Etsy reseller dtska invites you to pre-order a Sony Playstation 5 console they claim is both handmade and vintage from the 1980s

 Etsy, as my faithful readers know, welcomes resellers and their deceptive listings to the site.

Check out reseller dtska who has just a single active listing in the shop, offering a pre-order purchase of a Sony Playstation 5 console pretending to be both "handmade" and "vintage from the 1980s".  Because in the mendacious Etsyverse, an item not available yet for direct purchase can be 40-50 years old at the same time.  Priced at $520.  7 units already sold, leaving 1 unit available.

UPDATE OCT. 28:  after selling more units, the shop has been closed.

Etsy fake vintage COVID-19 face masks? You betcha! Check out MYTIESTORE.

Once again Etsy shop owners demonstrate that there is no depth to which they will not sink to deceptively promote their products for sale.

The latest?  Non-medical grade cloth face masks, now recommended wear when/where ever you leave home.  It's a great idea for handmade sellers to provide a quality product and make some money in these confusing and scary times.  So why do some of Etsy's handmade sellers have to put their mendacity on display by pretending their brand new, hand crafted, cloth masks are 20+ year old Vintage?  I mean, seriously, WTF?

I discovered this ugly meme on Etsy yesterday while viewing Vintage items (at the link top right of the Etsy Home Page), ranked by Most Recent.  And there, at the top of Page 1 was a recently listed, obviously handmade cloth face mask.  Shameless, mendacious, unprofessional...I could go on and on and on.

The seller, MYTIESTORE has a shop full of handmade fabric items, along with a few reseller products (jewelry and accessories) that are listed as "crafting supplies" even though they are ready-to-wear as sold.  To cash in on the COVID-19 situation, a category for FACE MASK has been added to the shop with 7 items listed.  All are titled "handmade" but 2 of the 7 are back-dated into Vintageville, pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Which is a blatant lie from a sleazebag seller.

Fake vintage cloth face mask modeled by a woman has 85 "vintage" units in stock as I type.  Priced at $17.95.

Note the ugly "handcrafted in the USA" tag on the lover left, complete with a flag.  Ugh.  UPDATE APRIL 9:  the listing above has sold out, but the seller has listed more fake "Vintage from before 2000" masks here  Pants.  On.  Fire.





Fake vintage cloth face mask modeled by a man has 9 "vintage" units in stock as I type.  Priced the same at $17.95.

This one doesn't have the ugly tag.

Today my state made wearing one of these outside the home a suggested practice, so I needed to buy one.  No surprise that I didn't make my purchase on Etsy.  No way will I spend money on a site that promotes dishonesty.  The price for the masks shown above is pretty much the market price, and there are better choices out there.  Bypass the jingo bells flag waving and the mendacity, and shop responsibly.

These Etsy sellers are making massively deceptive claims about the ages of their non-vintage items: Etsy's boldest vintage fraudsters for Aril 2020

This month I am going to feature some amazingly extravagant deceptive claims about the ages of items listed for sale.  If you want to virtually meet some of the biggest liars on Etsy, this post is for you!

Meet UKGE  Open on Etsy since 2016, this shop has made over 7800 sales as I type.  The shop has a variety of products listed:  mineral and fossil specimens, jewelry, incense, Tibetan singing bowls, tarot card sets, "spirit" boards, and more -- all sold as either "Vintage from before 1700" or as "Handmade" by the shop.  None of the these attributions are true.  All are contemporary products, purchased wholesale by the shop, and resold retail on Etsy.  No production partners are cited.  Another shop that proves, once again, that reselling is allowed on Etsy!

Appearing today as one of the most relevant Vintage listings on Etsy is this contemporary meteorite pendant necklace complete with box marked with the manufacturer The Space Collective.  Their About Page states that the company was founded in 2010, but the Etsy listing claims their branded necklace is "Vintage from before 1700".  982 fake dated units in stock.

