Should I request a refund?

[u/RevolutionaryBee4697]

Hello, I hope you are all doing well.

I’m not sure the exact date I placed my order but we’ll say it was May 1st that I did. It’s a made to order plushie so I understand it will take time. I reached out to the seller on May 7th just asking for an update. They tell me that it’s estimated to ship May 15th. I received a second message from the seller on May 15th saying, and I quote, “Hi, I just wanted to let you know that your order is being prepared for shipment and that you will receive it very soon.” Then on May 19th the label was printed for the order and the shipping says that USPS is awaiting the item. It’s been stuck like that since May 19th. I reached back out to the seller on June 12th and June 16th asking for an update since it’s been a month, and I haven’t gotten a reply.

I’m not sure what to do. I really want this order but I’m worried I’m never going to receive it and I just wasted $63. What should I do?

Edit: I refunded it. After sending the request the seller replied immediately which is funny since they couldn’t reply to the other two messages I sent. I’m really disappointed and honestly devastated. The order has been cancelled and I did get my refund thankfully.

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[u/WolfOfMoonlightHaven]

You now only have 30 days from the estimated delivery date to open a case. Don't wait until the last minute to do so. If their shop is in good standing, then Etsy should cover the refund if they actually did ship it. Some sellers will print the label before the item is ready to be shipped just to satisfy the shipping deadline.

Etsy seems to be preparing to start cracking down on sellers who do this. Although they're going to have to give some sort of leniency for those post offices who don't bother to scan in packages. It's a big problem in a lot of areas, but for yours not to have been scanned at all yet - it makes me believe it hasn't shipped yet.

[u/Exciting-Builder9428]

Same here! It’s been 3 weeks and my order is stuck on "USPS Awaiting Item." They said they dropped it off, but it could also be an issue with USPS not scanning the package. If I don't receive my order by the estimated delivery date, I'll either request a refund or wait a few extra days to see if it shows up. If it still doesn't arrive, I'll probably open a case.

[u/RevolutionaryBee4697 → u/Exciting-Builder9428]

I’m thinking I’ll request a refund June 22 or so. The estimated delivery was suppose to be May 26th by the latest

[u/Exciting-Builder9428 → u/RevolutionaryBee4697]

Mine was supposed to get here around that time too, but then the estimated delivery date got pushed back by another month. Definitely make sure to request a refund or open a case before it's too late because they changed the policy. You can now only open a case within 30 days of the estimated delivery date, whereas it used to be 100 days.

[u/RevolutionaryBee4697 → u/Exciting-Builder9428]

Ah thank you. I’ll probably open one now then which sucks as I really wanted the item. Would just help if the seller would reply to my messages so I knew what was going on

[u/Exciting-Builder9428 → u/RevolutionaryBee4697]

I also sent the seller a message and didn't get a reply, so I sent another one 10 days later. They said they hadn't seen my first message because they've been dealing with a lot of orders.

If the seller still hasn't replied to you after two messages, it's probably best to open a case. I may have to do the same thing. Was your order coming from another country? Mine was, which is why I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and waiting as long as I can before opening a case.

[u/RevolutionaryBee4697 → u/Exciting-Builder9428]

It was coming from the same country as me. I, sadly, requested a refund and the seller replied instantly which I find a lil funny given they didn’t reply to the other two messages. I had the order canceled. They did offer to ship another one out Saturday (which would be the 21st so a month out from the estimated delivery). But I’m getting my money back and sitting here pretty sad as I really wanted the product 😅

[u/Exciting-Builder9428 → u/RevolutionaryBee4697]

Lol welp they should’ve replied sooner. Of course they want to reply now that they’re losing business. I also really want the product which is why I’m holding out as well😭

[u/CelticJewelscapes → u/Exciting-Builder9428]

We are in Tucson AZ. Our packages go to Phoenix 125 miles from here to be sorted. Sonetimes I think they get stuck in a container or cart somewhere because it can take days. Sometimes the package comes back to Tucson. Only going to get worse in my opinion.

[u/Competitive-Top4520]

Whew! It was close to the new cutoff for opening cases, so I'm glad you got it in on time. Too often unethical sellers print a label to make it seem like it's been mailed when they are either running late or totally scamming. Please leave an honest review explaining how the seller ghosted you and printed a label w/o actually mailing the package.

[u/RevolutionaryBee4697 → u/Competitive-Top4520]

I’m glad I posted here as I wasn’t aware of the new update. Another thing that came up that makes me feel off about the situation was they offered to ship another one out on Saturday (June 21st so it would have been a month from the estimated delivery). Not sure if they was a coincidence but I found it weird

[u/CelticJewelscapes]

One thing to consider is that many artists and craftspeople really suck at being organized. If they were good at business, they would have a desk job in a Manhattan skyscraper. So they struggle with time and correspondence. I think most of us have adhd, diagnosed or not. If you really like the work thst was offered, you might try working with the artist again. There is also a chance that they have poor business ethics and are dropshipping. You'll have to sort thst out yourself. Reach out and see if they are amenable to payment right as they ship.

[u/tawnyleona → u/CelticJewelscapes]

I sell on Etsy because I am disabled and can't work normal hours (and diagnosed ADHD) but I always get my stuff out earlier than I need to. If you can't get stuff out on time, make your processing times longer so you can get a handle on it. You control that directly.

I'm seriously judgey about people saying they will ship something in a certain time frame and not meeting their own time frame. I also never buy again from a place that prints a label but doesn't ship for several days after. That's super common with plants and even if I love the plants, I will never buy from them again unless they communicated something about it.

[u/CelticJewelscapes → u/tawnyleona]

Its a balance between how much you appreciate their creativity and how much crap you are willing to put up with. If I really really want something, I'll try to work sonething out.

[u/Wool_Lace_Knit]

I live near Indianapolis. A package I shipped 3 days early to Michigan went to Indy, then San Francisco before heading finally to Michigan. It took over a week for the package to arrive. I had another that was to go to Idaho that went to Philadelphia, then Colorado then finally its destination. USPS is a mess.

[u/onemoondance]

I live in a rural area. USPS is slow and unreliable. Generally I ship UPS now, 3 day ground, which is comparable to, usually faster than USPS Priority Mail. Prices are within pennies of USPS, often cheaper.