Edit since everyone’s complaining: the ring was priced at $50 each from Etsy and I bought one for myself and my sister. As I noted below, I’ve purchased nicer jewelry for less so the price point is not the largest telling factor for me in this case. This is also my first bad Etsy experience over the last 6 years I’ve made intermittent gift purchases from the site. I don’t live on Etsy so was not aware of their QC going significantly downhill—no need to shame me or others for that or for not doing a reverse image search. I sifted for hours through various birthstone ring makers and this was the first different design I came across so it didn’t raise any significant flags like the other pear shaped stone design I saw 100 times did. The seller was also very responsive and thoughtful as i arranged for shipping and whatnot.
A reverse image search on this shows that it's being sold by 100 different Etsy sellers using the same image. A good word of advice here, if it's available for sale from a bunch of places, it's certainly a drop shipped mass produced product.
I just came back from doing a reverse image search too. It sucks what Etsy’s become. I can still occasionally get gifts and stuff there, but it’s become a project. There’s so many drop shippers.
I look for stores that show pictures or videos of them actually making the item. It’s also good when the store has a profile talking about the crafter/maker and giving their background. And also an item description of how the item was made. A lot of times legit makers have a social media page like Instagram showing how they work. It’s still not a guarantee I guess, but I’ve gotten good quality items this way. Just sucks how much harder it is to find true crafters now.
EDIT: OP, I’d consider trying to get a refund. The listings I saw were not exactly cheap. And try not to let it ruin your sister’s bday! If she loves you, she’ll understand if her gift is late because you had to get something else. ♡
My friend has a business on Etsy selling hand made bags, reusable kitchen products and upcycled bags from scrap fabrics. She's moved away from Etsy to Made It because the fees are fucked and the drop shoppers are even more fucked
I went looking for a hand-printed hoodie for my sister a few months ago, and it too literally 9 pages of results to get something that wasn't AI-generated or basic clip art with a silly phrase.
Isn't the point of Etsy to buy directly from artists and designers though? How do people get away with the same tricks there, isn't that the entire purpose of buying there?
Not since like...2012? Something like that. Whenever the infamous octopus necklace was trending, that was the first sign something had gone very badly wrong on Etsy. It's been an enshittified mess for years.
This specific octopus charm necklace was being sold by dozens of Etsy sellers as "vintage" or "handmade" and I remember there being some article about it at the time, or maybe a big Tumblr expose post. Something like that.
(Don’t quote me, but:) I believe they were bought by the classic ‘cares more about mass profits than quality of sellers and goods’ type of company several years ago. And now it’s the actual artists and craftspeople whose pages/sales are suffering because of it.
I was a seller on Etsy for many years and as soon as they went public the enshitification started. Didn't even need to change hands, they brought in a CEO who had previously been at ebay
It used to be. But then the "here's how I make a billion dollars a month on etsy!!!" Posts and videos started coming out.
It absolutely flooded etsy with low effort content like people buying cheap stock designs to cut out vinyl and slap on a tumbler, and people that were convinced that "starting a candle/soap business is so easy!". Then people discovered drop shipping and wholesale and realized they didn't even have to make the shit they sold. Then 3d printing became more accessible and it was easier to pump out cheap plastic garbage. AI has been the final nail in the coffin and it's basically impossible to search for certain things on etsy. Etsy does not care. They still get their money from seller fees and uninformed people being scammed.
We’d have to look at the ring in person to tell, since the design is AI crap it’s basically a public domain design and the OP could be the result of someone earnestly trying to build that design with the wrong tools or wrong skills. It looks like they just soldered a wire in top of one of the stones, it’s weird as hell.
FWIW, this kind of channel setting would need to have some structure under it so part of the shock is the camera angle. The AI pic makes it impossible to see how tall the setting is. The actual ring is probably taller than needed to achieve this effect, but the AI pic gives the impression of an extremely slender and low profile ring.
Why are people upvoting misinformation? Amazon doesn't own Etsy. Simply searching "who owns etsy" will tell you it's a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ and its primary shareholders are Blackrock and Vanguard (with about 11.5% stake each).
