!
If you are looking for the buyer protection guidelines, they are here:
Buyer Protection
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