Search results (tags) for: "abuse"

Being Safe on Etsy: Spotting and Avoiding Advance Fee Fraud

2009-10-26T18:15:00-05:00

It's important for us at Etsy to ensure our community is safe while using the site. Unfortunately there is no foolproof way to ensure safety online at all times. Sometimes all we can do is give information and hope that well informed users will be able to protect themselves. As the Etsy name spreads throughout popular culture and the world, it is bound to attract more and more unscrupulous individuals with ulterior motives. Unfortunately, this happens to web companies as they become more popular.

One of the most common scams is known as Advance-fee fraud. Also called the "Nigerian scam" or the "419 scam," this type of scam is frequently seen in emails where a person claims to be looking to engage in a business deal involving a large some of money, but these scams are now cropping up more and more on online retail sites.

How this scam shows up on Etsy:

Typically this scam begins with the scammer sending out conversations (also known as "convos," Etsy's internal messaging system) to a wide range of Etsy sellers, specifically those that list one or more high priced items. In some cases the scammer may simply purchase a large number of these expensive listings. If they have checked out and committed to buy these listings, it's likely they have not "paid" in any sense and will send a conversation along with their purchase.

The convo will usually indicate that this buyer will pay with a money order or a check and will need to tack on an extra amount for their "shipping agent." Usually this amount is very high — sometimes even higher than the original cost of the listing. If this is agreed upon, then the buyer will send out the money order or check and typically a fake "invoice" from the shipping agent. They will then request that any over-payment from the money order be sent back to them.

This works because the check or money order (typically from an overseas bank) is a forgery. Your bank will allow you to deposit it, and then by the time the bank realizes it is a forgery, you have already sent back the over-payment to the scammer. Once the forgery is detected your bank will hold you liable for the amount, and now that the con artist has their money, you will not hear from them again.

What to do:

If you receive any suspicious convos like this the best thing to do is ignore them and report it to abuse@etsy.com. You can cancel the transaction as well.

Sellers should never send any money in a situation like this, no matter what reason is given. If you do find yourself facing a potential loss, or realize too late that you were being targeted by a scam, be sure to contact your financial institution as soon as possible. You may also want to contact local law enforcement. Again, let us know about this and send us the pertinent information, so we can take steps to remove and block these types of users from our site. Please share this article with your family and friends so we can spread awareness!

More posts about Scams | Seller Handbook

Tech Updates: Report this Post

2008-05-06T16:45:00-05:00

Today, we launched a report this post feature to Etsy's forums. The Community Team at Etsy always appreciates your help in keeping a lively and fun community atmosphere when participating in the forums and we hope this new feature will help make your posting experience run much smoother! The report this post feature should be used when you see a post that doesn't fit within Etsy's forum guidelines and you want to alert the Community Team.

Here's what you'll see on each forum post:

When you click the "report this post" text, it will take you to a screen that looks like this:

Once you have filled out the necessary information in the submission form, just click submit report and your report will be sent directly to the community inbox completely anonymously! This should make the forums run a lot smoother and help the Community Team stay on top of concerns amidst the community in a timely fashion.

Thanks again for all your help and hope you enjoy,

Etsy

Customer Care Tip: Refusing Service

2007-11-09T14:51:00-05:00

We ask that sellers do everything they can to help a buyer, and to honor the contract they've made when a sale takes place. (See our Terms of Use for more information.) However, if a seller cannot proceed with the sale due to an exceptional circumstance, they may refuse service to a customer. In this case, the seller is expected to cancel the sale and refund the buyer, if they paid.

To block a buyer, please send them an Etsy Conversation. Explain to them in an appropriate way that you cannot offer them your services. If they continue to buy from you, Etsy may consider this harassment, and may suspend the account. Please contact abuse@etsy.com if this happens.

Blocking buyers and refusing service should only be considered a last resort, and only in very extreme circumstances. We do not encourage it, but we do encourage communication, understanding, and the right of the seller to protect themselves from harassment. Please proceed with the utmost care.

Customer Care Tip: Kiss and Make Up

2007-11-07T13:28:00-05:00

We live in a world where not everything is perfect. Sometimes things just don't work out the way we wanted and words are hastily spoken. These not-so-perfect moments sometimes end in not-so-great feedback. However, mistakes happen, but things can be fixed. (At least on Etsy!)

Negative and neutral feedback for a transaction doesn't have to be written in stone. Instead, when a buyer and a seller settle their issues with one another, feedback can be changed to reflect the new good vibes. In this instance, we have the Kiss and Make Up feature.

