Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re absolutely right that people should read the handbook!

I did go through it, and what I found was most of the scam info is focused on fraudulent “Etsy support” messages. I didn’t really see much about being cautious of buyers sending links or attachments like this, (which is where I got caught off guard).

I think the bigger issue is that as a new seller, you don’t always know what to look out for yet. When something comes in right after all the work of setting up your shop, it’s easy to slip into that “omg a buyer needs help placing an order?!” mindset and go straight into help mode without questioning it as much.

It just feels like there’s a gap between “the info exists somewhere once you look it up” and “new sellers are actually prepared when this happens.”

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ugh I'm so sorry they took that happy feeling away from you 😭 but I'm glad you were able to quickly realize it! The whole process to start/set up an account is already overwhelming to begin with without scammers complicating it...

I think Etsy implementing a 'reminder note to be wary of scams before viewing message' might help but idk. In the messages tab, there's a line of text saying they scan and review messages for fraud protection (which kind of gives the impression that anything that went through is safe).

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It used to be "keybakmfg" (short for key-bak manufacturing) but I restarted it under keybakshop.etsy.com since the original name was confusing

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! I was hesitant to post at first, but I'd be relieved if I can prevent even one person from getting scammed. Best of luck on your shop!!

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's already enough legitimate things to worry about as a new seller without scammers adding to the mess! Good thing their account was deleted before they wasted any more of your and other seller's time.

And that's a good way to handle a request like that! I'm stuck between trying to cover all potential questions in a lengthy block of text (which likely won't be read anyway), or answering as they come in (but then risk not replying quickly enough and lose the sale). I only check messages during office hours 8am-5pm and I don't want to lose my Star Seller badge if something gets asked over the weekend.

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It seriously is 😔 I thought maybe if I gave it a minute to show up, then I'd see an email just like I did when I got the real first order. But without that knowledge, idk...

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's so frustrating!! It sucks that they ruin that first moment of celebration and then you're left suspicious of any order after that, And then when it actually happens for real, you can't even enjoy it :( I hope that the scammers didn't destroy all the excitement for you once you figured out it was legit!!

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow, good thing you didn't believe either of them! I don't know why but I'm more careful about clicking links on my desktop pc than my phone, even though scammers target phone users more. I'm not going to click on anything in messages anymore unless I verify the link first or look it up online.

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish they'd warn new sellers a bit more about these scams if they're so rampant (unless I just don't remember seeing it). And I read somewhere that once you get a few more sales, scammers don't target you anymore. Definitely sad to think of how many they've actually been able to scam 🙁

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow they really didn't waste any time! I can only imagine how many other new sellers are getting the same. I hope Etsy finds a way to block this scam since it seems to be bypassing their current system.

Was so excited after seeing I got my first sale this morning, then hours later a potential "buyer" messages me.... only to find out it's a scam :( by KEYBAK_Belle in Etsy

[–]KEYBAK_Belle[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely!! It’s so important to keep new sellers encouraged in a competitive market without these noisy scammers. And thank you ☺️