April 15:  One of the top 50 most relevant "vintage" items for sale on Etsy today is this pair of factory fresh "vintage style" saddle shoes for women pretending to be "Vintage from the 1950s".  Why they are listed on Etsy at all is the question, since they are not handmade, vintage, or crafting supplies.  Priced at $44.99, available in 11 women's size options with 10 units in stock (per size?).  Listed by retro reseller shop Nostalgiaville whose shop seems to be nothing by contemporary nostalgic products, all backdated 60+ years to the 1950s.  Demonstrating once again that Etsy is all about deceptive listing practices.  If you want a pair, look around the web.  eBay has dozens of pairs for about $20 less than this mendacious reseller is asking.

Check it out:  a Toshiba SD-V296 DVD VCR player recorder pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Of course it's not vintage, dating from 2008 -- a fact that the mendacious seller intentionally leaves out of the listing completely.  Listed by JubileeResaleStore  Welcome to Flea-tsy!

Priced at $149.99, you can still purchase this item NEW.  Read the very mixed reviews for it on Amazon.  Won't be "vintage" by Etsy's published standard until 2028.




More featured items added during April!

Etsy fake vintage reseller Goodtimesvtg invites you to pay her FakeVintage Reseller Stupid Tax -- shoppers beware! Check out the replica ROLEX!

Most recently featured in my companion blog on March 11 for branching out into reselling contemporary products as her own "handmade", LTR Goodtimesvtg is still listing factory fresh Chinese import products as "vintage".

Check out this "1990s Contemporary Scandinavian Glass globe desk lamp on brass base" (actual listing title) pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Priced at $190.  Unless you want to pay the Etsy Reseller Stupid Tax (which this seller is an expert at collecting from dumb bunny Etsy buyers), you can get it elsewhere for much less.

A Chinese seller on Amazon has it listed for just $69.90.  Another Amazon seller has it for $136.99.  Beautiful Halo has it on sale for $71.18.  Of course none of these sellers are pretending that their items are "vintage".

More!  How about this "Mid century modern black desk lamp spotlight" pretending to be "Vintage from the 1970s"?  Priced at $175 -- which is more than twice the market price for this brand new Chinese import.

Get it on eBay for just under $53 -- a savings of more than $120!  Here's a contact page for a Chinese lamp manufacturer who will sell a lot as small as 5 units.  Not vintage -- but you knew that!  This mendacious reseller has backdated a contemporary product about 50 years.  CAVEAT EMPTOR!


March 25:  more!

Check out this green colored pencils wall clock pretending to be "Vintage from the 1980" and priced at $45.00

Once again this mendacious fake vintage reseller has back-dated a item -- this time 30+ years.  (And the 1980s isn't "mid century".)  Buy it for less than half the price on Houzz with FREE shipping, too.  Was recently sold on Overstock complete with 1 year warranty from the Chinese manufacturer.  Was priced at $36 with a 2 year warranty on Manhattan Home Design  An old Amazon listing dates the first listing of this clock to 2014; production has been discontinued.  Which obviously doesn't make a 6 year old product "vintage" outside of the mendacious Etsyverse.


March 29:  once again more!

Check out this wood wall clock with glow in the dark numerals pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Priced at $35.

Of course it's NEW, not Vintage -- glow in the dark numbers are a thing right now.  If you want it, don't pay Goodtimesvtg the Etsy Reseller Stupid Tax.  Was recently sold on eBay for $15.99 -- all 18 units have sold out.  Available on AliExpress for just $15.12, with free shipping.  Imall has it for just $13.80, ships from China.   Priced at $24 on Wish  UPDATE JUNE 21:  The wall clock with glow-in-the-dark numerals above sold, but -- no worries, Etsygirls -- Goodtimesvtg has listed another one!  The new listing is HERE  Note that it is still pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000" and the price has been increased to $59.  

If you want one without paying the Etsy Fake Vintage Reseller Stupid Tax, it's easy to find online for less.  I mean, it's factory fresh from China and nowhere even close to 20 year old Vintage.  This ebay seller has it listed for under $20.  Just $18.25 on Bang Good  Priced at $20 on cheapie merch site Wish  Remember:  Buyers Beware!  Etsy corporate is okay with mendacious resellers like Goodtimesvtg trying to deceive you.


APRIL 17:  More!