To start the process, first go to your feedback page and find the negative or neutral feedback. There will be a red link underneath for Kiss and Make Up. When you click on this link you will be taken to a form where you can enter new, positive feedback for the other user. A Kiss and Make Up proposal will be sent to the other user via Conversations and they can agree to leave positive feedback as well.

For serious feedback disputes, such as unwarranted or retaliatory feedback, please email abuse@etsy.com and we will gladly help you out.

xoxo
Etsy Customer Care

Tag Workshop Recap

2007-10-08T12:41:00-05:00

Here's a recap of last week's tagging workshop for those who missed it! We've edited the transcript a bit to take out some of the "chat chatter." Thanks to everyone who came, it was a great workshop! The admin comments (kfarrell and iheartmoustaches) are in italics to make them a little easier to find. Since it was an Online Workshop, with admin answering questions over a live webcam feed, we've summarized the admin's answers, if they weren't also written out at the time.

If you need a refresher on tags, and how to use them, read Christine's tagging guide.

Iheartmoustaches: let's talk about the item above
Iheartmoustaches: i think it would be better off if it was listed within the housewares section rather than everthing else
kfarrell: you might also add the tags "floral" "business cards" and "organization"
kfarrell: and "shabby chic" can be combined into one tag

DreamWhimsy: I have a question about using the words Shabby Chic as it is a trade mark?
kfarrell: You can't use trademarked words to tag your item, unless you used that particular product in your item. So you can tag it as "Cheerios" if you made it from a recycled Cherrios box, but you can't tag something as "Tiffany's" if it is merely in the style of Tiffany's.

magickalrealism: yep, Shabby Chic is trademarked.
magickalrealism: http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm

RowleyBaby: what is cgge?
kfarrell: CGGE is an Etsy street team, the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy
Iheartmoustaches: she has it tagged with "pot holder" but most people think of a pot holder as something you use to pick up a pot rather than set something on
kfarrell: so pot holder is probably not appropriate on this one
kfarrell: this is also tagged as "quilt," is that a type of mosaic pattern?
abitabite: the pattern
abitabite: yup
RowleyBaby: it's a log cabin quilt pattern
RowleyBaby: like one square from a quilt
kfarrell: you'd be better off with "log cabin quilt" than "quilt" sinuglarly, so it won't show up when someone is searching for a quilt
Iheartmoustaches: you could also add the tag "wall hanging"

Iheartmoustaches: so right now she has tags like "baby boy girl" and "frog dragonflies"
RowleyBaby: is it okay to put all of those words w/ each tag?
Iheartmoustaches: it is considered tag abuse to double-tag like this, she should separate her tags into "frog" and "dragonfly"
nancygamon: so each tag should just be one word?
abitabite: two words can be like color colour
kfarrell: you can use two words as long as it's just one idea. So she can use "lady bug" because tagging it as "lady" and "bug" would mean something very different. But she can't use two unrelated words in one tag.
Iheartmoustaches: she might also want to remove the tag "plush" since that is used to refer to stuffed animals.
Iheartmoustaches: "bridal shower gift" is not an appropriate tag, you should use your tags to describe the item but not what it could potentially be used for.
nancygamon: so you can't take something bridal shower gift?
abitabite: what do you mean what it can be used for
abitabite: because i would way my items can be pincushion
abitabite: thats a use?
Iheartmoustaches: In that case, your item is a pincushion, so that's OK. But you shouldn't tag it as a "gift"
TheEbonSwan: So stocking stuffer is right out.
kfarrell: yep, stocking stuffer is out

skygirlstyle: should you use your team names
kfarrell: yes, it is OK to tag an item with a team name

designedbyDiana: the who what when where why how can you elaborate on this?
kfarrell: the "who what where..." etc is meant to help you think of descriptive tags for your items

nutnutgoods: how is tag abuse enforced?
kfarrell: we have a tag admin tool that lets us deal with mis-tagged items
kfarrell: so for tag abuse, support will send you a message letting you know about your incorrect tags, and change them for you
kfarrell: multiple instances of tag abuse may lead to diciplinary action, but you will be given warnings first

designedbyDiana: what about using colors in your item as tags?
artyfakt: or 50s, 60s, etc.
kfarrell: you are welcome to use descriptive colors in your tags. I'd suggest sticking to the basic "red yellow orange" rather than "plum" or any fancy names. Also, you might want to stay away from "fuchsia" as a lot of people have trouble spelling it.

nutnutgoods: is is a good idea to put your store name in the tags?
Iheartmoustaches: You are welcome to do so if you have enough tags

