Buyers receiving an order confirmation email as well as this item is sold out email

[#1]

Two buyers in the past couple days received 2 emails directly after their purchase. The first is an order confirmation.....the second is a this item is sold out. They are very confused as we are also. Messages below from our customers.  Is this a glitch, test or something else. Please look into this as it reflects on our shop as well as it is time consuming to try and explain something we are unaware of and have no control of on our end.

"First I got a confirmation, then an email that says it's SOLD OUT - I'm confused!"

"So the order did go through? First, I received an email confirming my order, then received an email saying, "It's gone for now."

[Adorabilities]

I see that that your listing is already sold out after they made an order that's why they received this message

What?
sold out after they made an order

So how is that an explanation?

[AJugglingEweWoolens]

Still happening…I just got one - not 5 mins after customer placed an order, got the sold out message and asking for refund.  

SOOO embarrassing!!!!!!!

[daisysjewellerygifts]

what a mess.

[RandMTreasure]

Just had this happen.  Buyer order 11/13.  They sent a help request confused since the package arrived and they thought it was “sold out.” They received the “Looks like it is gone” e-mail and bought one of the suggestions.  My shop does not accept returns.  Of course I made an exception for this.  Now I am out the original free shipping and return shipping.  In my opinion, this is absolutely Etsy’s fault and they should refund my shipping expenses. I will be “chatting” with them tomorrow.  

[RandMTreasure]

As a follow up to my post above, I did chat with Etsy support this morning and they have reimbursed my account for the initial free shipping and return shipping due to this email.

[BagmakerSupply]

@RandMTreasure: Thank you for the update, particularly since it was a successful outcome.

[NaturesHeavenlyArt]

OKAY ETSY .... SINCE YOUR SELLER SUPPORT IS SO STELLAR AND IT TOOK YOU 3 WEEKS TO GET BACK TO US VIA E-MAIL AND THE ONLY SOLUTION YOU HAD WAS TO ASK US TO SEND YOU A SCREENSHOT OF THE MESSAGE THAT IS BEING SENT FROM ETSY THAT BUYERS ARE GETTING AFTER THEY ORDER....SERIOUSLY!     WE TOLD YOU WHAT THE BUYERS ARE SEEING AND REPORTING BACK TO US, WE, THE SELLER, ARE NOT GETTING THE MESSAGE SO HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SEND YOU THE SCREENSHOT OF THE ACTUAL MESSAGE!

I AM POSTING HERE IN HOPES THAT YOU SEE THIS, HOWEVER I AM MAKING ANOTHER PHONE CALL IN WHICH WHOMEVER ANSWERS I FOREWARN YOU I AM NOW VERY TICKED!!

WE HAD AN ORDER COME IN WHERE THE BUYER PURCHASED 2 KEY HOOKS, HOWEVER THEY DID IT IN 2 SEPARATE ORDERS BACK TO BACK. I DIDN'T THINK MUCH ABOUT IT AS THIS HAPPENS ONCE IN AWHILE AND PROCEEDED TO MAKE BOTH ITEMS THE BUYER PURCHASED. THE ITEMS WERE READY TO GO OUT TODAY.....I PACKED THEM UP IN 1 SHIPMENT....SINCE THEY PURCHASED THE ITEMS SEPARATELY THEY WERE CHARGED TWICE FOR SHIPPING SO WHEN I MADE THE SHIPPING LABEL THIS MORNING AND CALCULATED THE ACTUAL SHIPPING I REFUNDED THE BUYER FOR THE SHIPPING OVERAGE AND SENT THE BUYER A MESSAGE. 

WELL THANK GOODNESS THE BUYER RESPONDED RIGHT AWAY AND GUESS WHAT THEY TOLD ME.....

"I only wanted one key.holder. When i ordered the first one i got message none were left so i ordered the second one. I hope you take refunds and I can return one when i receive them. Thank you"

LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO RUN OUT AND INTERCEPT THE PACKAGE THAT WAS NOW WAITING FOR USPS PICKUP BEFORE THIS SITUATION BECAME AN EVEN BIGGER MESS THAN IT ALREADY IS!!

SO NOT ONLY WAS THE BUYER COMPLETELY CONFUSED AND WASTED THEIR TIME LOOKING THROUGH OUR SHOP AND ORDERING ANOTHER PRODUCT THAT WASN'T "SOLD OUT" OR "NO LONGER AVAILABLE" ....ON MY END  I USED PRODUCT AND TOOK MY TIME TO MAKE THE ITEM THE BUYER DIDN'T ORIGINALLY WANT, I HAD TO TAKE THE TIME AND REFUND OVERAGES WHICH I AM NOT SURE HOW TO FIX THAT NOW AS WELL AS MESSAGE THE BUYER SEPARATELY. ADD TO THAT TIME OF NOW TRYING TO SORT THIS ALL OUT WITH THE BUYER!!

