♦♦♦♦ Alberta Street Team CHAT THREAD for JANUARY-APRIL, 2020 ♦♦♦♦

[#1]

HAPPY NEW YEAR and Welcome to the Alberta Team Chat Thread for January 1 through April 30, 2020. Feel free to use the formatting options available for you as you post! Feel free to post your in-person markets here for the season so we can support each other. Also we’ve had a lot of changes with how Etsy views our listings. Feel free to comment how you are adjusting and if you have any questions or just want to see if others are experiencing the same things.

Posting in this thread counts towards your team participation and is the main place to get up to date on what we are doing as a team! 

WHERE TO FIND OUR TEAM & PARTICIPATE:
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/AlbertaStreetTeam
PINTEREST: www.pinterest.com/ABStreetTeam/
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/etsyalbertateam/ #etsyalbertateam

If you have any questions about the team or how to get more involved please contact Kalen, the Team Captain, at www.etsy.com/shop/minibytes

[etceterapatterns]

Thanks so much for your take on this Cindy. The pattern cost C$48. I sent it FIMS (FedEx International) through DYK Post. I will follow up with DYK & FedEx and send her the dispute links. I did send a sympathy response right away (on Saturday) and said I would look into things.

Thanks again - Joanne

[cindylouwho2]

@etceterapatterns  ah, it could have even more brokerage fees is you used Fed Ex, depending on the program DYK is using. I know some of them let you prepay the fees now, but generally Fed Ex has been the worst for overcharging on brokerage, so I don't use them. 

[SheerStitchery]

I am new to Etsy and this is my first Spring / Summer.  I am glad I found a local group where we can all chat.  I sew and am currently working on a collection of sustainable, naturally hand dyed bags and women's clothing.  What does everyone else do?

[SnowmanCollector]

Welcome! I think you will find a little bit of everything on this team. Myself, I do home decor items with a focus on modern farmhouse signs and snowmen. 

[MagpieQuilts]

Hello everyone! Just wondering how everyone is doing with all the social isolation that's happening and the fall out from all of that? What are your challenges? What are your opportunities? Could we just do a little check in - just a quick how you're doing and how you're coping! Thanks!

[MagpieQuilts]

I'm an introvert, so not much has changed here. My coffee/lunch dates with friends are on hold for right now. Family is still welcome and my hubby has been doing the grocery runs on his way home from work. (better him than me! hahaha!) For my Magpie Quilts Etsy shop, I don't have any in person events booked until October, so we'll see how that plays out - haven't paid for my spot yet, so no money out of pocket. I plan to take some time and redo some of the photos I rushed through before Christmas, take a look at my about page that is a couple years old now and needs updating. And I have some new products coming that will hopefully have a bit more of a profit margin as they won't be as time-consuming as most of the stuff I make. 

Feel free to reach out to me via convo if I don't respond quickly here. I'm checking in every couple days, but have some family stuff happening that is keeping me from checking in more often. Thanks!

[WireExpressions]

Hello teamies! I’m an extrovert. This will be tough for extroverts for sure! I always said I’d love to homeschool my kids, but never would bc I’d lose my marbles... homeschooling has now been thrust upon me and my kids who are both on IPP’s! This could be really interesting as my ADHD brain can barely organdy own day never mind the day of two kids with ADHD. That’s my biggest struggle/concern right now. Wire Expressions will take care of itself, I’m sure. I’m still getting orders and sales are up so far. I bought a bunch of stamps so if I can’t go to the post office, I can still drop stuff in the mailbox. But I’m fortunate that it can all fit thru the slot! Hopefully with kids home, I will be able to get some work done. My hubby and I just finished renovating our basement (good timing) and I just finished helping my friend at crazy4crafts with a new website, so I haven’t been super productive on my own stuff since Christmas.

take care all!

[SnowmanCollector]

Self isolation has been a dream of mine for years. lol. Would never have wished for this strange new world though. And my self isolation has not happened. I work in municipal government and that will stay open. So I wash and sanitize a lot. My shop has been gone from being my busiest January/February to an absolute ghost town in March. Hopefully things will pick up when this pandemic starts to subside. In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.

[MagpieQuilts]

Just in case you missed it, Canada Post is not accepting shipments to a number of countries for an unspecified period of time. You may want to change your shop settings and shipping profiles. https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

Also, shipments to Newfoundland and Labrador are being significantly delayed. 

[MagpieQuilts]

And. . . .  if you're still wondering how the Offsite Etsy Ads 12% fee and how to opt out (if you can) or if you are unable to opt out (if you're over $10,000 in sales in a 12-month period), our resident expert Cindy has a thread going here with all the details! https://community.etsy.com/t5/Marketing-Your-Business/Etsy-s-Offsite-Ads-fact-thread/m-p/129563718#M...

