Etsy seller wants me to buy outside of Etsy

HugoandHudsonsmum

Hi

I have been in conversation with an Etsy seller through Etsy messages about a custom order and everything was great and then I asked for a custom listing so I could order but he said he's having issues with custom listings and so instead would like to send me his bank details and for me to pay that way and I'm not comfortable doing this. Could this be a scam?

MyRealNameToo

It could be, but so could the listing even if you proceeded through Etsy. Obviously the difference is the levels of protection you may have if it turns out to be a scam.

Going outside Etsy should save them money, I'd certainly want a discount for doing such. Personally would be saying to pay via PayPal (and not F&F) so you still get some protection if the goods dont arrive etc but that will leave them still paying some fees and so any discount wouldnt be as steep.

Ultimately if you arent comfortable then tell them you're happy to wait for them to sort it out or buy from another seller.

soolin

Personally I would be treating this as a scam.

Etsy is set up for custom orders, and not only are they trying to circumvent Etsy fees but they are trying to get you to pay by an unsafe means, you are basically sending cash to a stranger. You might want to risk that for a pound or two, but I certainly wouldn't be risking it for real money.

You could always try asking if they would take a proper paypal goods and services payments (although if etsy are anything like ebay then you risk getting your account banned for dealing outside of etsy) , a scammer won't be happy with you requesting a safe payment method.

As for asking for a discount, I suspect a scammer is ready with a quick yes for that- hoping your thoughts will be on getting a bargain rather than being scammed.

PocketWatchMan

Don't forget that a number of sellers are looking for alternatives outside of the Etsy system now, so it isn't automatic that it would be a scam.

There have been a number of recent highly-publicised incidents of sellers being refused access to their account funds, unless they agree to give their biometric data to some 'carefully selected' company.
This is despite the fact that this represents such a fundamental change to account t&c's and is therefore blatantly illegal. Sellers have pointed out that they have given over mandated Government ID already (in some cases 3 identity documents), and also verified their bank account details. So this is not an identity issue - it is "we're a big company and we demand it" issue. In the wake of huge numbers of biometric data breaches across the world, frankly, any concerns about handing such info over are surely not unjustified. (anyone familiar with the dark web can have a look right now, and find scores of biometric ID's available.. I recon it would take you under 15 minutes..)

Of course a seller could sue Etsy and would surely win, if they just happen to have a spare £5-6 figures to fight the legal battle…

soolin

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81903516#Comment_81903516

I’d still think scam personally. So a business seller won’t provide the details that an online site require to carry on trading and instead of protesting by leaving the site stay on, using the site for advertising and ask buyers to pay via an unsafe means. I might have been more trusting if seller had asked for a proper business payment via PayPal G and S.

A lot of the noise around the Etsy requirements suggest that if a business doesn’t comply then their account is deactivated, the fact this seller is still advertising on Etsy suggests there is more to this than just being banned by Etsy.

Spoonie_Turtle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81903516#Comment_81903516

That screams 'scam' even more to me; if they don't want to comply with the T&Cs why are they still advertising on Etsy (and paying the fees to do so)? And if they won't comply with those T&Cs about ID requirements, who's to say they'll comply with other T&Cs about buyer protection?

RFW

Etsy can be scam central. If you have a new account or haven't used it for a long time then, in my experience, you get quite a few spam messages. They don't seem to target regular users, I opened a second account a few months ago and the spam messages came quite quickly on that. The messages are quite good too.
Etsy are really lax at doing anything about it.

Obviously I don't know if that is 100% the case here but Etsy are quite ruthless at turfing people out for going against their rules so I doubt an experienced seller would risk it.

HugoandHudsonsmum

Just to update everyone I have not gone with that seller and found someone else who has a lot of good reviews and she has a lot of photo reviews too and she has sent me a custom listing

adrich

Thanks for the update! I actually called the etsy phone number to check on a similar situation before, and support was super clear that as soon as you pay off-platform, you lose all your protection.

Glad you found a legit seller who actually knows how the site works!