Etsy Plus Shop Owner not receiving listing credits for custom orders 2 months in a row

[ConniesCrochets]

I reached out immediately to Etsy help support yesterday when a customer purchased a custom order I produced for her. When viewing the financial break down in the financial section of my shop, the breakdown of the fees did not include a credit for this listing. It showed that I was charged a listing fee but not a credit for it.  My Etsy Plus subscription renewed the day before (on 10/8/22) this sale took place and I received my free 15 listings I receive each month. I created this custom order for my customer the day after it renewed (10/9/22). As an added note, I had one sale prior to this custom order sale on this same day as purchased custom order and I received my listing credit without a problem. This problem took place last month also for me but the rep couldn't technically correct the problem so they gave me an Etsy credit instead but then at month's end, it made me off balance with the September month end totals.  

To add to my dilema, I contacted Etsy Help in the chat section regarding this problem. I was the 3rd in queue for attention.  It took them over 45 minutes to get to me to begin the chat. Once I described the problem there, I was transferred to another specialist about 15 minutes into the conversation where the conversation went on for over almost 2 hours WITHOUT a resolution. At the end of our conversation, the rep just told me to look for an email from the specialist and that's all they told me. ALL THE TIME IN CHAT AND THIS IS ALL THE REP CAN TELL ME?  Here it is the next morning and still no email from them.  I do not believe they are trying to fix this problem. I believe that other shop owners may be experiencing the same thing but they may not looking as closely as I do to their financial records.  This must be fixed immediately. This has taken place with me twice in two months now without a resolution. Please look into this problem that I'm having and email me with what the problem is and that it's been resolved and I was given my credit for the custom listing.

I also wanted to add that the reps did not completely read what I was writing in the prior conversation with another rep and totally got the problem incorrect. Because he didn't read it completely some how they thought I didn't get my 15 free listings from a referral.  This rep proceeded to give me 15 more free listings as a resolution.  This was not the problem at all!!!!!   Now I have 28 free listings which I really do not know why and my original problem has not been resolved at all.  This is quite a problem when a seller needs support immediately and the only method of reaching someone is through a chat. Interpretation of problems get confused. We need phone support back asap.

[RandysExoticWoods]

It sounds like you are talking about the .20 listing fee. I would never spend over 2 hrs trying to recoup .20 for a listing fee, no matter what I had been promised for free. Doesn't make much sense financially.

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

Amen.  28 free listings and squabbling over 1 paid?

So many important things going on right now in the world.

[ConniesCrochets]

If it had not happened 2 months in a row, I probably wouldn't have. I didn't balance in September because of this problem. And now I won't in October also because of this problem. I've balanced every month since 2015 and I want to continue to balance each month. Again, if you do not balance with Etsy, they are making money off of you and you do not know it no matter how little the amounts are. Multiply this little technical glitch with million of shop owners that create custom listings and not receiving that 20 cents. It amounts to quite a lot of money to Etsy.

[ConniesCrochets]

Yes, that's right. I'm wanting my financials with Etsy to be perfect because of having to claim on my taxes this year and I really believe that Etsy should be getting this right; rather it's 20 cents or $100 or $10000. This is just not right!  You may not care about your finances on Etsy but I do. They could be cheating you and you wouldn't know about it.  Just think 20 cents with millions of people placing them. Etsy is getting rich off of these people that do not know there's a problem because they do not look at the fees being charged. I'm an honest person and I should not have been given 28 free listings at all. I barely use the 15 free listings I get each month. It was not the correct resolution and the problem still has not been resolved. 

[CarrigKnits]

@ConniesCrochets I empathize with the time you have wasted waiting on the phone or chat. It seems to be the way business goes these days. I wonder if Etsy has outsourced their help section? On another note, I have been considering becoming an Etsy Plus member in the hope of getting more sales. Do you find it worthwhile? Thanks

[HazelsSewingSupplies]

I guess we all have our priorities.

[ConniesCrochets]

@CarrigKnits  - In answer to your question if I believe it is worthwhile.... For me it was. I have a very, very small shop compared to a lot of people on Etsy. I have about 93 listings in my shop and have been a shop owner since 2015. When they introduced Etsy Plus, I have to be honest, I didn't believe it was worth it at that time. So I did some calculations at how much it was costing me each month with renewal fees on my own listings and weighed that against the 15 free listings you receive. For me, it saved me a lot of money monthly going to Etsy Plus and with the addition of the domain name and website it was beneficial. To have the website, you still need to pay yearly to keep that domain name but overall, it's much simpler than easier and the cost to upkeep the domain name isn't that much at all. For example, when someone is interested in looking at my shop, I no longer need to take that very long site link. I can send them www.ConniesCrochets.com now and I can use this wherever I advertise like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.  The cost of Etsy Plus is $10 per month. The 15 free listings give you credits for new listings or renewals or custom order listings. After you use up your 15 listings then you get charged the usual 20 cents for these listings.  Hope this helps.

[CarrigKnits]

@ConniesCrochets thank you so much for this information. I might try it as a last hurrah on Etsy. I also have a small shop and sales are not what they used to be so the idea of a domain name is appealing. Good luck with your issue with Etsy.

[dippeldiundscribble]

@CarrigKnits 

Optimize your SEO (titles, description, tags) first! Getting found is the most important thing.
You can focus on ads and other options later.

I recommend this article from the Etsy seller handbook:

The Ultimate Guide to Etsy Search 

[ConniesCrochets]

Can you believe this? It's going on two month's since they escalated this technical glitch to their technical department. You contact them either by chat or phone. You are transferred 5 or more times. They give you a case number that sits in limbo forever and in the meantime, Etsy keeps taking your money and not giving the credits that you deserve and pay for with Etsy Plus.  They keep telling me to keep looking in my email and in my spam folder for an email from the technical team. This is such poor customer service in every way!

[artbyjocelyn]

As far as I know, Etsy Plus does no longer allow the credits to be for Renewed listings. I am wondering if a created Custom Listing also does not fall under the free Listing Credits either. I only have had EP 2 months so am unsure of things previous to its recent change.

[ConniesCrochets]

What you mentioned isn't true. Every time your monthly renewal Etsy Plus renewal hits, you get 15 free listings which include any type of listing. I've been getting these ever since I began as an Etsy Plus subscriber. My problem began last month (September 2022) with the custom listings. A listing is a listing no matter

how you create it. I've done research to find out if it excludes anything and it does not according to Etsy policies.  Hope this helps. 

[artbyjocelyn]

I saw it stated in my shop dashboard when it renewed. Plus someone also mentioned it in the Forum a month ago. I will look again next cycle. I got no credits for any renewals, but I will micro check again.

[artbyjocelyn]

You are right, despite what my dashboard stated that 15 credits for new listings was available, I see credits for renewals and relisted solds. So, definitely not the reason.