[cindylouwho2]

Thanks Ann! I was hoping to do a blog post but am now waiting because I am sure they will need to extend the start date past May 1, given that things will be a hot mess at that point in the US. 

I am on day 20 of self-isolation. Since I usually only leave the condo 1-2 times a week anyway, it had already been 6 days since I was last out when I realized I wouldn't be going out again. I hope I get to leave home by the fall, but that is unlikely. 

I've been doing virtual happy hours & late night chats with some of the Ship & Anchor regulars, which definitely helps with isolation. 

For those worried about shipping, check to see what type of Canada Post pick up service you are eligible for. I have a contract with them (as opposed to just Solutions for Small Business), & they will pick up for $3.50 a trip, or free if I have a Priority package. I can also schedule regular pickups for a flat rate. Jason has been putting things in the box for the past week & half, but tomorrow I have something needing a scan so I have ordered a pick up. 

[cindylouwho2]

I hope everyone is doing well! Today is day 40 of not leaving my condo. 

Most Canada Post pickups are now free for business customers (which I think includes Solutions for Small Business), if you are having difficulty getting to the post office. Jason's been mailing in the box twice a week unless something needs tracking; then we get pickup. I've confirmed with Etsy that they still accept a photograph of a labelled or addressed & stamped package as proof of mailing. 

Is anyone here making masks or other gear? I don't sew, so a friend of mine in the US made us a few; I may ask her for more if they fit well because I would prefer Jason setting a good example when he is walking the dog 3x a day. If you are looking to make, donate or otherwise contribute to the PPE efforts in the Calgary area, here are a few groups: https://covidyyc.com/Main_Page#Mask.2FFaceshield_Projects

stay safe, everyone! 

[nanabrowns]

Hi everyone! Hope that you are doing well. 

I wish I could not leave the house but still have to go to work because the company I work for made the essential list (Oil & Gas). Not very busy there though so perhaps changes will come sooner than later! 

Finishing up an 16-mth Graduate Certificate in HR, so schoolwork will keep me busy until the first week of May and then I am looking forward to a break. Maybe I will read something that is NOT a textbook for the first time in ages! 

I am sewing masks. So many masks! I have sent lots to different organizations and people that needed them in Alberta & BC. Figured I should try to sell some to pay for the fabric and elastic! Now all I need is for some of that elastic to come in the mail! LOL 

Take care everyone!

[etceterapatterns]

Well, just issued my first full refund for an order that didn't show up... 4 weeks to NB and she felt its wasn't covid related. Frustrating when you don't really know what could cause such a delay. Watch it show up tomorrow!

Alas, what more can we really do when we try so hard to have good customer service?!

Anyone else hearing of delivery problems?

[cindylouwho2]

Canada Post suspended all on time delivery guarantees weeks ago, and there are definitely backlogs in the system. In some places, that is exacerbated by temporary plant shutdowns due to COVID-19 cases, but I am not aware of any in NB. The problem is well-known enough that I am now getting more people opting for tracking in both Canada & the US. 4 of my 18 open orders had tracking purchased, which is a higher percentage than the holiday rush, for me. Usually it is closer to 1-2 out of 100. 

Who knows? Sometimes things just disappear at the best of times. I would probably have refunded after 30 days as well, for anything mailed in March, but will likely ask people to wait a little longer for April packages. 

[WireExpressions]

I’m late coming to the show here!!! But want to put my two cents in on this...

Yes I have experienced mail slow downs both for receiving my own packages and for items a sent out.  I’m still following my same policies that have been in my own shop for years.  Since I ship without tracking, during times like this I usually  get several ‘where’s my mail’ questions. In all my years I’ve only had one person not satisfied to wait. And in all the years with this policy, the packages have all either shown up just before my waiting time came up or in the 4 times I have had to reship, all of those showed up within days of the second package that was shipped. This includes one that had usps tracking. I recently had my own amazon package with Canada post get ‘lost’ and around the 5 or week mark it showed up. 

In November Canada Post lost a whole tub of mail so I had 10 packages lost. 8 of which were local within AB). On week five they started showing up. 

So I stick by my own policies for delayed mail. Because my experience tells me that most mail just gets temporarily misplaced and not truly lost for good. 

just to add... I’m actually surprised, I haven’t had that many ‘where’s my mail questions’ during this considering mail volume is said to be 3x Christmas volume. I’ve been bracing to get more - which still could come. So, Either most of mine are being delivered in normal time or people are being much more patient.  No tracking tho... so I have no idea! 