Check out this newish version of the 1940s Nelson "Kite Clock" pretending to be "Vintage from the 1990s".  The item's Description is a tangled mendacious tale about the original dating to the 1960s (wrong!), which the shop owner purchased in the 60s.  The title says the clock for sale dates from the 1990s, but is "Mid Century" --  both of which can't be true.  No information is given about the manufacturer of this reproduction, as is typical of this ultra-deceptive seller.  It's priced at $249.  If you want one, you can do much better elsewhere.  For example, the thumbnail photo used in this listing is this one

which appears in a listing on Death by Modernism for their reproduction of the clock, which is of course brand new and priced at just $155.  But there are other repros available from other makers, all new, and priced from under $60 to somewhere in the neighborhood of the high price asked by Goodtimesvtg.  Don't let a dishonest Etsy reseller rip you off.

UPDATE MAY 17:  More listings for inexpensive new products pretending to be more expensive "vintage"!


Listed yesterday is this new black asterisk style wall clock pretending to be "Vintage from the 1990s".  Sale priced at $206.25 (original price was supposedly $275).  Item's description says it's a "rare find".

If you like it, don't pay this deceptive seller's Stupid Tax.  It's new, and it's NOT rare.  Here's one on eBay for just $89.99.  It's listed as new, and the listing details include the brand, the manufacturer's part number, and the UPC (you can get this item wholesale from Alibaba).  Even lower on Houzz where the price is just $60.32 -- which is less than a third of Goodtimesvtg's "sale" price.


MAY 18:  More!


This new red pedestal alarm clock is pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000" -- and is described by the seller in the title as "Mid century modern".  Priced to guarantee a buyer will pay the Etsy FakeVintage Reseller Stupid Tax at $48.75, which is discounted from the regular price of $65.

Note the manufacturer's photo image above used in the Etsy listing.  If you like this clock, you can get it for much less.  Try Amazon where the price is just $16.99, available in 4 color choices.


JUNE 01:  still going, so buyers beware!

Listed yesterday is this men's Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary wrist watch pretending to be "Vintage".  Photos used in this listing belong to the manufacturer, which is an obvious clue that this item is nowhere near 20 years old.  It commemorates the 90th birthday of Mickey, who was "born" in 1928.  So the release date for the watch was 2018 (less than 2 years ago as I type).  Priced specially for you Etsygirls longing to pay the Etsy Fake Vintage Reseller Stupid Tax at $56.25 (currently reduced from $75).

If you want one, this newish item is easily purchased, well, NEW.  Here it is on Amazon for just $29.97 (2 units in stock).  This seller on eBay has sold over 30 units of this watch for $21.95 (free shipping) and has more than 10 still in stock.  Not "vintage" and priced at more than twice market.


JUNE 06:  More, more, and still more!

Check out this Ceitezin men's quartz watch that the seller claims is "Vintage from the 1990s".  It might be since the "Ceitezin" name is legally recorded as being first used in late Spring 1999 when the process was started to have it trademarked by a company from Hong Kong.  The process was abandoned in 2000.  So, yeah, this item might be 20 years old.  (Note that "Ceitezin" is NOT the same brand as Citizen; the names are just intentionally similar in the best style of Chinese copycatting).  Priced at $63.75, discounted from $85 -- which makes for an amazing margin for the seller when some dumb bunny decides to pay her the Etsy Stupid Tax.  See below photo for why.    Heh!

The image above belongs to this closed eBay listing where Goodtimesvtg purchased it for just 99 cents!  If you want to pay between $60 and $85 for a cheapie Chinese wrist watch manufactured to be confused with a major brand, then by all means do it!  Note that there are 2 other watches listed in the shop that were purchased from the same eBay seller.   

This Seiko mixed metal tank watch is pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000" but it is much newer than that (see below image)  Priced at $56.25, on sale from $75.  

Was recently sold on WAL-MART dot com where product reviews were left in 2018 and 2020.  Here it is new with tags and packaging on eBay in a listing that has already sold over 50 units.  Also listed by Belk  Only on Etsy is a used contemporary watch magically backdated into "vintage".  

