do you confirm an order?

[#1]

After someone posted a question asking if people say thank you after receiving feedback, it got me thinking. Do you send a message/convo after you have received an order? I do. I send something like "Thank you for your purchase. I'll be working on your ___________ this week and will let you know when it has shipped. Please let me know if you have any questions." Considering how so many people thought excessive emails thanking customers was Spamming, I'm wondering if sending a confirmation email is too much. What are your thoughts? I guess I just wanted to reassure people that I got their purchase request and am working on it. ?????

[PALEOLOCHIC]

I always send a thank you and a confirmation note, leting them know when is going to be ship and confirming any note to seller they might have left and inviting me to contact me if they have any doubts. Sometimes when I buy things on internet something weird can happen and I am not sure if it did go through or not so I believe this can happen to my customers too. Thanks!

[suemako]

I have never done that because I wasn't sure if that was considered spam or not. I was relying on the email Etsy sends them. I generally ship the same day the order comes in when possible.

[MotuProprio]

I use the email message Etsy sends to buyers when they purchase something, and only write to them again if I there is any doubt or question about the order.
Finally, I send a Thank you message when they give me some feedback at the end of the process.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

If I only thanked the customers giving feedback, I would only thank about 1 in 20....
Most customers are new to Etsy and don't know or don't care about the review system.
That, and Etsy not allowing them to post a review when they receive the package, but making them wait for another week or two (I'm in Belgium, most of my customers are in the US). Only buyers that are Etsy sellers themselves might go through the trouble of leaving postponed reviews.

[beatroad]

Yes...I always email!

[Former_Member]

*Just thought I'd let you all know (since WOW I got a lot of responses on this) that I got three return thank you's to my "thank you for your purchase" just in one day. Pretty Cool! Hey, if I appreciate a "thank you" this much, someone else will too! Thank you for all of your input!

[TheJoyofColor]

I do the same, I find it reassuring I think the personal touch is nice and lots of buyer to thank me back. As i ship from far (Israel) i also mention the lead time , although written in my shop items and policies not all buyers read everything
I do it as i would like to be informed too when buying on the net, it makes me feel better

[TheJoyofColor]

@BeaG i find it also not convenient to wait one week more , you seldom come back again and live a feedback.
I do thank those who lives a feedback in the Etsy system , lots of the feedback i'm getting are convos from buyer that they got the item and like it , I don't know how to ask them to live a review on Etsy so i just thank them

[lauraprill]

I too rely on the Message to Buyers, unless it is a Custom Order. Then I usually have several convos about preferences, timeline, etc.
I really enjoy these as it helps me to connect with my buyer and make it a wonderful experience for them.
Great thread topic...

[WearYourWild]

I send a thank you convo with the expected shipping date (from the receipt), letting them know that they'll get a notice when the item ships.
I then write a note in the private section, so I know that I acknowledged the sale and then get it ready to go.
It helps me keep up with orders.
It's a system that works for me and I haven't had any complaints about it.

[rioritajewelry]

To Alisia Marie - I do something similar to what you do.

[Lithology]

I chat with a buyer every chance I get. Having a nice item is all fine and good, but having an item that is a connection to a real person is Art. I think future sales are greatly improved with personal conversations. I even add personal notes to my shipping notices.

[NDetailDesign]

I think it is reassuring to at least let the buyer know that you have received an order. It takes a few seconds and confirms the sale. I do this regardless of a special order or not. It is a personal gesture and well appreciated:)

[Former_Member]

I'm a bit confused. Most people seem to send a confirmation email to their buyer as soon as they see the purchase. Are you guys all sending ANOTHER mail/convo after the buyer gets the automatic transaction confirmation by Etsy? Or do you add your thank you message to that one?

I started out messaging buyers a Thank You on top of the automatic Etsy confirmation and was finding it all a bit much for a purchase. Etsy automatic email, MY email, Paypal confirmation, Paypal shipping email, MY shipping notification and then the option of Etsy's shipping confirmation.

Unless the order's custom, or the buyer's specifically asked questions/left comments, I tend to just leave everything to the automated emails where I've also added a little thank you message. After reading everyone's habits, seems like I'm doing too little communicating..!

