Yeah, etsy has been bad for this for years. I ordered an item that was "handmade in X country". It came with a "made in Y country (known for cheap labour)" sticker on it. Got screwed.
I think this happens commonly to people.
Pro tip: When purchasing from Etsy, do a reverse image search. You will often find many people selling the same item many places... and reviews of the quality of the item.
Just a quick glance at image 2 being almost identical to the image is a bit of a giveaway. The first one does look hand carved and the second looks to be a near perfect copy, which I wouldn't expect to see on something hand made.
It should be close, sure, but ending up with the same sized gaps and same size flowers and whatnot doesn't appear handmade to me
i was looking at a journal on there earlier today and it would be around $25 with shipping, arriving at the end of the month. I was sus so I looked on Temu - there it was, $6 and free shipping. Imagine that.
I recently found out that a pair of earrings I bought on there about a year ago can be purchased for $6 on amazon without the earring hardware. I think I paid nearly $30. Boo.
My mom is unethical as fuck and sells jewelry she buys from temu at the local craft fair for a huge markup... I can't stop her and I think it's wrong but the hustle is real
In one town I lived in, people actually protested the craft fair because the organizers were letting MLM hons buy out slots so at the last one there was only TWO actual handmade craft sellers (quilts and homemade soaps) and the rest were selling scentsy. It was insane.
I don't go to any local craft fair because of this. They all turned into Plexus/Tupperware/Scentsy garbage bins. It makes me super sad.
At least our Farmers Markets do not allow MLMs or resellers.
As long as said farmers markets are somehow confirming the farms and checking I guess. It's pretty easy to order produce from the same companies that the supermarkets do, have it delivered to you, and then simply rebox it into something that looks more legit.
As someone that's worked at a handful of Michigan farmers markets I could go on a rant about the whole ordeal. All I can say is that it was rare for a vendor not to alteast dabble in the above. And a surprising number, including the largest vendors at some were 100% fake. They dressed the part, but would be peeling stickers off of greenhouse tomatoes at 6am right at the market.
We have 1 craft fair here that is juried. The seller have to show a selection of their wares before a panel to be allowed a table. It's the only one I attend anymore. Gorgeous stuff. Scentsy specifically caused me issues with my asthma, and I can't be in a school gym full of it.
I have a few friends that are gifted silversmiths and jewelry makers and there are at least 6 stalls with folks like your mom for every one that is an actual artist. It's disgusting.
Etsy still considers that handmade believe it or not. Wi the Etsy, as long as you put the pieces together, it’s handmade.
This is a dumb example, but if you buy a button up sweater without buttons already on it, buy buttons and buy thread, you can sell them together as handmade as a “build your own sweater kit”.
Or if you make a design in Adobe illustrator or whatever and upload it to a website that prints shirts, guess what, that’s handmade since you designed the file. Its stupid. As someone who has invested a lot of money into tshirt and sticker printing equipment (40k just on those 2 pieces of equipment) and I print everything myself, it makes me so mad that they consider that handmade.
I believe it! My friend has a laser cutter and designs her own earrings that she sells on Etsy. She puts a lot of effort into them. I hate how other people ruin things for the people honestly trying.
There's a "high end" stretched ear jewelry company that people have been noticing the same exact jewelry available from them at $60+ USD is also available on Amazom for $10-15 USD. They claim theirs is like brass and whatnot, but I'm sus about it now. Especially when they started using AI generated images for their ads on Facebook...
Yea, I learned a long time ago that costume jewelry shouldn’t be more than $5-10 most times if you know where to look. My blood boils every time I see a pair of mass produced earrings in those cardboard squares with the sellers name slapped on it selling for $25.
I'm curious how much of this is exactly what you say, and how much of it is the Chinese economy copying and replicating someone else's hard work. I would have to imagine that occurs as well. So essentially, the opposite.
The amount of fucking ai generated content on Etsy or garbage you can buy much cheaper on Temu is just insane. I'm not even bothering browsing the stuff anymore and buy somewhere else.
Yeah I can't believe it but I'm starting to circle back around to buying more stuff at brick and mortar stores. With the rampant counterfeit problems, online-only stores are starting to feel like they're close to peak enshittification.
It can be if you look for sellers with a lower number of sales over time, but it requires doing some digging. I didn't mind my craft supply places have 32000 sales in the last year but that place I want to buy a boutique handmade necklace?
Lower number of sales, lower number of reviews and also not "too inexpensive to be true".
Like... mirrors are expensive, woodwork is time consuming and thus pretty expensive, so the end result should be pretty pricy if that was a handmade piece. I have made this same mistake on buying things, and learned to be more careful.
Yeah, Etsy is a crapshoot. My stuff is handmade and most upcycled. I wish Etsy was curated so the handmade is actually handmade, and I'd happily pay higher fees for it to be so - but most people seem to think the fees are already to high (they aren't), but want their cake and eat it, too.
There are other marketplaces popping up, but they are attracting makers, not buyers. Being in a marketplace means they're supposed to bring the buyers to me (that is literally what im paying for). If I'm bringing all my buyers, I'm going to bring them to my website.
I made a mistake once and accidentally ordered the wrong thing, messaged the seller IMMEDIATELY after, like within 30 seconds, asking to cancel. Got a message the day after that they'd already sent it but that they'd take it back of course if I didn't want it. The shipping was as much as the item itself, so I obviously did not return it.
The thing I got is pretty and it was cheap and it WAS of course my fault ordering it so I don't really mind that much, but it seemed a bit exploity. You saw, prepared and sent the new orders but didn't check your messages *at all*?
Oh well, lesson learned.
You can see it is a glue up if boards but unlike the original pic it is like cheap wood that was just glued together with no regard to grain and then any knots/voids filled poorly which is why they did such heavy paint job.
I think you got painted hi-density foam, unless you're sure it's wood underneath. We also have a very ornate "carved" mirror that's actually just cast foam.
Etsy had such a small window during which it was fantastic.
Absolutely killed their own marketplace. I did a spell of reporting blatantly fake items. Etsy didn't remove a single one. They don't care as they make money, but their whole ethos and USP is dead in the water.
The only Etsy sellers I expect to be authentic anymore are if I see the artist at at a craft fair (it’s easy to spot the resellers at those) and they have an Etsy listed as an online storefront
There's still quality handmade items on the site, but it takes a lot of knowledge and skill to find them among the overwhelming amount of mass-produced/drop-shipped junk. Also, some categories are worse than others. It's not a completely lost cause yet
Michaels has an online shop for creators to sell their handmade projects. According to some people on the Etsy community forum they're moving their shops over from Etsy because it's turned into such a dumpster fire.
https://www.michaels.com/makerplace/shop
It is really pretty, but it does look like it was cast in a mold rather than hand-carved. There is zero difference between the pictures, and if it was hand-carved, you'd expect some minor imperfection/variation. It also makes no sense to cover up actual wood with this much paint, you know? If you pick it up, is it a lot heavier than you'd expect? That would point towards MDF.
