Etsy has blossomed into a global marketplace with a twist. Etsy allows just about any business-savvy craftsperson with a unique idea to begin making money — and bring joy to customers.
If you're buying on Etsy, chances are that you're buying from someone who has poured hours of love and labor into the product. By writing a review, you return the favor and allow the merchant to continue building their business. Here's how.
What Can You Buy on Etsy?
Etsy is famous for its handicrafts — consumers flock to this marketplace to browse and buy items that range from Spider-Man themed bow ties to hand-crafted wooden tables, and from hand-spun, hand-dyed, and hand-knitted wooly baby sweaters to clothing patterns and high-end, artisanally-designed, jewelry.
The categories of items available through the platform today include:
- Jewelry and accessories — from beaded bracelets to handmade basketball caps and purses.
- Clothing and shoes — from coats and hoodies to patterns.
- Home and living — think decorative cushions, rugs, and cookware.
- Wedding and party supplies — like table decor, cake decorations, party invites, and countless other items.
- Toys of all kinds.
- Art and collectibles.
What Is Etsy’s Review Policy?
Customer reviews play an important role in any Etsy seller's success. To earn a Star Seller Badge, an Etsy seller will have to have a five star review rate of 95 percent or above.
Giving an Etsy seller a five-star review will help that seller gain increased visibility, allowing them to make more sales.
You can write an Etsy review:
- If you have bought an item via Etsy from an Etsy seller.
- Within 100 days of receiving the item.
Etsy buyers can edit their reviews as often as they like within this period — something you may do if you were initially happy but your product broke soon after, for instance, or if you would like to add a photograph to the review.
However, if you leave a three-star, two-star, or one-star review and the Etsy seller replies to it, you will no longer be able to edit the review.
Some Etsy sellers will ask customers to leave them a review. This is against Etsy's policies if it ventures into spam, in which case you can report the Etsy seller, but asking once (along the lines of "if you enjoy my product, it would really help if you could leave a review") is acceptable.
How to Leave a Review On Etsy
Writing a review on Etsy is simple. Here's a breakdown of the Etsy review process, for buyers, step-by-step:
- Sign into your Etsy account.
- Scroll over to the "Purchases and Reviews" tab.
- Navigate to the purchased item you would like to review.
- Choose a star rating — as you do this, take the quality of the item, how closely it matched what you believed you were receiving based on the Etsy listing, and the customer service into account.
- You will now be able to write a review on Etsy. Desktop users have to enter a minimum of five words to leave an Etsy review, while app users can leave shorter reviews, too. Some Etsy reviews are very short, while others offer a lot of detail. It's all up to you.
- Some Etsy reviewers include photos in their review. This can help future customers, as the product is showcased in a more natural environment. If you choose to add a picture to your Etsy review, keep your privacy and security in mind — and consider obscuring your face and any other identifying details!
What Should You Write in an Etsy Review?
How to Decide What Rating to Give an Etsy Seller
Every Etsy seller loves to get five-star reviews, but how should buyers decide what rating to give a product? Here's a quick guide.
Five-star ratings are warranted if:
- You received the exact product you ordered — and it either met or exceeded your expectations.
- The Etsy seller offered excellent customer service and was very helpful.
One-star reviews should be reserved for cases in which the product did not match the description and the customer service was truly awful, such as:
- The listing misrepresented the item.
- The product was very poorly made.
- The Etsy seller was very rude, kept delaying the sending date, or engaged in similar acts of terrible customer service.
Two, three, and four star reviews fall somewhere between the two, and the worse the product and experience, the lower the star rating should be.
How to Write a Good Etsy Review
Future customers reading reviews do so to determine whether the product is as good as the seller makes it sound. Keep your Etsy review short and relevant.
Here's an example of a positive Etsy review that will help buyers:
My custom dress fits perfectly, is exactly as described, and flows beautifully. The lining is more comfortable than I expected! I forgot to tell the seller what length I wanted, and she contacted me right away to ask. The seller was friendly and worked to get my dress ready super fast! Thinking of buying one for summer as well now. Great workmanship!
How to Write a Bad Etsy Review
If the product you ordered did not arrive as described, or you had a bad experience with the Etsy seller, you may want to leave a bad review.
In this case, describe what was wrong with the product and customer experience factually and in detail.
For instance:
I ordered the blue teddy bear for my newborn nephew and it fell apart nearly immediately. Contrary to the product shown in the picture, buttons were shoddily sewn onto the toy, posing a choking hazard for infants. I will not be able to give this toy to my nephew.
How To Edit or Delete An Etsy Review
There will be cases in which you want to edit your Etsy review — maybe a product that initially seemed wonderful later turned out to be faulty, or maybe you discovered that the clothing you ordered had the wrong size due to a mistake you made, and the seller was not at fault.
You can edit your Etsy review any time within the first 100 days, by:
- Navigating to the "Purchases and Reviews" tab, finding the product, and clicking "Edit review".
- You can now change the star rating and change the text of the review.
You will not be able to delete the review entirely.
Can The Shop Owner Delete Your Review?
Etsy shop owners cannot delete your review simply because they don't like it. However, sellers can appeal to Etsy's help desk to have a review deleted if it is false or defamatory, including if it contains inappropriate language.
Can The Shop Owner Ask You To Change Your Review?
Yes. If there is an issue with a product you bought through Etsy — an item of clothing has the wrong size or color, for instance — attempt to come to an agreement with the seller first. If the seller sends you a replacement after you already left a review, and you are now happy with the product, the seller may ask you to change your review. You are under no obligation to do so, but may want to consider the impact a negative review has on the shop owner's future business.
Why Can’t You Write a Review on Etsy?
If you cannot leave a review, that will be because you haven't met Etsy's criteria:
- You have to have purchased the product.
- You must have purchased the product through Etsy.
- Your order needs to be linked to an Etsy account — if you placed an order as a guest, you can claim it as part of a new or existing account and then leave a review.
- The order shouldn't have an open case; you will be able to leave a review after it closes.
- Your 100-day review period has expired.
Why Is it Important to Leave a Review at Etsy?
Leaving an Etsy review helps independent sellers, who invest a lot of time, energy, and love into their creations, grow their business. By leaving a review, you support work that you enjoy.
FAQs
Can you write a review on Etsy without buying?
No. This is done to prevent abuse.
Are there fake reviews in Etsy?
Any system can be abused given sufficient motivation. Etsy sellers can ask their friends to order their products, leave good reviews, and then refund them. Competitors can buy products solely to leave one-star reviews. This is, however, rare.
How long do reviews stay on Etsy?
Reviews remain on Etsy permanently. They will become less visible as more reviews are added. Sellers can ask for malicious reviews to be removed.
How do you leave a review in Etsy after 100 days?
Once the 100-day period runs out, you can no longer leave a review and you would have to make another purchase to be able to leave a review.
Will Etsy prompt you to leave a review?
Yes, Etsy sends out automated emails in which they remind customers that it is possible to leave a review.
How should sellers respond to a bad Etsy review?
Etsy sellers should respond to an unfairly poor review by contacting the buyer directly, rather than replying to the comment. Once a seller replies, the buyer can no longer edit their review. If the buyer received the wrong product, sellers can try to change their customer experience by shipping the correct product. The review can then be edited.
Can sellers hide reviews at Etsy?
No, but if the review is malicious and insulting, sellers may appeal to Etsy to have the review removed.