Etsy's YES10 promo and other similar promos....costing shop owners time and money

[BlueRockTurquoise]

Just want to give feedback to whomever will listen....every time Etsy announces a 'promo' code such as the most recent YES10, I end up having to process a refund to the buyer who 'forgot' or cannot figure out how to apply the promo code in the shopping cart.  These are my concerns and frustrations:

1.  I have to keep up with who I should refund...and I have to answer their questions in Messages about the Etsy Coupon code process because Etsy's directions are not clear.

2.  I end up refunding the $10 as in the case of the most recent coupon code because the only other way to help the purchaser is to cancel their order....HOPING that they redo the order on their end.

Solution:  ETSY...Please put a way for sellers to process the Etsy Coupon Code on the seller's end for customers who forget or don't know how to apply.  This would ease some of the frustrations of sellers regarding Etsy generated Coupons/Promos.  Better yet...just go a head and put the $10 off automatically in the cart so that the customer does not have to do it.  

Thanks so much for listening!

[EccentricHandbags]

I won't be giving the refund myself if this happens, but I agree with you it is a mess the way they have it.  I believe it was put together in haste to get the promotion out there as quickly as possible.  I hate to see this happen to sellers.  We had our fees raised to pay for things like this and then a significant amount of sellers are forking over the difference anyway.      

[SurnamePro]

Just like the former "Get5" offer this one is also a total bust. No orders with the coupon but there are orders. This doesn't make Etsy look good to anyone. IMO

[heavyistheheart]

It might be an idea to take a screenshot or have a picture you can send to customers who are a bit confused.

[heavyistheheart]

ETA of the cart

[EccentricHandbags]

That is a really good idea.

[MirageRiverCreations]

I was going to do that. Take a screenshot, add a little photoshop circle and arrows and viola! You can just drop it into a message back to the customer. I hadn’t done it yet, and I didn’t have anyone ask.

[CaliQuiltCo]

We have had over 40 people use the coupon code Yes10 over the last 2 days.  It was a big hit.  Please do it again!!!  Glad we don't pay the coupon!

[SilverCityBeads]

We had over 84 orders due to the YES10. However to be fair, we were already offering a shopwide 20% off sale, free shipping on $49 order and the YES10 was a really sweet cherry on top and I had 2 great sales days from it.

[CaliQuiltCo]

It is not difficult to enter the code.  We had 2 people forget and they just put their order through a 2nd time and we canceled the 1st order.

[BootifulLabels]

Damned if you do........just sayin'

[HollysCollageCorner]

I have mixed feelings- I thought it might bring sales and was hopeful, but in my case it made 0 difference.  One sale and no promo used.  I think it’s the economy and instability in the world.  Tough times ahead:(
I sold a Christmas item and Halloween has been good in years past- I have lots of Halloween and was really hoping to move things.  I want to reduce if worse comes to worse.  The hell of it is- despite my sober outlook, I continue to hunt for and buy for my shop.  

[theprincessandpea]

I was hopeful it would bring me sales...but absolutely none with the coupon. Even worse I have zero sales today, again ....and I have been here 13 years and have not had zero sales in years, and now...two this week.  Depressing.  

[ZenCatPottery]

I haven't had any problems, but if a customer does something wrong that's on them.  I would not refund money that they didn't pay me.  I would tell them to contact Etsy Customer Support.

Also, I didn't get any sales the last time Etsy did this a few weeks ago.  I didn't even know about it until it was over.  This time I promoted it with posts and stories on social media.

I had more sales Monday and Tuesday than I've had over the past several weeks.  Plus, I did some of my own shopping, buying items in my cart that had been "saved for later."  Win-win!

[BezelsandBeyond]

I've purchased 4 times from 3 different shops.  Needed some chain that was $41, so purchased it once in silver, then purchased it again in bronze.  Saved $20!  It's a sweet deal, especially with other discounts.

[ZenCatPottery]

@BezelsandBeyondit is a sweet deal!  And even better that the entire $40 doesn't need to be from the same shop!

[MirageRiverCreations]

I actually really liked Etsy’s past two promotions: the GET5 and now the YES10. I made two orders with the GET5 and one with YES10 myself. While I had no orders in my shop during the GET5 promo, I had two orders with YES10. Since I saw sellers talking about refunding for those buyers who forgot the code and also having to try and explain how to use it or struggling themselves (I know I did the first time), I decided to be preemptive and put this announcement in my shop:

Etsy's YES10 Promotion:

Starting Oct 9 and running through Oct 11, Etsy will be doing a spend $40 get $10 off. Etsy will be sharing the coupon code for the discount and when you check out from my shop on any of those days with $40 of merchandise or more, you can use the code to get a $10 discount off your purchase.

Requirements:

1. Orders must be placed between Oct 9 and Oct 11.

2. Orders must be $40 or more to qualify for the discount. This minimum purchase amount can be reached when purchasing from multiple shops in participating countries: US, UK, Canada, or Germany.

3. COUPON CODE “YES10” MUST BE ENTERED AT TIME OF PURCHASE! This discount cannot be applied retroactively. If you place an order and miss the discount, your order will have to be cancelled and placed again with the coupon applied in order to receive the discount.

4. To use the coupon code YES10, it must be entered into the "ETSY COUPON CODE" section below the "proceed to checkout" button in the cart (on the website). This coupon code will not work if entered anywhere else.

5. This promotional code can be used as many times as you like between Oct 9 and Oct 11. Feel free to purchase again!

Please ask if you have any questions and I'll be happy to answer whatever questions I can.

Happy shopping!

I’m sorry if it sounds mean, but I would not be willing to refund to cover the discount if a buyer forgot to enter the coupon code. They would have to agree to have the order cancelled and purchase again. I know if I forgot it, I would never ask the seller for a refund, but just ask them to cancel if they would so I could make the purchase a second time. Anyway, my shop announcement seems to have worked, because this time I had two orders both using the code. I’ll be saving it for next time if there is one. Frankly, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I feel my instructions were much clearer and more concise than Etsy’s generic ones they linked both times.

[SVGRox]

It's a mistake to give any refund to a customer who doesn't use the promo, If they claim a refund they would make 5. Customers who forget should contact Etsy as it's their site offer not yours as a seller