Etsy troubles

I’m slowly working on publishing the backlogged entries, but I decided to make a post about this matter in case there are others who are in a similar situation. And well, I think it’s good to be aware of this because I had no clue that this kind of a problem could arise. (　ﾟдﾟ)

So the situation is this: I made an order on Etsy to the seller/shop sunnybobo for a pair of Blythe/Azone shoes and SD16 size shoes + some hairbands in February. The Blythe/Azone shoes were a pre-order, which would be shipped in April. So naturally I had to wait until April to get all of the items, even though the others were ready to be shipped.

So, time passes, and I’ve been quite busy now during the first weeks of April, so I didn’t really even think about my order until yesterday. I checked, and it was still unshipped, so I tried to contact the seller… and I get the message that they’re no longer a “valid seller” so I can’t message them.

Oookay? (。ヘ°)

Next I tried to go directly to the shop, but I get a message saying that it doesn’t exist. ｢(ﾟﾍﾟ)

At this point I’m pretty much ??? and tried to get Etsy to help me, so I opened a case there… and in just a few minutes I get this message:

This is Etsy’s Trust and Safety Team.

mizya, we are sorry to inform you that sunnybobo no longer qualifies to sell on Etsy and will not be returning to the marketplace. While this case is unresolved, it is now closed.

Because this order was paid for using PayPal, your next step will be to open a separate claim for a refund with PayPal. As you may already know, PayPal’s policies state that buyers have a specified amount of time to file a claim for a refund. This eligibility window may differ depending on your location, so at this time we would recommend that you get in touch with PayPal directly for more information. Their contact information is as follows:

– PayPal Help Center: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/helpweb?cmd=_helpn
– PayPal Contact page: https://www.paypal.com/contactusn
– PayPal # 1-888-221-1161 (US), 1-402-935-2050 (if calling from outside the US)

If the PayPal deadline passes, you might consider reaching out to your bank or credit card issuer. We apologise for the inconvenience.

━Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||)━

…… So, you just ban the sellers and don’t give them any chance to settle their unfinished orders with the buyers? Well gee, thanks a lot. (ーー;) So my only chance of getting my money back is to open a PayPal dispute/claim and hope for the best? I guess if I’d paid with a credit card, I could contact my bank for a refund… but what about those Etsy gift cards? I’ve never used them, but they are one possible payment method… and I’d assume that they’re Etsy’s responsibility. But if they’re this unwilling to help to solve an issue with a banned seller… it’s bye-bye items and money forever? Wow, just… wow. (」゜ロ゜)」

Once I got over my surprise and disappointment in Etsy, I went to file a PayPal dispute about my order. Thankfully I already received a reply from the seller:

Hello

I am very sorry, my ETSY account was forced to shut down, so I can’t contact you and I all buyers.

The shoes have been completed.

If tomorrow the shipping, takes about 1 months to Finland, if you can wait, I will arrange shipping.

If you do not want to wait, please tell me, I will give you a full refund.

For the inconvenience, I apologize.

I hope you believe me, I am an honest seller.

Sunny

I do want the shoes, so I decided to try waiting for my items to arrive. I’ve ordered from sunnybobo once in the past and had no issues at all, the items shipped quickly and were really lovely. Especially since she replied to me this fast, I think I can try trusting her. But it’s quite unfortunate that the situation has become this complicated, since Etsy refuses to cooperate. ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ

Something to keep in mind in the future… although, hopefully I won’t have to face another situation like this again. (￣□￣) Well, I actually have another April pre-order for Blythe/Azone shoes with QMagic, and that order hasn’t shipped out yet either. But at least their shop still exists, so I was able to contact them. They take forever to reply, though, so we’ll see when ever I get my shoes. I can’t help feeling a bit nervous now after this situation with sunnybobo… ~( ´•︵•` )~