thinking about stopping international orders.

[MintThreads]

i do get a lot of international orders but it seems i get messages like this ALL THE TIME.

this is what i got today:

"Excuse me but why is it taking so long for my package to arrive? I don't understand why it's sitting around in different states when I've never had this issue with American sellers before. Very unsatisfactory."

i shipped her order a week early and tracking says its in chicago, (whether its still there or not) i feel like customs inspects every package i send to the UK. and my customers actually think its my fault and i must be able to do something. i really don't know what to do. These people leave negative feedback! its not my fault though! i don't know if its worth the headache anymore. what do you all think??

[Former_Member]

To be honest, I think that's like people having a bad experience with an Etsy seller and never shopping on Etsy again. You're going to get unreasonable customers regardless of where you ship, but if you think stopping intl postage will spare you a headache, then by all means, go ahead.

[Former_Member]

Lix I think the big difference is that you make the same profit on the item you send internationally, but if there is a problem with the transaction you are out 10x the amount of shipping costs. Which means if even 1/10th as many international orders go bad as domestic orders go bad you would be out the same amount of money.

That is a very unpleasant note from the buyer, respond as nicely as possible. I am so sorry that you are unhappy with the delay, as you know I did mail your package out a week early and I mailed it via the postage service that you paid for. Unfortunately I will not be able to speed the delivery of your package any further as it is in the hands of the postal service now. I hope that your package gets to you quickly and the product was worth the wait. Thanks again for your business.

That is what I would do, I have often had grumpy customers apologize after I respond very nicely to their short or mean comments.

[maydaylabels]

We ship a lot of international and run into the occasional problem, but not nearly often enough to make us stop international sales.

Patience goes a long way. Many people are new to Etsy or haven't purchased much from the US before so they're unclear about where to look for tracking or shipping upgrades, etc. Once you explain calmly that packages don't generally update after their last US location (Chicago is one) until they get to the destination city, which can take 10 days to 3/4 weeks, and that they can contact their local PO with the customs number if they think it might be waiting somewhere for them, most problems dissolve.

I think a lot of it is that customers don't know when they'll receive the package, the process it takes to get to them, or the way the USPS updates tracking info, and providing that information helps.

[Former_Member]

In my shipment notice that goes out, I include a statement saying domestic shipments can be expected within 3-5 days and international orders can take several weeks but are usually received within 6 weeks. I ask them to contact me if they have not received their item within that time frame. That gives them a heads up to expect a longer transit time in a polite way.

[Former_Member]

why don´t you insure your items?? if something goes wrong you don´t loose any money. i insure every package (and my items are worth in the 10€ range) because making them takes quite some time and most of my items are rather unique and hard to replace
that of course does not do away with unpatient customers but maybe you could add shipping times to your thank you message or the shipment notification like felisa does??

[MythOfTheWild]

That sucks. This is the problem with tracking, I think. If someone asks for tracking I'll add it, though it costs about £10 instead of £3.50 for tracked shipping to the US. But the problem is that it allows people to keep watching the progress of the parcel, and they panic if it stays in one place for too long, even if it's totally normal.
Are you sure customs are responsible? If customs inspects the package then the recipient will receive a fee, and if they're blaming you for how long it takes I'm sure they'd blame you for that, too.
In my experience, it takes 2-3 weeks for packages to reach the UK from the US, and I would never buy anything unless I knew I had a month or so before it was needed if it was a gift. If it's just for me then it can take all the time it needs.
It's a bit ridiculous to blame you, though. You should firmly state in your policies, and the messages, that you don't control the courier, but that things will move as fast as they can. That it's been delayed sucks, especially if customs are responsible, but there's nothing anyone can do.

If it IS customs all the time, then you might want to reconsider your customs forms and packaging. Do you state that it's vintage clothing? They might think it's a fake designer piece or something that you're not supposed to be selling. I'll be honest, I only bought one handmade garment from the US and that was the only thing that's ever been opened by customs (so far) and I buy from overseas a lot. I think they're just making sure it's not a fake designer piece or something, but clothing seems to be targeted a lot. Perhaps that fact should be mentioned in your policies. If people don't read it then that's their problem but as long as the info is accessible then it's no problem really.

Sorry this keeps happening. If you make more than enough domestic sales then stopping international isn't so bad, especially if so many of your customers behave in such a way. You're in the US, so you have an enormous audience even if you limit it to US only. Though, as an overseas buyer myself, I hate it when shops don't offer overseas shipping. It's understandable in the US, though. But it baffles me completely when I see UK shops selling small things but only shipping within the UK.

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

Amanda, I mean no disrespect to you as a person or seller. It appears that most of your recent posts discuss transaction and feedback disputes. According to the Etsy community guidelines, we're not allowed to discuss transaction details on public spaces (teams/forums).

