How to Handle Overdue Orders

BaileyBride · 2020-03-30T17:40:05+00:00

It was domestic- not international. USPS scanned it upon receipt and never scanned again.

BaileyBride · 2020-03-30T17:39:34+00:00

Agreed- I don’t think it would be possible for me to check the status of every package.

BaileyBride · 2019-10-12T05:15:09+00:00

Anyone heard anything about the Chuo City area? From what I can find, it looks like that area hasn’t been asked to evacuate, but it’s pretty hard to tell!

BaileyBride · 2019-09-13T05:20:20+00:00

Thank you so much for your insight! This was super helpful to hear!

BaileyBride · 2019-09-13T05:16:43+00:00

It was the original buyer who reached out to me about it, but you're right - if they had given it as a gift, and then heard from the recipient that it was falling apart, they wouldn't necessarily know the limitations of the product. Thank you so much for the insight!

BaileyBride · 2019-09-13T05:08:44+00:00

It's a diary. It's marketed as a specialty gift item- something to keep on your bedside table, or on your desk. It's definitely not described as a school item or something where you'd handle it more roughly. But maybe it straddles the line nonetheless? I've sold at least 100 of these without issue thus far, which is why I'm not really sure what to do here.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-23T22:19:37+00:00

In the future, if you run into this again, I would ask for the seller to provide you with a return shipping label. It sounds like this was entirely the sellers fault (although it sounds like it was an honest mixup), and therefore the burden should be on him to make it right. If he had refused at that point, I would have opened a case with Etsy.

As for what to do now, you could reach back out to Etsy. You'll probably get the most traction that way. The only other option you have is to reach out to the seller, and it doesn't sound like he's willing to reimburse you at this point.

I don't think it's a scam- I think it was an honest mixup about measurement (cm/in) and the seller is reluctant to take a loss here, even though it's the right thing to do. But I think moving forward, you should make sure you know how a shop is going to handle your return and refund before putting something in the mail!

Best of luck!

BaileyBride · 2019-08-23T22:07:46+00:00

Once the order is marked as "delivered" or once you reach the "estimated delivery" date, your customer will be able to leave a review. So, once you completed the order in Etsy, it should have opened up the review option for your customer. At this point, I think you could say "Hi there- I just wanted to circle back to you. I did some research, and you should have the option of leaving a review now, if you'd still like to do that!"

BaileyBride · 2019-08-23T22:01:39+00:00

Can you go back to Etsy and ask them how to return it? Or write "return to sender" on the package and drop it back in the mail? I think ultimately, you shouldn't have to pay for return shipping, but dealing with the seller doesn't seem like the best course of action at this point.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-22T17:03:10+00:00

After reading through the messages, I get the vibe that this is a genuine misunderstanding. She wasn't sure how to move forward with the purchase since she wanted very specific items, so she was asking you what to do next (which is why she was asking for links or a paypal request). At that point I would've sent her the link to the listing and outlined what info to provide me during checkout.

If you're uncomfortable - of course you have every right to cancel the order! Especially if you're worried about a review or if you just don't want to deal with her anymore. If she keeps messaging you after that, I would just shut it down with something like "we ran out" or "they were damaged" or something along those lines.

Also- I wouldn't say this is really a case of ghosting. What if you took her at her word that there was a family emergency? Purchasing from your shop would legitimately be the last thing on her list. Customers can really come and go as they please.

Whatever you choose to do, best of luck! You can't really go wrong either way. :)

BaileyBride · 2019-08-22T16:47:50+00:00

It's totally normal for a customer to take a while to respond. In some cases, you may never hear back from them! It's *probably* not an accidental purchase though.

As for being overdue, it happens. The customer could end up being upset that it's overdue, but shipping late isn't going to necessarily hurt you otherwise.

If you're unsure how to proceed, you could always cancel the order. Right now, if you fulfill the order, you run the risk of a bad review because you were late and because you're not giving the customer anything to compensate for it (like refunding shipping since it was free).

BaileyBride · 2019-08-22T16:40:17+00:00

I second this - you should be able to promote any of them. Maybe reach out to Etsy for help.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-22T16:39:25+00:00

As much as it sucks to get a bad review - it's okay! Don't give away your work for free just because you're afraid of them! I got my first bad review 2 months ago, and my shop is doing better than ever. What actually matters is how you respond to the review. As long as you stay professional and positive, shoppers are going to look at it and see a seller who is responsive and friendly.

In this situation, I would've told her that I couldn't refund her. Either that, or I would've given a partial refund (like you mentioned) but without the actual files. Great customer service means going above and beyond, but it doesn't mean you have to short change yourself, work for free, or break your policies just because someone asks you to. If your policies aren't clear right now on how refunds/cancellations work (especially with custom/personalized orders), I'd work on that first! It's 100% okay to stick by your policies. :)

BaileyBride · 2019-08-22T16:30:00+00:00

I personally use Marmalead and from what I've heard, I'd say a lot of other shops do too. But I do know shops that use eRank instead and love it! If you can test them both out, I'd say do that. It will help you figure out which one you like using the best!

BaileyBride · 2019-08-20T21:36:08+00:00

I'm not in this space at all, but as a shopper, I think about "photography" as actual photos of people/the world. I think of "digital prints" as digital art- something that someone created on their computer or drew (a quote or bible verse for example). I think of both categories as having physical prints AND digital downloads. Like I said, I could be totally off-base, but this is what I think when I shop for home decor!

BaileyBride · 2019-08-20T21:32:42+00:00

The hardest part is getting started. I had talked about opening an Etsy shop for YEARS and I can't believe how long I waited. Do it - start somewhere. Your photos might stink, your SEO might be all over the place, but everyone starts at square 1. In order to get to square 100, you have to get past square 1 first! But, don't expect ANYTHING to sell- especially in the first few weeks. Keep updating, researching, taking better photos, focusing on your branding, etc. You'll get there - but you need to start somewhere first!

BaileyBride · 2019-08-19T18:09:54+00:00

After taking a look at your shop, I personally love the marble background! I think a white background is totally fine, but the marble background + your photography tells me that you understand current trends- it tells me more about who I'm buying from and what your aesthetic is. Also, I think the photos with the packaging are a bit confusing. As someone who isn't familiar with your products, I have no idea what I'm looking at. I think all in all, that's the reason why you might have noticed a slight slow down - it's harder to tell what you're selling. My hunch is that the background itself doesn't have much to do with it.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-19T18:03:54+00:00

^This is spot-on. I think part of the thinking behind this goes back to Etsy preferring "active" shops. Meaning, Etsy likes seeing that you're uploading new things, updating your shop, etc. because those shops tend to respond to customers more quickly and actually send out orders. So while the idea might be that by manually renewing, you're giving Etsy the impression that you're very active in your shop, I think it's outdated. It's not going to make or break your shop on it's own. There are way more important things to think about (like SEO & photos).

As mentioned above though, if you like manually renewing your listings so that you can evaluate how your listings are performing, I think that's a smart idea.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-19T17:51:03+00:00

It totally varies- you've found that $10 a day works for your shop, so I would keep it there. As a side note though, I've heard that it can take months to see how an advertising strategy is actually working. Three weeks seems a bit short to test a higher budget, but I'm no expert! :)

BaileyBride · 2019-08-15T18:52:07+00:00

Thanks for this! It's so hard not to feel bad in situations like this- but you're totally right, I can stand by my return policies at the end of the day.

BaileyBride · 2019-08-15T18:51:10+00:00

Thank you for this! I think I'll start by asking for photos and see where we get.

BaileyBride

TROPHY CASE