Help /Support for Change on Shipping Profiles

[VogueVixens]

I've already seen what a great team this is, and how we support each other.

Since the new "order processing time" has been offered for us to add to our shipping profiles I have been having problems. Etsy needs to change the wording on the Processing TIme Option.

For example: We ship out orders within 1-3 Business days, so have updated all our listings and shipping profiles.
BUT - If a potential buyer is reading our listings, above the shipping rates what they see is : Ships in 1-3 Business Days

I've already had SEVERAL customers who believe that is when their item will arrive, instead of knowing that is when it will be first mailed out. And I can't blame them because it is easy to misunderstand. New Etsians never bother to read their invoices.

WHAT IT SHOULD SAY INSTEAD IS:
Order will be processed and shipped out within 1-3 Business Days. Arrival times vary with location.

OR: If we could put suggested shipping timelines after each country in our shipping profile.

Honestly it is hard enough to have my American customers understand that I am not in the same country and that shipping takes longer than they may be used to.
This is beginning in a bunch of problems and cases against me for orders that are only a week old.

SO IF YOU FEEL THE SAME, Please add your comments to the thread I started:

www.etsy.com/teams/7714/ideas/discuss/11071859/

★I really appreciate any support here, the order processing times is a good idea, but the way it's worded is just another strike against International sellers,because we will be disappointing customers who will now have unrealistic expectations. ★

[cindylouwho2]

"Arrival times vary with location" - yeah, that would work.

I generally don't have an issue with people expecting things too soon because I mention the shipping schedule in my automated note to buyer & in my thank you convo. But it would of course be good if Etsy made it clear too.

[sockysocks]

This is just what we don't need! Shipping to the US can be problematic at the best of times, but with the run up to Christmas the last thing we want is US buyers expecting their order to arrive in 1-3 days!
Thank you so much for raising this point. I've left a comment in the other thread.

[sockysocks]

I've raised a thread in Etsy's UK & Ireland Seller Support Team with a link to this one to get more views and support.

[AlteredEras]

Thanks Mandy - saw this in the UK support team.

Vogue - yes this is a problem/misunderstanding that I hadnt thought of - will add my support to the other thread.

[Former_Member]

thank you for raising this

[bebbyjumpers]

I have never experienced this problem but agree that it should be made clearer and easier to understand.

[VogueVixens]

Thanks everyone, for supporting this.

I already have a case against me by someone who thought they should get their pattern in 3 days....and someone in the Philipines who also believed before she bought that she would get her order in 3 days...and her English was very good. Thankfully she read her invoice and checkout message and convo'ed me.

All Etsy has to do is reword this to make it clearer to the potential customers.

I already spent a bunch of time editing my listings for this new feature that I thought would be helpful. If Etsy doesn't fix this my choices are:

a) edit all listings to remove the order processing time

b)edit the descriptions in all my listings to add shipping timeline at the bottom. which will appear just above the shipping prices and hopefully be noticed.

c)join the shipping improvements team so I can choose a shipping timeline on the one shipping service I offer. This still involves editing all my listings because the rates aren't the same on all of them, I don't know by heart the ones that are different....unfortunately.

FRANKLY, with all the latest changes on Etsy I am just sick and tired of editing!

[Former_Member · Accepted solution]

Hi all, so sorry that this has been causing you problems. Just to let you know we're looking into it right away!

Thanks,

Heidi

[Former_Member]

thanks Heidi

[VogueVixens]

Thanks Heidi, I'm happy that this problem is getting noticed, and hope Etsy will be able to fix it soon.

My mother didn't like the change, so I just re-edited all my listings to remove it...just to avoid headaches until the "Processing Time" is improved in clarity.

[Former_Member]

I posted about this when they first announced this change. I was worried about the same thing.

In that same thread, Erick mentioned that they would be introducing shipping times later... I do hope that is the case! And wouldn't it be wonderful if buyers couldn't open a case against us until some time has passed from when the shipping time says the item sould arrive?

[TigersandDragons]

Veronica you can join the Shipping Improvements team if you want to add shipping times, and be able to offer different shipping choices.

[Former_Member]

From mid-November to Christmas I have found packets can take weeks, one last year took 6 weeks and my buyer was so patient she never even told me until it had arrived, I would have been worried sick.

Nearly all my sales are to the USA and Canada, some to other international destinations.

Now with the apparent channelling to report to Etsy instead of encouraging to contact the seller I am considering removing shipping to any destination other than the UK and possibly EU during November until 2013. I might even put the shop on vacation as it might not be worth maintaining it for so few sales, views and sales have dropped dramatically recently.

I've a friend who had already decided to put her shop on vacation for December because she had so many worries with packets taking weeks to turn up last year.

Its a shame to voluntarily give up the Christmas trade as most buyers realise with post delays, bad weather and Customs and security checks things can take months but if they go to contact the seller and are unwittingly filing a dispute with Etsy its not worth the risk.

Even Ebay does everything they can to get sellers and buyers to resolve any disputes before they step in.

If people are really unhappy and don't believe what a seller tells them they can always put in a claim with Paypal - because all our customers will be paying via Paypal as we don't even have the DC option (whether we want it or not).

[Former_Member]

tigersanddragons from TigersandDragons says
Veronica you can join the Shipping Improvements team if you want to add shipping times, and be able to offer different shipping choices.
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I checked it, but they were having lots of bugs that needed ironing out... Are they fixed?

[Former_Member]

I've been thinking about shutting for December too, BlueKitty. It seems insane, but just recently I've been reported to admin on folksy for non-arrival (parcel then turned up after I'd worried like mad, buyer didn't tell me though...)

I just can't fancy more of that, and now with the gift cards and DC and the report button here - what's the point? I want to enjoy my family Christmas, not be a nervous wreck!

[Former_Member]

That's exactly what my friend has been saying for a couple of months Heather, she even has it in her message to buyer so regular customers will know (if they read it).

Now with all that is happening here I'm starting to see the sense in it.

[TigersandDragons]

tigersanddragons from TigersandDragons says
Veronica you can join the Shipping Improvements team if you want to add shipping times, and be able to offer different shipping choices.
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Veronica wrote:
I checked it, but they were having lots of bugs that needed ironing out... Are they fixed?
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I haven't joined that team, but I took at look at it a few weeks ago.
The point of some of these teams is for willing Sellers to use the new options and report the bugs so they can be fixed before it rolls out to everyone.
So you can always wait for that....but considering these problems with the first part that was rolled out - "Processing time" and this new reporting system for customers...I don't know if we all will be happy with it even when it does become available. to all.

I do have to wonder if Etsy has any customer service specialists who look at the wording of things and how things are structured...because I think Etsy really needs this kind of staff to figure out the human interaction angle of any changes to Etsy.

My mother joined the Listing Improvements Team so that she could used the coloured tabs you can put on your listings (only you can see them). It is a great organizing tool if you have a lot of listings.

[Former_Member]

I've been a participant in the 'shipping improvements' team since its announcement and there have been so many bugs its not funny any more.

Right now the ONLY thing I'm using is the 'processing time' (which should read processing time' rather than 'ships in xxx days').

I've thought about setting up different shipping options for some items, but every time I try to do it, the shipping profiles just go crazy for me. Its not worth the headache!