Unrealistic Ship Dates are KILLING US!

[FunByJannieMac]

Dear Etsy...

We have got to address the "Arrives soon! Get it by April 11-16 if Ordered Today"!!! Buyers are taking this algorithim at it's WORD and it's not correct according to the "create" time for handmade according to each individual shop

I just shipped an order today, April 5, and it just showed my buyer that it will be delivered April 6-April 13??? Whaaat? USPS Ground Advantage gets more expensive and slower and slower... This delivery time beginning April 6th is IMPOSSIBLE! 

I am lucky that my buyer saw the shipping confirmation and she contacted me to see if we could expedite the shipping to meet her birthday deadline! Otherwise, the order would have arrived AFTER the birthday! She had based her original order on the time frame that Etsy gave her when she placed her order which was also NOT REALISTIC.

Etsy, I'm hoping that you read this post and will change the algorithm to be realistic. I am well aware what our buyers want and, yes, they like quick delivery. However, with that said, there are still some tried and true buyers out there that appreciate "handmade" and expect it to take a little time on the creation end!

Please, Etsy, work with your sellers on this... We need your help!!!

Thanks in advance

[MoreTreasurez]

Change your processing time.  That should fix the problem for you.

[OneEyeCatStudio]

This is what happens when a company that has never, ever, ever, ever, shipped a single thing ...

.... decides it knows more than someone who has shipped thousands of things.

[cindylouwho2]

"She had based her original order on the time frame that Etsy gave her when she placed her order which was also NOT REALISTIC." The delivery estimates are based on several factors. If you offer express upgrades, that will be the low-end estimate a customer sees when they first look at the item. That estimate will later change depending on the day you actually ship, the method used, the carrier's current status on that route, and your shipping history. 

You control the range they see before purchase through your processing time and shipping options. https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001922768-How-to-Set-Up-Estimated-Delivery-Dates?segment=... Etsy does control changing the carrier estimates and using your shipping history. 

[ReImagineBrewing]

@cindylouwho2  The OP most likely has her processing times set up as a range. So, if she doesn't want customers to think something might arrive 2 days after an order is placed, then she could change processing times so they don't indicate the potential of 1 day. So, change 1-5 days to 4-5 days. Then this will push out the expected delivery. It won't show something potentially arriving 2 days after an order is placed. The soonest would be 5 days then if 4-5 days is the processing time.

She can also add "Please expect the last date of the expected delivery timeframe" to her listings. This helps a lot.

I personally am very frustrated by the expected delivery timeframe. I tend to have stuff delivered earlier than the timeframes Etsy suggests and thrived on "last second shoppers". Now, listings that might arrive in 2-4 days still get excluded when using "expected arrival" filters with searches. I've created test shipping profiles to see if this makes a difference. I can have identical listings, drill down to make the search only my town and one listing will show up but not the other. This has been going on for about 2-3 years. Etsy told me people rarely use the filter. So, I shouldn't care. Frustrating when Etsy pushes last second gifts and obviously uses expected arrival dates.

[cindylouwho2]

@ReImagineBrewing

My post is from April - things have changed considerably since then
; - )

Unlike some sellers here, I understand exactly how the delivery timeframes work. And as a Canadian, I have always had to effectively communicate longer timeframes with US buyers who think my stuff should arrive as if it were shipped from the US, so I am not having any difficulties with the expected delivery dates.

Also, I agree that buyers don't use those filters much at all, so I don't waste my time checking them. Too many other things to do!  YMMV

[TBQSC]

Even shipping via Priority Mail would not get it there by the 6th!  Hopefully your buyer understands that!

[Artistathand]

I have had to change my shipping profile from Priority to Ground, even though I still use Priority because of the unrealistic shipping times that get posted. 

People don't read the fine print of processing when they see that bold offer of their item arriving in such a short time.   I Take my items to the PO the same day if possible, If not, the next day they are open.

We are not the Big A. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

This is an old thread, posted 04-05-2024. Long dead. 

[moonbeamgifts]

And yet the problem still persists - perhaps at a higher rate of frustration since the seller's processing time doesn't appear to be calculated these days.   It was not a good problem to experience in 4th quarter.

[ModJose · Accepted solution]

Hello!

Before posting on the Forums, please check if you are not bumping an old thread that hasn't seen any activity in a while. You can do this by looking at the dates of the most recent replies.

Since this thread is indeed a bit older and the information contained here may be outdated, it will now be closed.

__

If you have any questions about how the Community Forums work, please read our Community Policies.