Can Etsy remove a review complaining about shipping cost when I offer free shipping?

Hi! In most cases Etsy won’t remove that review just because the buyer’s comment is inaccurate about shipping cost—even if your Etsy listing shows $0 shipping—because Etsy generally treats reviews as the buyer’s opinion/experience and doesn’t “fact-check” things like reasonableness or accuracy unless the review breaks a specific policy.

What you can do (and what usually works best)

1. Message the buyer first (privately). Keep it friendly and curious, like: “I noticed your review mentioned shipping being expensive, but your order shows free shipping—did something look off at checkout?” Sometimes they’re confusing shipping with the item price, taxes/import fees, or they looked at another shop/order. If they realize it, they may edit the review (as long as you haven’t posted a public response yet).

2. Only post a public response if you really need to. A public response can be helpful for future shoppers, but it has one big downside: once you respond publicly, the buyer typically can’t edit their review anymore. So I’d try the private message route first and give it a little time.

Should you report it anyway?

• You can report the review, but it’s unlikely Etsy will remove it unless it fits a removal category (like private info, hate/harassment, threats/extortion, spam, or it’s solely about a third party like a carrier mentioned by name). A “shipping was too expensive” comment usually won’t qualify.

If you do end up replying publicly, keep it short and calm, something like:

• “Thanks for your feedback—I’m glad you loved the item. Just to clarify for future shoppers, this order shipped with free shipping ($0 at checkout).”

That clears up the confusion without sounding defensive, and it reassures new buyers reading your shop reviews.