By Ikenna Pius
This article is about buying from Etsy in South Africa. For information about selling on Etsy from South Africa, please go here. Etsy is a popular e commerce website, specializing in arts and crafts. It is a platform for lovers of handmade items to discover these crafts, and to choose from a wide selection of sellers. Shoppers on Etsy from South Africa usually buy shirts, leather crafts, personalized fashion accessories, and shoes.
Etsy is one of the websites leading the small business revolution; providing a platform for small makers to display their goods, and sell to eager buyers across the world. But doing business across the world is quite different from doing business in South Africa.
Many would have loved to make purchases on Etsy from South Africa, but they are not sure. They have many questions to ask. Questions like:
Is Etsy In South Africa?
Yes, Etsy has a strong business presence in South Africa – represented by its’ sellers. There are over 500 sellers on Etsy that are based in South Africa. Furthermore, the service works in South Africa because South Africans can visit the website, choose an item, and pay for it just like a shopper in the US or Canada or Britain would.
Etsy is an American company, but it’s website and service are open to South Africans. Etsy also has numerous sellers in South Africa. Therefore, it is also in South Africa.
One may now wonder about deliveries; “when I buy something on Etsy, how do I get it over here?”
Does Etsy Deliver To South Africa?
The short answer is yes! Etsy sellers ship their products all over the world. The way the website is designed; trusted sellers are given more prominence than newer ones. Sellers become trusted by filling a high number of orders – shipping them all across the world, including South Africa.
That means the products you readily see when you visit the Etsy website are from sellers who have earned their stripes. They have probably shipped those items to South Africa countless times.
When you buy something on the site you get it just the same way countless others have been getting theirs; by shipment.
How does it work? That is answered below.
How Does Etsy South Africa Work?
Buyers have the option of buying from the local market, or from international sellers. The advantage of buying from local sellers is that the items can get to you faster than they would if you had bought them from international sellers.
There is never any confusion about where an item is shipping from; whenever you click on an item, the shipping location is displayed on the right hand side.
Etsy’ modus operandi is somewhat different from other e commerce websites because rather than the items being centrally held by the company, Etsy only lists the items on its website; sellers ship the items from their various homes or shops, and then later pay a commission to Etsy.
Sellers are therefore responsible for the packaging and shipping of products listed on the site. This gives them more responsibility, and more flexibility.
But that sounds a little risky, doesn’t it?
Is It Legit? Are There Any Risks?
Well, there is a small risk but that mostly comes from sellers. Remember that Etsy is a federation of sellers of handcrafted items, selling together on a central website. Wherever 12 are gathered, there is bound to be a Judas.
The Judases may receive orders, and neglect to fulfill them by sending the bought items over to the sellers. Sometimes this may not even be a deliberate act of fraud – it may just be negligence. It may also be possible for items to get lost during shipment, although this rarely happens.
Nevertheless, Etsy South Africa is legit because only credible sellers can rise to the top so that they become visible to shoppers. These are sellers that take their businesses very seriously, and that ship items to the buyers promptly.
Any risks are further reduced by reading reviews about the seller which are available on the lower part of your screen whenever you click on an item. By reading reviews about the seller, you can convince yourself about whether the person you are buying from is legit or not.
But what happens if I don’t get my item?
Etsy South Africa Customer Care
Sometimes, even after being very careful, it is still possible to experience difficulty with purchases. Etsy has a section that is dedicated to resolving issues between buyers and sellers; and communication may be by phone, email or chat.
Rather than produce a phone number – which most people will consider convenient – Etsy has provided a web based solution. The link to Etsy customer support is https://www.etsy.com/help/contact (copy that and put it into your browser).
Note that you may need to login to your account. After which you will need to select the type of complaint you have. The options are “account”, “shop”, or “purchasing issues.” Of course, you want to select “purchasing issues,” which is exactly the issues you have.
You may now wonder if you can sell on e commerce websites from South Africa. That question is answered in the link below.
Further Reading:
Etsy South Africa is legit because there are hundreds of legitimate sellers from this country on the site. Interestingly, shoppers are not restricted to the South African marketplace; they can buy from international sellers shipping from different countries across the world. Items will be shipped to buyer’s location in South Africa.
However, as a precautionary measure; it is best to buy from only trusted sellers – those with good reviews on the site. Reviews show a seller’s history, as well as the quality of their work.