Iheartmoustaches: Since this item is a hand-printed linocut, it is OK to tag this item as "original"

Iheartmoustaches: Other tags she might consider for this item: hand painted, floral, red
abitabite: are the colours in tags how the colour flash thing work
kfarrell: The color picker looks at each image, and creates its own index of what color it thinks an item is. It's separate from the tags.
abitabite: oh neat!
nutnutgoods: cool
skygirlstyle: does it matter what order your tags are in ...more relevant items first?
kfarrell: right now, no. The search does not take into account the order of the tags after the first tag. However that may change, so we suggest ordering your tags with the more general ones first
Iheartmoustaches: She also has the item tagged as "silk" "scarf" and "silk scarf" but the "silk scarf" is redundant.

abitabite: would plush plushie be a good one for twwo tags in one tag box
kfarrell: this is not necessary, because our search engine will pick up both "plush" and "plushie" on a search for "plush." It automatically searches for the plurals of words.
nancygamon: use singular or plural? flower or flowers?
kfarrell: If you have a singular item, you should tag with the singular. If you have multiple items (for example: a tube of beads) you should tag it with the plural. You can also use the plural for items that are usually sold in pairs (earrings, pants, etc)
abitabite: will a search for plushie bring up plush?
kfarrell: No, the search engine can't go backwards from plural to singular.
artyfakt: good to know!

kfarrell: so this item could be tagged with any number of words relating to dog
kfarrell: and also with 'fundraiser' or "charity"
kfarrell: as her proceeds are going to charity

abitabite: when it comes to tagging for street teams should if be all one word like "Menofetsy" or "etsymom"
kfarrell: yes, you should compress them into one word. Unless you're actually selling the men of Etsy.
nutnutgoods: ha!

LilliputianDesigns: Can I tag a little girl's dress with holiday if it's dressy and meant to be worn for the holidays?
Iheartmoustaches: If it has a holiday design on it, then yes. If it is just a nice dress that might be worn around the holidays, then no. You can however tag clothing seasonally, such as "winter" if it's a warmer, heavier dress.

nancygamon: Do you need to tag both singular and plural? Both "bead" & "beads"?
kfarrell: no, you only need one.
nancygamon: if someone searches "bead" will they get items that are tagged "beads"?
kfarrell: yes
lessthanthreedesigns: if someone searches "beads", will they get items tagged "bead"?
kfarrell: no, they will not

abitabite: should people OS tag with thier country
kfarrell: it's not required, but you're welcome to

nancygamon: if you fold a calendar page into an envelope, can you tag the item "calendar" since that's a material?
Iheartmoustaches: It's not abuse per se, but it's probably not helping folks find your item, since they'll be looking for "envelope" and not "calendar"

nancygamon: how to best know then when to list the materials as tags?
kfarrell: think about the types of materials people search for: silver, crystal, wool. Don't list things like glue, staples, etc. It is OK to list materials both under "materials" and "tags"

kfarrell: That's all we have time for today, thanks for joining us!

The Well-Informed Consumer: Shams Revealed!

2007-09-26T07:03:00-05:00

Hey there rubes!

As you may or may not know, there are a lotta tricksters out there looking to separate the fool (that's you) from his money. Well, I'm here to make sure they don't succeed! I'm gonna offer up some advice on how you can better spot and avoid frauds, scams and various forms of flim-flammery online.

Today we're going to talk about the Ol' Money Order/Cashier's Check Hornswaggle. Here's the rundown: Basically an "interested party" will contact you with an offer to buy one of your items. Their interest will often be vague. ( i.e "I am interested in purchasing your STERLING SILVER JEWELRY.") They will usually inquire about whether you will ship overseas and if you accept cashier's checks or money orders. Often they will offer to pay you much more than is necessary to ship express or as fast as possible. Many times they will have other weird requests and instructions like telling you that their money order will have an additional amount added on, and when you deposit it, to withdraw the difference to send back to them. If you get any type of offer like this, beware! These knuckleheads aren't interested in your sterling silver jewelry: just free merchandise and stolen money!

Correspondence like this is almost always a scam! They'll offer you more money to take you off guard and get the item out of your hands as fast as possible. Any money order or check you get from these goof-balls will be a fraud. It will go into your bank, but once it doesn't clear and the jig is up, your bank will hold YOU accountable and these jokers will be long gone.

If you get a message like this, report it to the authorities! (Or at least abuse@etsy.com.) Then we can give these clowns the boot and keep our virtual streets safe for us good, honest citizens!