Etsy non-delivery

So...
I ordered something from Etsy that never got delivered, contacted seller after about 3 weeks, she said "just wait", left it another 3 weeks and again got the "it's coming from america, it takes awhile"

So sent her a firm but polite reply saying that I wanted to know what was happening. No response, left it 3 days then sent another one saying I would start an Etsy dispute if nothing happened.
Waited a day.
Started a paypal and Etsy dispute.
Paypal advise they don't cover Etsy transax and that for Etsy to say this on their site is wrong.
Etsy send a convo to  the seller to say "hey, this person is disputing" - No response.

So... my boyfriend signs up to Etsy and asks the seller if she'll make him a unique item.
Girl replies within an hour, all friendly and chatty - grr!
He tells her the truth and asks her to contact me.
She replies to me (after a few days) apologising and says she's trying to  trace the parcel (it's now been about 10 weeks)
I chase her 3 days later - no response
I chase her again 3 days later - no response

Etsy seems to be doing nothing to get the situation resolved, just sends convos copying us both in saying "hey can you guys resolve this" and I'm out quite a bit of money (about £70)

Anyone know if there's anything else I can do? I've run out of feedback time for the transaction (grr!) because I was trying not to be mean about the whole thing.

It's really shocking how unprotected you can be when you buy on Etsy. It seems to rely on goodwill!

The least this woman can do it to give you the USPS tracking number.  If she is not forthcoming, it may be fraudulent.


Vicky

Could it be stuck in customs.  I know a few years ago my mom's friend sent me an expensive gift for my engagement and it was stuck in customs for a very long time. (I didn't know about the gift thankfully, or I would have been fuming)

It still does not make up for the fact that the seller is being so awful.  It's terrible when one person ruins things for everyone else!  I also can't believe Paypal does not cover Etsy!  That seems so odd!  Especially for Etsy to say it does. 

Sorry MaryKate this really stinks!

I've just ordered two items from the US, one from ebay and one from etsy.  The Esty one was small and got through customs in a couple of days, the ebay one took longer and I was notified by parcelforce by letter that it would be stuck at the depot until I paid charges.  So, if it were stuck somewhere you'd be told.  I had the delivery numbers both times so could easily look online to see what was happening.

I think 10 weeks is way too long.

Vicky

It's a few years ago now, but I was never told. When they arrived Rich had to pay £30 right then and there.  Nor was I told for a few packages my mom sent that took about 8 weeks to arrive.

I ordered an etsy item that took three weeks from the East Coast.  It was only worth about $10.50 though. 

That seems far too long, even for customs. I ordered my wedding invitations from an etsy seller. She posted them from the US (east coast) on 18 March. But in her online receipt, she provided the USPS tracking number for me. When I hadn't received them by earlier this week, I looked up the tracking info and found that they were in the UK. I phoned ParcelForce yesterday, paid the customs due over the phone, and the invitations were delivered to me today. ParcelForce did send me a letter like the one Victoria received, but I beat them to the punch and phoned them a few hours before the letter even reached me.

Ten weeks, though? That's not right. I agree that you need the tracking number. Once you have it, you'll be able to check online and find out if your parcel is in the UK or not. If it is, in all likelihood it's being delivered by ParcelForce. So get in touch with them and see what's going on. When I phoned them, they were very helpful and were able to find my parcel through the USPS tracking number.

I've been pushing for a tracking number again and again, she said she used FedEX but I can't get a number out of her.

I sent her a convo a couple of days ago and said

" I really appreciate your frustration and hope you can appreciate mine, but obviously this is starting to drag on a bit now.
I'd like to set a deadline of 1 week from today, and if no further developments, then I'd like to start thinking about a refund please. I think I've been pretty reasonable about everything and given you plenty of time to sort this out.......etc etc "

She replied today

just because i can't sort it out is not my fault. if something is lost in transit that cannot be found and people keep saying that things take time from overseas i don't think it's fair of you to say that you've given me plenty of time to sort it out. my hands are tied. i can only go by what i am told. yes, i wish things were happening more quickly but international orders are just very different.
i will wait a week and see what happens.

and my response is :

I don't want to fight with you or argue about it, I just want to sort this out nicely, I haven't left negative feedback for you or anything like that because I want to stay friends and sort this out together.

I appreciate that things take time when coming from the US. Which is why I waited for 6 weeks before notifying you it hadn't arrived. I wish I could help more, but I can't contact the post office without a tracking number.

I don't feel I'm being unfair here, all along I've just asked for regular updates and further information, I've even offered to help track it, if you can get a tracking number or any details.

The week thing was just, let's review where you've got to with tracking it down in a week and maybe we should think about next steps

It is April now and the item ordered in Jan. I appreciate that things get stuck in customs, but I just don't believe she's really looking into this properly.
I still haven't had a tracking number or proof of postage at all. Even though I've asked on numerous occasions and I reported the case missing 4 weeks ago

Am I being reasonable? I honestly don't want to be a cow about it :/ But 6 weeks of ship time and 4 weeks (so far) of it being missing seems like enough time for it to be resolved

You are totally being reasonable!  It's way to long and she should be doing more about it!

If she sent it by Fedex then there should be no problem giving you the tracking number.  Wow!

None of this makes sense.  I think that you need to find out why she can't give you the tracking number. I'd concentrate on that. 

Vicky

I third that. You should be given the tracking number. It makes no sense for her not to give it to you.

Wait, there's something off re:PayPal here. Why are they not covering Etsy trax? If they are being used as a payment method, surely some dispure procedure is in place. I think you should try again with them, hoping the first person didn't know what they were talking about.

ETA: Aww crap. It's not that PP won't let you dispute Etsy trax, it's that they'll only let you do it for 45 days it seems.

http://www.dogatemyfinances.com/2009/01/ripped-off-on-etsy.html

I'm really sorry.

Wow - I have never had anything ordered from etsy take that long. I usually always ask in advance that they mark it as "gift" and always ask if I can pay extra for insurance (because I find things arrive really quickly that way, without issues.)


It should NOT take this long to get something from the US. Especially if it was shipped using FedEx or something like that. She should have had a tracking number for it. So, I definitely don't know why she is not telling you what it is. If she were serious about her business, she would keep track of order's tracking numbers in case an issue does arise. Better yet - she should tell the buyer the tracking number right off the bat in the conversation with the seller! Sloppy business. Can you tell me her username - so I make sure I never buy anything from her? 

Tell her you're going to contact the AG's office in her state to report her.  Yes, it's a bit of an over-reach considering most Etsy sellers are doing small business from their home, but that might put a bit more fright into her than simply disputing with the folks at Etsy.

The fact that she won't pass on the tracking number is beyond fishy!

Just wanted to add I ordered something off ebay a few weeks ago and it came from Flordia and it was here in exactly 1 week. 10 weeks is just ridiculous. Even at Christmas my parcel from the USA only took about 6 weeks.

You are being beyond reasonable, to the point that she is really taking the piss.  Email her, ask nicely but firmly for a refund, and tell her that if the funds aren't received in one business week, you will report the dispute to the office of the Attorney General in the state where she does business.  Let her know that if the item does arrive after the refund has been received, you will return the item to her immediately.  She is taking advantage of your reluctance to make a fuss, and she has already managed to evade the possibility of a Paypal dispute because of this!