[etceterapatterns]

I've been keeping abreast of slow downs on the CP website and explaining delays in my dispatch notification. It's likely truly gone astray.

Thanks, as always, Cindy!

[lampworkbyjulie]

Recently I’ve noticed via Etsy shipping labels, that surface is the only option for parcels to Europe. (Unless I choose expediated or tracked) 

I have only ever shipped airmail (without tracking) when shipping worldwide. Did I miss an announcement or is this just due to Corvid? 

[cindylouwho2]

You can ship small packet air to most countries in Europe; Canada Post publishes the list of countries they are not shipping to on their alert page. Some countries have no air service right now, I believe, so that might have been your (limited) issue. I've not run into that with any of my orders; I have shipped to UK, Germany, Italy, France, Hungary & Austria in the past 5 weeks. 

Not sure why Etsy would only offer surface small packet instead of air for everything in Europe, other than that Etsy labels are a ripoff anyway. (They don't give you any discounts on small packet; even Canada Post gives you a better small packet rate online for the lowest tier of Solutions for Small Business.)

[lampworkbyjulie]

Thanks Cindy. These were to the UK. So I sure don't understand why there's no small packet air offered when I click 'get shipping label'. 
This next one, I'll just go to the Canada post website and print from there I guess. Nuisance. 
I love using Etsy shipping labels. When I compared them, they were only a few cents more. I don't mind that for the convenience. 

[cindylouwho2]

I don't see how they are convenient when they don't work? LOL

I use Shippo; cheaper small packets than Etsy even if you only have a level 1 Solutions for Small Business account, & it imports everything from Etsy, unlike Canada Post. Definitely not a nuisance, once you set it up. I save over 50 cents on each US small packet, more on international, and a huge amount on tracked items compared to Etsy. Your gains will be smaller than mine, but still substantial on small packet.

And once you have been using Solutions for Small Business for a year, you will likely be eligible for cheaper rates. Since Etsy does not allow you to integrate your Canada Post account, you never get the better rates if you keep using Etsy. It's such a scam. 

[lampworkbyjulie]

Well that's very interesting! I've been signed up with small business solutions for many years. The only time I use tracking is within Canada because it's mandatory.

All of my orders are parcels. (All of my orders are over 3 cm, (often 5 cm thick) and about 20 cm x 15 cm on smaller things.

The convenience for me is that all I have to do with Etsy labels, is put in the size and weight. No name. No address. No customs info. It's all done. This is the first issue I've ever had since Etsy offered shipping labels.

Hope this doesn't jinx it but in my near 700 orders, not one has ever gotten lost. Oops! One. Supposedly something did not arrive to Ireland but I believe I refunded too soon. It was in my early Etsy days and I have since changed my refund policies.

So I'm leary about changing. Afraid I'll jinx it. I know it's ridiculous.

[cindylouwho2]

As I stated, Shippo imports the address etc. They use your Canada Post account so you get your proper discounted rate and can therefore work towards earning even greater discounts.

Etsy just rips you off. 

I personally don't pay Etsy a penny more than I have to, and I don't like dealing with Etsy glitches that take months to resolve in many cases. Etsy labels have had more problems being refused - especially at Christmas time - than other companies, which is another good reason not to use them. 

Things are going to get lost occasionally, especially now, & the more you sell, the more you will deal with that. I've shipped roughly 700 packages in 2020, and only one has gotten lost, and the customer was barely competent to type her address in convos, so I can't be certain the problem was with CP or USPS LOL. 

There will be more losses right now because of the unprecedented mail volume, though. I have a tracked packet to Belgium that last shows up in Montreal on April 23; says it has been forwarded to the country but has not been tracked since. I should be able to file a ticket on that one this week, but CP has been extending ticket times pretty dramatically so I may need to wait until the 2 month point. 

[lampworkbyjulie]

You did! Thanks Cindy. That's what happens when I'm not on my computer and trying to correspond via small iphone font. Sincere apologies. I'm going to look up Shippo. Only you probably don't just drop them at the Canada Post office, do you? I will go look. 

Wow Cindy! 700 this year! That's really mind blowing. It has taken me 13 years to reach that. Obviously your gorgeous work is much more in demand.

In the meantime, I found  INTERNATIONAL AIR with etsy shipping! Good lord I cannot wait until I get new glasses.

Seriously. I hope to have my much stronger prescription in a couple weeks. The joys of living out in the sticks. 

[lampworkbyjulie]

Cindy, can I drop a shippo package at the post office?

I bet you all didn't miss my stupid questions during my absence!