i’m sure a lot of people probably know of this, but i’m also seeing a lot of new buyers saying they’re getting scammed and don’t receive anything or expecting handmade items and get items sent from overseas instead…. here’s my one and only solution i’ve found for it so far:

REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH.

that’s it. reverse image search the listing photos. dropshippers (unless they go the extra mile and build a brand… which is not as common) will normally use the photos that the suppliers put on their own sites for the dropshipper to see and use. when you reverse image search a handmade item, the only thing you’ll find is the etsy listing itself, their social media posts with the picture, and if they have other websites as well. it’ll also pull up similar products (usually if someone makes a similar style item, etc.) but it won’t show up on multiple websites, store fronts, etc. a dropshipped item WILL show up on multiple sites, store fronts, have several listings, and can even lead you to sites like aliexpress (which for a lot of the newer dropshippers, this is their source that all the gurus recommend). that way you can ensure the person you’re purchasing from is truly a small business owner and NOT a dropshipper being slick around etsy’s policies. HOWEVER, keep in mind that a lot of small business owners do source some of their products from sites like alibaba, but they DO also usually have stock and build their brand like any other handmade shop would (i.e. lashes, pins, etc.)

i hope this helps you guys in your future endeavors on etsy :)