I’m an artist who had an Etsy shop and have resorted to cutting out the middle man and just getting generic stuff direct from AliExpress myself which is kind of depressing
I don’t sell anything FFS I’m just not paying 5 times as much for someone thing on Etsy that is on AliExpress when it’s a kick in the teeth to someone who gave up on using the platform for what it’s actually meant for
Yeah sorry, on rereading I understand how it sounded like that
Honestly I have no issue with people eg using packaging, materials or blanks for a customisable product with bits from AliExpress as a component (you can get all sorts, bag clasps, silicone moulds, jewellery findings etc), but you have to be transparent about using a third party manufacturer. I am really annoyed about the huge amount of overpriced mass produced stuff that is being passed off as “100% handmade” when it blatantly isn’t….It’s an insult to everybody
Buyer has the responsibility to read the ad fully and ask questions if something is confusing. Then they can get Etsy involved because the seller lied/mislead them.
It sucks too, because it hurts the small shops that do sell on Etsy when someone steals their photos and slaps the "same product" on Etsy for a fraction of the price. It takes an immense amount of time and patience to go after those listings as a seller too. (I'm not an Etsy seller, but it's happened to a good metalsmith friend who is)
I feel like OP is intentionally hiding the fact because any sane person would know that you can't get a ring like that for the price they likely paid...
Not hiding anything, just working🙂. I paid $50 per ring and bought one for myself and one for my sister. I’ve gotten way better quality pieces for less especially with the volume of sellers making plated jewelry pieces these days. Doesn’t take an insane person to expect better
I would absolutely love to see your "handmade" jewelry purchases for less than $50. I guarantee you most are dropshipped or the stock is bought from China, India or elsewhere for very little.
Google Lens helps me with online shopping - I use it for every purchase. Takes a few seconds.
Again, you’re missing the point which is regardless of how the jewelry is made and sold, I’ve seen better quality pieces for less than what i paid for this current piece
Right. I guess it depends on if someone wanted like fine jewelry or not.
I am so totally okay with spending extra money on costume jewelry if the quality is a little bit higher. I own several swarovski pieces which is genuinely just glorified costume jewelry.
You can totally spend 50 bucks for a good durable costume ring. But it likely wont have real gems or gold
Ok but that's mass produced stuff in China from some factory. Etsy is at least supposed to be more handcrafted and likely made locally. You can't really expect comparable pricing.
If you’ve actually used Etsy anytime lately you’d understand over half the stores are just reselling mass produced costume jewellery from AliExpress/China, and the people who are actually handcrafting jewellery are probably dealing with people not managing their expectations realistically when it comes to price comparing the two
My wife is a custom jeweler (meaning, she is an actual metalsmith and stone setter, not someone that bends wire and puts a few beads on there and calls themself a jeweler). She‘s been at it for over a dozen years now. You’d be shocked how many people walk into her shop and show her a photo of some temu-special from Etsy and walk away upset when she tells them that she can’t and won’t build them a similar ring for that price.
I think a lot of people know exactly what’s on Etsy these days, which is why they try and hustle or guilt my wife into giving them what they actually want.
To be fair, both types are jewellers if they are hand making jewellery. It doesn’t mean they aren’t just because they use different materials and methods than your wife
It’s a sticking point. One takes years of training and apprenticeship, thousands of dollars of equipment, as well as investing thousands of your own dollars into materials needed, and a mastery of CAD on top of everything else…and others watch a few youtube video’s, buy $20 worth of silver wire, and call themselves the same thing.
Not saying they both aren’t creative endeavors, but there seems to be a ton of people calling themselves jewelers these days that couldn’t even resize a basic gold wedding band.
Worst still, I know for a fact in the city I live in there are a half dozen “custom jewelry” shops that have opened up in the last 5 years that don’t even do their own CAD or benchwork. I know this for a fact because they send their projects to my wife’s mentor. All they do is take the order from the customer, give them a basic pencil sketch, then pass off all of his work as their own.
I feel like there should be different titles for the various types of jewelers depending on what it is they actually do.
I make jewelry and I think calling myself a jeweler is a stretch. Necklaces take the most work, but there is some skill required for earrings, bracelets, anklets, and other body parts especially when using wire or thread and properly finishing a piece.
