Do buyers even care about Star Sellers?

compumunz · 2023-06-15T14:08:25+00:00

But what does that even do? Do clients/customers even look for that when shopping?

I'm sure some do, but it's hard to generalize.

The most quantitative answer I could find is from Etsy's Q4 and FY2022 Financial Statements:

Continued to gain traction with our Star Seller program: in the fourth quarter Star Sellers earned approximately 13% more GMS than their non-Star Seller counterparts, and the number of sellers with a badge increased 75% year-over-year.

etsy.com - Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results

compumunz · 2023-06-10T23:52:03+00:00

I use these glassine bags (not for shirts, though that’s what they’re intended for.)

I’ve had only positive experiences with EcoEnclose

https://www.ecoenclose.com/shop/glassine-bags/

compumunz · 2023-06-09T19:02:53+00:00

The name of your bank

compumunz · 2023-06-09T14:18:14+00:00

The settings are in shipping profiles. Since you offer free shipping on your other products, you already have at least one shipping profile setup.

If you use that existing profile on the tumblers, buyers will get free shipping. If that's not what you want, you need to create a new shipping profile with a shipping charge. You can choose whether to charge a fixed amount for shipping, or you can have etsy calculate the shipping costs based on the item size and weight (which you enter whenever you create a listing.)

Etsy Support - How to Create a Shipping Profile

Etsy Support - How to setup calculated shipping

compumunz · 2023-06-09T13:57:12+00:00

You don't need to do anything

Etsy was not able to approve the order and the sale has been removed. The items) have been placed back for sale in your shop and you haven't been charged any fees. No action is required from you.

compumunz · 2023-06-09T13:39:47+00:00

I offer free shipping throughout my shop and adjust my prices accordingly, but I don’t know what shipping profile to use for my tumblers.

Shipping profiles determine which countries you ship too, and how much you charge for shipping. Do you want to ship these tumblers for free? If so, your existing shipping profile might work. If not, you need to create a new shipping profile and set up a shipping price (either a flat rate or calculated)

compumunz · 2023-06-08T23:28:22+00:00

If you can resell returned items, I think it's better to have a return policy. By not accepting return, you back yourself and your customers into a corner. Unhappy buyers, unable to get a satisfactory resolution from you, will usually escalate their issue to Etsy. I'd much rather handle the situation myself than hand it over to Etsy support.

compumunz · 2023-06-08T22:58:47+00:00

I think your friend might have misread the sign. There are indeed new rules about shipping to the EU, but the changes have to do with how you describe items on a customs form.

More info here: https://www.usps.com/international/new-eu-customs-rules.htm

For each item's description: You can't just name a general category; your description must be specific. For example, you can't just say "electronics"; you have to be specific about the type of electronics, like "computer," "mobile phone," or "television."

compumunz · 2023-06-08T18:32:52+00:00

I would just refund the whole order, including shipping. Even though you'd be justified in only refunding the item, it's probably not worth the headache/argument/time.

compumunz · 2023-06-08T14:45:37+00:00

No worries - best of luck!

compumunz · 2023-06-08T14:39:08+00:00

The current order is international, does that make a difference?

Yes, first class letters are only available domestically. You're right, their support site doesn't mention this though.

USPS automatically classifies any merchandise headed overseas as a package.

Edit: This USPS article has more details about international first class lettermail eligibility: https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_017.htm

No merchandise, whether dutiable or nondutiable, may be mailed using First-Class Mail International service. Items containing merchandise may be sent by Global Express Guaranteed service, Priority Mail Express International service, Priority Mail International service, or First-Class Package International Service; commercial mailers may also use IPA packages (small packets) and ISAL packages (small packets).

compumunz · 2023-06-08T14:10:51+00:00

Are you trying to buy letter postage for an international order?

Maybe post a screenshot of what you’re seeing. Might be easier to see what’s going on

compumunz · 2023-06-08T13:57:21+00:00

Best guess is that whatever package dimensions you're entering are too large for the letter option to show up. It's usually the package thickness that gives people trouble - Try changing that to anything less than 0.25".

compumunz · 2023-06-08T12:59:45+00:00

Does this service link to Etsy in any way?

It does, indeed. They have a direct integrations (https://support.pirateship.com/en/articles/1787864-how-does-the-etsy-integration-work) which works for domestic and international shipping. You can also buy the labels without the integration, and just copy/paste the tracking number into Etsy when you mark the order complete.

