I work really really hard at maintaining our star seller status and it is such a disappointment that this continues to happen. The main goal is to please the customer and if they want to pick up their item and save the shipping cost, that's what I do. Each time I am penalized by a drop in the ranking of the star seller in the shipping category. What happens if I get a bunch of people in my area that want to pick up? Will I get a terrible rating even though we have done nothing wrong. The simple answer is YES. This is unacceptable and the improvements to Etsy should focus first on the issues that are already present instead of implementing new ideas. Fix what isn't working first, then we will try new programs within your system.
Will local pickup orders be part of my evaluation for a Star Seller badge?
All physical listing orders must include a valid tracking number or a shipping label purchased on Etsy to be considered for a Star Seller badge. At this time, we’re unable to make exceptions for local pickup orders.
Will local pickup orders be part of my evaluation for a Star Seller badge?
All physical listing orders must include a valid tracking number or a shipping label purchased on Etsy to be considered for a Star Seller badge. At this time, we’re unable to make exceptions for local pickup orders.
Of course you won't have a tracking number if you hand deliver it. It is your choice whether to ship or deliver and Etsy's system doesn't allow for it. If you want the Star Seller badge you will need to ship it. Most shops don't have the Star Seller badge so it isn't hugely important to get it.
@ThomasCollectibles I don't lose any sleep over the star seller badge. While etsy is pushing customer service, their own is almost non existent. I will only ever have two out of three of the stars because I can't use tracking on inexpensive items, and my sales are higher every year. Good products and good reviews are what's important - not a kindergarten star. Keep giving the good customer service, and never mind the stars IMO.
As long as that customer service is the same as what Etsy wants. That's the kicker. Not the badge itself but is the seller striving to meet goals? i.e. if not striving at some point Etsy can use it to push a seller out. That's the reason why it is important in that sense. Not for the badge. But for the underlying message.
@JDATotesnDolls I am already quite familiar with the importance of great customer service. I don't need a star to tell me that and I'm sure most other sellers don't either. We knew about good customer service long before the stupid stars came along. Thank you. It's a shame we can't rate etsy's customer service with purple stars.
The hand delivering is explained under the program information that it works against a seller. Hand delivery does not guarantee an item was delivered. It has no seller protection. It can also be dangerous. If anything goes wrong then the seller is on the hook for it. Etsy will not help.
Etsy charges fees on whatever the customer is charged for postage. It doesn't matter if the item is shipped through Etsy labels, through another service, or hand delivered.
I'm sorry this happened. I've lost the star for this reason in the past. Keep in mind some very strong Etsy sellers offering excellent customer service are not able to obtain a star. And many sellers will float in and out of having it for a plethora of reasons which are out of a sellers control with online retail. This can assist with perspective.
I did make some recent changes which helped with this issue since Etsy's system does not support local deliveries. I still honor a local hand delivered requested Etsy sale. But, I always let these buyers know future non mailed sales need to be done directly through me. I explain Etsy is not set up for in-person sales. I've also contacted my local followers and customers and given them discounts for buying direct and shared the same information. Over time this has helped with preventing most hand deliveries through Etsy. It has also increased my profits which has been a nice little bonus.
Your star will return and this shouldn't impact your shop since you pride yourself with offering good customer service and provide it.
Thanks for your tips! I have had very few local sales, so most of my business does go through the shipping system.... but there have been a few items personally delivered which did indeed lose my Star Seller position. Oh well. Customer Service is always at the top of my To Do list!!
@ThomasCollectibles if someone were to order an item from you, and you personally hand delivered it to them … how would Etsy ever know this without a tracking number to prove it was actually shipped & delivered? THIS is exactly why the SS program was enacted, to protect buyers from scam sellers. Without tracking, any buyer can claim “item not received” and Etsy would fully refund from your account without buyer returning item! You have to decide what’s more important to you … if you decide not to abide by SSR rules, then you can’t claim SSR was unfair.
THIS is exactly why the SS program was enacted, to protect buyers from scam sellers.
@TBQSC sorry but I disagree because US sellers have access to an untracked letter Etsy label that counts as 'tracked' for the SSP. It's about padding Etsy's bottom line and nothing to do with buyers.
I don't buy this. It's bogus. Sellers doing everything "right" can still get ripped off, there are threads every day. I do lots of local pickups and have never had one issue. They are a ton less trouble than packaging and shipping.
Risk is everywhere. Local pickups are earth friendly...something Etsy is always on about while hampering those of us who are actually DOING something instead of just talking about it.
Yes, Etsy really should accommodate hand-delivery in the star seller program. Besides, it’s not as if tracking actually means anything these days…Etsy will still refund even with tracked/delivered/signed for even if the item was under the $250 threshold. So, I don’t understand why they even insist on tracking. (*insert eyeroll*). If star seller is supposed to be a measure of good customer service, what better customer service is there but to hand-deliver an item to a customer?
Wanted to add….hand delivery would also help reduce carbon emissions and decrease the carbon footprint (which seems to be important to Etsy)…just sayin’.
I realize this comment was 3 weeks ago.... but hand delivery would only reduce those things if both parties walked or biked to meetup. Not knowing how far someone is traveling to deliver/hand-off, and how they are getting there (driving vs public transport, and if driving, is it an electric or fuel efficient vehicle?), it's not really possible to say going this way inherently reduces emissions and carbon footprints.
@audreytherese @I see your point, but even if it’s two cars traveling (and other mitigating factors such as electric vehicles aside - though electricity can still involve fossil fuels) it’s still less than driving to the PO, then PO sends it to a distribution center, then distribution center sends it to the local post office, then a truck brings postal carrier to the general area of delivery. Quite a few more steps involving carbon emissions. At least that’s how it works in my area.
It really depends on how streamlined or not the process is. Of course there are more steps of carbon emissions going the postal way, but it's not like all those mechanisms are moving just to move 1 package at a time. If they moved 1,000 packages during that process, then the total carbon footprint for each items is only 1/1000 of the total - which may or may not be more than what's involved for hand delivery of 2 vehicles traveling to meet up, because all that also depends on the type of vehicles and distance traveled. Without actual studies and facts of the situation, I just can't automatically assume that the carbon footprint of a meetup is going to be less than a package shipped.
