Going to lose Star Seller Status due to Postal Disruption

[HeartWishezStudio]

I am heartsick. Canada Post is having technical difficulties. Thus, I cannot print shipping labels either on Etsy or on the Canada Post website. I have 2 orders that must ship today. I had already changed the ship by date because of our Canadian holiday. Now I cannot change the ship by date and I will lose my star seller status if the items don't ship today. I have spoken to Etsy twice and was told that I could go to the post office but the cost of shipping there will far exceed any Etsy reinbursement for additional shipping costs. I have no alternative but to give up my hard earned Star Seller Status. Why does Etsy not provide the option of changing ship by date more than once to cover for a situation that is out of the sellers control? Can I appeal the loss of my Star Seller Status if lost for such a circumstance?

[NanaLetha]

You have a choice. It’s up to you. Which is more important?

[vintageNCtreasures]

No you can't appeal the loss of your SSB if you ship late.

Etsy probably has you can change the ship by date ONLY 1 time (up to 3 weeks) because there're sellers that would keep changing the ship date every week.

[HeartWishezStudio]

Since I'll be out of pocket for almost as much as the custom statues are worth...I'll have to give up my SSB sadly. These statues are custom concrete pieces...very heavy and very expensive to ship.

[PrimFun · Accepted solution]

@HeartWishezStudio   There are many shops which either can never have star seller or have lost it and they still do very well.  It is not the end of the world if you don't get the purple star.  Buyers will still buy because they like your items, not because of the badge.

You will be fine.  

[PoochandTabby]

If you tried and were willing to use the Canada Post website for labels, those prices are going to be the same as going into the post office. Etsy has lost their preferred rate with Canada Post it seems, so it may not be, price-wise, as bad as you may think. 

There was another seller last week that went to the PO and her price was lower in PO than it was on Etsy. 

But at the end of the day, what is more important to you, a few more bucks for shipping on time or star seller? I would not want late shipping on my record, personally, as star seller will not protect you from that. The fact that Etsy support is telling you that you can go to the PO as an option, it sounds like they are not going to give any allowances for late shipping in this instance, especially since this is a Canada Post issue, not an Etsy issue or something they've done.

It does suck though, that CP couldn't get it together and is impacting Canadian businesses that rely on them, so good luck with whatever you decide to do. 

[Northernblooms]

I'm in Canada. I suspect there's more going on here.  I've had SSB for a long time but suddenly lost it overnight, despite meeting all the usual SSB criteria/demands.

More specifically, it seems I've lost it due to the "ships on time" criterion. However, I ALWAYS ship the first or second day after receiving an order (weekends and national holidays excluded). I'm wondering if the current disruption with Canada Post is contributing to the problem. For example, I tried to mail an order I received earlier today but my post office was unable to process the dispatch because CP still hadn't come back on-line.

[tantarosie]

Have you thought about using FedEx or UPS?  

[HeartWishezStudio]

Yes they are double the price unfortunately.

[PrescilasChina]

I have 3 packed and ready to print labels through Etsy.  If I can’t print them tomorrow morning I will take them to the post office and swallow the cost difference.  Many will tell you that star seller doesn’t affect your visibility but for me I believe it does, so I will protect it.

[cindylouwho2]

Use another service, such as UPS labels on netParcel through PayPal. They are often going to be cheaper anyway.

"I had already changed the ship by date because of our Canadian holiday." - you can exclude holidays from your processing times, so there is no reason to use the reschedule tool on this: https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/tools/shipping-profiles?ref=seller-platform-mcnav 

2 pro tips for the future:

1. whenever you do have to extend processing times, extend them longer than you think you will need, since you can't do it twice.
2. always assume that Canada Post upgrades will result in big issues they day they are supposed to be back. I was going to ship Wednesday and Friday this week, but changed to Monday and Thursday to avoid exactly what you are going through. 

"Can I appeal the loss of my Star Seller Status if lost for such a circumstance?" No, this was due to your own choices (not to extend longer, exclude holidays, or ship another way).  But don't worry about losing Star Seller; I didn't have it for years because I shipped without tracking, and even since I switched my shipping, I still lost it twice with no ill effects. 

[LastCentury]

100% this... for heavy items I would go to netparcel to suss out a better deal than Canada Post anyway and who knows, you might be able to still print out a label and drop it off at a UPS depot if you hustle... they close at 6.30 in Barrie.

[funkydreamsmosaics]

I understand the issues with labels out of your control, and I am sorry that is happening to you. 

But I would suggest in the future, if you have to bump a date out, bump it FAR OUT for this very reason.  You can let the customer know that you plan to ship it sooner, but it covers you in situations like these.

[GlassyFields]

On the rare occasions that I have to push out a ship date (usually because I'm waiting for a buyer to respond to the choices I gave them in a custom order), I've pushed it out the maximum. Pushing out the ship date triggers a message to the buyer and I let them know that the items are ready to ship as soon as they confirm their choices. I also let them know that if I don't hear back by mm/dd/yy I'll ship option 1.

[UppNorthEh]

There is a Stallion Express drop n go in Barrie.