[FreshRetroGallery]

Perhaps depends on what they are ordering, like if it is a custom item, etc. I have a message that they will automatically see upon placing an order which indicates that their receipt will be marked "shipped" within a day or two and that, to avoid excess email, I won't send confirmation that it's shipped unless requested. It's sort of like the KISS rule I learned in design school many years ago …keep it simple, stupid!

[BeljaysFelt]

I used to send a thankyou email on top of the auto/etsy email and then realised it was saying pretty much the same thing. So I'm thinking that I will only send my own convo if I need to add something special about their order. Haven't really decided which is better.

[Former_Member]

I've been relying on Etsy's confirmation e-mails as well. I do take the time to add a personal note to them. My shipments go out in one day and I include a tracking number whenever I can.
Maybe I could still do more.

[Former_Member]

I like to put myself in the shoes of a buyer and determine what I should do as a seller. And personally, when making an online purchase, I would like to be informed of the progress of my order, especially when my order is confirmed and when it is shipped.

So I usually send an automated generic message to confirm that order has been received. Then a shipment notification that gives the buyer an estimated time frame for delivery. And eventually follow up with a message to make sure that order has been received. Some may find this excessive, but I find it a good way to get the buyers to provide feedback.

[GardensOfTheSun]

I rely on the Etsy confirmation email. If I need to know more information, e.g. which item from the picture they want, or size, or when it will take me longer than 2 days to send out the item, I will send a personal message. When I have communicated with the seller before, I try to personalise the shipping confirmation. I always put a personal, handwritten note in the package.
I see some of you get very good feedback on the additional communication, so I might give it a try after the holiday season, when things have calmed down a bit.

[HomeStudio]

I really wish I could (would) leave a convo with my customers after they've ordered. However, I rely on my shop info, listings, policies and 'message from seller' on my orders to do as much post and pre order communicating. I'm grateful we have all these information tools provided through Etsy.

[Former_Member]

I have been relying on the Etsy automatic confirmation email (which contains a generic thank you note written by me). I always try to ship same day, or within 24 hours, and I always add a personal note with tracking number to the shipping notification. I also send a thank you note with every order.
I do like the idea of sending a personal convo acknowledging the order: I recently ordered all my family's Christmas gifts on Etsy and haven't heard anything personal from the sellers and am wondering how it's going and when they'll ship. A convo would be really reassuring, and would encourage me to leave feedback. This is a great thread - many thanks!!

[ArtistLydiaMakepeace]

@ Missy Messy
I LOVE your conversation style! Just took a look through your shop and listings. I feel like I can hear your voice when I read your bio and listing descriptions which are so whimsically specific :)

I'm sitting here asking the same question. Are you all sending another seperate email/convo on top of the automatic confirmation email that Etsy sends the customer after their purchase?

There's an option to include a personalized message in the confirmation email Etsy sends out after customers purchase from your shop. Mine says something like, "Thank you so much for your purchase! Because of you I'm living my dream." When I ship the item, I mark the item as shipped, enter the tracking number, thank them and give them a general range for when they can expect to receive it. In addition, I include a handwritten note with every order.

I've always felt like my approach was personal and informative without overdoing it. But reading this thread is causing me to wonder if I'm not meeting expectations... I personally find it overwhelming to receive multiple emails regarding a single purchase, sometimes even confusing but perhaps I'm in the minority?..

[katherinefathisilver]

I use the auto message where I thank the customer for their purchase. I also thank them when I send the tracking # and I include a hand written note in the package. I kind of go by the customer-if they leave a note to me I always respond. My things ship the same day or the next working day so there's no big delay.Sometimes I have to watch myself to avoid over doing the thank you's!

[HomeWorksMontana]

I just opened my shop a few weeks back, so this thread has been quite informative and helpful to me, learning from all you Pro's! Thank you!

I love the idea of a handwritten personal note included with each order.

I've been letting my customers know when the item is shipped via email. I (think) I also have the auto-message from Etsy … need to check on that!

I haven't had any feedback (reviews) on my sales yet, so I'm wondering how you all get reviews?

Thanks again for your tips ~

Carole

[Former_Member]

I thank them in the package and also thank them when I let them know their item has shipped and provide a tracking #.