What to do when an online seller stops responding after purchase
Buyers are left anxious and unsure what to do when a seller stops responding to messages and their shop disappears after an order is placed. This lack of communication prevents customers from getting updates on their items or knowing whether their order will be fulfilled.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1opening a help ticket with the sellerDid this help you?
- 2looking for the seller on alternative social media platforms like InstagramDid this help you?
- 3opening an official case with the platform for a refundDid this help you?
- 4Buying from the shop blindly without waiting for answersDid this help you?
- 5Waiting indefinitely until the seller finally respondsDid this help you?
- 6Looking at alternative shops with similar productsDid this help you?
- 7Purchasing an Etsy gift certificate for oneself to handle gift card balancesDid this help you?
- 8Using the Help with order link on the platformDid this help you?
- 9Opening a case against the seller if they do not respond after 48 hoursDid this help you?
- 10File a chargeback through your bank or credit card.Did this help you?
- 11Keep all transactions and communications directly on the platform rather than paying offsite.Did this help you?
- 12messaging the seller to point out errorsDid this help you?
- 13doing QA on the purchased files yourselfDid this help you?
- 14waiting on platform chat and opening a formal case for a refundDid this help you?
- 15Opening an official case with the platformDid this help you?
- 16Checking tracking information or guidance threadsDid this help you?
- 17Leaving reviews calling out the sellerDid this help you?
- 18Using automated chat support or help center links provided by platform botsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I ordered something on etsy and the shop shut down before I received the item.”source ↗
“Then i message the seller about the wrong info they are sending out.”source ↗
“So now not only am i fixing info on my end, im correcting this persons work for them!”source ↗
“I ask for a refund based on the above, i get more pushback in 'well i fixed the mistakes, you have the corrected files'”source ↗
“In my experience, nothing. The shop is still open, they didn’t change their location, and Etsy allowed them to respond to my review calling me a liar even though there was very clear documentation where the item shipped from.”source ↗
“I haven't seen any movement on my order and I'm getting kind of anxious.”source ↗
“I continued to check in with no response back all the way until September 3rd, because i saw i couldn't see their shop anymore and was trying to get in contact.”source ↗
“i then checked back in the 11th, 13th, and 15th with no response and I'm not sure what to do.”source ↗
“So there's an Etsy shop owner I messaged and they initially responded to my first couple of messages and said they'd be there when I'm ready to purchase. I now have the money (a prepaid Mastercard gift card that expires in 6 months) and I reached back out and asked them a few questions about their product which I'm genuinely interested in but they haven't replied and it's been a while.”source ↗
“But the Etsy shop owner isn't responding to my last couple of messages and that makes me weary to order from them even though they have what I need and even though they did respond to my first couple of messages.”source ↗
“I prefer to have my questions answered before making a purchase, by the way. Instead of just going in blindly and buying something.”source ↗
“I ordered an item, I got a message saying they didn't have it in stock, and that was the entirety of the message, I had to message to ask if I was getting a refund, no reply.”source ↗
“So I sent another message asking what had been sent if it wasn't in stock and asking for the actual tracking number.”source ↗
“I've never sold on Etsy, I'm trying not to be too jaded but I'm assuming as a seller you would have to input the tracking info and manually confirm an items sent - am I incorrect? Am I getting scammed here please?”source ↗
“So I ordered a custom Gameboy Advance from a very highly rated shop on Etsy from a reddit recommendation, they also offered me some extra custom mods and they invoiced me through their website.”source ↗
“It arrived damaged and I contacted the seller and they offered to fix if I send it back. So I did but then randomly today they cancelled my order and refunded the Etsy order but not the custom invoice they sent me. I tried reaching out to the owner but I get an error message saying "Sorry, you can't contact this person right now."”source ↗
“Did I get blocked?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 16Why hasn't my online order shipped yet?
- 5Having second thoughts after paying a wedding vendor deposit
- 3Retainer client pays on time but never responds
- 10Is it normal for vendors to take a week to respond?
- 4How do I deal with a 50/50 business partner who does no work?
- 2Why was my digital order cancelled and the shop closed?