Important surprising info on abandoned cart coupon (freshly after Etsy chat) FUMING

[#1]

I have listed a dress literally less than 14 hours ago. Etsy has sent "abandoned cart" offer to a buyer in less than 24 hours of the item even being on the site. Buyer applied coupon and purchased. Thing is, I was convinced that there must be at least 24 hrs for item being carted for this to even happen. I contacted Etsy via chat and after being pushy and not letting go, the customer service ADMITTED that now there is no time limitation for this type of discount anymore! Quote:[This content has been removed by Moderation. We ask that you please review Section 1, Item 2 of our Community Policies prior to posting.] Oh wow. Shouldn't such info be available so that you know precisely what you get your shop into?? But guys, keep reading, it only gets better. 

 I kept being pushy calling them out on absolute lack of transparency and it only got better from there... Here comes literal quote from the chat about the ABANDONED CART OFFER:[This content has been removed by Moderation. We ask that you please review Section 1, Item 2 of our Community Policies prior to posting.]. This made me lose my mind. I have sent them literal quote from my dashboard [This content has been removed by Moderation. We ask that you please review Section 1, Item 2 of our Community Policies prior to posting.] And I asked how on earth am I suppose to conclude from this dashboard info that offer ISN'T IN REAL abandoned basket but something entirely else ?! And can be sent out by Etsy randomly, not just in case of abandoned basket as stated ?! THIS IS LITERALLY MIND BLOWING. They have forwarded my case to specialists who should reach out to me via email. I will update this thread when I receive such email.

This is absolutely horrendous case of misinformation and I am not just leaving it like this. Especially that they had audacity to tell me I should be happy item sold. It would have sold full price and I know it but it isn't even about that anymore. It's the principals. How is it even legal? Even though I'm reading this forum daily and am aware of much worse things going on recently (refunds of delivered items make my skin crawl), I am still shocked. It's like they told me "yeah, we say it is A but in real it is B, sorry for confusion, hehe, ciao". U N R E A L

[VINTAGEbytheMAGPIE]

On seeing this thread, i've turned my abandoned cart offers off. This coupon is meant to be an incentive for those who want to buy but for some reason may be waving. Not used as an automatic discount for anyone adding to their basket. So this feature, in effect is a shop wide sale.

If in future, I want to discount specific items I will use the sale feature .

[JMOldeVintage]

As CraftyCornishMaids mentioned over the past 8 months or so, I have been greeted with the dot by the bell. This must be clicked on to get it to go away. Doing so opens a 'message', usually that something I have saved for later is on sale. I have never received an email from Etsy telling me the item is now on sale. Is the dot - meaning the buyer had to return & be signed in - really more effective than an email?

I have never received an abandoned cart coupon/notice from Etsy. However since I find Etsy's pop-ups telling me "rare item, only one available, buy it now" so annoying I immediately place anything I have carted into save for later. If I can tolerate it I may try and experiment with keeping items in my cart.

This is Etsy's help article on Sales & Discounts: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014260108-How-to-Set-Up-Sales-and-Coupons-for-Your-Shop?s...

On topic, this is on their info. on Abandoned Carts:

"If a shopper has an item from your shop in their cart for more than 24 hours, they’ll get an email offering them a discount for that item 24 hours after they abandoned it in their cart.

A shopper can receive this type of targeted offer email once every two days. We’ll include up to 12 different discounts per offer email. If a shopper adds an item to their cart and then removes the item within 24 hours, they won’t receive an offer for your shop in a targeted offer email."

Finally, & tbh I almost keeled over when this happened. I went to the page/link I've posted. Realize I have been on vacation mode for ages. 
The CHAT bubble suddenly popped up in the lower corner of the page. It was "live". 
What does this say, for all the issues shop owners are having with so many glitches & major snafus, that I might immediately be linked to a chat rep who will guide me thru setting up a coupon code??

[GlassyFields]

At any rate, I'm turning off the abandoned cart coupon that I've had on for years. It's the only way I can vote for transparency. When Etsy announces a change to how the abandoned cart coupon works that matches how it actually works, I may turn it back on. I hope Etsy gets the message that is clearly expressed in this forum that sellers want transparency, not surprises.

[TickleYourWitch]

Ditto. 

[OneEyeCatStudio]

Yep.
Like I said earlier, I  tried it for the very first time a couple of weeks ago, but I've  turned it off, too.

I'm done with that stuff.

