topic Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy in Community Chat

Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

Jordan2 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:24:32 GMT

I was thinking of purchasing some cloth masks. I was looking on Etsy, I have never purchased from the website, is it safe to do so? Also I noticed the prices were in pounds, how do I know how much American currency it is? I am so suspicious about giving my credit card to a site I'm not sure of.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

fthunt — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:40:18 GMT

I've been buying wreaths from Etsy for years. Beautiful ones = no problem. Also bought ribbon type thing and scarves from Turkey, Brooklyn and Australia. They will convert their money to USA - so no problem there. Get your masks.

(most vendors are shops, not individuals)

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

momoftwo2007 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:49:17 GMT

It is safe to buy from Etsy. I have made many purchases from Etsy before. But I would buy from the vendors that has good reviews and have been selling from Etsy for a while. I would also buy local, vendors that are based in U.S.A.

I just ordered a bunch of cloth masks from different shops. From the research I did, I find that it is better to buy masks with a filter pocket. That way you can insert a paper towel or tissue paper in it to make it even thicker and more protective.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

Pearlee — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:58:35 GMT

Stick to USA sales. There are plenty of people here selling masks. If you do want to buy from England, make sure you won't have a surcharge
on your payment method for paying in foreign currency. I have bought a couple of things from England and made sure to use my credit card that doesn't charge for foreign purchases.
My 2 purchases from England came faster than my QVC purchases!

I have an Etsy order en route right now from Virginia.

Anyone buying masks on Etsy be sure to wash them before using. You don't know whether the seller could be carrying the virus.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

suzyQ3 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:20:41 GMT

@Jordan2 wrote:
I was thinking of purchasing some cloth masks. I was looking on Etsy, I have never purchased from the website, is it safe to do so? Also I noticed the prices were in pounds, how do I know how much American currency it is? I am so suspicious about giving my credit card to a site I'm not sure of.

Yes, @Jordan2, is safe. You can filter your search so that only items from the U.S. show up.

I don't know whether Etsy has sites in other countries. I wonder whether there is British site that you might have landed on.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

Pearlee — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:41:46 GMT

There are tons of things for sale from other countries on the U.S. Etsy site; she didn't "land" on another one.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

suzyQ3 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:44:14 GMT

@Pearlee wrote:
There are tons of things for sale from other countries on the U.S. Etsy site; she didn't "land" on another one.

Since I have occasionally "landed" on a foreign version of a site, I thought it was worth mentioning the possibility, but thank you so much, @Pearlee, for schooling me.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

haddon9 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:53:54 GMT

@Jordan2 The reason the prices are in pounds is because the shop you're thinking of buying from is located in the UK. If you want an American shop you'll have to click onto the shop name and under the name it should tell you the location (usually what state if in the US).

I know because I've had an Etsy shop (currently in vacation mode) for over 11 years.

If you order from the US and the mask is ready to ship and doesn't have to be made you'll get it a lot faster than waiting for it to ship from overseas.

Etsy is a safe place to buy and over the years I have purchased hundreds of items with never a problem. However you do have to check each individual shop that you're interested in buying from. Check reviews, shipping times and location.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

haddon9 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:56:14 GMT

@suzyQ3 wrote:
@Pearlee wrote:
There are tons of things for sale from other countries on the U.S. Etsy site; she didn't "land" on another one.
Since I have occasionally "landed" on a foreign version of a site, I thought it was worth mentioning the possibility, but thank you so much, @Pearlee, for schooling me.

@suzyQ3While Etsy is not as large as Ebay, it is a huge site with over 2 million shops! The shops are located all over the world. One can narrow your search down to only US based shops.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

gidgetgh — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:58:40 GMT

I order from Etsy all the time. Look at the particular seller's reviews. That will give you an idea.

I am a big Etsy shopper.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

suzyQ3 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:58:40 GMT

@haddon9 wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
@Pearlee wrote:
There are tons of things for sale from other countries on the U.S. Etsy site; she didn't "land" on another one.
Since I have occasionally "landed" on a foreign version of a site, I thought it was worth mentioning the possibility, but thank you so much, @Pearlee, for schooling me.
@suzyQ3While Etsy is not as large as Ebay, it is a huge site with over 2 million shops! The shops are located all over the world. One can narrow your search down to only US based shops.

Absolutely, @haddon9, and I did mention that in my first post. When I was looking at masks, I did filter for U.S only, mainly because time was of the essence.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

gidgetgh — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:00:34 GMT

I've ordered from vendors in the U.S. and overseas, with no problems, but if I am buying masks, I would buy from A U.S. vendor because they'll get here quicker.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

haddon9 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:01:57 GMT

@suzyQ3 Yes you can filter it to only US shops but Etsy is not always user friendly. They are constantly changing things to the frustration of shop owners! I had to explain this to a friend who was interested in also buying a mask on how to narrow down her search.

Etsy really needs to work on their search system! I am currently taking a much needed break and may reopen my shop later in the spring.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

gidgetgh — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:04:00 GMT

I have ordered many times from themagicspool in CA, including some masks recently. They ship immediately. I received some yesterday from them and had one shipped to my nephew and he received it today.

Cloth mask only. Not medical grade of course. I'm going to line mine with a folded paper towel.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

CelticCrafter — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:05:03 GMT

You have the option to choose USA only sellers. Over on the left side, about half way down the page.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

suzyQ3 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:08:06 GMT

@CelticCrafter wrote:
You have the option to choose USA only sellers. Over on the left side, about half way down the page.

Yes, that is so true, @CelticCrafter :-)

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

dylanfan — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 22:11:10 GMT

Etsy takes PayPal

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

GenXmuse — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 01:15:36 GMT

I've been buying from Etsy since it's inception. I've ordered five things this week including a mask. It's always nice to support home based businesses. Go for it!

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

ValuSkr — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 01:20:20 GMT

Since you don't know if the seller has COVID-19, it's best to presume it's not safe. On receiving your purchase, take care to discard the packaging, then launder or wipe-down.

Re: Is It Safe To Buy From Etsy

SeaMaiden — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 01:41:00 GMT

@Pearlee wrote:
Stick to USA sales. There are plenty of people here selling masks. If you do want to buy from England, make sure you won't have a surcharge
on your payment method for paying in foreign currency. I have bought a couple of things from England and made sure to use my credit card that doesn't charge for foreign purchases.
My 2 purchases from England came faster than my QVC purchases!

I have an Etsy order en route right now from Virginia.

Anyone buying masks on Etsy be sure to wash them before using. You don't know whether the seller could be carrying the virus.

@Pearlee After a couple days the virus will be inactive on clothing