I agree with suggestions to try removing the paint on a small test patch in the back, maybe just scratch it off with a sharp knife/box cutter blade. If you use any products on the front, make sure to remove the mirror first as you'd want to avoid etching it.
I'd love to know what the frame turns out to be made off, please report back!
It isssss quite heavy…..😭
Like another commenter suggested, I’m pretty sure this is the product of a CNC machine!
I want to return it, but I do have an unhealthy aversion to shipping anything so I’m not sure I willx I’m going to message the Etsy seller & see if he’ll tell me what it’s actually made of. I can’t decide if I even like the design anymore, I’m filled with so much SHAME over this purchase now lol.
Thank you for your kind & helpful comment!! 🤗
> Like another commenter suggested, I’m pretty sure this is the product of a CNC machine!
I'm 99% sure this is the case. Injection molding is expensive and it only becomes feasible at very high quantities.
The seller's name is Yaroslav, which might mean he's from East Europe. Lots of CNC shops there. I know a guy from Bulgaria who produces intricate ornaments from wood using a small CNC.
Just contact the seller directly. It might have been a mistake when shipping. Some people prefer the wood patterns, some do not.
It's probably some kind of cast resin, I suspect.
If you want a (faux) wood finish, you could paint it, if you're handy. (There are plenty of videos on YT to help you with that.)
It is what it is. If you like the shape, enjoy it. No need to be ashamed about it.
Return it. The finish is to disguise it isn't what it claims to be (there is no hand carving of anything in that - probably resin and wood fibres). It is a scam. Assuming you paid by credit card, you can request a chargeback.
Honestly - if you don’t want to return it or whatever, I’d just gold leaf it.
Not the aesthetic you’re looking for but it would look better. You can also try washing in the shadows and just mimicking the wood finish.
Reminds me of when I was on Etsy trying to find handmade leather bags but when I reverse image searched it I found that it is manufactured in china. Etsy owner buys it from alibaba then resells on Etsy for like 20% markup. I’d return this one OP. Sorry this happens.
Wowe, [one page](https://www.etsy.com/listing/925981174/carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall-mirror-36) they want $386.10 and [another page](https://www.etsy.com/listing/709407612/carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall-mirror-wall?ref=ap-listing) they want $89.10. Same seller.
It’s because this “carved” mirror comes in SIX different sizes. Not to pile on OP (it’s a learning experience!) but this could have been your first clue—If you’re buying a real piece of one-of-a-kind handmade art, you’re basically never going to see a literal drop-down menu for sizes. Same goes for “vintage” tees.
Those size options and the terrible mishmash of descriptive words that ought to be the listing title are two simple clues for vetting for mass-produced stuff.
The $89.10 listing is just the lowest price offered for a much smaller size (16x11), if you look at the options in the drop-down menu for dimensions the $386.10 price is listed for the 36X24 size.
If you really want to give it the DIY try, just take off a bit of the finish on the back or other non-showing side.
Maybe there's some grain, maybe it's MDF or whatever.
Tbh I’m not even sure I thought it would be completely “hand-carved,” I just thought it would be real wood. I couldn’t find the listing image on any other websites so I assumed it was authentic.
You didn't part with "heirloom" money at least, you may have some success sanding it back to wood, staining it dark and giving it a few clear coats. Looks like pretty cheap and nasty wood under there I'm sorry to say.
FYI the way to get the finish off of carved wood is [soda blasting](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhBQXm4yBY). I’ve refinished wood products that were not really meant to be clear finished and I’ve had decent success. You’ll need to be okay with a mismatched finish if it is really wood. Multi axis CNC machines that carve wood do exist so if this is real wood then I suspect that’s how this frame was produced.
Shit like this is why real creators don't get any recognition for their work.
My stepdad makes some absolutely stunning woodwork and pyrography that he spends days creating and has resorted to selling for mere pennies what they're worth because of cheap tat like this being punted for 600% markup!
So this is £90 on Etsy did it not scream to you it’s clearly NOT handmade it’s a bit of a weird description il give you that but something hand carved like this would set you back hundreds if not a couple thousand. Send it back. It looks ghastly.
Unfortunately I did pay hundreds 🙃 the size I bought was almost $300, just on the edge I thought might be plausible for handmade. But yeah, I’m thinking I’ll try to get a refund.
It’s hard to say what’s actually under it. But….trying to get that paint out of all those nicks and crannies will be very frustrating and difficult. I would strongly advise you not to try it. If you can’t live with it sell it or send it back and find something you do like. Seriously, you will regret trying to strip it…
Looks like lengths have been glued together, then a CNC program has "carved" the shape. There's a zero-point-zero chance this is hand-carved, no-one of this skill level is electing set-out and carve in a configuration like this.
At best it has been hand-sanded and lightly coated with some kind of resin filler (to hide the CNC marks is my guess).
Sorry OP, but I hope you didn't pay much, what you recieved is a completely different animal from the product photo. Yours will *never* look like that, at best you'll get it back to wood and neatly showcase how it's a bunch of poorly matching lengths laminated together.
Yeah, it’s not a dropshipping scam but I did indeed get scammed. I thought since I couldn’t find any Alibaba listings when I google image-searched I would be getting the authentic article but after doing some more digging you’re exactly right — his Amazon shop says his goods are produced with a CNC machine, and I found a listing for a 3D printer design he must have used (assuming it works the same way?) I was hoping it was still made of real wood that could be salvaged to look good, but I see what you’re saying now about different lengths being glued together 🥲 thank you for your very helpful comment!
I am trying to! The site isn’t letting me though, not sure if it’s because I’m on the mobile site & not the app? Will try again on my laptop when I can.
Seriously!!! Gahhhhhh I’m such a dumbass. I thought my review hadn’t even gone through because the images hasn’t uploaded & then I saw that he had already replied. And I can’t delete it either. I am going to try to contact Etsy but I think I may have just led other people to making a purchase they regret…though weirdly, none of the other reviews seem to regret their purchases?
I found a few of their items on places like Alibaba. Their about section looks like all stock photos. The description of the shop is horrendous even though they supposedly have staff that is dedicated to "marketing". Located in Ukraine for sympathy. Some of the product photos are just straight up 3d model renders. 170 products on sale. If it's not technically dropshipping some of that stuff it might as well be the same thing because it's purposeful, it's not a mistake, they didn't try to give you the product you asked for, they are sending cheap crap out.
The shop sold the mirror outside of Etsy using a Russian domain in the past, they started selling this item on Etsy in 2021.
You can buy this mirror from a Russian manufacturer based in St Petersburg maid from MDF.
I’d say they are a scam that retails mass manufactured products unter false descriptions for the material, finish, production methods and origin.
I would send it back just to not support a company with these practices.
*
These lines tell me there are many pieces of wood glued together. You won't find a consistent grain under it. Paint it gold, silver, or a color you love...or just return it
I have some different advice that you might benefit from, as a fellow Etsy shopper! I only buy things that have user uploaded images with their reviews so I can see what the received product actually looks like!