[AudaciousAttire]

Don't ever trust anyhing Etsy pushes. They don't care about anything except the bottom line. 

[CathyHillegas]

Today I had an order and then 2 minutes later, the customer said they saw a discount after purchasing??!! and wanted to know if I would honor it after the fact. I said "no" but now I am wondering how they saw a discount after the fact. What is going on?? I do have abandoned cart enabled and also send a discount code for future purchases on my packing slip. Not sure how they saw this.

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

If you have a code setup thate you are giving out to buyers at any time it doesn't matter when there are ways other people can get and use thate code and it has nothing to do with etsy. This is why I have repeatedly said in this post that etsy sending buyers codes sooner than 24 hours in the scheme of things is not a big deal as people can get the codes anyway. That's why if you're going to offer codes the discounts should be built into the pricing so if someone uses it it's ok and you still get the price you want for your items. 

[Adorabilities]

@SmallthingsbyAmanda 
What you're saying is true -- they could have a code from a previous order or abandoned cart.

I think the issue here is that Etsy sent the discount right after the buyer had made a purchase. The purchase has already been made at full price. But because they just got an alert from Etsy, they think they've paid too much.

[Adorabilities]

@CathyHillegas Do you have the repeat customer coupons sent out by Etsy as well? If that's the coupon she was sent, that's way to soon to send it out.

[PinkCoyoteJewelry]

@smallthings:Amanda: So are you saying the code for an abandoned cart can be used for any item in your shop, not just the item in your cart? 

My other question is this: Where else are our listed? Are they listed by third parties outside of Etsy? 

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

Yes the code can be used for any item in your shop and as many times as the buyer likes until the seller terms the code off. The codes are not listed as in etsy or sellers listing them but there are sites where you can go and search for code not just for etsy but anywhere where you can buy things online. You can even add an app the whenever your checking out online will search and try codes for you giving you best available offers.  

[PinkCoyoteJewelry]

Does it help to set a time frame for the code? For example, would it be useful to say, "This code is viable for 72 hours for an abandoned cart." I know we can set a time frame for the other two options. 

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

Not sure how that would work as some buyers might only get the code a few hours before you end it but you would be saying it was valid for 72 also how would you tell them it was only valid for 72 hours I don't think you can add a message to the code. 

[PinkCoyoteJewelry]

Without subscribing to advertising, do any of you feel the codes have benefitted your sales? For example, I have one item that has been in 5 carts two days, and then they disappeared yesterday (all at once), when I criticize "E>>>>>>>>." Has anyone else had this experience?

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

etsy empty's carts when items have been left in then so long. I have items in carts all the time one item always is in 20+ carts carts get emptied and its in none then gradually builds back up to 20+. 

[leinweberstudio]

Carts get emptied about every 30 days; being an Etsy critic has no bearing on this.

Mine just got emptied too.

[PinkCoyoteJewelry]

The only way I can see amending the coupon, is by including a policy statement about the use of coupons. Most people who don't frequent E often, don't realize the coupons are listed in offerings or when the go to check-out.  I am a seller, but I have made 97 purchases in the last 12 months. Don't misunderstand me, I have not made 97 sales, but my work is available in several galleries, so I purchase many supplies on Etsy. There are some wonderful supply shops.

[GieseDeseiGns]

You also have to be signed up for E mailings to get the codes too.

[GlassyFields]

@PinkCoyoteJewelry

If I was a buyer and Etsy notified me of a coupon and then the seller said something different - due to their policies about coupon use I'd be annoyed at the whole shopping experience. 

I think if sellers don't want to have their listings discounted within minutes of someone putting it in their cart ... they shouldn't be using the abandoned cart coupons.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

"You also have to be signed up for E mailings to get the codes too."

That is not true anymore.

I'm not signed up. I get them in my Updates.

No way to opt out of those.

[chocolaterabbit]

Just wanted to add that I put an item in my cart this afternoon and got the abandoned cart coupon within an hour. I feel so bad for the people this is happening to. 

I've not turned on the abandoned cart coupon but have been successfully using the thank you one. 

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

how did you get it was it an email or on your dashboard  

[chocolaterabbit]

@SmallthingsbyAmanda If you were asking me - it was on my dashboard. I turned off Etsy email.

[SmallthingsbyAmanda]

Thank you that's what i suspected. they are still only sending emails after 24 hours as they say they do, but have not bothered to tell sellers they will also be sending offers to dashboard and it might not be 24 hours.