JUNE 13:  She's still at it!  Buyers beware, unless you enjoy overpaying for contemporary mass made products.

Listed a couple of days ago is this contemporary INVICTA men's 8935 Pro Diver Watch pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Priced at $69.30, on sale from $99.  Photos in the listing "borrowed" from the manufacturer.

If you want one, get it from WAL-MART for just $56.15.  Same price on Amazon where it was sold beginning in October 2005.  Or buy it from an INVICTA store for just $48.  NOT vintage outside of mendacious Etsy.

June 19:  morej brand new "vintage" listings!

Goodtimesvrg says this women's watch with long false eyelashes currently in production in China is "Vintage from before 2000".  This Etsy seller has been creating deceptive listings for so many years now, without consequences other than the negative reviews that closed her other shop, so she has no reason not to be extravagant in her mendacity.  Priced at $27.30, on sale from the original $39.

Photo above "borrowed" from the manufacturer.  If you want one, and you're not an Etsygirl who longs to pay Goodtimesvtg the Etsy Fake Vintage Reseller Stupid Tax, you can get it all over the web for under $5.  This merchant on AliExpress has it priced under $3, available in more than a handful of band color choices.  Listed on Light In The Box for $9.89.  You can't beat the price from this Amazon seller who has it listed for just one cent!  

UPDATE JUNE 23:  even more!

Added yesterday is this brand new multi colored starburst wall clock pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000".  Priced at $168.75, discounted from $225.  See below for market prices for this clock, which will make this listing an irresistible purchase for Etsygirls longing to pay the Fake Vintage Reseller Stupid Tax.

If you like it, and don't want to overpay the mendacious Goodtimesvtg, here are merchants listing it for much less.  Get it on Amazon for $39.95 (read the reviews for info on quality) with FREE shipping.  $43.95 from Target  You can buy it from QVC priced at $46.99 (can use 3 installment interest-free payments to purchase).  Just $42.99 from HOUZZ  Priced at $48.49 today on Overstock  Priced under $45 from this eBay seller  And that, dear readers, is how #etsysellsvintage!

UPDATE JUNE 24:  Goodtimesvtg lists replica ROLEX watch, illegal to sell!

This listing for a ROLEX watch  appeared in the shop a week or so ago, and then quickly disappeared.  Now priced at $175 (on sale from $250), the watch was originally listed for about 10 times the current sale price -- which is still very low.  Now that it's been reactivated, the Description states "probably a replica".  Which means Goodtimesvtg is now in biggie trouble with the folks who own this brand -- selling counterfeit products is flat out illegal, whether or not you admit it's a fake or claim that it is "Vintage before 2000".  Sure, Etsy doesn't care; the site is always host to counterfeit products listings.  But the brand owners care, and some of their reps read this blog.   UPDATE JULY 2:  hours after adding this item, it was deactivated.  Now it's back, and the price has been increased to $450 from $250.  

JULY 02:  More fake vintage from this seller added!

Pretending to be "Vintage from before 2000", this Invicta Pro Diver men's 1774 wrist watch is clearly contemporary.  Goodtimesvtg uses photos "borrowed" from the manufacturer for her listing.  Listing claims the item is made from "gold" while other merchants selling it honestly state it is goldtone stainless steel.  Priced at $124.50 (discounted from $249), this is a discontinued product originally priced at $695.  Discontinued stock is what passes for "vintage" in Etsy shops like Goodtimesvtg.

If you want one -- and you're not an Etsygirl who wants to pay the Fake Vintage Reseller Stupid Tax to this mendacious seller -- you can do better on price.  Several merchants on WAL-MART have them in stock, starting as low as $72.74.  This eBay listing has sold over 3000 units of this watch, and it's still available for $68.99 with free shipping.  $69.50 from Zale's   More merchant listings if you look.

Will add more fake vintage from this seller as time permits.

Etsy long term reseller DREAMWEAVER4U2 adds new fake vintage to her shop #etsysellsvintage

Last featured here on June 05, 2018 Etsy long term reseller DREAMWEAVER4U2 is at it again:  listing contemporary mass made jewelry, accessories, and clothing as either "handmade" by her or as "vintage".  Weeks ago her shop underwent a serious house-cleaning, with all of the sweatshop goodies deactivated.  Now, they are sneaking back.  Let's have a look!

