My recent encounter with Etsy has been nothing short of a catastrophe, and I feel compelled to share my harrowing experience. I entered into this venture with high hopes of opening my own online store, but Etsy's sheer incompetence and lack of transparency have shattered those dreams. First and foremost, Etsy failed to follow through on their promise of opening my online store. Despite their enticing claims of providing a user-friendly platform for selling handmade products, the reality was starkly different. I meticulously followed their guidelines and completed all the necessary steps, only to discover that my store had never actually been established. To make matters worse, Etsy began billing me fees for a store that was nothing more than a mirage! I received invoices for services I never received and products I never sold. It's painfully evident that Etsy is solely interested in wringing every last penny from its users, regardless of whether they deliver on their promises. When I attempted to address this issue with Etsy, their customer support was conspicuously absent. They deactivated their 800-number, making it nearly impossible to get in touch with a live representative. Submitting a ticket online proved to be a Herculean task, and the response time was measured in days or even weeks. It's as if Etsy couldn't care less about their customers' concerns and is solely focused on extracting more money. Now, here's the real kicker: Etsy has the audacity to demand payment for these fraudulent fees before they'll even consider closing my store, which never actually existed! It's a blatant attempt to extort money from me, and it's beyond disgraceful. In conclusion, my experience with Etsy has been a complete and utter disaster. They failed to fulfill their promises, billed me for services that never materialized, and demonstrated an utter disregard for customer service and ethics. I strongly advise anyone contemplating using Etsy to seek out a more reliable and ethical platform for their online store needs. Etsy is nothing but a money-grabbing scam, and I deeply regret ever becoming entangled with them. Spare yourself the agony and avoid Etsy at all costs!