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH BIGGER MESS IF I WAS NOT ABLE TO INTERCEPT THE SHIPMENT HAD IT WENT OUT TO THE BUYER....THEN THE BUYER WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE CONFUSED AS TO WHY THEY RECEIVED 2 ITEMS AND THEN TAKE THEIR TIME TO SEND IT BACK AT OUR COST BECAUSE THE SCREW UP IS ON OUR END!!

WELL MY HUSBAND TALKED ETSY JUST NOW (MAYBE THAT IS A GOOD THING AS ANGRY AS I AM) AND THEIR REASONING IS "MAYBE" BUYERS GET THIS MESSAGE WHEN YOU HAVE 1 LEFT. WELL ISN'T THAT JUST DANDY FOR 1 OF A KIND ITEMS. OR ADVICE TO US IS "HAVE ITEMS AUTO RENEW" WHICH AGAIN DOESN'T WORK FOR 1 OF A KIND ITEMS...DUH!! PLUS I WANT TO RENEW THE ITEMS MYSELF AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO DO SO BECAUSE SOME ITEMS I "RETIRE" IF YOU WILL. 

SO I AM GATHERING AT THIS POINT THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE THIS WAY AND IT JUST IS MEANT TO FORCE US TO EITHER PUT MORE QUANTITY ON THE ITEM OR PUT THE PRODUCT ON AUTO RENEW....NICE.

THANKS FOR MAKING US LOOK LIKE INCOMPETENT FOOLS TO OUR BUYERS AND WASTING THEIRS AND OUR TIME WITH THIS RIDICULOUSNESS!!

IF THE GENIUSES BEHIND THE SCENES THAT PUT THESE MESSAGES IN PLACE CAN'T SEE HOW THEY ABSOLUTELY DON'T WORK FOR EVERYONE AND ARE CAUSING SOME VERY COMPLICATED PROBLEMS FOR SOME SELLERS I AM AT A LOSS....

[Adorabilities]

THEY ABSOLUTELY DON'T WORK FOR EVERYONE 

I would go farther and say that this doesn't work for anyone. Under what circumstance would a buyer need to know that, now that they've bought an item, it's no longer in stock to buy again?

[GothamBBC]

Worst part is it is discouraging for clients where future purchases are concerned. Who would want to enter into that mess again? As sellers or buyers, we have one choice, go elsewhere. If the buyers do that too much we'll all lose out on ETSY's reputation. 

[NaturesHeavenlyArt]

ANOTHER THING.....SHOULD ETSY GRACE US WITH A RESPONSE HERE LIKE THEY USED TO ONCE UPON A TIME LONG AGO.

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS MESSAGE TO THE BUYER AFTER THEIR PURCHASE  IS GOING OUT ON EVERY ORDER OR JUST INCONSISTENTLY AND RANDOM LIKE PULL THE NAME OUT OF THE HAT, WHO ARE THE LUCKY BUYERS AND SELLERS WE WILL CONFUSE THE HELL OUT OF TODAY.

EITHER ITS VERY RANDOM WHICH WOULD BE MORE LIKENED TO A GLITCH OR TESTING ON A HANDFUL OF UNLUCKY SHOPS OR IT IS A CONSISTENT MESSAGE THAT ALL BUYERS RECEIVE IF THE ITEM HAS A QUANTITY OF 1 OR DOESN'T AUTO RENEW. ALL OF OUR ITEMS FALL INTO BOTH CATEGORIES SO EITHER NOT ALL BUYERS ARE TELLING US THEY ARE GETTING THE MESSAGE OR IT IS VERY RANDOM WHICH AGAIN MAKES NO SENSE.....EITHER WAY WE, AS THE SELLER, LOOK LIKE WE CAN'T RUN OUR SHOPS PROPERLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.

I MEAN SOMEONE BEHIND THE SCENES AT ETSY CREATED THE MESSAGE AND DID WHATEVER YOU DO BACK THERE TO HAVE IT GO OUT AUTOMATICALLY....TELL ME HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT THE MESSAGE IS (ASKING US FOR A SCREENSHOT) YOU MADE IT YOU FIGURE IT OUT!! 