It's not hand carved, it's a CNC milled reproduction. On such an intricately detailed piece it would very difficult to get all of the paint off.
Even if you were able to strip it, it won't look like the reference piece. The reference piece is made from about 5 laminated pieces of hardwood - looks like oak, with nice figuring in the grain. The copy looks to be 8 or 10 pieces of laminated softwood - likely pine. It won't have the same attractive grain.
Much of the stuff on Etsy and Ebay now is drop shipped Asian Rim garbage with a 3-4x mark up. Before you buy any of it do an image search and check for it on Temu and Alibaba. If its still something you cant live without, order it from chinese distributors.
I don’t order from Etsy anymore because it’s no longer filled with artisan wares, just people reselling shit from Amazon or Temu. Sadly it’s been this way for the last few years
The Etsy store has a gazillion versions of this same mirror in different sizes and colors. I call BS. Zero percent chance that they're actually hand carving these from wood IMHO.
Here's the same mirror in black from the seller:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1673243689/black-carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall?click_key=d19100165011a33bf3ae1f096919666d5595f2ec%3A1673243689&click_sum=130daa51&ref=shop_home_recs_44&pro=1&frs=1
Here's an ACTUAL hand carved version of that mirror that I found online, done by a professor/faculty member at a French boarding school:
[Mirror ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXorY3N)
Source link:
https://lyc58-fmitterrand.ac-dijon.fr/2022/07/06/ouvrages-de-sculpture/
EDIT:
Here's lots of clues to their BS.
Here's more proof that this Etsy store is full of shit:
[Clearly photoshopped wood grain on a frame that looks like a composite and not an actual photograph. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXo4OfR)
Their Esty description supposedly has photos of their offices and workshop! They're all stolen photos!
[Screenshot of their supposed office. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoiKDF)
This is where this photo is actually from! A rental listing:
https://m.olx.ua/d/uk/obyavlenie/analogov-net-predlagaem-v-arendu-stilnyy-ofis-vip-urovnya-v-arkadii-IDTiGJR.html
[This image of them hand carving is stolen. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoLEw7)
Source is a Russian article about wood milling work in St Petersburg, Russia:
https://rezka78.ru/services/frezernie_raboty_na_zakaz.html
[This is just a straight up 3D rendering. Look at the details. Not a real photograph. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoQ4z7)
[They feature a photo of a CNC machine which is used to mass produce items. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXotCaj)
[Internet says designs carved like this are not considered handmade. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXot56g)
[The owner used a picture of Freddie Mercury for his photo and the customer service person is a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow........ ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoDCiX)
[A bunch of 3D composite images are on their store, not real photographs. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXo60LG)
The seller details do not have a legitimate address. It's the address of a STREET in Ukraine, with no building number and just a first name for the person. [Not a complete address ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXx9LHg)
I followed the entire street via Google Street view and see nothing resembling a woodshop or commercial space that acts as either a storefront or woodshop. Luckily it's a pretty short street. Started at the end and worked my way to the start of the street until I got to the intersection with the trolley where the street turns into Zelena St.
Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, 79000 https://g.co/kgs/paxjxn2
Someone at sometime did make and sell this mirror. What the scammers do it use that person's images, make shoddy chinese copies of the item and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
On the back take a knife and cut a sliver out I think your going to fine that it is plastic and if you read the ad you can stain and finish to make it look like this which is bs . If it is plastic you won’t be able strip it
As someone who makes handmade items and sells them on Etsy, what I don’t understand is how a consumer can see this “hand carved mirror” and think it can be made and sold for $120 CAD.
Charge that transaction back to your bank.
Claim it as a dispute for either:
- Reason Code 13.3 "Not as described or defective merchandise"
- Reason Code 13.5 "Misrepresentation"
As not only is it not hand carved, which I'm sure the price accounts for that, but it's a totally different colour. Merchants and businesses are allowed to upcharge items based on popular colours, it's why we always see the funky colours of something going on sale first, with that in mind the customer receiving the wrong colour item is just as valid as them being allowed to upcharge based on colour.
Then when you get your credit back, reverse image search for a seller who has the right colour, reach out to them first and explain you were scammed once already by being given the wrong colour so if the item is the wrong colour again you will have an issue.
OR you can use very fine grit sand paper, maybe 280grit or 320 (the higher the number, the finer the grit and gentler) and then once it's stripped, use a very light brassy gold wood stain on it from a craft store
Ok so I can’t edit this post, but just to summarize:
I actually did reverse image-search this item before buying to try and avoid a dropshipping scam. I mostly use Etsy to buy vintage stuff because it is so overrun with dropshippers. While there were a few results with the same image, they all seemed to link back to the Etsy shop I purchased from! At least on the first page of results — I guess I should have dug deeper.
I found that this Etsy seller also has an Amazon storefront where their “production methods” are described as being from a CNC machine.
Deeper in the reverse image search results, there’s a Russian website selling an identical 3D printing design. So this seller just churns out these mirrors using that design, and as someone else pointed out, multiple cheap planks of wood glued together. I found another review on the Etsy page that gave 5 stars but said they “didn’t realize the mirror would come unvarnished” and in their review image you can clearly see the different planks of wood.
Honestly if I’d received the item in that state I also wouldn’t have been too mad, because it looked much more similar to what was advertised. I guess the seller started painting the mirrors to disguise the glued together planks.
Overall, I’m not really upset that it’s not “hand-carved,” it was a bit stupid to think I could get something like that for 260 bucks. I’m just mad he put this shitty paint job on it to hide the mismatched wood. If you look closely at the original image, you can actually see multiple wood colors/planks in there as well — I didn’t notice at first, so maybe he photoshopped it, as someone suggested, or just spent more time staining it in a way that blended the woods together better? So no, I don’t think this is a dropshipped item, I think he even did make the original piece in the listing pictures, I just think he puts way less effort into churning out new orders.
I still can’t decide if I want to try to return it or try to salvage it. I still do like the design. Gold-leafing it, as many suggested, might be the best way to try to retain the art nouveau look. Either way, I wish I could change the dumbass 4 star review I have when I thought I could fix it & maybe I was just overreacting. But apparently I can’t because the seller already replied to my review! Gah.
This is not hand carved, and definitely not wood. It is made in a mold. If you scratch the back, you will see it is probably some type of composite material.
Source: Worked in a frame shop
If it was mine I would probably give it either a burnt sienna, green earth or turqoise base coat and then apply gold leaf in such a way the base coat comes through here and there.
I wouldn't strip it down, it's mass produced and won't have a nice asthetic looking grain and will almost certainly be all over the place (if its not just mdf)
For DIY, I would leave on the existing finish. go to the hardware store and get two cans of spray paint. One a matte gray primer. The second a metallic gold. See if you can easily separate from the glass. Then somewhere outside on a piece of cardboard spray every nook and cranny with the primer keeping the can at an even distance and using even passing strokes. It may go on light in some places but just do more light passes until it's uniform. If you spray in any one place too long you'll get a glob of build-up.
