Predatory priority postage switch and bait. STOP IT ETSY.

[RavenKingCrafts]

This isn't a technical issue it is intentionally predatory behavior by Etsy. 

If the buyer didn't pay for priority shipping DO NOT assign it as the default shipping label box, just because you want to fleece more money out of sellers.

The item is shipping AHEAD of time. 
No one requested priority BUT that was the default postage. 

Etsy switching the chosen postage with a higher cost postage so they can collect higher fees on shipping is absolutely predatory. They are taking advantage of sellers like me who buy multiple labels at a time and might not catch it at first. How many extra fees have you snuck from sellers who were in a hurry? 

Where do you think the funds for that postage difference come from? You get a small boost in your shipping fee but that is 1-2 bucks out of the pocket of the makers. 

If your completely inaccurate shipping estimates are to blame than fix them. You had a better estimate system ages ago and have switched it to tripe. I have gotten messages from customers the day after they buy an item wondering where the tracking link is because your messed up algorithm told them it would arrive the next day.  I have a 3-5 day making window before and item ships so you shouldn't suggest anything arriving before that 3 day window PLUS the travel time of the USPS first class or ground advantage mail to them. You used to at least show that time frame but now they can't find that info anywhere. 

If you stopped doing shady things it would greatly improve your public appearance. 

[DragonflyDreams1]

I had this issue when I was was using a calculated shipping profile. If the cost of priority was close to Ground Advantage Etsy would automatically default to Priority without the customer selecting it or paying for it.

I fixed it by changing to fixed price shipping. I don't know of another way, just have to do the labels one by one and double-check them. 

I am not sure Etsy makes more money this way? The buyer pays for shipping, Etsy takes a percentage. That doesn't change depending on a label upgrade AFTER the order.

[Adorabilities]

The only way Etsy would make more money would be if they happen to make a bigger profit on expedited labels. (If they get more from selling Priority than Ground labels.)

I think it's much more likely that they just want the customer to receive their order more quickly. But the estimates for Ground Advantage and Priority have been showing to be the same lately.

[dayspringcollectible]

@DragonflyDreams1 is correct.  Etsy doesn't make any more money because the customer has already paid for shipping.  This is simply Etsy wanting items to arrive as quickly as possible, so they switch the label to a faster shipping method.  They want to compete with Amazon Prime.

OP is right however, that it is a very unethical thing to do.  Etsy has become a company known for its lack of ethics, unfortunately.

[BagmakerSupply]

I understood the post by @RavenKingCrafts to be that that Etsy is "upgrading" the shipping at time of label purchase through Etsy, and not respecting the postal class the buyer paid for (therefore costing the seller more). If that is the case, there have been other reports of this.

[NickiesNest]

Yes, I have seen this happening, too.  Now if I see priority chosen I always check to see what the customer actually selected.  The price difference can be a couple of dollars, and the estimated transit time is at best 1 day faster.  I do NOT take the Etsy bait.

[kelleystreetstudio]

I find that using fixed price shipping works well though I have to do my labels one at a time, I sell a variety of items so have a number of package weights and dimensions anyway. I do wish that Etsy would stop making customers think that an item is going to arrive way sooner than the reality of it all, I'm getting a lot of complaints and I ship next day as it is, often the same day. I don't really get the Etsy message of item may be arriving late, why don't they change their estimates to a more realistic time, it surely is not going to get any better any time soon no matter what shipping service is used. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@kelleystreetstudio It is not Etsy.  It is USPS that makes the delivery time frame and they have always said it is suggested.

The message of arriving late is only in the label area and is based on information received at that moment.  The buyer does not see that.  They buyer sees the estimated arrival dates as posted in the listing.

[RavenKingCrafts]

I might have to switch to fixed pricing. This is malarky. 

Etsy is likely making money off their label partnership: https://community.etsy.com/t5/Etsy-Success/According-to-USPS-Etsy-makes-money-on-shipping-labels/td-... 

Just like how Pirateship and Shippo make money off the discounted labels they sell. 

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@RavenKingCrafts   Look at @hopeandjoystudios  response.  That is the way to have GA show first to the buyer.

[hopeandjoystudios]

I use CS. I have parcel and FC enabled to get Ground Advantage to show and I do have updrades allowed in settings for regular priority. I have never seen an issue.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Although when I see they picked priority I figure it was their choice

[dayspringcollectible]

@hopeandjoystudios 

On the labels Etsy often clicked Priority as the first choice, but if you look to the right it will state the customer chose Ground Advantage.  This happens frequently.

[hopeandjoystudios]

Ahh.. you mean they autofill priority. PS does sometimes but I use packing slips and if they PAID for priority I write a P on  the paper I write the name, size and weight on when I weigh the box. I write the name on the box. My computer and printer are in a different room than my shipping area. So when everythings packed I take the paper and buy the labels. If they paid priority they get it. Sometimes it is so close a free priority box actually makes it cost less to ship Priority. Yes it is irritating to have to keep checking the service paid for.

[EccentricHandbags]

This same thing happens to me often.  I just look at every order carefully and I select the shipping method the buyer chose.  Etsy is doing this so that there is less of a chance something arrives late and they may be on the hook for refunding due to their own purchase protection program.  I will say it happens a lot.  So does packages arriving late.  Over the past year all of it is the worst I've seen it.  Fortunately I've had no one complain about something running late.  

Its extremely rare that someone chooses priority.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@RavenKingCrafts Well in the calculated shipping profile do you have parcel select and first class package enabled.  If you do not have parcel select enabled it defaults to Priority.

