Purchasing After Christmas Deadlines

[MythOfTheWild]

So, the deadline for purchases outside of the UK for delivery in time for Christmas was the 12th, and I got a lot of last-minute orders that day. I was actually able to keep on top of it and got everything posted out that day, but I'm still getting orders to the US with messages saying "needed in time for Christmas". The thing is, the faster shipping option that's available isn't really faster at all - not in my experience, at least. People can pay 3 times as much but it won't reach them any sooner. Otherwise, there's another option which costs about 3 times as much as the products themselves which I don't see people paying.

Obviously I don't want to lose the sales by telling them it won't arrive in time, but I have to let them know that it's likely to arrive after Christmas. So far I've been lucky and no one has wanted to cancel the orders, but I still feel as though I'm expected to use some kind of magic to make it get there in time and it's a bit stressful.

I'm assuming that others are having this problem, or are likely to have it soon. How do you deal with it? I send them a polite message thanking them almost profusely for their business, but I also let them know that it's not likely to arrive on time. It might manage it, but odds are it'll be a little late. So far no one's cancelled, but it's getting so close to Christmas now that I don't feel I have the time to ask them if they want 'faster' shipping that I swear is a 1 in 6 chance of actually being faster than standard, because a lot of the time customers buy and then wander off and don't respond to messages. Am I right to just ship it standard as quickly as I can? The way I see it, even if an item is late for Christmas, it would still surely be as appreciated late as it would have been on the day. A good gift is a good gift, right? Or is there something else I should be doing or offering them that I've not thought of yet?

[CopperLeafStudios]

If I know it's a gift, I sometimes offer to send a .jpg of the item in case it doesn't arrive on time. That way they are able to give the recipient a photo of what they will receive. Truthfully, the past few years I had "holiday" sales through January, so I don't assume everyone needs it by the 25th. I've not had a cancellation yet, so while I'm up front about time frames, I don't make a big deal about it. So far so good :)

[Former_Member]

I know exactly how you feel. I have posted it in my shop announcement, but still get an anxious feeling when orders come in after the cut off. Which in Ireland, is ridiculously the 6th, for US orders and even with express shipping they won't guarantee it any later than that. I'm totally confused as to what sort of magical place Irish post to the US is going to spend weeks in if it is sent later.

The other side is, with Christmas, post is always a risk. I've ordered stuff myself, and while I hope to get it before I would still want it after, which I hope is what most buyers also feel, and it is sort of out of the seller's control.

[PotteryLodge]

I keep getting orders from people wanting them in time for Christmas as well. I've been messaging them letting them know that my Christmas delivery is no longer available but I am fearing all the negative feedback from upset customers. This year is defiantly a BIG learning experience that I will use for the next holiday season.

[CatherineMarissa]

This is a big reason why I close my shop down fairly early in December - - I don't want to miss out on the holidays with my family & don't want to disappoint people.

Definitely a good idea to contact people & let them know your shipping timeline - - a must if they say they need the item by Christmas.

[Applepear]

As a frequent buyer, I think you can be honest with your customer and simply tell them that in your experience it takes x amount of days, which is likely after Christmas. If something isn't available on time, I usually know it's my fault for not ordering earlier. And anyone I care about enough to give a present to wouldn't mind receiving their special gift a bit late.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

I've tried to make it fairly clear in my shop that yesterday was the cut-off for holiday delivery. If anyone orders something from this point on I'll send a quick convo to let them know it might not make it and hope for the best. I also stopped taking special orders through the rest of the year to eliminate the stress on my end.

[SageNThymeDesigns]

I agree with Priscilla, sometimes people know their gift won't get there in time, but they still want to send a gift.

I have a big headline in all my gift-item listings with the cut-off for purchase and when their item will ship. It's on my shop headlines too and I also convo within 1 day of purchase with a "ships by date" and estimated delivery date included.

For items that I cannot have ready to ship at this point in time, I deactivate those listings (this is also a problem for me on Halloween- people don't want their costume on Nov. 1)

I think people know they're more than a little late, so ship it as fast as you can (and they paid for)

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

Joanne, as much as I hated to do it, I deactivated a few listings yesterday as well. I had them listed as ready to ship even though they're made to order on my end. They don't take long to make but I didn't want to cause even more of a delay getting them shipped out.

[MythOfTheWild]

I suppose adding the info to every listing's description is a good idea if you really need to get it out there, but the problem then is that if it's too high in your description if can mess up your relevancy (we might not want too many orders as it gets so close to Christmas, but there are always people browsing for future purchases and the like), but too low down and it might not be seen. Assuming that everyone were to read the description.

I would close my shop, but in my experience, doing that is very very difficult to get back up from - you fall off the grid, and it's as if you've only just opened your shop again, unless you have loyal customers. I don't want to take that risk. The way I see it, as long as it states clearly in your info box and your policies, and also adjust the processing time for listings, you can leave everything for a certain date to post without closing your shop. Some people won't see the information but it's the seller's responsibility to make sure that the information is correct and easy to find, and it's the the buyer's responsibility to read it the same way it would be for them to tick the 'terms and conditions' box if our shops had any. Now there's an idea!

I suppose all I can do is continue to send buyers messages to let them know about the likelihood of their products arriving. No false hope! But without a completely pessimistic attitude either. They could still turn up, of course, but it's very far from likely.

[Former_Member]

I had two cancelled orders yesterday because I couldn't guarantee that it will arrive on time. In the end I decided to deactivate that item. Last year I put a warning on top of each description, but that didn`t help either. People were still buying after cut off dates and were then wandering why they haven`t received their order in time.

[Former_Member]

If I get a message that is needed by Christmas I send them a message that it will not arrive and explain that I will have to cancel the order. I had 3 yesterday.

[Former_Member]

Since most everything in my shop is custom or made to order and I was still getting custom order requests yesterday, I went ahead and closed my shop until Jan. 3rd. I immediately felt lighter and less stressed.

[HareAndFern]

Here we go... I've just received a message from a customer who placed her order after my deadline. The deadline was mentioned in my shop's announcement, I my note that she saw after purchase, plus I have sent her a convo checking if she has seen it all. There was no response, so I asumed everything is fine - everyone would asume it.

However, NOW she says that the item is needed by Xmas. Well, I've politely explained everything and included all my notes, announcements and previous message I have sent her. Everything was clear and I can't be responsible for a customer not reading a thing. However, I told her that if she can't use the item after Xmas, she can return it to me for a full refund.

Oh goodness, why don't people read? :(

[WilliamsGiftshop]

If customers chose not to read important information, it is THEIR problem, not yours.
Simpley send them the goods they ordered and paid for. The info already said they probably won't get it in time for Christmas. No need to appologize for that. If they decide to shop this late, they will have to postpone gift giving untill New Year.
Again: don't make this YOUR problem!