I figured out why Etsy makes up delivery times for cusomers

[CoolCyberCats]

It is been annoying the heck out of me for a while that often when I have an order and I manage to fill it the same day, that when I generate postage on Etsy for the order it will say something like "USPS Ground Advantage Recommended,  Slowest Estimated delivery Oct 19-23 (Buyer expects Oct 18-21)".
Seems Etsy likes to give the buyer an estimation of deliver time based on FIRST CLASS and there is NO WAY to adjust the profile to use Ground Advantage. So that makes the times different. Then to make matters worse, I have all my items set to up to 3 days to make, but I tend to make things in advance and list a few at a time, so I can usually ship the day of the order or the next. Because of this, etsy says "Your history: 1 day. This is based on your processing times over the past 120 days for shipped orders that used these settings.", so I think they use 1 day not my 3! And I have my processing schedule set to Your shop's order processing schedule is set to include: Monday–Friday, and all holidays, but Etsy's buyer shown calculations INCLUDE weekends so an order on a Friday with a 3 day estimate is claimed to arrive MONDAY!

COME ON ETSY! FIX your system for shipping delivery times or stop lying to our buyers!

[digitaldoodlebug]

It doesn't make sense. They've added GA as a shipping option. Also, they supposedly track things to use current estimates. So why doesn't their buyer estimate match their shipping estimate?

I had one to Canada, even first class used to say 1-4 weeks, etsy says 3-5 business days... contacted the buyer that it could take a few weeks and they agreed to cancel. I'm using globalpost which says 5-8 days but in reality they have been taking 6-12 business days, 1-2 weeks. 

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

Ground Advantage is the same as First Class, just the name change. Etsy just hasn't changed it yet.

[CoolCyberCats]

Not exactly the same. GA is slightly slower than 1st class parcel was and the times show this. Otherwise there would be no difference from what Etsy told the customer and ga estimates on the back end.

[PrairiePrimitives]

@UniqueGiftOrnaments Yes & no. 

Although Ground Advantage replaced First Class Parcel more than a year ago, it is not the same as First Class at all. GA is noticeably slower than First Class ever was.

I'm in California and First Class Parcel got my packages to the East Coast in 2 or 3 days max. Ground Advantage, on the other hand, takes at least 5 days to get my packages to the Midwest! I haven't checked how long it takes to get them to the East Coast, but I would assume another day or two, at least.

Since GA is a mashup of First Class and Parcel Post, it appears they are delivering closer to a Parcel Post timeframe.

[Adorabilities]

There is no first class parcel anymore at USPS, so I'm not sure how Etsy could be getting estimates based on that.

[CoolCyberCats]

Go to a listing and look at the shipping profile. There is no GA, just priority and first class.

[Adorabilities]

@CoolCyberCats 

What I'm saying is that Etsy cannot base their estimates on a mail class that doesn't exist, because they take that information from USPS.
Unless they still "remember" first class taking 2-4 days from over a year ago, I guess.

[CoolCyberCats]

@Adorabilities Well, the time differences when I ship the same day as the order shows there is a major disconnect. And Etsy will not nag or guilt me into sending a $11 order with free priority, that is for sure.

[Adorabilities]

@CoolCyberCats 

There is a major disconnect, that's for sure.  And they shouldn't be telling us "buyer expects" delivery dates as a threat, when we're shipping on time.

[CoolCyberCats]

@Adorabilities 

I am in full agreement, why I posted this in hopes some Etsy person sees it.

ANd yes, I have sent suggestions to them the right way before, this is my last ditch hope and letting others know of the issue.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

Etsy doesn't make up times.  They are supplied by the postal system.  What can change date shown is whether or not you marked shipping on Sat/Sun or holidays.

You have free shipping so the buyer does not see any class of service by USPS so you item may be based on processing time frame and Ground Advantage.  Ground advantage is First Class package and parcel select.  If you are using a calculated shipping profile then those are the two that would be selected. Fixed shipping profile has ground advantage.

GA is first class parcel.  They are the same.  Just a name change.  In fact I find GA to be faster for the items I have purchased from shops that prefer GA over Priority.  

[moonbeamgifts]

There is some kind of disconnect in the math because I have weekends turned off (it kept turning on so I regularly check) but it doesn't take that into account nor my processing time.   

I had an order Friday night that has 2 day processing so the timer should start sometime today (depending on what they factor in for time zones) and yet my 'estimate' says that the buyer expects the order starting the 15-18. 

It's fortunately staying on the side of the country but going south so there would be hope by the 18th but coming off of a holiday weekend, it's slim...

[CoolCyberCats]

There is a HIGE issue with Etsy then. Another recent example, I sold something yesterday and made it and processed postage for shipment that day. Etsy said that GA would be there 2 days later than the customer expects it. So Etsy HAD to have lied to the buyer, claiming I would ship it priority or they just made up deliver times for the buyer and then tried to coax me into shipping 2 or 3 day.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

The information for shipping comes from USPS.  And the explanation below sums up what Etsy does.

