Complaint Review: Etsy

Having made a $14,700 (pre-tax) purchase in April of a semi-precious gemstone from an Etsy Swiss-based seller, Etsy proceeded to charge me $1,140 as well to cover presumed Connecticut sales taxes. The package never made it to me, whether due to seller fraud or Swiss Post incompetence I still don't know. I recently called Etsy and was told that the company has no obligation to refund me the money it (not the seller) took for taxes that never were paid since my request to them came more than 90 days after the date of sale, during which time the seller was still making excuses to me. (I was later in the year defrauded by an Etsy seller; Etsy refused so much as to contact the seller, let alone seek to compel his performance.) 

This is a company absolutely to be avoided for any purchases that are more than trivial in amount.