Etsy: item arrived damaged or defective

Collect

• photos of the item and packaging
• listing description and photos
• order number
• Help with order messages

Steps

1. Photograph the item and packaging before you discard anything.

2. Send the seller a Help with order request with the photos and the remedy you want.

   OnlineHelp with order (contact the seller, then open a case) from Purchases and reviews Sign-in required

3. If not resolved after 48 hours, open a case and choose "Item arrived damaged" (or "Not as described" for wrong color, design, quantity or condition).

   OnlineHelp with order (contact the seller, then open a case) from Purchases and reviews Sign-in required

4. Give Etsy what it asks for in the case log, such as photos, measurements or third-party evaluations.

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Compensation

  If Etsy finds the item does not match the listing, the seller must refund the item cost, the original shipping cost and the return shipping cost; Etsy may issue the refund on the seller's behalf.

  Source: help.etsy.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Policy

  You must have an Etsy account to start a Help request or open a case; a guest order must first be connected to an Etsy account.

  Source: help.etsy.com, verified 2026-10-12

• Contact

  Etsy does not have a phone number to call for customer service. A phone callback can be requested only through the Contact support form while signed in; Etsy will not make unrequested calls.

  Source: help.etsy.com, verified 2026-10-12

Rules in force

• Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
  15 U.S.C. 2302, 2310; FTC Disclosure and Pre-Sale Availability Rules

  Federal law for written warranties on consumer products. Warrantors must disclose warranty terms in simple language, may not void a warranty because the consumer used another brand of parts or service (unless those are free or the FTC grants a waiver), and may not disclaim implied warranties when they give a written warranty. Consumers can sue for breach and may recover attorneys' fees.

  Source: ftc.gov, verified 2026-10-12

  1 citable point

  • Policy

    Under a "full" warranty, service must be free, available to anyone who owns the product during the warranty period, and the warrantor must replace or refund if it cannot repair the product after a reasonable number of tries. It may not limit the duration of implied warranties or impose unreasonable duties, such as requiring return of a registration card.

    Source: ftc.gov, verified 2026-10-12

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   OnlineHelp with order (contact the seller, then open a case) from Purchases and reviews Sign-in required

   Send the seller a Help with order request.

2. Supervisor

   OnlineHelp with order (contact the seller, then open a case) from Purchases and reviews Sign-in required

   48 hours after the request and after the estimated delivery date, open a case so Etsy steps in.

3. Written complaint

   FormContact Etsy Support form (also the only way to request a phone callback) Sign-in required

4. Card or bank dispute

   Fair Credit Billing Act billing-error and purchase-dispute rights (Regulation Z)

   Electronic Fund Transfer Act error resolution and unauthorized-transfer liability (Regulation E)

   A chargeback closes the Etsy case and stops Etsy from refunding; use it only if Etsy will not.

5. State agency

   Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

6. Public complaint

   RegulatorBetter Business Bureau

Watch out

Related

• Item arrived damaged or defective at other companies
• Retail and online shopping — how complaints work
• Etsy: lost package
• Etsy: refund request