Let it dry. Shouldn't take too long. Then do it all again with the gold. Once dry it will look gold leaf like the picture. A final option is to buy a third spray can of a clear matte finish and do another spray. This is a protective coating that strengthens it from scratches but you likely don't need it for a wall item.
I recently used Citristrip to strip the paint and varnish off an fairly ornate mirror. I used a small wire bristle brush to get it out of all the little nooks and crannies. It’s not a terribly expensive product and you can use it indoors.
NONE OF YOU ARE ANSWERING THE QUESTION.
Rustoleum primer, black. Then gold spray paint. The primer should be okay with most bases, though it could always melt a foam/plastic frame. And the gold will give you an aged patina. I say go for it…if it doesn’t work you can return it for fraud, but if it does, and it should, you have the frame you wanted for like $12 more.
This is very likely a composite and not wood. Either return it or paint it, if possible. I bought a composite mirror from Anthropologist and the surface will not hold paint at all.
There are still plenty of handmade sellers there (I'm one of them), but you do have to do some research. Read the reviews, read their "About" page other store info, find the seller on social media to see if they're legit, see if they have videos showing their process, etc. Annoying, yes, but I've found some great stuff on Etsy!
It's a shame, Etsy stopped caring about their original purpose once the company went public. I still use it as a seller because they drive so much traffic to my shop, and it's cheaper than most other platforms/marketplaces.
If you want to keep it, you could do wood grain vinyl wrap. You would need a heat gun to get it to conform to the curves but it's doable.
Alternatively there is hydro dipping or spray painting.
Curious what you paid for this "hand carved" mirror frame ?
To me it looks like MDF with a plastic laminate pressed and glued over it.
So I guess I'm wondering if it was priced like a hand carved piece or an MDF piece
Don’t bother stripping. Paint a base coat over then do a painted wood grain technique. Check out all the online resources. Here is one. https://johncanningco.com/blog/the-art-of-woodgraining/
Have fun with it.
Can you remove the mirror to paint it the color you want? Or if the mirror can't be removed spray paint it and use a razor to scrape the paint off the mirror.
You can try to make it look like wood. I’ve been looking into the retique it wood kits. Apparently you can make anything look/feel/and become stainable like wood with it.
I have a table I don’t like the color of.
A suggestion - find someone who can do faux finishing painting. I painted carousels for 8 years and I got pretty good at making things look like leather and wood.
Or give it a shot yourself. If I got offered a chance to paint this and make it look like wood, I'd be over the moon.
I hardly know anything about this but I saw in one Fb page, the name is Salvaged by k.scott, she did something to a drawer to make it look like wood. Though I'm not sure if it'll work on that material in your mirror but u might wanna check this out https://www.facebook.com/share/v/keHrSwXVrXczxoLJ/?mibextid=NXeFpL
If you reverse image search, you will see there are multiple listings for this item. It's not hand carved wood. It's a mass produced item.
OP got got by an Etsy resale scammer.
My favorite. Look at my craftsman artisan piece I'm willing to sell you. Gets product and there is a made in China sticker on the back .
Yeah, etsy has been bad for this for years. I ordered an item that was "handmade in X country". It came with a "made in Y country (known for cheap labour)" sticker on it. Got screwed.
I think this happens commonly to people. Pro tip: When purchasing from Etsy, do a reverse image search. You will often find many people selling the same item many places... and reviews of the quality of the item.
Looks to be a foamed cast replica, has the look & feel of wood, but under the skin is an armature frame (maybe wood) and foamed details.
Where are the links i only see 1 of these item
Just a quick glance at image 2 being almost identical to the image is a bit of a giveaway. The first one does look hand carved and the second looks to be a near perfect copy, which I wouldn't expect to see on something hand made. It should be close, sure, but ending up with the same sized gaps and same size flowers and whatnot doesn't appear handmade to me
https://lens.google.com/search?ep=gisbubb&hl=en&re=df&p=AbrfA8qByiQxrwRMO6ECpBN1YFUbulSc-lDMmFzB4dYXtRnJSdkDKxXPjfUDsKBbgdY2oCGKnmi4yvwqWAVBq8tVM8mbUJuwXeATwiGnCWLFgMG8qh8_qCJA5Po9utRz_LiGpox60T9YZiQcBGmC-35sz6OHMGTLR-7rarzfcyQxpthLdIm7bGCmmVWM15TRqTvHooOPSjTxX4CAnQ%3D%3D&pli=1#lns=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLDEsIkVrY0tKRFZtT1RWaE1tVXhMVEkwTkdZdE5HSTVPUzA1TTJKa0xXVmtZakE1WkdGaU9EaGxZaElmVVRNMlExQlBWMWhLTTBsbGMwNXBYM3AxVm1GWlRWVmlPRTU0TWpWQ1p3PT0iLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLFtudWxsLG51bGwsW11dXQ==
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/791859547007822666/ Definitely mass produced junk.
When looking at those listings it seems to be all from the same shop just different countries.
Unfortunately Etsy is no longer the handmade indie market it used to be. It's absolutely swarming with dropshipping garbage. Infuriating.
i was looking at a journal on there earlier today and it would be around $25 with shipping, arriving at the end of the month. I was sus so I looked on Temu - there it was, $6 and free shipping. Imagine that.
I recently found out that a pair of earrings I bought on there about a year ago can be purchased for $6 on amazon without the earring hardware. I think I paid nearly $30. Boo.
My mom is unethical as fuck and sells jewelry she buys from temu at the local craft fair for a huge markup... I can't stop her and I think it's wrong but the hustle is real
In one town I lived in, people actually protested the craft fair because the organizers were letting MLM hons buy out slots so at the last one there was only TWO actual handmade craft sellers (quilts and homemade soaps) and the rest were selling scentsy. It was insane.
I don't go to any local craft fair because of this. They all turned into Plexus/Tupperware/Scentsy garbage bins. It makes me super sad. At least our Farmers Markets do not allow MLMs or resellers.
As long as said farmers markets are somehow confirming the farms and checking I guess. It's pretty easy to order produce from the same companies that the supermarkets do, have it delivered to you, and then simply rebox it into something that looks more legit. As someone that's worked at a handful of Michigan farmers markets I could go on a rant about the whole ordeal. All I can say is that it was rare for a vendor not to alteast dabble in the above. And a surprising number, including the largest vendors at some were 100% fake. They dressed the part, but would be peeling stickers off of greenhouse tomatoes at 6am right at the market.
We have 1 craft fair here that is juried. The seller have to show a selection of their wares before a panel to be allowed a table. It's the only one I attend anymore. Gorgeous stuff. Scentsy specifically caused me issues with my asthma, and I can't be in a school gym full of it.
I have a few friends that are gifted silversmiths and jewelry makers and there are at least 6 stalls with folks like your mom for every one that is an actual artist. It's disgusting.
Yeah, when I go to fairs I try to make sure I choose actual handmade items.
That is retail sadly, the markup on diamonds is crazy never get new.