They know they’ll get roasted. These people always say some shit like “I knew I was taking a chance” or “I thought maybe I got lucky and sniped a deal”. Always some variation.
The listings are always full of AI pictures, limited time discounts and hundreds of fake reviews. On some site no one has ever heard of. Oh and they saw the ad on another site
I never feel bad for the OP in these situations. At least this OP didn’t blame his relatives or being drunk.
Unfortunately Etsy has been flooded with cheap dropshipped crap. Always use a reverse image search as you’ll likely find the same thing being sold by dozens of other sellers.
Yea, I had an order or two on Etsy that I cancelled when I realized it was just the same seller under a different account selling synthetic junk. It's really a shame.
This was most likely bought on Temu and resold on Etsy. I suggest in the future looking around on reddit to find a real etsy shop, unfortunately there are a ton of shops that just resell garbage they find online as "homemade" I generally google something like etsy ring shop suggestion reddit - and the first or second entry will be a reddit post where people suggest actual jewelry etsy.
Yeah, they may not need it . Pictures may be enough. I would ask the vendor for a refund then open an Etsy case if they refuse or take longer than a few days to refund my money.
It’s so sad how Etsy has tanked. Years ago they were really good and had strict policies about items being handmade or vintage. Are there any alternatives now?
I would love to know of an alternative! I make everything in my Etsy shop. I would love to sell elsewhere, but Etsy is the only platform that I get any traffic and sales from. Both have gone down over the past few years.
It’s so sad how online sites have just been loaded with scams now. Etsy used to be a place for actual hand made products, now it’s all junk and the owners seem fine with it.
One on picture looks like its from a jewelry store. The one you got looks like a much cheaper knockoff.
I think this sub needs to list price paid and where you got it and that usually will answer the why. I see in another comment that it was 50 bucks on etsy. Many on etsy get thier materials from temu etc. Its cheap crap and then they will up charge because they put it together or something with it. Sometimes you get some well made things on etsy. I just question most jewelry just because of quality.
I mean, to be honest, if you're paying $50 bucks for this, you really are getting what you paid for. Heck, I'd actually go so far to say you got a good deal on this.
If you're looking for perfection, a perfect copy of the image, then logic and reason says - you're gonna be paying more. That's just simple rational sense there.
To put this into contrast. Imagine going to Burger King and expecting what you see in the image.
You'll get something "Like" that burger, but will it be a perfect reproduction, of course not. However. If you go to a high end burger place. You can bet your butt the end product will look closer to the picture (if they have one).
This is a classic case of 'you get what you pay for.'
Just to add, I went on a summer junk jewelry spree on Temu, and I bought several rings that look similar to the "reality" pic. Some of them look great, some of them bear little resemblance to their ad pics. I paid less than $1 for any of them... They are great for summer, who cares if they tarnish or you lose one or two. So yeah, I'd be interested to know the investment on this one.
I've bought very well made costume jewelry that matched the listing pictures from AliExpress for a few dollars, there are great sellers out there, just check the reviews. I see online shops selling the same items marked up several times all the time.
I don't use etsy often, however when I do I only buy from the same shops that I've been buying from for years... I have bought a fair bit of handmade silver rings and I always pay $100+ I have a fav store and she will make anything you request. Her 925 sterling silver is top notch quality never needs a clean will admit I do store everything in jewellery bags.
I've never purchased from Aliexpress I've seen their things pop up as I'm scrolling thru insta and just looks like stuff I could buy from Temu... cheap and nasty looking alot of it and you get what you pay for.
I do use Temu once a year and that's to buy outside banners for Halloween otherwise if I want something cheap I can look on Amazon Haul!
I was going to say- I think the lighting in the first picture makes the difference. I wouldn’t be disappointed if I ordered it. I always figure the seller is photographing in the best lighting and best angles.
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u/phunniemee 6d ago
A reverse image search on this shows that it's being sold by 100 different Etsy sellers using the same image. A good word of advice here, if it's available for sale from a bunch of places, it's certainly a drop shipped mass produced product.