Help! What would you do?

[Former_Member]

I'm in the UK and have been very lucky with my orders this month and have been very busy.

My last shipping date for the United States, for guaranteed Christmas delivery was Friday 13th and I have stated this in my shop announcement.

However, I keep getting orders for the USA and am having to send out emails to advice them that the orders will not be there for Christmas. So far, I've had one person cancel an order.

Some people are not responding to my emails, so I'm not sure if I should go ahead and make the orders and ship them. Or, wait for a reply. The longer I wait, the later the order will arrive.

What would you do?

[Former_Member]

I see that you have this information in your shop announcements, so you've covered yourself on that end. Do you also have a note in the automated response section after someone has purchased? I know this doesn't help orders already placed, but may help if any others occur...

If it were me, I would go ahead and ship the orders and keep my fingers crossed that the post office is efficient this year!

[rhodyart]

Do not make the orders. YOu say specifically that you are not able to guarantee delivery for Christmas. Send another email explaining this to them and cancel the orders. You are in the right here

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much for the advice, some people have emailed me back to say it's fine and they are happy for the orders to arrive after Christmas.

It's the people that haven't responded to my emails that concern me. I don't want to make and send out orders and then have people upset if they are delayed.

My husband says I should send another email stating that if I haven't heard back by a certain time, the orders will be made and sent.

[SnarkFactory]

How do you know they are ordering for Christmas? You shouldn't assume they need it for a gift. I have been ordering a bunch of stuff on Etsy lately. Mainly because I'm stressed out and spending money makes me happy. 0 of the items I ordered are for Christmas.

If a customer messages you asking if their order will arrive in time for the holiday, explain that no it won't and offer to cancel. If a customer doesn't ask, it's business as usual. Messaging your customers to explain what you cannot do is unnecessary.

[Former_Member]

i probably would send out an urgent email b4 sending anything. you don't want to pay return shipping fees and all that jazz and have disputes.....even if it is their bad for not reading.

[BlackCatStudio98]

I would send them. They aren't necessarily for gifts, or if they are maybe they are getting together with the person after Christmas.

Even if they didn't read your policies or your email they probably realize it's getting close to Christmas and their order might not make it by Christmas. Unless they didn't notice you're in the UK...But I would still send them.

[HareAndFern]

The exact situation is happening to me this whole month.

What I did is sending my customers a message, asking if they have seen my shop's announcement and explaining the processing and shipping times. Most of them replied that they are totally fine with getting their item after Christmas! So, don't presume they all buy gifts only, but you absolutely have to contact them and check it. Good luck with your sales! :)

[MyDistinctDesigns]

I would send them.

[1AEON]

Once you emailed that the packages most like will get there after the 25th, I would just make them and send them. If they don't like the idea, they can send it back and if the condition is the same, we can talk refund. At least This is how I do it anyways. (Unless we are talking about custom orders or one of a kind pieces)

[SerenityInChains]

Ship them. We have the same thing going on. I'm in the US and still getting international orders. International deadline was December 1st. I have this in my shop announcement and in my acknowledgment. I've done everything I can to make them aware. I make the assumption they have read the notices,a nd understand they aren't getting it by Christmas, maybe they just WANT it.

[KiltedWoman]

Lots of people have birthdays around Christmas. I would send an email and then send the orders out the next day. Even people here in the states are asking me if their gift will arrive on time. I think people should know that if you order from overseas it is going to be too late.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

I would process and ship the order.

[SageNThymeDesigns]

I like your husband's idea of sending an email with a deadline- for the future. Right now you're probably best just shipping the orders and sending a final email saying that you've been trying to contact them, you're shipping as soon as possible with an expected delivery date of... etc...

I've been in this situation many times and now the 1st email I send has a deadline. Usually something like...
"If I don't hear from you by Friday the XXth I will go ahead and process your order as planned, typically shipping takes XX days"

[Former_Member]

Thanks everyone, great to have so many different opinions on what you would do.

Wouldn't it be brilliant if everyone started their shopping for gifts a little earlier. It's mainly men that seem to be ordering last minute!!

[HareAndFern]

Definitely. Helen, and it would also be great if everyone started reading... Sometimes I feel so guilty when someone didn't read it all, even though it's not my fault.

Haha, I didn't think about it, but it's mainly men in my shop too!

[MythOfTheWild]

I'm in the same boat as you. From the UK, last date for me was the 12th to ensure that the products were made to order, and I'm getting orders even now from overseas with messages like "it's a christmas gift!!!!" in the message box. I send out messages letting them know it's not likely to arrive, but, like you, I'm not getting any responses. I decided that, be it right or be it wrong, I post the products out as quickly as I can. There might be a fairy along the way that sprinkles pixie dust. I don't offer faster shipping, because, in my experience, Royal Mail's £10 shipping alternative just isn't any good, and takes the same amount of time as the standard £3.50 one does, and the time it might take for people to reply and pay the added extra fee to upgrade the shipping, any chance it had of arriving on time has passed. So I just send them a message and ship it the next day if I receive no message back. If they get back to me after shipping then I obviously can't do anything about that, but who is to say that if I'd held onto it for 3 days that they'd even have replied at all? Sometimes we just have to make the call, and the closer it gets to Christmas, the sooner we have to make that call. Be it right or wrong. No one wants unhappy customers, and no one wants to BE an unhappy customer.

[Former_Member]

I contact all those who say it`s for Christmas. All the others I don`t want to offend by mentioning Christmas, because maybe they are not even Christians.

[Former_Member]

Maja, your so right and thank you for reminding me that not everyone celebrates Christmas. I've got myself so wrapped up in the frenzy of Christmas, that I hadn't considered that.

Most of the people I have emailed have now got back to me and stated that they're happy for their order to arrive after Christmas. So I shall keep on making and dispatching :)

Perhaps I was panicking unnecessarily?

[SerenityInChains]

We all panic from time to time. Just remember to breath! 99% of customers know what they are doing. Planning for the 1% is a great thing! but you can only plan so far before you drive yourself, and your customers bonkers.

[WintergreenDesign]

Ive been contacting my costumers immediately upon their purchase to thank tjem and i let them know that they arent likely to receive their order by christmasand if they wish to cancel tonplease let me know as I intend to send their items the following day... this basically gives them 24 hours to cancel.

Once i ship their order i send a shipping notification giving the delvery time frame and again tell them that itbis likely to arrive after christmas.... no one has canceled