update requires ~ shipping policies ~ Just destroyed larger sellers~

[ChatsworthIV]

*Below is the post from Etsy***

well first off, let me say this idea to remove "other" as an option has just destroyed 1000s of sellers like myself that deal with larger furniture pieces. We are no longer able to list items as it will not go through. Let me ask you something Etsy... when is the last time you seen a UPS truck pull up to a house, and carry in a dining room china cabinet>  Never right?  YUP, thought so... how about a set of chairs?  yup.. never again..

UPS, USPS, FEDEX and DHL (the ONLY OPTIONS NOW) have what they call a size & weight limit (look it up, its true). I just got out of tech help and whomever was in chat with me is an idiot TBH...  well just chose the one closest to your time??? huhwhat?? seriously?  

so tell me... if I select 

Dressers & Armoires Home & Living ~Furniture ~ Bedroom Furniture ~ Dressers & Armoires

as a CATAGORY? (that ironically is in your category list)  what do you think would happen? ohhh wait.. nothing, as it wont let me proceed..as none of the shipping providers we can select handle items like this..

 so until this is fixed...  people like me that sell larger furniture pieces, antiques and items that cannot and will not go with a UPS type shippers, we are stuck and most of us will have to delete our account.. some of of being here for years with 6 to 7 figures in sales totals.. thats a lot of selling fees lost but you guys...

 on a side note, if my listings that are current.. and are forced to be removed due to not being "complete" for your crappy decision to add and edit this feature, I am expecting a full refund on all my fees.. and fees paid up until now...

 Thanks

Hey all! 

On September 28th we removed the option to select “Other” as the shipping carrier for US and UK Sellers. Choosing one of the supported services from the dropdown menu when setting up a shipping profile enables Etsy to show buyers more accurate estimated delivery dates.

By selecting a provider, our system is able to automatically adjust estimated delivery dates for supported services when unexpected things happen outside of your control, such as widespread postal delays, catastrophic weather events, or similar.

Sellers with impacted listings will see the “Update Required” alert on impacted listings. If your provider is not one of the dropdown options, we recommend you choose one of the listed services whose transit time is closest to the service you usually use.

For those who fulfill your orders via a third party API integration, you should be exempt from needing to update your shipping profile to remove "Other" and set a carrier.

If you're seeing an error when updating your shipping profiles, make sure you've added a transit time in addition to "Other".

For more information on Estimated Delivery Dates, please check out our Help Center Article. 

[TwiLdCapitHog]

Another poorly executed change that has not been properly thought out, causing a heap of stress for sellers in the US and UK.

All in the disguise of “helping” sellers!

Etsy wants to attract buyers with cheap prices, quick turn arounds and fast delivery, hence their unrealistic guaranteed delivery dates. Since sellers using “other” in their delivery profiles was not “broken” there is no other reason to have “fixed” it.

[GlassyFields]

Wow

So Other is not an option but "If you're seeing an error when updating your shipping profiles, make sure you've added a transit time in addition to "Other".

Can you add a carrier for the purpose of listing and when the listing sells adjust the estimated transit times when you ship? Maybe add processing time to factor in your carriers' shipping times?

[ChatsworthIV]

Just the fact they make it harder for sellers like me and so many others. I mean lets be honest.. if it was easier to sell larger items, which tend to be much more $$ than say a hand knitted scarf (not poking fun) the fees they get are a lot. Not only the seller fees but they also added in that I think it fake we take an additional 12% of the sale for advertising your listing.. yet they provide ZEO proof my sale originated on a 3rd party site.. and here is no way to opt out that option...

[ChatsworthIV]

Even previously I had to to have this as my header of every listing... and this is with Etsy help suggestion

*** Shipping is not $.01 and the cost of shipping to you is the responsibility of the buyer. Please contact me about shipping charges prior to purchase.*** ~ Thanks

 I have asked and so have a few of other sellers I know, asked them for a Freight option, just like EVERY OTHER selling platform has. Now they go ahead and remove the only viable option we had.. but yet still have categories that there is ZERO chance a FEDEX guy will deliver.  

