Seller refusing refund for AI-generated item not disclosed in listing
Sellers often argue back and forth and refuse returns when buyers discover an item was misrepresented, such as containing undisclosed AI-generated content. This leaves buyers stuck with unwanted items and fighting to get their money back while the seller ignores messages or denies responsibility.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- People have been saying this in most months since September 2026.
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?
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Seller refusing refund for AI-generated item not disclosed in listing
- 1submitting a support ticket and case investigation through the platformDid this help you?
- 2Opening a not as described case with Etsy support after waiting 48 hours following a help requestDid this help you?
- 3Reporting the shop for policy violations regarding undisclosed AI use and misrepresentation of shipping locationDid this help you?
- 4Opening a 'not as described' case directly with the platform's support system.Did this help you?
- 5Gathering photographic evidence comparing the received item to the listing photos.Did this help you?
- 6Using tracking labels to prove the item was dropshipped against platform policies.Did this help you?
- 7Open an official case with the platform's buyer protection system.Did 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 recently purchased and received a canvas from an Etsy shop and originally I was satisfied with the quality of the canvas.”source ↗
“It has recently been pointed out to me that the image appears to be AI generated and I now can see evidence of that might be true.”source ↗
“I confirmed that it was not disclosed on the listing by the shop already and have reached out to the shop but have not heard back yet.”source ↗
“Am I screwed ? Now the seller is just arguing back and forth with me, refusing to let me return it and get a refund.”source ↗
“They put up a fight and eventually agreed to completely refund one of the items, and partially refund the other. I initially thanked them (because they were starting to get rather passive aggressive and I didn’t want this to escalate more) but to be frank the 5 dollars doesn’t seem to compensate for the 38 dollar item that ended up being in the wrong color 🥲”source ↗
“is it still possible to open a case with Etsy support even though I’ve been partially refunded already?”source ↗
“I bought an item that was not described. The measurements of the product shipped was completely off and did not match the product description.”source ↗
“I tried to work it out with the seller ask for refund and ship it back, but seller refused, and etsy customer service did nothing.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4Buyer falsely claims item is fake to force a return
- 8How to get a refund when an online seller won't ship or reply
- 6Merchant says refund went to a closed card but bank has no record
- 2Can I get a refund if the mechanic didn't fix my car?
- 3Why am I getting refund requests for orders from years ago?
- 5Why did my credit card chargeback get declined for a broken product?