Does AI review and close etsy cases now with like 1 minute?

[BelachixDollWorld]

So a case was opened against me. Item not arrived. I had added tracking number, but USPS does update small package tracking info on some countries. I made a search claim with my post office, because 9/10 the package turns up within a week after search claim, USPS sends me a receipt where the person had received the package weeks ago  (oops, they "forgot")  etc. Or very rare it gets sent back to me, or extremly rare it is lost forever (like 10 packages out of 3000).

So the person opened the case and within one minute etsy replied "done, refund, no seller protection". Like what? Order was 50 eur, i had tracking number. I dispatched on time. Why was it not under seller protection? 

Never had i such a negative experience with etsy during my almost 10 years, i had like maybe 4 cases in my years in etsy career and always everything was fair and clear. 

[PiecesOfMePaperCraft]

How long ago was the order shipped?

[PriddeyThings]

Probably because you don’t have the legally required 30 day return period on your items. It has to be 28 if you are in, or sell to, the EU/UK, and you only have 14. Etsy doesn’t have 28 so you have to select 30. 

[BelachixDollWorld]

I accept returns in my policy, 14 days after delivery is contact period, not the return period. 

[PriddeyThings]

I am right. You are in the EU. You need a 14 day notice period PLUS a 14 day period to return. 
I’m not saying I agree with Etsy’s action, just that this is most likely the reason

[BelachixDollWorld]

I have had previous cases (not 2024), where buyer could not wait for delivery also and seller protection covered it. Now i want to understand, what is different. 
Also the buyer is in the USA. 

[PriddeyThings]

Luck quite possibly! I would try appealing and see if you can get your money back. 

[LeLightFantastique]

As your shop is located in the EU you must have the 30 days to return selected.  Previously, before Etsy changed the way the reurun policy used to show for the whole shop to it showing on each listing, there was the option to choose 14 days to contact seller then another 14 days to return.  Etsy scrapped that and so you have to select the nearest thing to legal which is the option 30 days. Another change they made for the worse.....

[hopeandjoystudios]

I feel cases used to be more human interaction. They are now AI dealt with at least in the beginning to weed them down. Incorrect policies? Closed seller pays. No tracking? Closed seller pays. Shipped late? Closed seller pays. Over $250? Closed seller pays. If they feel you are infringing or going against a prohibited criteria they also make the seller pay but not sure that is done via AI.

[BelachixDollWorld]

I was not aware that they changed that. I made it to 30 days now. 
However it was not the problem for seller protection not working -the problem was that AI did not recognize the tracking number.  Talking with a real person worked and they paid the money back. 

[LeLightFantastique]

@BelachixDollWorld   yes the Etsy tracking system (Aftership) started not recognizing one of our most poular (French) alternatives to La Poste, and I lost my star seller for several months as a result.  Fortunately, that seems to have been sorted and the number is recognised now.  Good news that you got them to give you the money back.

[nineteen27]

etsy automatically refunds if the order does not arrive.

or arrives after the estimated delivery date.

at the time the buyer opened the case.

the item had not arrived.

so etsy refunded in full with your funds.

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/7471925990807-Etsy-s-Purchase-Protection-Program?segment=sho...

[BelachixDollWorld · Accepted solution]

The main question was why i lost money and why seller protection did not apply.

Okay. So i "appealed" my case.  How to do it needed some help from google, as it was not obvious. If a case is opened under "item not arrived" there is no way to appeal it. So i just contacted them (help - contact us) chat. I wrestled some with the AI, then got a person to talk to. Asked why did I not qualify for the seller protection. He looked, checked. Said "While I understand that it is trackable in the carriers website and other website, the carrier you are using is not supported by Etsy at this moment. " 
I was like wtf. Lies. Tracked the number myself and provided several links.
So basically since a bot worked the case, it just checked the tracking on some X site and it was invalid/not approved there i guess - because Estonian Post is not some big provider. Etsy automatically tracks 8 biggest providers.

The help desk guy tried to say that since i dont use those 8 large shipping companies, that i do not qualify for seller protection. I argued some more, as it has worked before and since when does etsy discriminate small countries and their national post, when tracking number was added to the order. 

Got my money back in the end and all good. 

[JMOldeVintage]

@BelachixDollWorld  - You are correct that USPS will often pick up the tracking number from another Country's postal service & use it to continue showing the package's progression through to delivery.

This is a link to USPS's main page;  https://www.usps.com/

You can enter a tracking number right there to check on a package. That way you might have better information when replying to the buyer through their Help Request message. 

[BelachixDollWorld]

Unfortunally USPS never tracks Estonian post small package on their page. The ones that start with RRxxxxxxxxxx. USPS only tracks Estonian post large packages, that start with CCxxxxxxxxxxx. 

They do track it in their system somehow, as to when i make a search claim they do find it and even pictures of signatures about delivery, but they dont show it on their page  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

It's not AI,

Etsy has code written,

Q - does tracking show it was delivered on time, from a carrier supported by aftership

no - they refund in full.

Q - have you jumped all 9 hurdles for seller protection 

no - they recoup from you

It doesn't need AI, it's very basic code, and it takes less than a second

......... you can appeal, depending on the person on the other end, will depend what happens

[BelachixDollWorld]

Okay.. kinda bad for small countries, whos shipping company is not one of the 8 approved ones
But in the end opening a chat worked and everything was cleared up. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Aftership only started supporting UK Royal Mail very recently, and we are the second largest number of sellers here

smaller countries had better outcomes than us

it does depend on who you get to review it, if they uphold their decision or not

[hopeandjoystudios]

How to Add Tracking and Complete an Order – Etsy Help This says you have to add "valid tracking" but does not clarify what " valid tracking " IS or that or if some tracking is not accepted.