Teach Soap

I'm steaming so bad over this! So I'm browsing etsy and started looking up a certain shop. One of the search results was a bead shop. I clicked because it was shiny! But something was really really off about it... It can't be legit! I'll give you the details...

So this shop claims to sell handmade beads and some handmade jewelry. Only the beads aren't handmade by the seller (I'm not willing to say the jewelry is handmade either). It's handmade by this little group. You may have heard of them as... Pandora! Yes a pandora ripoff! I own a real pandora bracelet that my boyfriend got me for Valentines day and as a partial jewelry sales expert I can identify a real from a fake. Real pandora beads have a code "ALE" followed by some numbers. This is essentially the "watermark" to show it's real. This shop is filled with pictures of the real deal! I even own some of the beads! But these are extremely high quality pictures that look almost exactly like the websites. I reported them because they aren't handmade by the seller, aren't at all vintage, and don't really count in my opinion as a craft supply. Plus... It's obviously not what they are going to give you!

One of the charms I own is $60 and they are selling it for less than $20 on the shop! So its either stolen or they are sending cheap knockoff (if you receive anything!)

Has anyone else come across etsy scammers? This shop has so many sales that I can't believe nobody caught it!

_________________
The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

I wasn't looking for jewelry, but there are MANY knock off on their site. Sadly, etsy has become a reseller's market place instead of handmade.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yes, there are scammers on Etsy and sellers have been complaining for years. I just did a quick search for Pandora beads. The term "pandora" has come to mean a particular size bead with a specific size hole in it. The real Pandora company holds a patent on the design (threading system). One Etsy store says her family recently closed a jewelry store and she's unloading inventory. Another shop, based in Hong Kong, would seem to be scamming -- not real -- clearly knock-offs.

If you feel strongly about it, you can report them to Pandora with a link to the listing and they will come after them and likely ask Etsy to close the shop. Legit Etsy sellers would not use the word Pandora in a listing (they may say "Pandora style" to indicate size) unless it was the genuine item since they know the rules.

Connie

Well I reported the shop to Etsy and Pandora. It was the Hong Kong one. I wonder if they sell the real deal. Because those pictures are taken right from the website and catalogs! If you can't afford it don't buy it! I hate knock offs!

_________________
The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

I've seen legitimate Pandora beads from Etsy, and Hong Kong, for under $10 US. The exchange rate is so awful for folks in Hong Kong that what is cheap here is massively, over the moon expensive there. Jewelry stores there would rather sell these for $10 US online than the equivalent of $2 US they could get in their retail stores.

I get that this won't always be the case, but it isn't always scammers either.

_________________
~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Wow! Great to know. Thanks.

Connie

_________________
The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

Etsy allows commercial vendors. There have been some recent changes to the etsy rules. It doesn't have to be handmade any more.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

_________________
The Black Currant- Shipping within the US!

My shop: The Black Currant on Etsy!
My blog: http://www.theblackcurrantshop.wordpress.com
Also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube!

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

_________________

~bytheSEAsoap~ Mella bythesea, bythesea, bythebeautiful sea

海の皂

That's not completely true- I watched the web conference and read the new rules, and reselling is still NOT okay. What is now okay is contracting with a manufacturer to produce a product that is, at least in some way, your own design or "idea". So while it is straying from handmade in it's truest form, reselling products is still not okay. But think about it- there are over 2 million sellers on Etsy. Really the ONLY way for these shops to get shut down is by people reporting them. Them simply existing does not mean that it is now okay to resell. It just means they haven't been reported yet! So we should all report anyone we see. I still love Etsy, I still buy lots of beautiful handmade items from Etsy.

I was kicked off Etsy for NO reason at all. I had a full shop, then poof! everything was gone one day and my ID and password no longer worked. I was rarely in their forums and never posted anything negative. The only thing that I can think of was someone reported me as not being handmade. Maybe they were jealous; who knows. So it works both ways. Resellers have been on etsy for years. They make etsy more money then some mom and pop shop that sells $50 per month. I know people that have reported reseller shops and nothing was ever done about it.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.