Fragile item arrived broken: the photo checklist sellers need
A damage-claim checklist for trays, ceramics, 3D prints, jewelry, lamps, and other fragile handmade items.
Reddit evidence note
Reddit signal: help with a customer who claims order arrived broken. This article turns that seller moment into a short evidence workflow, not legal advice and not a promise that Etsy will decide a case one way.
Fragile claims need both product and packaging proof
A broken fragile item can be real, buyer-caused, carrier-caused, or sometimes exaggerated. You usually cannot know from one photo. That is why the checklist matters. It slows the decision down long enough to collect proof.
Ask for photos that tell the whole path: item before shipping if you have it, packing proof, shipping box, inner packaging, damaged item, and video if the damage is hard to understand.
Minimum request
- Full item photo showing the entire product.
- Close-up damage photo.
- Photo of the outer box.
- Photo of inner packing and padding.
- Short video if pieces move, flex, or detach.
- Buyer confirmation that packaging has not been thrown away.
Carrier claims need clean evidence too
If you may file with USPS, UPS, or another carrier, missing packaging proof can block the claim. That is why “please keep the box and packing material” belongs in the first reply, not the fifth reply.
A buyer may be honest and still throw the packaging away. Your job is to ask early enough that the evidence still exists.
Next step
Turn this into an evidence pack before replying.
Use the tool to list what you have, what is missing, and what to ask the buyer for next. The output is built for a calm buyer reply and a cleaner Etsy case record.
Start from this scenario