New Etsy announcement- Changes/ update to Etsy Seller Policy-Etsy Payments policy

[WitticismsRus]

Be sure to check out the new announcement posted by etsy here. It's an important one  https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/January-2021-Updates-to-Etsy-s-Seller-Policies/m-p/13284...

I also got an email so check email too. 

Updated Etsy Payments Policy here https://www.etsy.com/legal/etsy-payments/

New Help Center article here too https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052804274?segment=selling

the change goes into effect February 23rd 2021

[SmudgePlant]

I think there's going to be a lot more "Where's My Money!" threads.

[WitticismsRus]

@SmudgePlant 

Yep! I'm surprised it took them this long to make some sort of change like the reserve.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

@SmudgePlant 

I said the same thing when I read it!

[moonbeamgifts]

Yet another change from Maskmania 2020.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

@moonbeamgifts 

And the influx of resellers and counterfeiters.

[KineticColorFoundry]

One small bit of frustration buried in that mess is this : 

"Don’t mark items as shipped before they’re dropped off with your carrier."

Considering Etsy marks things as shipped when you buy a label to ship them, that's sort of a physical impossibility.... (And let's not even get started on the overwhelmed state that the post office is in, right now...)

[vintageNCtreasures]

It's not impossible to get the correct shipping date to show up when you've mailed a package.
When printing postage on Etsy you can move up the shipping date 3 days. 

I think this applies for these sellers that print out shipping labels or mark the items as shipped, days or weeks before they ever actually mail the item.  This way it looks like they've mailed out items according to their processing time when they haven't.

I bought something last year on a Thursday. Got the email from Etsy later that day that my item had shipped but it hadn't. I checked on Friday, but nothing but label created showed up.
The seller did NOT mail it until the following Tuesday.
I was NOT happy.
When I asked the seller, the answer was she didn't have time to go to the post office everyday. I told her then she didn't need to print a label UNTIL the day she was going to go to the post office not 4-5 days before she actually went.

[crowinghenfarm]

That's one of the reasons why I don't buy shipping on Etsy.  I like to schedule it to be marked as shipped the day after I ship it. 

Sometimes there are impossible things that prevent me from getting to the post office, so it's nice to have that extra day.  

And then there's the problem with living on an island.  This time of year, the weather can cut us off from the mainland for a week.  I don't like to ship if I know it's not going to leave the island the same day.  Otherwise, it gets stuck in the sorting facility.  So Friday after 1 pm through Monday morning is no-ship-time.  

[KineticColorFoundry]

I've had some customers receive the shipping notification on the day I bought the label, rather than the day I marked as the posting date.     Regardless of how you choose it, it's still marked as shipped the second you link it to a label.  It may be just poor wording on Etsy's part, but with Etsy, it's hard to tell.

[TheEternalKnot]

I ship a lot of small 1st class packages (flats under 8oz.) - Etsy will show tracking info for these labels but these labels don't have full barcodes and USPS doesn't regularly update tracking for them. Customers see incomplete tracking and get the wrong idea.  Frustrating and wholly beyond my control.

[AnsaesFave]

Pirateship integration also marks things as shipped at time of label purchase although I select the actual shipping date when creating the label.

[moonbeamgifts]

I use Pirateship and have found the same thing as @AnsaesFave 

I'm game if there's a work around that someone knows of?   

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

The problem I saw with that requirement from Etsy is that USPS isn't scanning packages right away and they're showing as "pre-transit" for days. That's not the seller's fault.

[OrWaDesigns]

I bought from a shop that told me they can't package up the item until after the print the label and then it didn't ship for a week after the label was printed. Etsy is probably just trying to avoid that mess. I print my labels 1 day ahead because sometimes people notice an error in the address before fedex picks up and i can change it! or sometimes they are like "oh no i am out of town can you hold the package?" and because i printed the label a day early, yes i can hold the package! I always put a notice that the tracking will not update until the next day tho, so im not trying to fool anyone. 

[WestNinthVintage]

Reason #7438 to use ShipStation:

ShipStation can be set to notify the customer and marketplace when the item enters the mailstream.

This will automatically avoid the 'couldn't make it to the Post Office today' when you packaged the order and printed the label.

Reason to use ShipStation #1:

Ease of selling on multiple marketplaces. Diversify your income stream(s).

[BKMHattitude]

@WitticismsRus  I read the email but I am not sure what it means. Is this for new sellers? I made my first sale 12 years ago so this is what is confusing to me.

[WitticismsRus]

@BKMHattitude 

My emails (got one for each shop) all specifically said we will not have a reserve placed on our account at this time because we made our first sale more than 90 days ago. I think they send it to everyone because they did make a significant change in the policy even if the new reserve thing doesn't apply to your shop. They have to notify us of policy changes. The change will likely impact new sellers or sellers who are having issues managing their shop I think. Either way, it's a big change and they had to notify everyone I think. 

[BellesCharmsUK]

I’m confusedtoo 

[DivineCrossings]

@WitticismsRus “At this time...” being the operative phrase leading me to believe this will affect all sellers at some point. It’s a little ominous and very ambiguous, not to mention, disconcerting. Needless to say, given Etsy’s behavior over the last few years, I have major trust issues. And, given the current issues surrounding shipping and covid, introducing this policy now is more than insensitive. It’s a way for Etsy to avoid having to pay out further refunds for delivery issues.

[Adorabilities]

I also got an e-mail for each of my shops. All of them said the same thing: this does not apply to my shop.

One of my shops is brand new (no sales at all), so this makes me think the policy is based on user, not shop. Otherwise that particular shop would have been subject to the reserve rule.

[leinweberstudio]

@DivineCrossings Agreed, this could be the slowly phased in arrival of payments available only when/after items are actually shipped.

The new policy about marking items as shipped with more correct dates goes toward strengthening that thought. 

[TheEternalKnot]

My question is what are these so-called minor changes - I followed the links in Etsy's email to no avail...  

Other updates

In addition to the changes outlined above, we’ve made a few small adjustments to some of our other policies. We’ve also added a bit more information about your responsibility to follow local tax laws and clarified that Etsy may take action against your shop if you’re not adhering to those requirements and providing Etsy with relevant tax information. You’ll receive additional info if these changes affect your shop. 

[dayspringcollectible]

Yes, I agree.  I did the same and in a quick skim could not figure out what the changes were.  They should be detailed in a separate article and/or highlighted in the policies.  I was particularly interested in what they were saying about local tax laws.

[LeesbrgReclaimedWood]

Agreed.  I've been looking for the last hour and it seems impossible to see the changes or what's actually new.  Every link and reference just ties back the very very long master document with all the current policies.  Not surprised... but I wonder what they're doing that warrants burial.