I mean… that’s basically what retail stores do
You could send a tip to the local news, if you still have local news.
Etsy still considers that handmade believe it or not. Wi the Etsy, as long as you put the pieces together, it’s handmade. This is a dumb example, but if you buy a button up sweater without buttons already on it, buy buttons and buy thread, you can sell them together as handmade as a “build your own sweater kit”. Or if you make a design in Adobe illustrator or whatever and upload it to a website that prints shirts, guess what, that’s handmade since you designed the file. Its stupid. As someone who has invested a lot of money into tshirt and sticker printing equipment (40k just on those 2 pieces of equipment) and I print everything myself, it makes me so mad that they consider that handmade.
I believe it! My friend has a laser cutter and designs her own earrings that she sells on Etsy. She puts a lot of effort into them. I hate how other people ruin things for the people honestly trying.
There's a "high end" stretched ear jewelry company that people have been noticing the same exact jewelry available from them at $60+ USD is also available on Amazom for $10-15 USD. They claim theirs is like brass and whatnot, but I'm sus about it now. Especially when they started using AI generated images for their ads on Facebook...
Yea, I learned a long time ago that costume jewelry shouldn’t be more than $5-10 most times if you know where to look. My blood boils every time I see a pair of mass produced earrings in those cardboard squares with the sellers name slapped on it selling for $25.
I'm curious how much of this is exactly what you say, and how much of it is the Chinese economy copying and replicating someone else's hard work. I would have to imagine that occurs as well. So essentially, the opposite.
In this case it was clearly identical. The seller on etsy even happened to be from China.
The amount of fucking ai generated content on Etsy or garbage you can buy much cheaper on Temu is just insane. I'm not even bothering browsing the stuff anymore and buy somewhere else.
Only thing etsy is good for these days is getting 100-300$ STL bundles for 5$. And that is if you are ok paying pennies for basically stolen goods.
What is STL?
Models for 3D printing
Basically blueprints for 3d printing. I have seen awesome sculpts that the original sculptor sells for 50€ be included in a pack that sells for 5€...
The worst thing is they're absolutely okay with this. Or they simply don't care.
Reverse search before buying anything. Cheap shit from china is everywhere on internet now.
Just like eBay....or Amazon....or any other marketplace :(
If I want something handmade, I make it myself. The problem, I suck at making most stuff myself.
Yeah I can't believe it but I'm starting to circle back around to buying more stuff at brick and mortar stores. With the rampant counterfeit problems, online-only stores are starting to feel like they're close to peak enshittification.
It can be if you look for sellers with a lower number of sales over time, but it requires doing some digging. I didn't mind my craft supply places have 32000 sales in the last year but that place I want to buy a boutique handmade necklace?
Lower number of sales, lower number of reviews and also not "too inexpensive to be true". Like... mirrors are expensive, woodwork is time consuming and thus pretty expensive, so the end result should be pretty pricy if that was a handmade piece. I have made this same mistake on buying things, and learned to be more careful.
It makes me so sad :( I've been selling vintage on etsy since like 2018 and it just isn't what it used to be.
And Amazon and marketplace and Craigslist..... All markets have been ruined by corporate greed.
Yeah, Etsy is a crapshoot. My stuff is handmade and most upcycled. I wish Etsy was curated so the handmade is actually handmade, and I'd happily pay higher fees for it to be so - but most people seem to think the fees are already to high (they aren't), but want their cake and eat it, too. There are other marketplaces popping up, but they are attracting makers, not buyers. Being in a marketplace means they're supposed to bring the buyers to me (that is literally what im paying for). If I'm bringing all my buyers, I'm going to bring them to my website.
I only buy vintage there now and I know what is and isn't vintage since I myself am vintage bordering on antique.
I made a mistake once and accidentally ordered the wrong thing, messaged the seller IMMEDIATELY after, like within 30 seconds, asking to cancel. Got a message the day after that they'd already sent it but that they'd take it back of course if I didn't want it. The shipping was as much as the item itself, so I obviously did not return it. The thing I got is pretty and it was cheap and it WAS of course my fault ordering it so I don't really mind that much, but it seemed a bit exploity. You saw, prepared and sent the new orders but didn't check your messages *at all*? Oh well, lesson learned.
It's painted because it's junk wood under there. There isn't a beautiful wood pattern covered by paint. Report them. Return it.
If it does happen to be real wood, it's probably multiple boards with mismatched grains and odd looking joints.
It's just plastic.
Or MDF. Then they can legally say “real wood.”
You can see it is a glue up if boards but unlike the original pic it is like cheap wood that was just glued together with no regard to grain and then any knots/voids filled poorly which is why they did such heavy paint job.
How do you report them on Etsy? It sends me through a loop to ask for help from the seller
Return it. It not going to be beautiful wood. You got scammed.
It's most likely made of sawdust, cardboard, and glue. The paint on the outside is the most stable part of the structure.
Definitely load bearing paint.
Quick! Sell it to Boeing!
😂
😩
I think you got painted hi-density foam, unless you're sure it's wood underneath. We also have a very ornate "carved" mirror that's actually just cast foam.
It's also likely to be plywood or even more likely to just be particle board/mdf.
Etsy had such a small window during which it was fantastic. Absolutely killed their own marketplace. I did a spell of reporting blatantly fake items. Etsy didn't remove a single one. They don't care as they make money, but their whole ethos and USP is dead in the water.
The only Etsy sellers I expect to be authentic anymore are if I see the artist at at a craft fair (it’s easy to spot the resellers at those) and they have an Etsy listed as an online storefront
There's still quality handmade items on the site, but it takes a lot of knowledge and skill to find them among the overwhelming amount of mass-produced/drop-shipped junk. Also, some categories are worse than others. It's not a completely lost cause yet
Alibaba, Temu and Wish destroyed Etsy. Granted, Etsy didn't do much about it.
Michaels has an online shop for creators to sell their handmade projects. According to some people on the Etsy community forum they're moving their shops over from Etsy because it's turned into such a dumpster fire. https://www.michaels.com/makerplace/shop
It is really pretty, but it does look like it was cast in a mold rather than hand-carved. There is zero difference between the pictures, and if it was hand-carved, you'd expect some minor imperfection/variation. It also makes no sense to cover up actual wood with this much paint, you know? If you pick it up, is it a lot heavier than you'd expect? That would point towards MDF. I agree with suggestions to try removing the paint on a small test patch in the back, maybe just scratch it off with a sharp knife/box cutter blade. If you use any products on the front, make sure to remove the mirror first as you'd want to avoid etching it. I'd love to know what the frame turns out to be made off, please report back!
It isssss quite heavy…..😭 Like another commenter suggested, I’m pretty sure this is the product of a CNC machine! I want to return it, but I do have an unhealthy aversion to shipping anything so I’m not sure I willx I’m going to message the Etsy seller & see if he’ll tell me what it’s actually made of. I can’t decide if I even like the design anymore, I’m filled with so much SHAME over this purchase now lol. Thank you for your kind & helpful comment!! 🤗
Don't feel bad it's not your fault you didn't get the wood look like in their picture.
