Beware of buying wedding jewelry on Etsy

Good for you! They are so pretty! I bought my jewelry from a vendor on aliexpress. I also ordered two different headpieces from there as well. Saved a ton!

Etsy never used to allow this. It's so disappointing. Glad you caught on to them.

Yeah I use aliexpress as well I see a lot of their products on etsy with a bump up price good for you for catching this and saving money

Can you report the shop for doing that? I was looking for a lobster trap card holder and found one on there for $55. I asked my FMIL to look around where she was for one as I wasn't having any luck. From the pictures she sent she bought the same thing at the Christmas tree shop for $10. The color of blue may have been a little different but not $45 worth.

Glad you caught this before buying!

Etsy used to be a lot more reliable than it is now, in my experience. The first thing I do is read the store's policies - if they will not except returns, I don't buy from them (unless it's a personalized item, of course).

Yeah you always need to be careful with Etsy and read the shop info, policies, and reviews carefully. I've never been disappointed with a purchase, but you have to read and double check! Good work catching this!

Just to throw in a counterpoint - I got my wedding jewelry from ElegantChicJewel on Etsy and love it. Steph will personalize it for you and it's definitely handmade.

Sorry the sellers you were looking at we're less than honest. I'm glad you were able to get what you wanted in the end.

Sorry this happened but good for you for fixing it yourself!

You do need to be careful - definitely look where the seller is from. I know that doesn't sound nice, but there does seem to be a different standard depending on the location of the seller. You can even restrict your search to sellers within the US. I've been very happy with all my Etsy purchases, but all sellers have been in the US. Although I am currently waiting for an order from a Canadian seller - I expect the final item to be great.

The location isn't necessarily a tell all. I've ordered from the US and from England. The order from England was great as was 1 of my 2 orders in the US. The last thing I ordered the seller was new and I didn't do my research (purchased 10 days after he opened his shop). He doesn't respond to messages or e-mails and did not deliver my full order. He claims it was lost by Fed Ex yet never gave me tracking numbers and ignores all my requests for tracking numbers now. I don't know how Fed Ex lost 4 boxes each 2 feet wide by 4 feet long for me and apparently a few of his other customers as his feedback is just starting to post. Half of his positive feedback is posted on the same day of purchase which doesn't leave any time for processing or shipment so I'm assuming they are fake transactions with people he knows. Just read all the shop policies and reviews and don't make the mistake I made on this last order.

Etsy's policy is that if it's been altered it can be considered hand-made. They think of it the same as taking materials and putting them all together.

I've definitely seen US sellers do this. I was admiring a flower basket and ring pillow set and then realized it was the exact set you can buy at Michaels with no alterations to it at all! I did report them and noticed that a couple weeks later the item was back with now with cheap flowers on the sides so it didn't break the rules. BTW, that set was about $50 more than at Michaels and also said it was hand-made and unique.

I've bought great things from wonderful sellers on Etsy. I only want to make sure that people are more aware of this and do some research before buying. Put the keywords into Google and look through a few pages. Put them into Ebay. It's definitely worth the time and effort.

That is really disappointing. Etsy needs to start cracking down

Crap! I bought a pair for 55 bucks on etsy. My friend said NO WAY and return them. Am I even able to return them?

Err I just read that I can not return : ( But I did not find the ones I bought on ebau so hopefully this seller is not a con artist

I love Etsy...but it's so true that you do have to do your research on the shop and read the fine print!

@Marlina, did you check the reviews for your individual vendor? Look through those reviews, if they are pretty much all positive, you have nothing to worry about.

The issue isn't Etsy, they are merely web space. Individual vendors are the issue, so you MUST research the shop you are buying from. I did this for every vendor I used and had absolutely zero issues.

The first link I put up, from GlamourousBijoux, is the pair I had favorited and was going to buy this week. I had checked her feedback and she has almost 900 positives, 100%. People rave about these very earrings and how beautiful they are. I wonder how many of those people would still rave about her as a seller if they knew they could have saved $40 for the same earrings and they weren't really hand-made?

The only etsy shops I am willing to look at are the ones you ladies post from. Sorry your experience was terrible

I've had both good and bad experiences on Etsy. I am one of those people that always reads the negative reviews FIRST (even if it means scrolling through 20 pages) and then buys. I'm also a big fan of Google image search - if I have any doubts that the item is handmade I will image search it. If I get a ton of results I know it's a re-seller.

Beware of shop: A Pink Ladies dream decor by: CUTE12. Takes your deposit, produces no products, and makes sure that the due date is after the refund date set by ETSY. I googled her and found out that she goes around scamming other brides. She has 4 other websites! One tip: always google the owner's name and see if any reviews come up on them. I complained to ETSY and they took her website down.