I have not had any trouble as seller or as BUYER in getting my items within the delivery time frame on the listing.

And if it says late delivery in the label I ignore that. Been seeing that off and on for years and it has never ever been a problem.

[GreenMountainMutts]

It's not a bug that they will "fix"...back in April Etsy announced that they were going to take our shipping history into account when providing shoppers with estimated delivery dates: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Announcements/Etsy-Updates-3-things-to-know-for-April-2024/m-p/1452984... 

I've been shipping anything purchased by a "guest" towards the end of my processing time since this change, and I've seen fewer "may arrive late" notices when I purchase postage...

[bradgoodell]

@GreenMountainMutts Thank you for the link.

That explains a lot.  I appreciate it.

[bradgoodell]

I'm gonna cut and paste it and bookmark this:

• Showing buyers more accurate estimated delivery dates

Estimated delivery dates are important to the shopping experience on Etsy. In fact, Etsy shoppers are more likely to buy items that ship faster—even if it’s only by one day. To help show buyers more accurate estimates of when they should expect their items, we’re making improvements to the way we calculate estimated delivery dates.

In addition to information you already provide, such as processing times and shipping services, we’ve started using your shipping history, along with carrier information like latest transit times, to calculate estimated delivery dates. 

The stated processing times and ship-by dates for your items won’t change and we’ll take them into account when making this new calculation. Currently this update only applies to US domestic orders. Learn more about estimated delivery dates in Etsy’s Help Center.

That’s all for this month! As always, we’ll share news you need to know and other updates in the Announcements section of the Forums and in the Seller Handbook.

-------------------

We usually ship faster than our turnaround time allows, we like having the float days for when we travel or are busy on other projects.  

[CoolCyberCats]

Still makes little sense. They use 0 to 1 day then for me, and if I ship the same day as an order they still tell me the customer will receive it after the expect delivery date. See the disconnect? Etsy is the one who gives the customer estimated delivery dates and then if shipped on the same day as the order Etsy will often proclaim it will arrive after the customer expects it. It is Etsy who is driving the expected deliver times and then makes up new ones when we generate the postage on their site. It is nuts and shows bad development of the site here.

[NancyQstudio]

This^^^^^^

Our CEO promised faster shipping times to the investors.  This was the way Etsy chose to show this promise was met on their reports.  It makes sense because Etsy has no control in this area. only the shippers and sellers do since they handle the packages.  

[CoolCyberCats]

@GreenMountainMutts , I think you miss the point, that I am getting orders now that I am process and shipping the same day, and it is claimed will be late for the buyers expectations. I spend the weekends making my items in advance so I can usually ship the day of an order (if I have a few hours to get to the post office). It makes no logical sense that a buyer orders something and I use Etsy to make the postage 2 hours later and it ships that day, but I am told the buyer expects it sooner. There is no way Etsy is using the same logic (postage deliver times) for the buyer AND seller sides.

[NancyQstudio]

I avoid shipping Etsy orders early because of this change.  It is frustrating but it has worked for me.   I have some merchandise that takes longer to make than others within variations. So I've created an accurate processing range to accommodate all items in the variation listings.  Holding the ones that can be made quickly to match the processing items for items that take longer to create has helped.  

This policy was put in place after the CEO made a promise to the board that shipping times would increase.  Since Etsy has no part in this process, this is the way Etsy chose to show they've had success in this area.  It may work on paper reports for them. But it has become a problem for both sellers and buyers. 

[bradgoodell]

First Class mail is now called Ground Advantage.  Etsy has failed to change the name in the shipping system, but they are aware of the issue.  I guess they don't think it is important enough to deal.  

[BuckingRabbitCo]

This is what I included in my automatic order message to the buyer: 

Please note that shipping estimates from Etsy are incorrect. We ship orders within 1-2 business days (Monday-Friday). Shipping can take 2-5 business days depending on your location (I'm west coast). Despite all my system settings, Etsy is usually showing delivery dates as if I shipped your items a day before you ordered. This is our full time job and we work Monday-Friday.

We strive for a 5 star review! If you have any issues or concerns, please reach out! We are happy to help. It's just two of us so no large customer service hoops needed to jump thru to get fast results!

[BeJeweledByDEBORAH]

A customer placed an order in my shop two days ago and sent me a message afterwards asking if I could assure her that she would receive it by a specific date. My response to her was that I could only guarantee the day it would be delivered to the post office for shipping, and the rest was up to USPS. She responded that Etsy sent her an email after she ordered it that "guaranteed" delivery by a certain date. I assured her that I/my shop could not back up this guarantee and asked if she wanted to cancel the order. She chose to proceed with the order, so it remains to be seen if she does receive it when expected, and if not, whether or not she'll file a claim for reimbursement. This hasn't happened with my shop yet, but I think it's only a matter of time.