Royal Mail International Shipping from U.K. has totally inaccurate delivery dates on Etsy

[MischiefWarren]

I have reported this repeatedly to no avail via “chat” so am trying again here. There needs to be 2 different International Shipping rules for overseas from U.K. or a system to allow us to specify the delivery timeframe. 

My international sales are predominantly to the USA. Royal Mails delivery “aim” to the USA is 5-7 working days. In reality, it often takes up to 10 working days. Etsy constantly advises my customers of totally unrealistic delivery dates - often as little as 3 working days! 

In an attempt to preempt angry customers, I message every overseas buyer to explain that the delivery dates they are given are entirely inaccurate and to give more realistic dates. Of course, not every customer reads this and I inevitably get penalised for “late” delivery.

Etsy has told me that they use information given by the shipping provider but that simply can’t be the origin of this information. As I said, Royal Mail International (which is what my profile is set to) aims to deliver to the USA in 5-7 working days and within Europe, it aims for 3-5 working days. At the very least, if Etsy is drawing from this information but not differentiating between destination country, Etsys “Royal Mail International” profile should then surely allow a window of 3-7 working days?

However, I can have 3 orders within minutes of each other, all with the same “dispatch by” date (they all share the same shipping profile), all going overseas and they all have different (wildly inaccurate) delivery dates! Why? Today, I even have one to the U.K. which is showing a longer delivery window than one going to the USA! How would that possibly happen?

PLEASE can someone from Etsy look into this. It’s driving me mad.

I have been on Etsy for 6 years and know my way around shipping profiles and processing times - it is definitely not an issue with either, at my end. It is an Etsy fault/bug and I would be extremely grateful if someone would PLEASE look into it. I can’t believe I am the only UK seller experiencing problems with this.

Thank you in advance, Kim

[MischiefWarren]

*Etsys “Royal Mail International” profile should then surely allow a window of 3-7 working days?

I know that’s what it actually SAYS but that’s not what it actually calculates (at least, not for me)

[MischiefWarren]

Having trawled the bugs/issues, I now see that this IS an issue site wide and not just me!

Good news - I’m not going bonkers alone

Bad news - this is a known issue that’s not being fixed

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@MischiefWarren I can see that you have read the other Thread/s on this issue so it is most probable that your problem is not the RM information being incorrect, but that the Etsy System is "misinterpreting" / "miscalculating" any Shipping Profile setting, for those who use Etsy Labels, for those who do not use Etsy Labels,  for those who indicate a Shipping Service and  those who can use "Custom" and "Other".

Looks like the root of the problem lies elsewhere?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@MischiefWarren You are using Etsy Labels so RM "estimates" drive the EDD. 

I use Manual Shipping Profiles so my manually-set delivery settings should drive the EDD. Mine are carefully calculated depending on which Country I am sending the parcel to.

But both of us are seeing wildly inaccurate and, at times, inconsistent EDDs for International Shipments so there may be more than one "issue" which is resulting in these incorrect International (and local?) EDDs

Also, I am noticing that the "Order today to get by xxx - xxx" information on individual Listings is incorrect and seems to be disregarding Processing Timeframes.

[MischiefWarren]

Thank you. I don’t use Etsy labels actually, I print my own from my Royal Mail account.

I don’t have any way to set my own Manual Shipping Profiles as far as setting the EDD. There used to be a “custom” option but that disappeared. All I have is a list of Shipping Companies to choose from, with their respective delivery options/aims. Perhaps it depends what country we are based in.

Regardless, we are both in the same boat so that’s a problem. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with it too

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@MischiefWarren We use UPS / Fed Ex but I do not use this in the Profile. I still have the option to set "Other" as the Delivery Method and "Custom" for the Delivery Timeframe.

Regardless of this. The EDD on the Listings are wrong and seem to disregard the different Deliver Timeframes I have set for each Country.

I wish I knew where Etsy was drawing the information from so I could correct whatever is wrong. But I have no idea.

I wonder, do you have the option to use "Other" as the Shipping Service? That may prevent ETSY drawing on the RM estimates? But I am not sure if this would help as I think there is something else going on with EDDs

[MischiefWarren]

No, we used to, but it got removed. I never used it, because things were different back then and this wasn’t an issue. Typically, now I no longer have that option, I need it! It doesn’t sound like it would help, from what you’re saying, goodness knows where the issue is then! A while back, a German customer queried if it would really take over a month to receive their order (it would take less than a week) so that explained why my German orders had dried up! I had no idea. Nothing had changed at my end. Yet, according to Etsy (as others have said) I have the ability to time travel or at least my own private jet, to get these orders to their destinations within the Etsy EDD!

[CraftyCornishMaids]

DPD direct gives 3-11 working days, select that in the shipping profile, not royal mail

It will change, when you actually ship, but there is the extended dates there when people look to buy

however, all mine are arriving in the 7 working days - at the moment

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CraftyCornishMaids That could be very good information for @MischiefWarren 

I changed my Shop settings and can see DHD is a viable option for UK Sellers. This may correct the incorrect RM Date Range for the Listing information. But it is a "work around" rather than a "resolution" to some crazy programming. Who would think to select DHD when they actually use their own RM account to ship the parcel?

I am still trying to work out this EDD issue as it is affecting me significantly.

If I look at this Listing for your Pink Pig,

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/629521513/pink-pig-tea-cosy-its-a-great-farmyard

with Ships To set to Australia,

I see the following

Order today to get by 

Oct 4-19

Is this what you are seeing on that Listing?

I understand that this may be a "ready to ship" item, but I also think there is no way I could expect it on 4th October or anytime soon after that.

To me 4th October appears to be a Local EDD. And latest EDD of 19th October is well over 11 Busines Days.

