My forum posts are disappearing as if I never wrote them.

[ForeverWindingWool]

I just made a detailed post about a shipping error in the Technical Issues forum.  Etsy failed to combine shipping, and the customer was overcharged $20.  I hit enter, went to Technical Issues to read, and wait for a reply.  My post was not there.  I went to my profile here in the forums, but my post wasn't there.  I then went to my email to see if I had been muted for some reason, but there was nothing.

Can someone help?

*Edited to add: if this error is the "norm" for calculating shipping in my shop, it explains why I haven't gotten a sale in over a week even though I've been running a sale!  Has anyone else experienced the shipping not being calculated/combined for multiple items?

[Amaradorn]

Do you mean this one? Maybe there's a delay - like there is on the main Etsy site.

https://community.etsy.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Etsy-is-not-calculating-shipping-and-combining-items-...

[ForeverWindingWool]

@Amaradorn You see that (2) in the title?  I did that to denote that this was the second time posting the same message.   

I wonder if it's because I put the order # in the message.   I don't believe anyone in the forums could look at the order except Etsy (I would never knowingly compromise a customer), but perhaps I am wrong, and they took it down super quickly.  

[Amaradorn]

@ForeverWindingWool oh I didn't notice that. thanks. Possibly it was the order number that was the issue, but I don't know how that would compromise a customer's privacy.

[GroundZeroCreations]

Do you have your shipping profiles set up for calculated shipping? If you don't have package dimensions and weights, Etsy cannot calculate orders for combined shipping.

You may find this helpful

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013946647-How-to-Set-Up-Calculated-Shipping?segment=selli...

And you can bookmark posts for ease of finding them later

[ForeverWindingWool]

@GroundZeroCreations Combined shipping profiles have been set up and utilized correctly for years.  Nothing has changed!

[GroundZeroCreations]

@ForeverWindingWool I didn't mean to offend you. I don't know you so had no way of knowing if you knew any of this stuff. Just trying to be helpful. 

[ForeverWindingWool]

@GroundZeroCreations  Oh, no, no.  No offense taken.  I really appreciate you chiming in to help. 
LOL, I tend to use exclamation points when they aren't necessary and I probably sound a little too excited or angry.

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

I'm glad Etsy doesn't combine shipping-lord help us when Etsy decides your $800 Art Glass vase can happily be combined with that bronze figure. When a customer makes several purchases and gets charged shipping for each I email them to tell them if I can combine and that I'll send a shipping refund when I print the label.

[ForeverWindingWool]

@QuirkyAntiquesStore They do combine shipping if you create your profiles to do so. It is up to you to use the correct profile on each listing so Etsy can calculate the shipping price correctly when someone DOES purchase a glass vase with a 50# figurine, lol!

[QuirkyAntiquesStore]

@ForeverWindingWool That's a hard pass from me. Too much work to decide what can be combined with what. Some things are too delicate to be combined with anything else!

[ForeverWindingWool]

@QuirkyAntiquesStore Oh, sure!! Totally understandable!  Since I have pretty standard items (a few are fragile, but all weigh similar), I can utilize them pretty effectively.  I wish you could use them; they are terrific (when they work, lol) to save the customer money and me the aggravation of figuring out which zone I want to base my shipping estimate on. 

[NoFrogsAllowed]

Can't answer to what happened to your post.  The shipping, however, sounds like (right or wrong) Etsy couldn't find a box size that all the items would fit in so they put the order in to 2 boxes.  

[ForeverWindingWool]

@NoFrogsAllowed Five.  It made five shipping labels and had each skein use an 11x8x4" box.  Ridiculous.  I've added more box sizes, but I suspect something has changed in our package calculations.  I've been using the same shipping profile and measurements for years.

Edited to add: I'll just keep an eye on things for a while.

[CappuccinoLace]

@ForeverWindingWool 

I suspect something has changed in our package calculations.

Etsy seems to routinely check (or uncheck) etsy common sizes in package preferences which can screw up your own package preferences.

I see a thread about this at least once every few months.

[EccentricHandbags]

I have found most of the time calculated shipping works great, but there will be times it won't.  How many items did they buy?  Keep in mind that the calculator can't differentiate the weight of your products and the weight of the box you are sending in.  Two items or three I am usually ok.  20 items and there is too much box weight and I end up refunding the difference. 

Still I think it is the way to go if you ship non breakables that are most of the time not ordered in huge quantities.   

[BagmakerSupply]

@ForeverWindingWool: Etsy charges what you told them to charge. What they charge for shipping is based completely on how you set up your shipping profiles. https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014115187-How-to-Set-Up-Shipping-Information-for-your-Lis... In particular what do you have set up for the 'additional items' value?

In your other post you said "I would like Etsy to ... refund the customer ..." Why should Etsy refund the customer? The excess shipping was paid to YOU and you have that money so it is up to you refund it.

[ForeverWindingWool]

@BagmakerSupply   I know. I started typing before I thought things through. I initially thought that since Etsy caused this problem, Etsy should correct the shipping cost error.  
Silly me.  
This is NOT how Etsy works, and I know better.  

I'll refund the customer when I make the label tomorrow morning.  I've already notified her that there was an error in the calculation and that she is due a refund.  

Thanks so much for your suggestions and help.

[cindylouwho2 · Accepted solution]

If a post was removed by bot, it should show up here: https://community.etsy.com/t5/premod/moderationitemspage/tab/rejected (warning - it takes forever for this page to load)

Sometimes they will be restored later if a human looks at them. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

@cindylouwho2 Apparently the post wasn't removed. @Amaradorn posted the link to that post at the top of thread. 

[Amaradorn]

@GroundZeroCreations That post turned out to be the second one the OP posted - I didn't realise.

[GroundZeroCreations]

@Amaradorn I actually thought that was the one she was talking about being removed.  

[ForeverWindingWool]

@cindylouwho2 Yep, there it was! It must have been because I put the order number in there. It disappeared way too fast to be a moderator.

Thank you for posting about that.  I had no idea that existed.

[cindylouwho2]

@ForeverWindingWool you are welcome - I am glad to be of help. 

@GroundZeroCreations We've confirmed the post was removed. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

I have used calculated shipping for years and Etsy has never failed to combine the weight and size of the package and charge a single postal fee for shipping. I agree with @BagmakerSupply , Etsy can only do what we tell them to do. Etsy is not responsible for mistakes made by sellers in the way we set up shipping profiles and listings.