"Specific transactions and/or feedback should not be discussed in public spaces. Instead, talk privately with the members involved. Or contact Support privately if you need further help with a transaction."

[KimArt]

i wont come here and lecture you about what you can/cannot discuss here in the forums because the etsy staff does enough trolling around BUT i will say - international tracking is super laggy, I often see my package (lets just say its going to the UK for example) left New York and it will stay that way for over a week till it gets delivered, then the update goes through.

Do you have a disclaimer for your customers that international orders can take up to 4 weeks? I think this helps them understand beforehand - best of luck! xo

[TAGSMITH]

@Amanda Do you stick a packing slip to the outside of the package with a packing slip envelope? If you don't it could slow you down in customs.

[KimArt]

ooohhhhhh GOOD POINT made by Steve ^

Good luck! hope you resolve this issue! goodnight xoxo

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Quote: "These people leave negative feedback!"
You do not have a single negative review...

Do you tell your customers how long it will take before they receive their package? If you don't set reasonable expectations, some people will always think it takes too long.

I'm in Belgium and I inform my customers (in my 'thank you for your purchase e-mail) that shipping usually takes 5-12 days. Ever since I started doing that I have not had a single customer contacting me about 'why did my package not arrive yet?'.

My packages are mainly letter mail and never get hold up at customs.
Your packages from the US to most European countries might take longer, especially when they get hold up in customs.
So, you could inform them that shipping will take 5 days up to 3 weeks (or the appropriate numbers, I guess your USPS has estimates too?).

[hipposdream]

Bea ,
I do exactly the same (also in Belgium).
In my shipping confirmation mail I clearly say the package is coming from Belgium and I adapt the shipping period to the country (like for US I say between 10 and 15 days).
Occasionally I get a (polite) question. I always reply immediately and most buyers are happy then.

[Former_Member]

" i insure every package (and my items are worth in the 10€ range)"

How many packages have you actually lost? What's your sent/lost ratio? Has it really been advantageous to insure EVERY SINGLE package, even the low value ones?

I only insure packages over a certain value, because for me it's simply cheaper to replace the lost ones myself. I have almost 900 shipped packages, and only 3 of them got lost (2 of them in the US!).

IF I had insured ALL of these packages, I would have already spent at least $675 on insurance fees ... Needless to say, the actual value of the 3 lost packages that I replaced was MUCH lower.

Just something to really think about and calculate.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Same here.
I 'self insure'.
(But then again, most of my items are in the lower price range, so I can easily afford to replace them. And insurance is expensive over here in Belgium.)

[Former_Member]

I suppose it depends on how many orders you receive from international buyers, what percentage of those people complain about the shipping time and whether you are willing to lose out on those international sales? I once waited 10 weeks I think for something to arrive from Canada and I only contacted the seller once and that was after waiting a good 6 weeks because I knew that international packages can take a long time to arrive. Unfortunately not everyone is patient.

[Former_Member]

Just a note to add, people have mentioned about a package seeming like it is staying in one place for a long time and then suddenly it is delivered. I know when I looked at sending tracked international items from the UK it said it would track items until it left the UK but then the tracking stops. The item is insured but it won't track again until it is delivered. Perhaps this is what is happening when it seems to be stuck somewhere? That was perhaps where the item left the country and it will not track again until delivery.

[HareAndFern]

Amanda, we all have this issue no matter where in the world we are. I get such questions even though I let my customers know how long does it take. Just reply politely and be patient when answering to customers' questions - patience is extremely important aspect of selling online.

I'm lucky insurance and tracking isn't that expensive in my country, so I always use them. You might consider raising your prices a little instead of raising shipping to make inscurance and tracking more affordable.

[MelsCreativeWishes]

It sell internationally and often got asked how long postage is, when is my item arriving etc.
I always post the day of or next day for international orders so the package gets on its way quickly.
I also send a message to the buyer saying I have posted and please be aware that I am posting from Australia so to take into account the extra time for the item to arrive.
Sometimes
I am asked how long and I give a time frame and say that it depends on the postal service once out of my hands.

[Former_Member]

@ MeI: i have actually only lost one package but it was a custom order i had put a lot of work into so you can believe me i was a bit angry. whats more most of my items are rather one of a kind and its hard to replace them. i just don´t want to lose any money due to shipping mishaps. insurance for a values up to 50€ costs ca. 3€ so i think that is reasonable and it has not hurt my sales (at least not that i noticed)

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Something many sellers don't seem to know: when you have send out an international package with tracking, you CAN follow it all the way to your customer. Not on YOUR postal services website, but on THEIR postal services website.

[Former_Member]

Yep, the same here. International shipping takes 3-4 weeks and sometimes more.

[laurastark]

I would never stop international orders. I do a fair amount. That said, you do need patience when they email you after 5 days looking for their package :)