This goth-style hand bracelet with adjustable ring is pretending to be "vintage".  The Description says it is "Never worn storage store stock".  Two units in stock, priced at $22.

Since this is a contemporary product, anyone can buy this "never worn" -- and for a lot less money.  Get it here for less than $8.  It's on sale here for just 99 cents!  A reseller on Luulla has it for $15.  Not vintage.

The other sweatshop goodie reactivated is this pentagram cage bra pretending to be "handmade" and last called out in my companion blog in May 2018


Will add more fake "vintage" from DREAMWEAVER4U2 as it (re)appears.

Clueless Etsy sellers finally notice there is something different about the Vintage link at the top right of the site's pages. It's been like that for like a year now?

Another round of Etsy Forums Follies, this time it's Vintage related.  First a thread in Discussions:  Drop down Menu for "Vintage" not working?!  Of course no one remembers that Etsy announced the change -- removing a drop down menu when you hover over the Vintage link.  But the clueless cupcakes are what they are, so in Dumb Bunny GirlWorld it has to be a "bug".  So, a thread is opened in Bugs:  Drop down Menu for "Vintage" not working  And an Etsy staffer tells them it's intentional.

The problem is the awkward (for all sellers, not just Vintage shops) Etsy category structure is a really poor fit for Vintage items in the way that collectors and gift-givers and decorators usually search for them.  Additionally, the customer Etsy targets for the site generally (not for any specific type of item) is a young woman aged 14-29 who obviously (based on her age) isn't all that interested in nostalgia for stuff at least 20 years old.  Etsy uses the first page at the Vintage link to showcase a curated, not entirely Vintage, selection to the customer the site is targeting.  Newish clothing, accessories and jewelry, digital downloads (not Vintage anywhere outside the mendacious Etsyverse), manufactured mineral specimens and decorative objects (stones are old, so crystal balls and agate coaster sets newly made are "vintage).

Check pages 1 and 2 at the Vintage link at the right top of the page, and have a look.  No matter the time of day, between 12 and 20 items on page 1 aren't Vintage...even though they are considered among the top 48 "vintage" items in terms of relevance on Etsy.

Wake up, Etsygirls!

UPDATE:  this happened not quite a year ago, in September 2017.  It was announced at the time as a "current test" and discussed in this thread in the Etsy Forums:  Vintage Sellers, I hope THIS IS BOOST TO US...  The original post quotes the test information:

Current tests
The information below is accurate as of September 26, 2017, and includes tests that are most relevant to sellers.
Type: Updates to Etsy's category navigation menu
What we're testing:
- Adding Art & Collectibles at the top of the category navigation menu
- Removing Kids & Baby from the top of the category navigation menu
- Expanding the Wedding category to Wedding & Party
- Making the Vintage category a clickable link that takes shoppers directly to the Vintage category page
- Additional changes to reorganize and regroup categories and subcategories within the category navigation menu
Goal: To simplify the category navigation menu so buyers can easily find products on Etsy.
Audience: A percentage of all buyers on Etsy.
Start date: September 2017
More information: This experiment does not impact the categories you’ve used to list your items. You don't need to make changes to your listings. Additionally, items in the Kids & Baby category will be included in relevant top-level categories, such as Clothing, Accessories, or Toys. 

Removing the drop down menu sent shoppers interested in vintage directly to a curated page with 9 Etsy "categories" at the top, each with a staff curated thumbnail photo which was not linked to the item shown, but the "category".  The categories then, as today, were:

• Home & Living
• Jewelry
• Art & Collectibles
• Clothing
• Craft Supplies & Tools
• Books, Movies & Music
• Accessories
• Toys & Games
• Bags & Purses

The same photo is not always shown for each "category".  Instead there is a small number of curated photos that can appear in each of the nine spaces.  But here's where Etsy shows the intention behind the change:  every time the page is accessed between 3 and 5 of the nine curated thumbnail photos show NEW -- not VINTAGE -- items for sale.  The link has been utilized as part of Etsy's "guided shopping experience" to clue in shoppers that "vintage" on Etsy doesn't have to be old.  Don't you love it, Etsygirls?