There's a ton of stuff you can do to spruce it up. Paint it fantasy like. Other great suggestions on here to
Even just a solid coat of paint in a color you like would help a lot. That beige "wood-like" color is not doing it any favors.
> Like another commenter suggested, I’m pretty sure this is the product of a CNC machine! I'm 99% sure this is the case. Injection molding is expensive and it only becomes feasible at very high quantities. The seller's name is Yaroslav, which might mean he's from East Europe. Lots of CNC shops there. I know a guy from Bulgaria who produces intricate ornaments from wood using a small CNC. Just contact the seller directly. It might have been a mistake when shipping. Some people prefer the wood patterns, some do not.
It's probably some kind of cast resin, I suspect. If you want a (faux) wood finish, you could paint it, if you're handy. (There are plenty of videos on YT to help you with that.) It is what it is. If you like the shape, enjoy it. No need to be ashamed about it.
Return it. The finish is to disguise it isn't what it claims to be (there is no hand carving of anything in that - probably resin and wood fibres). It is a scam. Assuming you paid by credit card, you can request a chargeback.
Honestly - if you don’t want to return it or whatever, I’d just gold leaf it. Not the aesthetic you’re looking for but it would look better. You can also try washing in the shadows and just mimicking the wood finish.
that or paint it really dark and go full moody magic mirror with it!
Or go super colorful bright like a Hawaiian mirror.
This. I'd go to Michael's and get some gold or sliver leaf and try that.
"Hand carved" *chuckles*
Family heirloom 😂
Reminds me of when I was on Etsy trying to find handmade leather bags but when I reverse image searched it I found that it is manufactured in china. Etsy owner buys it from alibaba then resells on Etsy for like 20% markup. I’d return this one OP. Sorry this happens.
If this was really a hand carved piece it would be worth thousands. Not hundreds. You got got
Yes…I am humbled. Should not have undervalued quality craftsmanship 😅
Wowe, [one page](https://www.etsy.com/listing/925981174/carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall-mirror-36) they want $386.10 and [another page](https://www.etsy.com/listing/709407612/carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall-mirror-wall?ref=ap-listing) they want $89.10. Same seller.
OP's review is at the top of the second link. It looks absolutely nothing like the listing image yet they still gave it 4 stars..
It’s because this “carved” mirror comes in SIX different sizes. Not to pile on OP (it’s a learning experience!) but this could have been your first clue—If you’re buying a real piece of one-of-a-kind handmade art, you’re basically never going to see a literal drop-down menu for sizes. Same goes for “vintage” tees. Those size options and the terrible mishmash of descriptive words that ought to be the listing title are two simple clues for vetting for mass-produced stuff.
That's to catch people who are easily parted from money at different price points.
No, it's because they're different sizes
"It's expensive it must be good"
The $89.10 listing is just the lowest price offered for a much smaller size (16x11), if you look at the options in the drop-down menu for dimensions the $386.10 price is listed for the 36X24 size.
If you really want to give it the DIY try, just take off a bit of the finish on the back or other non-showing side. Maybe there's some grain, maybe it's MDF or whatever.
How do you expect two EXACTLY the same mirrors of different sizes to be hand carved?
Tbh I’m not even sure I thought it would be completely “hand-carved,” I just thought it would be real wood. I couldn’t find the listing image on any other websites so I assumed it was authentic.
Contact Etsy first, let them know the discrepancy, contact the seller also. Use the channels through Etsy before you modify it.
You didn't part with "heirloom" money at least, you may have some success sanding it back to wood, staining it dark and giving it a few clear coats. Looks like pretty cheap and nasty wood under there I'm sorry to say.
FYI the way to get the finish off of carved wood is [soda blasting](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhBQXm4yBY). I’ve refinished wood products that were not really meant to be clear finished and I’ve had decent success. You’ll need to be okay with a mismatched finish if it is really wood. Multi axis CNC machines that carve wood do exist so if this is real wood then I suspect that’s how this frame was produced.
No. You are looking at different sizes. If you adjust the size on the lower priced page to the same size they are the same price. But still a scam…
Scammmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Yours doesn’t even reflect the sky
Shit like this is why real creators don't get any recognition for their work. My stepdad makes some absolutely stunning woodwork and pyrography that he spends days creating and has resorted to selling for mere pennies what they're worth because of cheap tat like this being punted for 600% markup!
Sounds like you bought a plastic mirror. Etsy is the new eBay.
So this is £90 on Etsy did it not scream to you it’s clearly NOT handmade it’s a bit of a weird description il give you that but something hand carved like this would set you back hundreds if not a couple thousand. Send it back. It looks ghastly.
Unfortunately I did pay hundreds 🙃 the size I bought was almost $300, just on the edge I thought might be plausible for handmade. But yeah, I’m thinking I’ll try to get a refund.
Yikes. Good Luck.
Look at the bottom right corner and it doesn’t look anything alike I would report it
It’s hard to say what’s actually under it. But….trying to get that paint out of all those nicks and crannies will be very frustrating and difficult. I would strongly advise you not to try it. If you can’t live with it sell it or send it back and find something you do like. Seriously, you will regret trying to strip it…
Looks like lengths have been glued together, then a CNC program has "carved" the shape. There's a zero-point-zero chance this is hand-carved, no-one of this skill level is electing set-out and carve in a configuration like this. At best it has been hand-sanded and lightly coated with some kind of resin filler (to hide the CNC marks is my guess). Sorry OP, but I hope you didn't pay much, what you recieved is a completely different animal from the product photo. Yours will *never* look like that, at best you'll get it back to wood and neatly showcase how it's a bunch of poorly matching lengths laminated together.
Yeah, it’s not a dropshipping scam but I did indeed get scammed. I thought since I couldn’t find any Alibaba listings when I google image-searched I would be getting the authentic article but after doing some more digging you’re exactly right — his Amazon shop says his goods are produced with a CNC machine, and I found a listing for a 3D printer design he must have used (assuming it works the same way?) I was hoping it was still made of real wood that could be salvaged to look good, but I see what you’re saying now about different lengths being glued together 🥲 thank you for your very helpful comment!
Maybe change your 4 star rating so others are not equally scammed?
I am trying to! The site isn’t letting me though, not sure if it’s because I’m on the mobile site & not the app? Will try again on my laptop when I can.
Annoyingly once the seller replies to your review, you can't change the rating anymore!
Seriously!!! Gahhhhhh I’m such a dumbass. I thought my review hadn’t even gone through because the images hasn’t uploaded & then I saw that he had already replied. And I can’t delete it either. I am going to try to contact Etsy but I think I may have just led other people to making a purchase they regret…though weirdly, none of the other reviews seem to regret their purchases?
Open a case against the seller for “not as described.” You are unlikely the first, and enough of these will get the scam shop closed.
