[Bug] Incorrect estimated delivery dates - "may arrive late"

[WendyShrayDesigns]

Please, Etsy, there is an bug or error in the way that delivery dates are calculated for customers. It has been very confusing for buyers and sellers alike. I currently have a 4 to 4 day processing date, with no processing on weekends and holidays. When I look at my listings as a potential customer would see the listing, the estimated delivery dates seem ok.  However, as the seller, after the order is place, those dates change and when I go to print the mailing label, even if I am shipping within 1 day of having received the order, the label printing screen will have a note IN RED saying that the order "may arrive late" and will list an estimated delivery date that is much sooner than the date given before the buyer purchased the item and was based on my 4 day processing time and a reasonable 4 - 7 day delivery by USPS.

This is very frustrating to me as a seller! Why is Etsy not using the processing time and USPS transit times to give a more accurate delivery estimate? This has well going on a long time and it doesn't seem like Etsy is doing anything to resolve it!

[BagmakerSupply]

@WendyShrayDesigns: Based on the many posts about this issue in this forum, this appears to be a glitch in the user interface when purchasing Etsy labels. What does the expected delivery date (range) on the actual order show after the label is purchased? Our experience is that range is always shown as shipped date + 1 through a mostly realistic delivery date based on USPS in-transit times (but not always accounting for postal holidays).

[WendyShrayDesigns]

How do I see the expected delivery date on the actual order, where the customer would have been notified? When I go to print the label and I see a date range of what Etsy is calculating as a delivery date range, with their note in red "May Arrive Late", and I see that it is completely wrong.  I might be printing the label within 1 day of receiving the order even though I have a 4 day processing time, and the estimated delivery date is before the end of the processing time, and doesn't even include the time it might take for USPS to deliver it to the customer.  I don't know where to look to see what date they told the customer it might arrive, other than on that label printing page.

[BagmakerSupply]

@WendyShrayDesigns: "How do I see the expected delivery date on the actual order ..." If looking at the actual order using a browser, (the popup when you click on the order from your 'Orders and Shipping' page) and if you go to the Delivery Info tab, there will be a line that says something like "Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 22-26". This date range will often change after the order has been marked as completed.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

I get that in creating the label.  I ignore it as it is not correct.  I just go ahead and make the label.  The buyer has no clue what we see when creating the label.

[PrairieCrocusStudio]

Buyers do see the incorrectly shortened delivery dates. One contacted me to complain that she had not received the order within the time frame Etsy showed her. This was several days before the item was even  scheduled to ship. 

[FallenAngelBrass]

Etsy is using appropriate processing and ship times when communicating with buyers, so there's no issue there.

Etsy uses the correct "ship by" date when calculating star seller data, so there's no issue there.

It's annoying to see this "may arrive late" warning when we're purchasing labels, but the warning doesn't affect anything that matters (unless the seller actually does ship late.) 

[PrairieCrocusStudio]

In my case, the buyer saw an "expected" delivery date that did not include my processing time (2 weeks, made to order). Resulted in a canceled order. 

[WendyShrayDesigns]

Same here, the estimated delivery date was before the end of my processing time and didn't include the transit time that USPS would need to get it to them.

[weekendjewelry1]

I can't tell from your post - does the buyer see the incorrect prospective arrival date, the one that's impossibly quick? Or is it just you, as the seller who purchased the label, who sees it?  

If it's just the seller who sees it I'd ignore it as a silly glitch.  If it's the buyer who sees the incorrect date, that's a whole other issue. I would definitely include in my thank-you note to buyer, a friendly sentence or two that their package should arrive within (xy) days according to USPS.  Then give them the tracking, so they can follow the package themselves.  --That's what I do.  I don't purchase my shipping labels from Etsy though, I use Pirateship.  That might be worth your investigating..

[WendyShrayDesigns]

I don't know what is shown on the buyers side once they place the order. What I do know is that the estimated date of arrival that see before purchasing is different that what I see when printing the label.

[BagmakerSupply]

@WendyShrayDesigns: "I don't know what is shown on the buyers side once they place the order." Look at the actual order and you should see a line that says "Buyer expects delivery by:" It often changes after the order has been marked as completed / shipped.

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

I am now tracking what Etsy communicates to buyers on my listings when they buy, and then what it says when I complete my order. There are definitely discrepancies. Most have a very tight delivery window of either an exact date or 2-3 days. The only shipping profile of mine that has this is my domestic shipping, all others have a bit bigger window. Personally I find it deceptive, promising buyers earlier dates than we as sellers can commit to. They don't even know what my "other" shipping provider is when they make their theoretical calculations. I will keep an eye on actual delivery dates and see how much of an incorrect date it is. 

Order to USA:

At purchase by Etsy: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 22-23

At completion: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 24-Feb 6

Order to Switzerland:

At purchase by Etsy: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 20

At completion: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 17-28

Order to USA:

At purchase by Etsy: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 18-21

At completion: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 22-Feb 4

Order to Germany:

At purchase by Etsy:: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 17-18

At completion: Buyer expects delivery by: Jan 16-23

[Beadcomber]

I contacted chat last week because of this issue. Today is the second order in a row that shows 'may be late' despite my shipping well within processing time. I'm shipping one right now that says will arrive 2 days later even tho it doesn't even need to be shipped until Wednesday. Chat said they'd inform tech that processing times aren't being taken into account. They said to ship as normal, that my shop wouldn't get dinged for it. Sure hope not!

[BagmakerSupply]

@Beadcomber: As long as you ship and mark the order as completed on or before the scheduled to ship by date on the actual order you should not be negatively impacted.

The 'may be late' message seems to be a user interface glitch that only appears to those purchasing Etsy labels.

[DragonflyDreams1]

I made a purchase on Etsy within the last week. It is coming from over-seas, at purchase estimated delivery date was less than a month, so I remember thinking that was OK. The seller supposedly shipped the next day (no tracking) and the delivery date changed to March 10, I am not OK with that. 

[WendyShrayDesigns]

That is so messed up! This has been going on for so long, I hope that Etsy looks into it and resolves the issue.

[Aidille]

Same, I almost always ship days before my turnaround time says I have to and still get that red message "may arrive late" more often than not. I ignore it at this point but I'd love for that to get resolved.

[BrushwithnatureGifts]

Agree 100% Etsy you need to sort this out and not just close old threads explaining the problem without resolving the problem as you the Moderator did. Poor service - FIX THE BUG!