Guest Customer says she's already received order - but I haven't made it yet!

[AnnasInfinityArt]

I have an order that's due to ship out Oct. 4th.

As it's a custom order, I had reached out to the customer immediately after purchase (Sept. 6) with my usual spiel of contact, choosing colors etc. Never heard back until I sent follow up inquiry today. Guest claims she already received my item as a gift. But I don't have a record of sending it out to her address. Her name as the guest/shipping address is spelled differently from her email (when I scroll over guest info).

I'm not sure what to do - should I cancel this order? As it's a guest, I can't even see who originally ordered it as that's not showing. I've already received the $180.20 (minus fees, of course).

[BeachPleaseCreations]

Wow really weird! Do you have any orders going to wherever she’s from that could’ve been sent to her?

[AnnasInfinityArt]

No, I've checked in Etsy and Pirateship. I've not shipped to her address, ever!

[ZehOriginalArt]

Maybe she has you confused with another shop.

[AnnasInfinityArt]

That's what I'm thinking. I've asked her for a pic of what she's saying I made. But she hasn't responded back yet.

[BootifulLabels]

If she is claiming she already has it, why would you cancel?  You have to do a full refund to cancel and you don't want to refund if she has the item.  It sounds to me like she has added more than one item from more than one shop to her basket and then checked out as a guest, not realising that the items were from different shops (first time buyers may not realise Etsy is not just one big store, but a platform for million of small sellers).  I would ask her to send you a photo of the item, and confirm with her that it is not yours and she must have ordered a second item from someone else.  Explain that if she added several items to her basket before finding the one she wanted, Etsy would have combined them into one checkout.  If she did get another item from someone else and is happy with it, THEN process a refund and cancel the order.  All your Etsy fees will be returned and there is no harm done as you haven't made the item yet. 

[AnnasInfinityArt]

Yes, but she says she received it as a gift. The buyer checked out as Guest, using this person's email and address. So on my end, I can't see who actually bought it.  I've asked her for a pic, though. Hopefully she'll respond. Otherwise I'll just cancel it before 10/4. 
Thanks!

[bohemians]

That one is very confusing. Perhaps she has it confused with something else she ordered or something that came to her as a gift from another order to an Etsy seller (and possibly a different buyer).

You might try contacting the guest via the email you have, but make sure you ask them to reply to you through Etsy. You you are not going to want to agree to any alternate arrangements outside Etsy's communication system.

OR

Since you know you haven't sent anything out - you could cancel the order. I'm not sure if the guest buyer would be notified of the cancellation though. 

[AnnasInfinityArt]

Thanks, yes she received it as a gift, but the original buyer checked out as Guest and used this person's info and email. I've only been using the Etsy platform to contact her.

[RandysExoticWoods]

If you are positive that you haven't made/shipped their order yet, I would be inclined to proceed with making and shipping it. I would assume that they are confused and will realize it at some point. If they haven't specifically asked to cancel, I wouldn't. When they open the package, it may all come back to them.

[AnnasInfinityArt]

It's a custom order and I'd need to have the size of her wedding invitation in order to make it. She claims she already has it! It was sent to her as a gift. I recently did two where I made them so the people could insert the invitation, but I have their names, etc. I checked in Etsy and Pirateship and I haven't mailed anything to this person's address. So weird!

[bradgoodell]

Someone else could have bought her something similar from another seller.  I'd cancel and refund.  

[AnnasInfinityArt]

Yes, thanks. I've asked her for a pic of it. If I don't hear back from her before the ship date, I'll just cancel it out.

[AnnasInfinityArt · Accepted solution]

Mystery solved! It was the girl's mom who ordered! She wants one for herself. She's older and used her daughter's email. They have the same first name.

Phew! Thanks to everyone who responded    You rock! Have an awesome day!

[bradgoodell]

So glad this was resolved in a positive manner!

[secondarycreations]

As someone who used to have the same name as my mom, I can see how this could happen, especially if the mom isn't terribly familiar with ordering online. Great mystery solving! 

[ReginaldSpleen]

I think this is the target for the new Etsy "Nostradamus Badge", it's for predictive dispatching.