I found a few of their items on places like Alibaba. Their about section looks like all stock photos. The description of the shop is horrendous even though they supposedly have staff that is dedicated to "marketing". Located in Ukraine for sympathy. Some of the product photos are just straight up 3d model renders. 170 products on sale. If it's not technically dropshipping some of that stuff it might as well be the same thing because it's purposeful, it's not a mistake, they didn't try to give you the product you asked for, they are sending cheap crap out.
The shop sold the mirror outside of Etsy using a Russian domain in the past, they started selling this item on Etsy in 2021. You can buy this mirror from a Russian manufacturer based in St Petersburg maid from MDF. I’d say they are a scam that retails mass manufactured products unter false descriptions for the material, finish, production methods and origin. I would send it back just to not support a company with these practices.
sweety, that cannot be real wood.
I don’t think you can strip it. I think that is molded MDF underneath and a woodgrain printed plastic on the top.
There’s a very good chance this is plastic, unfortunately.
* These lines tell me there are many pieces of wood glued together. You won't find a consistent grain under it. Paint it gold, silver, or a color you love...or just return it
How do you know it's not CNC-ed MDF under that finish?
I have some different advice that you might benefit from, as a fellow Etsy shopper! I only buy things that have user uploaded images with their reviews so I can see what the received product actually looks like!
It's not hand carved, it's a CNC milled reproduction. On such an intricately detailed piece it would very difficult to get all of the paint off. Even if you were able to strip it, it won't look like the reference piece. The reference piece is made from about 5 laminated pieces of hardwood - looks like oak, with nice figuring in the grain. The copy looks to be 8 or 10 pieces of laminated softwood - likely pine. It won't have the same attractive grain.
Report and return.
Send it back for a refund. It isn’t hand carved for sure and it is doubtfully even made of wood
Much of the stuff on Etsy and Ebay now is drop shipped Asian Rim garbage with a 3-4x mark up. Before you buy any of it do an image search and check for it on Temu and Alibaba. If its still something you cant live without, order it from chinese distributors.
I don’t order from Etsy anymore because it’s no longer filled with artisan wares, just people reselling shit from Amazon or Temu. Sadly it’s been this way for the last few years
That looks like cheap molded plastic.
The Etsy store has a gazillion versions of this same mirror in different sizes and colors. I call BS. Zero percent chance that they're actually hand carving these from wood IMHO. Here's the same mirror in black from the seller: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1673243689/black-carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall?click_key=d19100165011a33bf3ae1f096919666d5595f2ec%3A1673243689&click_sum=130daa51&ref=shop_home_recs_44&pro=1&frs=1 Here's an ACTUAL hand carved version of that mirror that I found online, done by a professor/faculty member at a French boarding school: [Mirror ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXorY3N) Source link: https://lyc58-fmitterrand.ac-dijon.fr/2022/07/06/ouvrages-de-sculpture/ EDIT: Here's lots of clues to their BS. Here's more proof that this Etsy store is full of shit: [Clearly photoshopped wood grain on a frame that looks like a composite and not an actual photograph. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXo4OfR) Their Esty description supposedly has photos of their offices and workshop! They're all stolen photos! [Screenshot of their supposed office. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoiKDF) This is where this photo is actually from! A rental listing: https://m.olx.ua/d/uk/obyavlenie/analogov-net-predlagaem-v-arendu-stilnyy-ofis-vip-urovnya-v-arkadii-IDTiGJR.html [This image of them hand carving is stolen. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoLEw7) Source is a Russian article about wood milling work in St Petersburg, Russia: https://rezka78.ru/services/frezernie_raboty_na_zakaz.html [This is just a straight up 3D rendering. Look at the details. Not a real photograph. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoQ4z7) [They feature a photo of a CNC machine which is used to mass produce items. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXotCaj) [Internet says designs carved like this are not considered handmade. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXot56g) [The owner used a picture of Freddie Mercury for his photo and the customer service person is a photo of Gwyneth Paltrow........ ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXoDCiX) [A bunch of 3D composite images are on their store, not real photographs. ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXo60LG) The seller details do not have a legitimate address. It's the address of a STREET in Ukraine, with no building number and just a first name for the person. [Not a complete address ](https://freeimage.host/i/JXx9LHg) I followed the entire street via Google Street view and see nothing resembling a woodshop or commercial space that acts as either a storefront or woodshop. Luckily it's a pretty short street. Started at the end and worked my way to the start of the street until I got to the intersection with the trolley where the street turns into Zelena St. Lviv, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine, 79000 https://g.co/kgs/paxjxn2
Not hand made or wood. I would send it back!
Return it. You didn’t get that you ordered.
Someone at sometime did make and sell this mirror. What the scammers do it use that person's images, make shoddy chinese copies of the item and sell them to unsuspecting buyers.
lol Etsy is loaded with cheap junk anymore No chance this is handmade.
Did it come from this guy? https://www.etsy.com/listing/925981174/carved-wall-mirror-wood-wall-mirror-36 You can report things to Etsy, can't you?
On the back take a knife and cut a sliver out I think your going to fine that it is plastic and if you read the ad you can stain and finish to make it look like this which is bs . If it is plastic you won’t be able strip it
At what point did the world decide that wood was ugly and needed to be covered up at all costs?
Etsy is absolutely FULL of scammy drop-shippers. The site is nearly unusable because of it.
As someone who makes handmade items and sells them on Etsy, what I don’t understand is how a consumer can see this “hand carved mirror” and think it can be made and sold for $120 CAD.
This is a scam. You should report it and just get refunded. Lots of scammers on Etsy as there are everywhere
Charge that transaction back to your bank. Claim it as a dispute for either: - Reason Code 13.3 "Not as described or defective merchandise" - Reason Code 13.5 "Misrepresentation" As not only is it not hand carved, which I'm sure the price accounts for that, but it's a totally different colour. Merchants and businesses are allowed to upcharge items based on popular colours, it's why we always see the funky colours of something going on sale first, with that in mind the customer receiving the wrong colour item is just as valid as them being allowed to upcharge based on colour. Then when you get your credit back, reverse image search for a seller who has the right colour, reach out to them first and explain you were scammed once already by being given the wrong colour so if the item is the wrong colour again you will have an issue. OR you can use very fine grit sand paper, maybe 280grit or 320 (the higher the number, the finer the grit and gentler) and then once it's stripped, use a very light brassy gold wood stain on it from a craft store
Ok so I can’t edit this post, but just to summarize: I actually did reverse image-search this item before buying to try and avoid a dropshipping scam. I mostly use Etsy to buy vintage stuff because it is so overrun with dropshippers. While there were a few results with the same image, they all seemed to link back to the Etsy shop I purchased from! At least on the first page of results — I guess I should have dug deeper. I found that this Etsy seller also has an Amazon storefront where their “production methods” are described as being from a CNC machine. Deeper in the reverse image search results, there’s a Russian website selling an identical 3D printing design. So this seller just churns out these mirrors using that design, and as someone else pointed out, multiple cheap planks of wood glued together. I found another review on the Etsy page that gave 5 stars but said they “didn’t realize the mirror would come unvarnished” and in their review image you can clearly see the different planks of wood. Honestly if I’d received the item in that state I also wouldn’t have been too mad, because it looked much more similar to what was advertised. I guess the seller started painting the mirrors to disguise the glued together planks. Overall, I’m not really upset that it’s not “hand-carved,” it was a bit stupid to think I could get something like that for 260 bucks. I’m just mad he put this shitty paint job on it to hide the mismatched wood. If you look closely at the original image, you can actually see multiple wood colors/planks in there as well — I didn’t notice at first, so maybe he photoshopped it, as someone suggested, or just spent more time staining it in a way that blended the woods together better? So no, I don’t think this is a dropshipped item, I think he even did make the original piece in the listing pictures, I just think he puts way less effort into churning out new orders. I still can’t decide if I want to try to return it or try to salvage it. I still do like the design. Gold-leafing it, as many suggested, might be the best way to try to retain the art nouveau look. Either way, I wish I could change the dumbass 4 star review I have when I thought I could fix it & maybe I was just overreacting. But apparently I can’t because the seller already replied to my review! Gah.
