Mandatory phone number request for international shipping - would you like it too?

[AstronomicalClocks]

Hi. I have been selling on Etsy for some time now, almost 5-6 years in total. And i kept asking Etsy for a feature, but no reply was granted asside from: we will take it into consideration...

Now, i do not know about shipping companies in the US or other countries, but in Europe, without a phone number and address you can not fill a shipping document. And DHL express, which is my main shipping services provider does not accept to complete the export papaers without a phone number. 
Why is it so hard for Etsy to add a simple checkbox where we can request a mandatory phone number of the consignee for shipping purposes? I mean, they do have DHL in their shiping company list, so they do know DHL asks for phone numbers, right? And most companies do, onlythe postal services do nor have it as a mandatory field, althow recently they started asking for a phone number too... 

Using personalization form to request for phone numbers is not ok, because most customers start writing there their personalization request, that i was planning to charge for, not offer it for free. Even though i wrote there: please provide your phone number for shipping purposes, many people do not read that and only request a personalized message in that field. 

Please reply to this thread if you would like to have a"mandatory phone number" field in the listing option, maby if we show Etsy that many sellers request it they would implement it. It is a simple field, it should not be that hard.   

[CryzalisMasksUK · Accepted solution]

Most customers are wary about giving out their phone numbers, especially when it becomes mandatory.

I use DHL express all the time and in 10 years+ have always entered the customers email, my phone number or 0000000

The parcels have always been accepted, always been delivered and never once received a phone call. When there has been something in the past regarding the delivery, DHL emailed the customer 

[ImogensImagination]

In my DHL dashboard (UK), the phone number is no longer a required field.

HOWEVER, I still ask customers to confirm both their email and telephone number via the personalisation box.

(I also send a follow up message if it isn't supplied)

I always set up tracking notification email on the DHL side, however the number of customers who supply a different email address to the one Etsy has on file is startling.

If I relied on Etsy's info, I would be really worried about customers not being able to rearrange deliveries if required.

[AstronomicalClocks]

In the romanian mydhl dashboard the phone number is mandatory. i never tried a solution proposed before, imputing my phone number, wil ltry that today because i have another client that inputed a personalization request in the personalization box aqllthow it was clearly writen there that i use it to request the phone number. And my problem is that i tend to get items delivered late and have to change the ship by date because they are not answering to my messages. 

[JJewellerySuppliesUK · Accepted solution]

I have only read the title but I agree that mandatory phone numbers should be harvested at the point of international sales.   If people want to be incognito then they can get in their cars and go to the shops instead!!

[LastCentury · Accepted solution]

Some buyers are knowledgeable about this and just give their phone number freely in the message to seller window on the purchase order.

Otherwise, if I need a phone number for shipping documents, I just use my own. I figure if there is a problem, the delivery company can contact me and I can contact the buyer. I haven't been called yet.

re international sales: @AstronomicalClocks your shop policies are not compliant for EU regulations.
Missing: right of withdrawal, privacy policy, gpsr.

I'm amazed you have the amount of sales you do have since your shop is the bare minimum. No shop announcement, no About section, No personal profile. 

If you want your buyers to have more faith in you, you will want to be more giving about yourself.

[AstronomicalClocks]

regarding the first part of the message, as someone suggested before, i never tried inputing my phone number. But i think it would be better if they had their phone number, because many customers never answer messages on etsy(almost 30% from my experience). 

Regarding the second part of your message, thank you for the sugestions, i will start working on that. 

[audreytherese]

I have heard horror stories of people providing their numbers for the shipment, but then after leaving a negative review the seller calling them over and over again, harassing them to change their review. When they blocked their number, they'd just call from friends' phones. 

I'm only in favor if this information is somehow encrypted and only the shipper can access it. 

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

How many horror stories relative to the millions of transactions which have phone numbers for delivery?  A minute proportion I would think. 

[audreytherese]

Doesn't matter what the proportion is to the person dealing with the horror story experience and getting constant calls for a days or weeks on end that they can't stop. 

[GlassyFields]

I do not give out my phone number lightly. I would cancel any order that required providing a phone number.

[audreytherese]

I have a separate phone that I keep for instances like this. I only pay maybe $10/month (the phone itself was free from my provider and it's not a smart phone, I only pay for a super basic plan). It stays in my work desk on silent, I just check it occasionally. For me that cost is worth not giving my personal phone number out, but I don't have to cancel orders that otherwise require it. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

I would never want Etsy to make it mandatory to give a phone number to a buyer.  Frankly no shipper ever calls. 

I think tracking is enough and most shippers I use now as a buyer use tracking emails to notify buyers.  

[AtelierMiniature]

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@ArtDollsbyJD wrote:

 Frankly no shipper ever calls. 

I receive emails only at the moment the package is handed over to the carrier.

Here, in France, shippers send SMS the day before (with the possibility to reschedule the delivery date, in case) + the day of delivery to inform the delivery time slot.

Also they call a few minutes before arriving in front of the door. I never reply, but I'm ready, as soon as the parcel arrives.

[AstronomicalClocks]

It depends on te country. In most of europe, shippers do not leave the package unattended at the door step, they give you a message before the sdhipping date to inform on the deliveryETA and call you before dropping the package. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

the universal postal union, that governs international post, does not require a phone number

all countries governments have signed up to these requirements, including not having to have a phone number

I neither give one, or ask for one.

It's data harvesting, and I won't be part of it.

My international packages arrive with no problems, both sending, and receiving.

[LastCentury]

yes... you keep saying that. 

good luck getting a Canada Post label for USA or any international destination without including the receiver's phone number.

same for UPS in Canada.

Obviously the same for many other countries trying to export items.

I'd love to see the actual link to that agreement.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Canada Post, and USPS, deliver my packages from the UK with no problems at all - and no phone number anywhere in sight

It's not required for sending post internationally.

[BagmakerSupply]

In all the years we have been shipping internationally, only some providers "require" a recipient's phone number (probably for their own convenience) and using '000-000-0000' has always worked for us on low value shipments, especially those using the postal system.

The Postal Union does not require a phone number but a country's customs department can delay a package if the sender's and / or recipient's phone number is missing.

[LastCentury]

@CraftyCornishMaids "It's not required for sending post internationally."

for you... you forgot that part.

for many of us it is. and you don't get a Canada Post or UPS (and others) label without.

[JustMeToo]

@LastCentury    I'm in Canada.  I use my own phone number on custom forms.  I have never had a problem.  I have never had anyone call me either.  It works perfectly, so I'm not going to fix it.  Many are reluctant to give out their phone number so I'm not going to ask.

[LastCentury]

@JustMeToo exactly, as I said in my first post earlier in this thread, I use my own phone number.

[QuirkyMiniatures]

I add my phone number to any international parcels that require it couple of thousand orders later not a single phone call! 

[BeautifulArtPosters]

I have suggested a similar solution several times in the forum. I would even add the option for the individual seller to activate this option or to not activate the option. 

The answer pattern for the phone number question is always very similar. Europeans (with the notable exception of Crafty) are usually in favour, US against. 

As the main market for Etsy is the US and they seem to focus on domestic trade in future anyway there is not much hope that we will have this option soon (as opposed to Ebay where providing the buyers phonenumber to the seller is standart)

[Marmalady]

"Europeans (with the notable exception of Crafty) are usually in favour"

Not true

Many UK_based sellers are against the mandatory collection of phone numbers

It is mostly sellers (wherever based) that use couriers that are in favour and those that use the postal system are against