[BaggieAggie]

All of my smaller items go via RM International Standard, to keep costs down, but there has never been a way to check if they have been delivered. When I've tried, a message has always popped up telling me that there is no delivery information available with this service. It's good to know that your items are getting there in 7 days, but how are you seeing this? Are you using Etsy's shipping labels, which I never use?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

For USA I use tracked, purchased royal mail click and drop - as etsy doesn't sell tracked

[CarpetCollectionAU]

OK But you set your Shipping Profiles to DHD when you use RM?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

I did last Christmas, as I wanted the extra days,

I don't at the moment, but I will in November

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CraftyCornishMaids Just so I am not misunderstanding

Are the times on this Listing RM or DHD?

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/629521513/pink-pig-tea-cosy-its-a-great-farmyard

with Ships To set to Australia,

I see the following

Order today to get by 

Oct 4-19

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@CarpetCollectionAU 

For USA, It's Royal mail (3-7)

For Australia, and Canada, it's Evri (4-8)

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CraftyCornishMaids If that is the case, why do I see this on your Pink Pig Cosy for Shipping to Australia?

"Order today to get by Oct 4-19"

I am not questioning how and why you aet your Shipping Profiles. That is none of my business.

I am just asking if these dates concur with your Shipping Settings for this Listing and why I could order from you today and expect delivery to Australia between Oct 4-19

Because these dates do not fit in with anything you have said / advised.

I am not debating the fact that the EDD will change according to when you actually Ship. We all know that.

when you actually ship,

I question these two statements

1) "but there is the extended dates there when people look to buy" - I saw no "extended dates on the Listing, which is where i would expect to see all information prior to moving to Checkout.

2) "however, all mine are arriving in the 7 working days - at the moment" - So I would get the inl Pig Tea Cosy in 7 Days sent by RM to Australia?

What am I mossing?

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Etsy uses the carriers latest info, if it's longer, the (3-7) is the carriers published time on their site, and etsy writes that in the description.

I think Royal mails went out to 10 days last Christmas on the actual calculation

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@CraftyCornishMaids I am not questioning how and why you set up your Shipping Profiles / Select Carriers.

I am asking nothing other than, if you when you set your Shop to Australia, do you see the message in the actual LISTING  which advisss a potential Buyer, located in Australia, the following

"Order today to get by Oct 4-19"

An answer to that question may help many others having similar difficulties with clearly incorrect EDD on Listings to understand what is really happening and how to rectiffy this serious issue.

[Arcalliq]

This is not a bug nor a technical issue. Etsy did the change on purpose few months back. This change actually forced me to limit my Etsy shop to Europe and USA as everywhere else there was too big a risk to lose both product and money if order arrives just one day later.

And for Europe and USA I do exactly the same thing as @CraftyCornishMaids , when I am selling from UK, I chose DPD direct as it gives the longest estimates even though I ship by RM. 

I am currrently selling from Slovakia which still has the 'other' option and that is exactly what I use for realistic delivery estimates.

[KanjaniCraft]

To be fair some of my US deliveries are arriving within 4-5 working days which I find incredible. Mostly CA and FL. But most within 10 working days. I have been lucky not to have any blowback so far from US customers - who make up the majority of my customers - although I should say both my listing descriptions (which most don’t read, to be fair) and the automatic shipping notification emails that get sent to the buyers when I purchase the shipping label on Etsy have my (more accurate) timeframes on it - regardless of what Etsy estimated. I just put the more realistic dates there.

If anyone enquires about shipping times ahead of purchase  I recommend RM tracked shipping upgrade - which although isn’t necessarily faster - saves them harassing me as they can check on their item at any time . I do find it to be a day or two faster though than standard and have even had items returned back to me from the States due to non-collection, which doesn’t happen with untracked. But most buyers don’t want to pay the £11 it costs so Hey Ho they just choose to wait.

If anyone wants an unrealistic/unreasonable shipping timeframe or promises of arrival by a certain unrealistic date and asks me ahead of time I tell them I can’t do it. I don’t need the headaches.

[VintagePatternsDepot]

Sadly this is also an issue for Canadian Etsy sellers!!

Yes as of October 9 still not fixed!!!

And we will get penalized for late delivery!?

[rebstuff2]

Sadly, I don’t think this will ever be changed. I always message customers that it will take between 2-4 weeks to send UK to US. Royal Mails shipping estimate is 5-7 days but it doesn’t include customs processing. Customs can hold a parcel as long as they like, it’s a government boarder and the shipping company has no control over it. I send a lot of parcels overseas and the shipping times varies so much. I’ve just had a customer open a dispute after 10 days but he contacted me after 7 days and I explained it was still a little soon and could we give it a little longer. It creates mistrust, as buyers think you are trying to avoid refunding them, when actually you are trying to give the parcel enough time to arrive. It is crazy that a parcel UK to US is not considered lost by Royal Mail until 6 weeks but Etsy will consider it lost at 7 days. 
I’ve been doing this a very long time and delivery times to customers are getting shorter, yet the reality hasn’t changed. Quick delivery encourages overseas customers to buy but if it’s not achievable, it just puts unnecessary stress on seller and gives customers false expectations.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

etsy considers it late after 7 business days (excluding weekends)

mine arrive in that time, Royal Mail,  definitely achievable

[KanjaniCraft]

7 days really? I have sent over 300 packages to the US in the last 60 days and based on the number of where’s my package enquiries I’ve had I would politely disagree.  

The vast majority of have arrived within 14 working days but 7 working days is not accurate for UK to US standard international shipping this time of year, or any time of year. Of course there are some exceptions I have had 4 days transit to California on a good week but it’s not standard for the whole US or even California all year round.