Estimated delivery date provided to customers is WAY OFF

[DizzyDaizyShop]

I've noticed over the past couple of days that the newly worded "Buyer expects delivery by" window that Etsy shows on orders and, I'm guessing, in the order confirmation that the buyer receives, is way off.

I'm in the UK and received an order from Canada this morning - 9 April. My processing time is 1 to 5 business days and the delivery profile states tracked delivery takes around 3 (ridiculous) to 7 working days. My processing schedule is set to Monday-Friday. Etsy says that my customer expects delivery by 12-23 April!

7 working days from the later shipping date of 16 April is 25 April, not 23 April - WTF Etsy? Even 25 April is wishful thinking, as delivery typically takes 7-10 working days. You're making my life hard enough by hiding legitimate customer messages in my spam folder, so that I either lose customers if I don't see the messages and don't respond OR, it screws up my star seller status if I eventually do see the messages and respond. And now this. 

Just when you think that Etsy has reached the limit of things they can mess up ("mess up" being my chosen term so that I don't get banned from the forum), the geniuses surprise you with yet another doozy.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Royal Mails times are 3-5 for EU, and 5-7 for worldwide

etsy has the same delivery dates for EU as they do Canada etc, so it looks like the range is an overseas range

there might be a time difference when it was bought, as I see get it by 13-24 April

If you choose evri in the shipping profile, it has longer times

[DizzyDaizyShop]

self deleted as posted twice

[DizzyDaizyShop]

@CraftyCornishMaids 

I ship worldwide and my profiles show 3-7 working days for all countries, which is of course wrong, it should be 5-7 working days for non EU countries

24 April is also not 7 working days from 16 April.

ETA: The delivery window that customers see at time of placing an order doesn't seem to match what is shown on the actual order.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@DizzyDaizyShop 

it looks like that is a day out.

When you ship, etsy adds the 3-7 days, to the date you say you ship, so they update it,
and that's the one that goes on the dispatch notification e-mail to the customer, and it's the one they use to check if it's late

[After9Marbles]

I stopped paying attention to their estimates. I get the red box saying it may arrive late if I ship the item an hour after I get the order. I have a 1-3 processing time and they still say its going to be late. Its not our fault etsy is over promising. They need to fix it for sure. Customers are expecting items faster than possible without overnight shipping. 

It seems etsy believes they have a partial delivery service like amazon. Etsy and the sellers are out of control once it reaches the carrier. As long as I am shipping when I say I will I cant do more than that. In most cases I ship before expected. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

"In most cases I ship before expected."

Sometimes I do that, too.

But now, if you do that, you are penalized.
Because now, to Etsy it means that's what you do.

[cindylouwho2]

Etsy is now adjusting estimates based on both the recent transit times for some carriers in those areas, and for your own "shipping history". So if you items have been arriving faster than the stated range for that carrier, Etsy will decrease the estimated delivery time. This will also be updated at the time of shipment. As long as you have seller protection, this shouldn't hurt you. 

Also, make sure they didn't turn on Saturday and Sunday processing times for you, just in case. 

[WPshoppe]

This problem just started appearing today. I just updated a shipping date, moving it up to tomorrow (Apr 16) and the notice sent to the customer states estimated deliver will be Apr 17-18. This is posting standard ground, USPS from California to Ohio. No way it makes it by the 18th. It takes 24 hours for a package to be processed by the drop off facility. And... the order total with shipping and tax comes out to $258, which leaves me vulnerable to refund for not being delivered on time.

[WPshoppe]

Update,

Just printed shipping label for the above mentioned order and the message sent to the customer updated the delivery date to 18th-25th. So, Etsy is first giving the customers an update of an impossible delivery date then when you actually print the postage, the update is realistic. This is horrible. 

[CryzalisDesigns]

This is creating a problem for everyone who can not set their own estimate delivery times.

Customers understandably get angry when promises are broken or they are left in the dark, setting unrealistic shipping estimates cause nothing but trouble for the sellers and Etsy. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

I'm in the U. S.

No matter what they use as criteria, I can pretty much guarantee you that NO ONE is going to get something from me within 3 days.

Yet Etsy cites that as a possibility. ORDER NOW!

Recently, in so many aspects of out shops, Etsy seems determined to set us up to fail.

What they don't seem to grasp is that when we fail it can make them look bad as well.