my return policy specifics are gone!

[prettysnazzymom]

I know that Etsy streamlined the policies and that is fine but I had specific requirements for HOW returns are to be made that I can no longer find! For instance, I had specified that the return had to be sent in a padded envelope or something similar because I had customers taking the item out of the original box and sticking it in a plain envelope with no padding so they could put a stamp on it instead of paying the rate for a package. It would come back all smashed up. What about restocking fees? That is no where on the generic Etsy policies. What about the orders that had "free shipping"? I had a policy that allowed me to keep a portion of the return to cover the actual price that I paid for shipping. What the heck?! Where are these???

[timelapse]

@prettysnazzymom - a lot of us had policies tailored to our particular needs, but Etsy has decided we should all be the same now. Really sucks, in my opinion!! And be sure when you do a new listing that you scroll waaaaaay down to the bottom before you publish...you have to add your return policy to each listing individually now. Sorry to be the bearer of crappy news!

[prettysnazzymom]

That totally sucks. It took years to tailor my policies to the different situations I get. Not cool.

[NanaLetha]

As of October last year we were all moved to Etsy canned policies.

[timelapse]

I think it has been a rolling change, as my policies just disappeared a couple weeks ago at most...

[prettysnazzymom]

I never had a reason to go and look until now. I had a customer want to do a return which is no problem at all. It wasn't a custom item or anything. I went to copy the directions for a return from my policies because it clearly states what needs to happen for a refund and poof - no policies! I can foresee a whole lot of problems by not having everything spelled out. I can tell the customer now how they need to send the return but I no longer have anything that I can point to say "hey, this is what you agreed to when you purchased my item".

[EccentricHandbags]

And if you don't remember to attach them to every listing you have individually it voids any protection you have.  Welcome to the new unimproved Etsy. 

[prettysnazzymom]

They tout that we are all individual and unique but then try to force us all into a generic template. It doesn't work - not successfully anyway.

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

It looks like Etsy has now removed the old grandfathered-in sections that I managed to keep in place by editing policies within the old seller app.  There were sections for 'Shipping' (I had copied & pasted my return details into this section) and 'Additional Policies and FAQs' that are now gone. I know these details were still there about 10 or so days ago.  The pop-up policies on each of my listings was very long (you had to scroll), now it's the short, canned blurb only.

On my shop home page, the policy section 'More information' now has a date stamp that says 'Last updated on Jan 23, 2023'.  I definitely did not make any updates on that date; in fact, my last update (via the old seller app loophole) was Sep 23, 2022.  Coincidentally 4 months prior, or perhaps Etsy gave the old text 4 months before disappearing it?

I'm not surprised, but like many have expressed above, disappointed.

[prettysnazzymom]

My policies say they were changed Jan 14th of this year. I have not changed policies in quite some time.

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

@prettysnazzymom, it seems like Etsy is rolling out the removal of any vestiges of the old policies that had slipped through the new generic net.

[botanicallampshades]

Wow my painstakingly thought out and precise policies have also  disappeared with an "updated" date of Jan 23 - I never touched this section on this date. No notice whatsoever from Etsy about this removal. 

[prettysnazzymom]

The question is - why? Why would they not want us to have policies in place that actually help with our customer service? It's so much better to prevent problems from happening instead of trying to put out fires after the fact.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

Because this way Etsy can instantly refund customers, whether they deserve a refund or not. I had specific policies outlining what steps needed to be taken if there were any problems with an order such as missing packages, damage, etc. My policies were wiped out a long time ago, I'm surprised some shops still had theirs in place.

Etsy isn't interested in preventing problems, they're only interested in making sure buyers are instantly refunded. If the order is over $250 that refund is coming out of your account, whether the buyer deserves it or not.

[prettysnazzymom]

@ColorfulCastAndCrew 

That doesn't even make sense. This isn't Walmart!

[BlackSheepDyeworks]

"The question is - why?"

Money.  It's cheaper for Etsy to automate processes related to cases/returns if all policies fit the template that Etsy offers, with no additional embellishment on our part.  That's the direction this has been headed all along.

[prettysnazzymom]

@BlackSheepDyeworksI just don't get it - and maybe that is a good thing.

[prettysnazzymom]

When I used to sell vintage jewelry there was a problem with people buying expensive rhinestone sets to wear to a wedding, prom etc and then want to return it once the event was over. Naturally that is something no seller wants! The best way to avoid that is a hefty restocking fee. A regular customer still has the assurance that the item can be returned if there is a problem but the customer who abuses the policy is going to think twice about buying. It's preventing problems. We get dinged for bad feedback yet Etsy is kind of setting us up for it.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

Actually it's worse than Walmart here. Unfortunately many sellers are now being set up to lose their items and their money. All a buyer has to do is claim they didn't receive their order, even if tracking shows delivered, even if it's been signed for. There are FB pages, TikTok videos, etc. instructing folks on how easy it is to steal from Etsy now. There's been many posts in the forums about this, unfortunately some of those posts have been removed. Makes one wonder why.....

The post below has been muted, I have no idea if it will be removed. If your unaware of what's going on regarding this then you may want to read up on it.

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Managing-Your-Shop/Etsy-refunds-another-order-that-was-signed-for-with...

[OneEyeCatStudio]

The problem is that Etsy is frequently less than stellar at their job. How many things on the site are currently not functioning as intended?
Aside from the Buyer Protection fiasco?

Which of course means that there is an awfully good chance that, when they try to do our jobs, they will make a ċock-up of it.

I really miss the days when we ran our own shops. Life was simple, honest and true.

[prettysnazzymom]

@ColorfulCastAndCrewHuh? I thought the whole $250 thing was supposed to be Etsy's coverage, not ours! It wasn't supposed to come out of our hides.

[ColorfulCastAndCrew]

Over $250 it's coming out of our accounts, under $250 it seems Etsy is covering it but let's face it, WE are covering it with our increased sellers fees. In addition, it's bringing in the type of buyers (shoplifters) that no one wants to deal with.

[timelapse]

@prettysnazzymom and just another important reminder that the $250 figure includes shipping, taxes, everything...not just the item price. So add it all up before you decide to post in that price range!

[prettysnazzymom]

@ColorfulCastAndCrewI just read the first page of the link you posted. I had no idea! It sounds like even making your items non-returnable isn't enough to protect you!

[prettysnazzymom]

@ColorfulCastAndCrewthere was never any doubt in my mind that we were the ones footing the bill. We always are. Etsy never does anything for our good. They do what's best for them and the stockholders and then try to put a spin on it that it is all for the good of the buyers and sellers. Bull.