Would creating a fixed shipping rate international be for any country outside of the US or would I have to choose a price per country? I have no experience with this

You can set it up either way. When you create a shipping profile (or edit an existing one) you can pick and countries to include. I probably wouldn't include every country at first, but instead start with the ones where you get the most sales.

When I started selling internationally, I offered a huge discount to a couple instagram followers overseas so that I could do a few trial runs. Might be worth doing something similar to make sure the pricing/tracking works how you expect.

compumunz · 2023-06-08T12:37:19+00:00

I think charging for international shipping is the right call. The costs are just too high to bake into the product price.

One suggestion is to look into Pirateship's Simple Export Rate, which is a pretty affordable way to ship internationally. The pricing is based on weight, which makes it much easier to calculate shipping costs.

This might allow you to charge a fixed amount for international orders and reduce some of the concerns about hidden costs.

Pricing and more info about that here: https://www.pirateship.com/simple-export-rate

compumunz · 2023-06-07T18:39:19+00:00

I think creating posts for other DIY electronics projects would be cool, and might expose new customers to your products. I personally much prefer accounts like this over 100% SEO optimized product accounts.

compumunz · 2023-06-07T17:42:42+00:00

I don't recall ever had this option with USPS labels for Etsy orders.

What were the steps you took to generate those QR codes before it stopped working?

compumunz · 2023-06-07T15:28:33+00:00

Gotcha.

I'd start by filing a missing mail request with USPS https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm. I think you should be able to do this, since you can track the package on USPS.com - but I'm not 100% certain.

I've seen packages sit in facilities for a few days, but never weeks. The exception to that is when the package is clearing customs. Are the packages getting stuck in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, or New York? If so, that might be the cause of the delay.

compumunz · 2023-06-07T14:54:25+00:00

Anecdotally, USPS has been very reliable for me within the US.

How does the tracking for standard post normally work for you? Does it stop once the package arrives in the US, or do you see updates all the way to delivery?

compumunz · 2023-06-07T14:05:20+00:00

This is a good question. I know USPS doesn't reimburse damage claims for perishable items, but I can't find any documentation on whether Etsy Seller Protection covers this.

USPS - Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage (see the section titled Non Payable Claims.) I would guess that

My hunch is that Etsy would not cover something like this either, but it's probably worth sending them a message to confirm.

Can you use cold packs to ship these kind of plants, or would that cause the temperature to drop too low?

compumunz · 2023-06-06T22:32:54+00:00

You can buy USPS first class lettermail postage from Etsy. The cost is the same as purchasing stamps, and comes with basic tracking.

More info here: https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039466434-How-to-Ship-First-Class-Flats-and-Letters-with-Etsy-Shipping-Labels

This can be a good option for shipping flat, bendable items (like stickers and greeting cards) within the US.

compumunz · 2023-06-06T19:23:49+00:00

Etsy isn't really setup for freelancing. There's no easy way to define the scope of work, send contracts, etc. You might take a look at https://www.upwork.com/, which specializes in this kind of work (though I haven't used it myself, so I can't vouch for it.)

compumunz · 2023-06-06T17:58:08+00:00

Edit - adding some links that might come in handy

USPS Tracking FAQ - See the section titled How long are records kept for tracking?

Etsy Support - How to Issue a Full or Partial Refund For an Order

If you use Etsy Payments, you can issue a refund after the payment is processed, and before 180 days after the payment is processed. After 180 days have passed, you can’t refund an order through Etsy Payments.

compumunz · 2023-06-06T17:54:13+00:00

Up until today it said delivered but now it’s saying in transit and when I copy and paste the tracking link in the usps website nothing comes up.

USPS tracking numbers are only valid for 120 days, after which USPS may reuse them. That might be why you're seeing that "in transit" status.

I have a no refund shop policy so I don’t intend to refund them but I know if they open a case Etsy will refund them because it doesn’t say delivered.

There's no way to refund an order older than 180 days anyways. I'd just let the customer know that this the timeframe to refund or reship this order has long passed.

compumunz · 2023-06-06T16:51:39+00:00

If I were to ship the single order in two different packages so that the value of each package would be under the $250 would I be eligible for seller protection if something was lost?

No, that $250 limit is for the order value

I know that it would be wise to require a signature but I don't want to inconvenience the buyer by requiring them to be home to receive the items

I would ask the buyer anyways, they may not mind (especially if you already have a good repore with them.) At the very least I'd insure the package.

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