IT IS NOT UP TO US OR THE BUYER TO FIGURE THIS OUT.....TO ASK THE BUYER TO SEND US A SCREENSHOT OF THE MESSAGE AND THEN SEND IT TO YOU...REALLY...ETSY'S TECHNICAL GURUS CREATED IT ASK THEM....YOU NEED TO FIX THIS! 

[BlackRiverWoodshop]

I had one of our customers send a screen shot of the email. 

Not only are they being told it is sold out after they purchase it they are being given several similar  options for OTHER sellers   NOT one from our listings . 

 From emails several of the people it happened to they say they have had trouble with ETSY sales before.. and are going to STOP purchaseing through Esty sellers...  

[NaturesHeavenlyArt]

Interesting "BlackRiverWoodshop" we had an order come in 2 days ago and within probably a half hr of that order they contacted us to cancel the order stating they ordered it by accident. I don't know how that is done by accident as you have to go through a process to order, but we didn't question and refunded. Now I wonder if they too received this email after their purchase and was shown other options...sigh. I just can't understand how this type of email would be a good thing for Etsy or Etsy sellers. Not sure what it's purpose is

[PetalPatchGirl]

It does make us look like we're either stupid, or trying to manipulate the seller.  I make sure I tell the buyer that it is a glitch with Etsy, and there are other sellers experiencing the same thing.  But then, that too, sounds like it is made up, IMO. 
It surely is something they just need to remove totally.  Why do they start this stuff at the holidays?!

[GreyhoundCleyhounds]

Happened to me too. The customer bought the last of something. She got an email it was sold out and she was worried she would not get it. I assured her order came through and I was sending it. This is something new and confusing for sure.

[Marysbricabrac]

This just happened to me a few days ago and the customer wasn’t happy and the package was already on the way to them.

[BagmakerSupply]

I wonder if this is increasing or decreasing Etsy's short term sales numbers (long term presumably it will hurt them because of returns and cancellations).

[LovesVintage43]

Yes I had this too with a customer the other day, she messaged me to request an alternative item so I explained that the item had sold out AFTER she purchased and wasn't sure why she got the email , she was very pleased when I told her the one she wanted was available for her. 

[AJugglingEweWoolens]

Somewhere back in this post I’d read about “favourites” and some co-related nonsense.  Although this could be true.  

I don’t know for the rest…but my customer had just “favourited” my shop, then placed the order directly after.  It just happened to be the last…but not the last, as I try to keep control of inventory.  I re-listed immediately after.
I actually jumped the gun yesterday when I heard the “ping” of someone favouriting, then a cha-Ching sale.  I immediately reached out to the customer to advise if they had gotten a sold out email to ignore it.  She hadn’t…ultimately it wasn’t the last one.  But now I’m panicked and wasting time checking inventory #’s.

But in both cases I felt pretty foolish having to explain this away.

[BlackRiverWoodshop]

I checked with our customers that received the sold out message. And NO they did not have it in their favorites. So that is not the issue. 

[GothamBBC]

This thread is waaaaaay toooo long at this point. I had the same issue once that I'm aware of. Thought it was an anomaly but now I'm certain that it's happened more times to clients and potential clients where I've not been made aware of the issue. This is one more instance where ETSY has little or no regard for the sellers on the platform. Very sad to see things decay to this point. And I'm sure we're all SOL again on this issue. 

[WendyShrayDesigns]

I wrote Etsy support about it and their advice was to list a quantity of more than "1". Definitely not very helpful.

[EDCCollective]

So someone lists a quantity of more than one for an OOAK item they have for sale so that an actual buyer will not get the sold out message (per support's suggestion). However, more than one person is interested in this item and after the first person actually purchases that item and before the seller can deactivate that item, someone else buys it because more than one was listed as available. Now that seller really has a case where someone purchased an item and it was already sold out but Etsy did not show that because a shop owner followed the ridiculous suggestion from support. Brilliant (not)

[LandKbeads]

And you’ll pay a listing fee for a product you don’t have.

Really bad advice from Etsy support!

[KingoftheAppleTowns]

Has anyone heard anything back from Etsy about this yet? Just had the same issue, and everything I sell is one of a kind, so am really concerned that other customers are receiving the same message. I've had two order cancelled recently, with no note - maybe that's why ?!!!

[BagmakerSupply]

@KingoftheAppleTowns: If we received a no reason cancellation, we would respond with something like "We have received your cancellation request. Even though the merchandise has been put aside for you and is ready to ship to you we will process your cancellation request shortly. Could you take a moment to let us know for the Etsy cancellation form and for our records the reason for the cancellation ?"