Here's where I had this information saved, in a post made to my companion blog in October 2017:  Etsy tests a new way to connect shoppers with vintage items...

One of the 4 items called out in that post as fake "vintage" is shown as the thumbnail for Accessories as I type this, 10 months later.  Because that's how #etsysellsvintage

Etsy buyers who don't comparison shop get ripped off by mendacious reseller of fake vintage 20thcenturydesignsny #etsysellsvintage

Yes, it's true!  An Etsy buyer paid the "reseller stupid tax", purchasing a lamp

• listed as "vintage" which is actually brand new
• priced at more than twice the market price
• that was mailed to the buyer missing its shade that comes with the base as sold everywhere else, and was listed by the deceptive seller as a lamp and shade

Instead of doing what a sensible buyer would do outside the Etsyverse -- demand the shade or a complete refund -- the buyer in this case left a 4 (out of 5) stars review, and says they might buy from this long term reseller's shop again if the description was more accurate.  Seriously?  A long term Etsy reseller's business model is creating deceptive listings to snare buyers who seem somehow unable to comparison shop online.

Let's meet the long term reseller who has been passing off brand new products as "vintage" literally for years.  20thcenturydesignsny was last featured in my companion blog during April 2018 and one of the fake vintage items I called out was this

Modern Geometric Table Lamp Fabric Drum Shade Diamond Shape Base

Note that the listing title (copy and pasted above) clearly mentions both the lamp AND the shade.  This is how it is sold by the manufacturer, as shown in the photo from 20thcenturydesignsny's listing -- which belongs to the manufacturer and is NOT an image of the actual product mailed to the customer.  Listed by 20thcenturydesignsny as a "vintage" item, it's actually new and easily found for sale online -- complete with the shade.  This eBay listing shows the brand (Lighting EVER), the manufacturer's product number, and the UPC -- showing that 20thcenturydesignsny deceived her buyer about this item being "vintage".  The eBay seller at the link is selling the lamp + shade for $32.99, including shipping.  20thcenturydesignsny originally priced the item at $75 (!) and then reduced the price to $55 (maybe when something happened to the shade?), and there was a shipping charge.  As I type you can buy this product directly from Lighting EVER on sale for just $20.32.

Okay.  I've shown that the buyer was ripped off in 3 ways (not vintage, comes with shade which was not shipped, and was massively overcharged by the greedy and mendacious seller).  Here's the review left by this so-not-savvy buyer:

The base itself has a great shape, but it is smaller than the picture/description suggests. HOWEVER, there is no lamp shade that came with the base, which was not specified in the description of the product. This should be explicitly mentioned next time an item like this is sold.
Bottom line: I'd buy this item again but I would want a clearer description telling you that it is just the lamp base, NOT the lamp shade and the base.

If the buyer who wrote the review above had read the review just below it, they would have realized that 20thcenturydesignsny is dishonest.  Check it out:

Product is NOT vintage—cheap little replica—going in a back guest room, so not worth fighting over

 The item purchased was this brand new, vintage style, starburst wall clock that the seller listed as a "vintage" item, and has sold 2 units (including the one reviewed above), with 1 unit still available for sale priced at $139 -- another brand new, easy to find, item priced at more than twice the market price.

How nice for the buyer that they consider paying $139 to a dishonest merchant "cheap" and getting ripped off "not worth fighting over".  Because if this buyer had comparison shopped simply by copying the photo (belongs to the manufacturer) from 20thcenturydesignsny's listing into Google Images, they would have discovered how much less you need to pay for the very same item!  Available for just $57.90 (free shipping, too) on Amazon  Just $70.99 on Wayfair  And $62.99 on Houzz

This, dear readers, is what makes Etsy "unique" and "special" (as described by CEO Josh Silverman):  the buyers on the site are happy to over-pay deceptive sellers for merchandise "not as described", and rarely demand a refund.  It's called the Etsy Reseller Stupid Tax for a reason.