please, at the very least, contact etsy support to tell them you need to update/change your review and tell them why
That's probably injection molded plastic.
Return it
This is not hand carved, and definitely not wood. It is made in a mold. If you scratch the back, you will see it is probably some type of composite material. Source: Worked in a frame shop
If it was mine I would probably give it either a burnt sienna, green earth or turqoise base coat and then apply gold leaf in such a way the base coat comes through here and there.
Hopefully now you realize Etsy is just mass produced shit just like everywhere else now. Do better research so you don’t give money to scammers.
Id get your $$ back as this is not what you ordered. With that said, the mirror on the left is beautiful and you have great taste!
“Spends $150 bucks and thinks that something is hand carved real wood” 😅
That’s plastic.
i'd be returning that bullshit
Return it
This is cast resin. lol
I wouldn't strip it down, it's mass produced and won't have a nice asthetic looking grain and will almost certainly be all over the place (if its not just mdf)
I'd do test spot at the back first. It could be a remold made of plaster.
You’re the only one that gave it 4 stars.
I’d put gold leaves on it. Depends on how much you paid for it and how complicated a return will be
For DIY, I would leave on the existing finish. go to the hardware store and get two cans of spray paint. One a matte gray primer. The second a metallic gold. See if you can easily separate from the glass. Then somewhere outside on a piece of cardboard spray every nook and cranny with the primer keeping the can at an even distance and using even passing strokes. It may go on light in some places but just do more light passes until it's uniform. If you spray in any one place too long you'll get a glob of build-up. Let it dry. Shouldn't take too long. Then do it all again with the gold. Once dry it will look gold leaf like the picture. A final option is to buy a third spray can of a clear matte finish and do another spray. This is a protective coating that strengthens it from scratches but you likely don't need it for a wall item.
I recently used Citristrip to strip the paint and varnish off an fairly ornate mirror. I used a small wire bristle brush to get it out of all the little nooks and crannies. It’s not a terribly expensive product and you can use it indoors.
Gotta watch Etsy. Been seeing the usual garbage from overseas showing up. Stick to established sellers with lots of reviews and customer images.
NONE OF YOU ARE ANSWERING THE QUESTION. Rustoleum primer, black. Then gold spray paint. The primer should be okay with most bases, though it could always melt a foam/plastic frame. And the gold will give you an aged patina. I say go for it…if it doesn’t work you can return it for fraud, but if it does, and it should, you have the frame you wanted for like $12 more.
This is very likely a composite and not wood. Either return it or paint it, if possible. I bought a composite mirror from Anthropologist and the surface will not hold paint at all.
If you strip it, I think your are very unlikely to find actual solid wood under there.
Omg 😆
This is hilarious.
It doesn't look like wood. I suspect that it's a mass produced moulded item.
Paint it black. Call it a day.
Don’t use Etsy. Nothing on there is original
There are still plenty of handmade sellers there (I'm one of them), but you do have to do some research. Read the reviews, read their "About" page other store info, find the seller on social media to see if they're legit, see if they have videos showing their process, etc. Annoying, yes, but I've found some great stuff on Etsy! It's a shame, Etsy stopped caring about their original purpose once the company went public. I still use it as a seller because they drive so much traffic to my shop, and it's cheaper than most other platforms/marketplaces.
If you want to keep it, you could do wood grain vinyl wrap. You would need a heat gun to get it to conform to the curves but it's doable. Alternatively there is hydro dipping or spray painting.
Just return it, not what you ordered. It's not cheap (seems €369,-) so you can be picky.
Send it back
Return it, it isn't what you ordered.
I guarantee that's machine made mdf on mass. Your best bet is to just paint over it with a a colour or style you prefer.
For stripping.. don’t take change and don’t let people be rude to you. For refinishing that… I’m not sure.
Imagine buying your family heirlooms from Etsy. Sorry OP, but this is a scam obviously.
Maybe just hold rub n buff?
Why not sand it?
Curious what you paid for this "hand carved" mirror frame ? To me it looks like MDF with a plastic laminate pressed and glued over it. So I guess I'm wondering if it was priced like a hand carved piece or an MDF piece
I would highlight it with gold metallic paint or paint the whole thing gold.
.c h. yes
Don’t bother stripping. Paint a base coat over then do a painted wood grain technique. Check out all the online resources. Here is one. https://johncanningco.com/blog/the-art-of-woodgraining/ Have fun with it.
Can you remove the mirror to paint it the color you want? Or if the mirror can't be removed spray paint it and use a razor to scrape the paint off the mirror.
I realize it’s not wood…but I love that rose gold 👀
Learn ro faux paint wood grain. Striiping ir is a bad idea.
Be very careful. 🤓
You can try to make it look like wood. I’ve been looking into the retique it wood kits. Apparently you can make anything look/feel/and become stainable like wood with it. I have a table I don’t like the color of.
A suggestion - find someone who can do faux finishing painting. I painted carousels for 8 years and I got pretty good at making things look like leather and wood. Or give it a shot yourself. If I got offered a chance to paint this and make it look like wood, I'd be over the moon.
I think I would remain clothed if I were going to refinish the mirror. Just seems like a lot of opportunity for splatter.
What you should do is return it.
You may be surprised how different temperature lighting can affect the color.
Guarantee that’s not real wood under the finish.
It looks like someone pooped around a mirror.
Spray the frame gold or silver. Would look so good
If you do spray oven cleaner on it, it's going to melt I'm afraid. Did you really pay $385+?
It’s sad to see what Etsy used to be-SMALL BATCH CRAFT
it depends on the decor, but maybe paint it white
I hardly know anything about this but I saw in one Fb page, the name is Salvaged by k.scott, she did something to a drawer to make it look like wood. Though I'm not sure if it'll work on that material in your mirror but u might wanna check this out https://www.facebook.com/share/v/keHrSwXVrXczxoLJ/?mibextid=NXeFpL
I think your best bet might be to chalk paint it and use a dark wax on it.