We live just 3 miles from the beach, so we experience hurricanes each year. I keep a close eye on the tropics daily to track any storms and their paths. When a storm is approaching, I work around the clock to get all orders shipped before it hits. If I can't fulfill an order in time, I reach out to the customer to request an extension on the ship date. All customers have been totally understanding and agree to the delay. However, if I'm unable to reach a customer via chat or email before the ship date, I cancel the order and include a note in the refund explaining why.
When Hurricane Florence hit, I had to cancel around 10 orders. I contacted Etsy to explain the situation and assured them I’d resume as soon as possible after the hurricane passed. I also updated my shipping profiles to extend the timeframes by a month, so no new orders would come in during the storm that had to ship immediately. Additionally, I post a shop announcement to let potential customers know that shipping might be delayed due to the hurricane. Thankfully, we were only without power for a week, and during that time, I didn't have to worry about orders needing to be mailed, though I did have to worry about roof repairs. Storms are stressful. Take steps to help prevent Etsy stress during an already stressful time is the best thing you can do and be transparent with Etsy letting them know your situation.
