Etsy shops close after my orders: what's the scam?

A reddit report about a impersonation scam that cost someone $40.0. Learn how to avoid falling victim.

Source: reddit | Scam Type: Impersonation | Amount Lost: $40.0 | Date: April 08, 2026
I don’t order from Etsy much, but recently I made some orders, and 2 of the 5 shops tried to scam me. Etsy refunded right away, but I don’t get the scam. These were what looked like established shops with hundreds of good reviews over time. The items were not expensive. The first shop order was $40 and the second was $20. What they did was shut their shop entirely as soon as they got my order. Like why??? It has to be way more expensive to set up a storefront like that than they could ever possibly get from these tiny orders I made. Granted, the first one was from the Philippines so the money goes further, but the second one was US based. What is the scam here? I do not get it. Just a coincidence? I’ve had an Etsy account for well over a decade, granted I don’t use it much, but it’s weird this happened twice in the space of a few weeks.

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