Disabled upgraded shipping - customers still able to select option to upgrade shipping at checkout

[BravoGiftsShopByLo]

A while ago, I disabled the ability for customers to upgrade shipping in my settings, because I use a Print on Demand service and it is not possible to expedite shipping. However, customers are still able to select the option to upgrade shipping (for example, 2 day shipping) at checkout. I have raised this issue to Etsy twice already. It is important because customers have/are going to get disappointed in my shop when I cannot deliver expedited shipping. Etsy support let me know this shouldn't happen and is a technical glitch, but hasn't been able to fix it. It is critical that it gets fixed. Has anyone experienced this or know how to fix it? I am desperate to fix it so I don't have unhappy customers requesting refunds when it is out of my control. 

[hopeandjoystudios · Accepted solution]

Do you use calculated or flat/manual shipping?  If your listings are attached to a shipping profile I would delete the profile and start over and see if that fixes it. I have heard of sellers having glitchy profiles.

[LovejoyLightwork]

I have been having the exact same issue. Of course, every single person has been upgrading their shipping and I have been paying for it.

[TBQSC]

"Of course, every single person has been upgrading their shipping and I have been paying for it."

This can happen if you do not have the proper shipping services enacted at checkout. 

For calculated shipping, you MUST have FCM, Parcel Select Ground (advanced) and Priority Mail selected for your profile.  The FCM/PSG acts as the new Ground Advantage rate at checkout (ships up to 70# with $100 insurance) ... and the PM acts as the upgrade.  If you only have FCM & PM enacted, then ANY order more than 1# will automatically get free upgraded shipping.  You do not want that to happen!! 

[TheCharmedMoonCT]

I offer free shipping and I only have ground advantage chosen in my profiles yet customers are still upgrading to priority.  How do I fix this?  I just had to pay for priority!

[hopeandjoystudios]

If you have Priority enabled in the attached profile or the listing's shipping section and free shipping clicked..they can choose whatever you have enabled.

[BagmakerSupply]

@TheCharmedMoonCT: Etsy says "If a buyer chooses to purchase shipping upgrades, they will be charged for those even if their order qualifies for free shipping.". Are you sure that Etsy did not charge the buyer for the upgrade? If not it may be a glitch.

Have you seen https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024198553-How-to-Offer-Free-Shipping?segment=selling

[Adorabilities]

On orders, I think Etsy's wording is "buyer selected" when, in actuality, it was Etsy who selected it. 
And Etsy's selecting it because they think it's too heavy for First-Class (which has been gone for a year already, but that's another issue.)

[BagmakerSupply]

@TheCharmedMoonCT: Good point made by @Adorabilities 

You need to have Parcel Post selected in your shipping profile if you want 15.99 ounce or heavier packages to go Ground Advantage.

[TheCharmedMoonCT]

@Adorabilities 

I am not sure what your answer has to do with my question-?

All of my packages are usually 3 pounds or more.

[Adorabilities]

I'm not sure how else I can explain it.

It wasn't your customer selecting Priority, so you didn't have to ship it Priority.

[TheCharmedMoonCT]

@Adorabilities 

You know this for a fact?  I hate to ship something out if the customer actually requested it.

[Adorabilities]

If you have upgrades available for an extra price, and the buyer had chosen it out of a list of options, they would have paid the upgraded price.

If you don't have upgrades available, or if the customer didn't get charged the upgrade price, then it's likely that Etsy has decided that on the customer's behalf.

I remember that Etsy uses the words "customer selected" when they just mean they think it has to ship that way.

Someone else can verify, if this has happened to them recently. @BagmakerSupply  ?

[Adorabilities]

Did the customer actually reach out to you, or did you see this on the order in the dashboard?

[BagmakerSupply]

@Adorabilities: We have upgrades enabled (and calculated shipping so that may or may not be a factor here), and sometimes an under 15.99 ounce package is marked as ship using Priority Mail but Etsy has always charged the buyer the Priority Mail rate in those cases.

We do not have Parcel Post enabled because of the (sometimes greatly) increased estimated in-transit times of an over 15.99 ounce Ground Advantage package.

[TheCharmedMoonCT]

@Bagmakersupply @Adorabilities 

When I was printing the shipping labels Priority was highlighted in blue and it said "customer requested"   The customer did not reach out to me.  This has happened twice. I only have Ground Advantage chosen on my profiles so there is no other option for them to chose. I have shipping upgrade disabled.

[Adorabilities]

I'm not sure how a customer could physically choose/request something you don't offer. When you order something here, you only get to choose from the options the seller offers. There's no way to put in a request other than to contact you directly, or to write the request in the order notes. 

I just put a free shipping item of yours in my cart, and I am not asked what kind of shipping I want. It simply says: free shipping.

Hopefully someone else will chime in that has had this happen recently.

[TheCharmedMoonCT]

Also shipping option for Ground Advantage says there is no insurance but USPS website says $100 insurance is included (for both outbound and return shipments).  So I have no idea why Etsy is saying there is no insurance.