If you have parcel and first class package enabled that shows first.  At least that it how it shows to me when I buyer from shops that use ground advantage and priority.  I have to select priority if I want it. 

It's not Etsy. It is not bait and switch.  It is that you have to have parcel select and first class package enabled for it to show for items 1 lb. and over.

[RavenKingCrafts]

@RavenKingCraftsI have it selected to ground advantage, the customer selected ground advantage. It isn't over a pound. That is why I said it was bait and switch.

As other comments have said I'm not the only one with this issue. It is 100% Etsy because it is their program. 90% of the time it is correct and shows it as ground advantage, then 10% of the time it is automatically set to priority.

I think I'll just use pirate ship and will move to a flat rate like others have suggested.

[dayspringcollectible]

@ArtDollsbyJD 

That may be the way it is supposed to work, or the way you think it works, but it is NOT the way it often works.

If you look on the Etsy label page, it tells you what the customer chose.  The customer couldn't choose anything but how your profile was set up.  Yet often, it says the customer chose GA, but Etsy has clicked Priority as the option the label is going to be charged.  You have to change it back to GA.

I find this happens most if shipping the last couple of days of your processing time.  I use a 3-5 day processing.  If I ship ahead of schedule, the GA will be the clicked shipping method.  The closer to the 5 days I ship, the more likely it will be switched to Priority, even though the customer was apparently happy with GA.

[vintageNCtreasures]

@RavenKingCrafts 
If using calculated shipping there is "not" a Ground Advantage option on your shipping profiles.
Sad that Etsy hasn't updated this even though it's been almost 2 years now.

You have to select both 1st class package and Parcel select.

I looked at one of your items and all that shows up on the cart page for shipping is 1st class and Priority.
It does not show up Parcel Select.

If someone orders enough items and the weight is 1 lb or over, then shipping will show up for Priority and that is probably why you see "Priority" when you go to print postage.

1st class package only goes up to 15.9 oz.

If you want Ground Advantage to show up for orders 1 lb or over you need to check "Parcel Select" under "advanced shipping services".

That way if an item/order is 1 lb or over, it won't show up Priority.

[Adorabilities]

It shouldn't default to Priority if the package is under a pound.

[vintageNCtreasures]

I know he mentioned the weight wasn't over 1 lb but what does the OP have entered for the weight of the items?

If multiples are bought does the weight end up over 1 lb even though it's not?

It's easy to do with multiples for the weight to be more than it actually is or else not get enough shipping for 1 item.

[dayspringcollectible]

@Adorabilities 

It shouldn't, but it sometimes does.  See my comment above.  I don't think it has anything to do with weight.  I think it has to do with when in your processing range it is being shipped, early or later.  The later I ship in my processing range, the more likely it is to be switched to Priority, no matter what the weight.

I use a 3-5 day processing range.  If I ship before my processing time (1-2 days), I don't usually have problems.  If I ship even on the first day of my processing (Day 3), I am likely to have a May Arrive Late message.  And if I have that message, there is a good chance the label will have been switched to Priority, because USPS estimates for Priority are one day faster than GA.

[irmaKdesigns]

I don't see a problem with this. If Priority and GA are $ close, then Etsy "recommends" faster service. Just switch to GA. Sometimes I do upgrade to Priority to zones closer to me even tho the customer selected GA. Price difference is very small and I use free USPS boxes.

[NickiesNest]

The problem is twofold.  The costs are often NOT close.  And the natural assumption is that the option Etsy checks is the one chosen by the customer.  But lately that is not always the case and if the seller is not careful we are tricked into paying for priority when the customer did NOT request it.  That is a problem.

I do offer both GA and Priority in most of my shipping profiles for the CUSTOMER to choose, not for Etsy to decide.  And, yes, I do occasionally upgrade if what the customer pays covers the difference.  That is a different issue entirely.

[RavenKingCrafts]

@vintageNCtreasures 

First class is for postcards, letters and envelopes. Boxes (parcels) are ground advantage. https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm

Ground advantage is calculated by weight, and zone and has dimensional limits and surcharges. You can ship up to 70lbs via ground advantage so the the weight actually doesn't matter. (all this is also on the postal sheet above)

It has happened for both types of orders, most recently a box that was 13oz, they bought 1 item, I shipped it early.

It isn't a user error.
- Item is under 70lbs
- set to ground advantage
- user selected ground advantage (which is the default due to the size and weight 13 oz, box)
- item shipped early

There is no legitimate reason for it to be set to priority unless you set the item to that, the buyer selects it OR the order combined exceeds the dimensional and/or weight limits on ground advantage. When you set your profile to first class it automatically applies first class and ground advantage. Since ground advantage is the first class equivalent for packages. There is also a parcel select ground option for items that exceed the dimensional limits on ground advantage.

I think the people saying the triggered swap is due to Etsy's poor shipping estimate are correct. They frequently provide delivery dates that are as soon as next day. Which is impossible as my making time is 3-5 business days. I'm not sure if etsy is aware but knowing that an item can't be delivered by the date they are promising is fraud. They used to give out an accurate shipping time but I think those posting that Etsy is trying to compete with Amazon are correct. Traditional shipping formulas look like this:  "processing time minimum" + "delivery service minimum" + "holidays" = Minimum and maximum being "processing time maximum" + "delivery service maximum" + "holidays" 

Oh Etsy. Go back to the traditional method and don't automatically upgrade anything to priority. If it ships late that is on the seller and instead forcing them to upgrade to priority let them gamble and they'll probably get a bad review or a refund but that comes out of their pocket not yours.