Custom item doesn't fit and seller wants me to pay return shipping
Sellers of custom or made-to-order items sometimes ship products that are significantly the wrong size and refuse to cover return shipping costs. This leaves buyers stuck paying expensive shipping fees out of pocket for a mistake they didn't make, often with international shipping making the return cost prohibitive.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Gluing foam pieces to the inside of oversized parts
- 2Filing a help request or opening a 'not as described' case through platform support
- 3paying for return shipping out of pocket
- 4opening a case with Etsy customer support for buyer protection
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 a very expensive custom cosplay from an Etsy seller in Canada.”source ↗
“When the cosplay arrived, I noticed that some of the pieces were significantly larger than expected.”source ↗
“I contacted the seller and they told me they knew it would not fit but that I could glue foam pieces to the inside”source ↗
“They also told me that they could not feasibly print smaller pieces that would fit me, but they told me this only now after I’ve already received the order.”source ↗
“The seller has now offered to accept a return and issue a refund after inspecting the suit. However, they say I would be responsible for the return shipping.”source ↗
“so I ordered a case for my Z Flip 8 and it's far too big. its unusable because if I even push it a little it'll fall off.”source ↗
“he's telling me I have to return it at my own expense and he'll refund me when he verifies that it's the wrong case”source ↗
“idk what to do bc I dont want to return at my own expense because shipping isn't cheap :(”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 17Why does what I ordered online look nothing like the pictures?
- 2Where to find non-standard replacement trim?
- 3How to find luggage that fits strict airline and tour size limits
- 3Where to find nonstandard size HVAC vent registers
- 2Why do brand size charts give numbers way smaller than normal clothes?
- 2Why do aftermarket replacement parts not fit?