Originally, I had to select $0 which came out as FREE on their app and website, causing confusion with buyers thinking shipping was free as we all know no one reads descriptions.. even if it was in all caps at the top. So many times Id get a sale, ask the person, did you read that shipping is NOT free for them to say, ohh no, I thought it was free for me to cancel the sale. This would happen 2X a week. 

So I changed to the $.01 with Other which seems to work..

 NOW, I am being forced to select an option I will not use, cause more confusion to the buyer and have to write up another header for my description on why even though it says DHL, it is not coming DHL as that is the only option that has more than 4 days delivery time. Larger items usually take 4 weeks. 

So I expect I am to go back to cancelling multiple sale a week... getting bad ratings... and all I can tell the people, email etsy with your concern...  their response? thanks for the feedback, we will transfer that to our team 

but thanks etsy... for thinking of your sellers first

[ChatsworthIV]

so I made a fake test listing, created a new account to go purchase said $1 item...at least it does not mention the carrier... all it says is expect your item in X amount of days... Still going to be confusing... but thank god 80% of my sales are on other platforms

[CostumeCoutureNaomi]

Have you tried reaching out to Etsy on social media?

They don't seem to respond to anything on their main page, but do occasionally monitor the Etsy Success IG.

This post from late last week is specifically about shipping updates:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx8lB4np2CB/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

@daynaisom  might be able to pass on concerns about furniture sellers no longer able to sell or list their products on Etsy with the new shipping changes.

[LittleGemsJewells]

The removal of "OTHER" for me personally is to much interference in my ability to run a successful shop.

It is a hinderance now not having the "OTHER" option in order for me to set realistic shipping expectations for my customers.

(A third party site should be helping their sellers not hindering them)

I removed 260 of my handmade items in mid Aug and Etsy is currently under review by "ME" as to whether or not I can make this site work for me or if after 10 Years of constant sh!t I even want to be bothered anymore.

Still undecided.

[AnniebelloPaper]

Interested in this as I currently have 'other' for my domestic shipping (Australia). I have to choose this as all the other Etsy-approved options are for parcel post and I rarely (if ever) send things as parcels. AusPost offers tracked letters domestically so I use those. I am able to set my own estimated shipping times which is what Etsy could use (and I assume they do at the moment). I wonder what's changed to make Etsy force this on US/UK sellers (and probably the rest of us further down the track).

[LittleGemsJewells]

@AnniebelloPaper I think what they have done is taken this ability away from us and given it to the pod shops for shipping integration with their printing partners.

[AnniebelloPaper]

@LittleGemsJewells I can't see why we can't have both.

Etsy does make it hard (and harder) to sell larger items, or expensive items, or anything actually handmade (in the traditional sense), or original unique items. Sellers of those items don't make as much money for them as the PODs, infringers and resellers : (

[Former_Member]

Etsy have proved in almost every direction that OUR customers are sacred to them, and we sellers are just people in the way. it's odd to me that in their PR, Etsy are constantly pushing expensive items, and yet they make the site wholly unsafe - and in this case unusable - for those same people.

What I'd do in your situation is select any tracked letter/parcel option Etsy gives you and set the price at the courier delivery fee. When someone buys something, send their receipt/thank you/courier info they will need in that parcel. Use that tracking to 'keep you in good standing' and the courier journey can be kept in convo between you and the seller. That way you'll still fit into an 'approved' delivery time and I think as long as you state in the description this is your method, you won't technically be doing anything against policy.

Probably what I'd more likely do is just close up. It's a shame for you but this place has become micro-managed to death. I'll be launching my own website this month and moving anything extra to eBay. Leave this place to the only ones who can manage - resellers and POD bros.

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

Getting rid of 'other' for UK sellers means that the maximum amount of delivery time we now have for international parcels is 8 days.  That is utterly ridiculous and completely unrealistic. And that 8 day option is with Evri (I would rather poke out my eye than put my parcels in their hands)  who normally take at least 2 weeks to deliver anywhere overseas.  So I'm stuck with the max 7 days with Royal Mail for parcels up to 2kg. Does nobody at Etsy live in the real world?  They certainly don't buy products from overseas sellers.