Advice on getting Etsy refund

So, I ordered a doll head from an artist on Etsy (they are on this forum but don't seem to have logged in for 5 weeks now... and they haven't updated their social media either for a long while...). The head was scheduled to ship last Thursday (12 Oct). It didn't, then I was shocked to discover that the shop is now closed on Etsy!

I used the 'help with order' thing on Etsy to ask about my order and the owner did respond within minutes. But they said that the head was their "partner's item", so they will ask them for it.

Getting a response did make me feel less anxious, but they haven't responded since. I did message them again today (16 Oct) for an update, and am now waiting for a reply.

Anyway, I decided to look into Etsy's refund process just in case and am a little confused as I've never had to get a refund from Etsy before.

I guess I'm supposed to open a case to get a refund? But I don't see that option yet. Does the option to open a case only appear after my estimated delivery date has passed? My estimated delivery date is 1 November.

Also, on my 'help with order' page, it advises me to contact PayPal. So, I'm a little confused about whether I need to open a case with Etsy first then contact PayPal or just contact PayPal directly without opening a case with Etsy. Also, when am I supposed to contact PayPal if I just contact them directly? After my estimated delivery date?

I do hope I'm just worried about nothing. But seeing the shop closed really scares me!

 

Well, I used the PayPal option on Etsy, so I guess that means I should contact PayPal directly?

And I don't think the shop is a reseller as they only sell the heads of one artist. I think it's more a case of someone operating the shop on the artist's behalf. It's a Korean artist and I think they got someone who knows English to operate the shop for them.

Anyway, just got a reply to my latest message. The owner says they have been trying to contact the artist but haven't had any luck so far. They say they will keep trying and will give me a full refund if they don't get a response. I think I'll give them a few days to contact the artist.

 

Another update: The shop owner just sent me another message. They still haven't been able to locate the artist... They have asked for me to give them 10 days to find the artist, and if they are still unable to do so, they will refund me out of their own pocket.

I do feel a little bad that it sounds like the artist has just disappeared and left their business partner to take the fall? From the messages I've recieved so far, it sounds like the artist is ignoring the shop owner's attempts to contact them?

Anyway, I don't feel like the owner is trying to scam me. They have responded quickly to my messages and I'm still within my PayPal protection window, so I've decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and time to find the artist before taking any further steps for now.

I really hope the artist does the right thing and comes back into contact.

 

It's been around 5 days since the shop owner has attempted to contact the artist. They've been trying to contact them since last Thursday (12 Oct). And the artist's social media has not been updated since August...

And there is only a timezone difference of one hour between me and South Korea.

Plus there's how the Etsy shop is now closed even though they still have outstanding orders that haven't been shipped yet. One other person here on DoA has massaged me that they've preordered a head from them as well...

Edit: And the shop is closed as in 'no longer available', and not just set on vacation mode...

 

No, it's not Garden of B. Though the artist I ordered from also appears to have a Korean shop webpage, but that shop doesn't seem to have been updated in a while either...

Anyway, the Etsy shop owner I've been communicating with appears to be Korean as well, and I think they might be the owner of the physical Korean doll shop that the artist has partnered with? At least, that's the impression I get from the artist's Twitter profile.

And I'm not sure if I should mention the artist or shop name just yet.

I guess it could be possible that the artist just isn't someone who goes online often or something. And I understand that maybe they need more time to prepare my order. I'm just mostly so anxious because the Etsy shop just suddenly closed without warning or notice!

I've had Etsy shops ship my orders later than the expected shipping date but those shops have all messaged me to let me know they needed more time to get the order ready etc, so it's really alarming to find the shop just gone when I was trying to find out about the delay....

 

Great news! Just got a message from the shop owner that they've finally found the artist and that they can ship my head tomorrow! They'll give me the tracking number as soon as they can. Fingers crossed that this is finally resolved!

 

Another update: well, apparently the shop owner didn't have time to go to the post office today. They will try again on Wednesday. At least they are keeping me updated.

 

Update: And I think my head has shipped?

Got a message on Weds at around noon asking for my ZIP code. I'm in Hong Kong which does not have a ZIP code. I told the shop owner that, plus mentioned how I've recieved packages from Korea before just fine without one. I answered late though as I was sick on Weds, so I spent almost the whole day sleeping and didn't see the message till I felt better in the late afternoon...

The shop owner replied that they will check with the post office and ship my head ASAP. I kind of assumed that maybe they'll only be able to ship it next Weds as their previous messages sounded like they only had time to go to the post office during their extended lunch break on Wednesdays.

Anyway, I received an SMS today from the post office that I have an incoming package from Korea. I'm not expecting anything else from Korea at the moment, so it must be it? I should recieve the package on Monday, so we'll see.

 

Update: Well, I just received the head I ordered. It's supposed to be a 'one-off head set' with faceup, eyes and wig. But I didn't get the wig. I'm pretty sure the listing said it came with a wig but the listing has been removed, so I can't check... and the it's not mentioned in my Etsy receipt and the photo on my receipt only shows the head with faceup and eyes...

Another thing is the head feels rather dirty and used. There also seems to be dust and smudges on the faceup that has been sealed in. I managed to find a larger version of the promotional photo of the head I bought and upon closer inspection, it seems like the dust and smudges were already there? They weren't disclosed in the listing though...

I'll take photos of the head I received later to compare, don't really have the energy to deal with this right now. And I guess I should ask about the missing wig. Though I'm not sure how to prove it was supposed to come with one. Feeling very disappointed with this purchase.