Processing Times vs. Delivery Dates: Something's Amiss

[CreeksideCraftwork]

Etsy has a calculation problem and an invoice labeling problem---they both need to be fixed ASAP.

Real-life scenario:

• Customer places an order on 2/12 @ 5:09pm.
• Processing time is 1-3 days (2/13 - 2/15).
• Invoice says, "Scheduled to ship by 2/18" (that's 6 days).
• Order is processed at 5am on 2/15.
• Customer lives 1,650 miles away from the shop.
• USPS Ground Advantage is the only shipping option offered.
• Shipping label (purchased 2/15) warns that the item may be late because the customer is expecting a 2/14 - 2/19 arrival.

A couple of problems here...

First of all, the invoice should be labeled, "Scheduled to arrive by x/xx", not "ship by". It's a slow time for sales right now, and some of us are holding orders to process in a batch so we're not running our equipment for only a few minutes at a time. That means orders may sit for a day or two, making it easier to glance at the "ship by" date and think, "I've got time." When really, we don't.

Secondly, even if this order was completed within minutes of receipt and taken immediately to the post office (which is impossible because the order came in after 5pm, but we'll use it as an example anyway), how on earth is 2 days enough time for USPS to get it 1,650 miles away? It's going to sit at the local branch for at least 4-6 hours before it goes to a hub where it will sit for at least another 3 hours---more likely, 12-24 hours---then travel for another 2-3 days across the country with several pit stops along the way, each of those an opportunity to get further delayed. That means the absolute best case scenario has the order arriving 3-4 days from the date the label is purchased. So if the shop's processing time is 1-3 days, and the destination is 3-4 days away, then the start date in the "expected" range should be 2/19. Instead, it's the drop-dead date?

Etsy, give us a fighting chance here! Even if we were running sweatshops (which most of us are not), these time frames are unreasonable. Wouldn't you rather we under-promise and over-deliver than the other way around?

[GlassyFields]

Etsy's estimated arrival times have been a problem for a long time, and I do think they create a risk that buyers will be unhappy with realistic delivery dates. But so far, I haven't had a buyer complain that Etsy's estimated date is not being met.

I occasionally get messages about a need by date and I'm very clear that I can control when I ship and then it's up to the carrier. Some of these buyers have not ordered and I totally understand. I don't want to be on the hook for something I simply can't control.

I've found that my ship dates are correct. I have a 1-2 day processing time for all my existing items and custom processing times for my custom orders - usually 1-2 weeks. I always check my ship dates and factoring in when the order comes and weekends, these are correct.

Shipping on time is a high priority for me and my processing times have contingency. Even the existing items have a day of contingency. Contingency is rarely needed but there have been a few occasions when it is ... e.g. a family emergency or a storm that prevents getting to the post office or a power outage.

As far as shipping, I control what I can - packing carefully, weighing packages to make sure I put the right information in when purchasing a label, making sure that my labels are printed clearly and attached well to packages, getting packages to the post office or UPS Store on time. I also check to make sure packages have been scanned and if not, I initiate a Where's My Package case right away.

So far, I haven't had issues related to Etsy's nutty arrival estimates. The last few issues I've had have been due to USPS reporting a package delivered prematurely, causing angst on the part of the buyers and the packages were delivered a day or two later. (I opened Where's My Package cases on those and communicated with the buyers).

Yes - I wish Etsy would fix this. So far, (knocking on wood), it hasn't caused a problem for my shop.

[CreeksideCraftwork]

@GlassyFieldsThank you for the detailed response (and sorry it took me so long to come back to this post).

You're right that it hasn't technically been a problem for buyers (none of them have called it out, anyway), but I sure wish they'd at least change the "ship by" date to correspond with my stated processing time...on my paperwork, anyway, so I can see at a glance if it's in the appropriate space in my workflow.

Thanks, again for the thoughtful response!

[TBQSC]

@CreeksideCraftwork — Keep in mind that Monday is a US holiday and usually Etsy configures those into the shipping schedule, but it just depends upon what you actually have set for your processing time for weekends & holidays (whether you include those days or not).  I have my processing set for 1-3 business days with no weekends or holidays.  An order I received today has a ship date of the 20th and an arrival 2-5 business days later via USPS GA, but when I go to print the label, the actual arrival date may change due to any unexpected delays.  So far I have not had any issues!

[CreeksideCraftwork]

@TBQSCIf you have a 5 day processing time set up for the item(s) on that order, then it sounds like it's working correctly on your end.

Thanks for responding!