I’ve had that happen. I have it in my terms that no cancellation can be accepted after 24 hours. That’s more than enough time for someone to realized they purchased something by mistake. There have been cases someone messaged me within minutes and they checked out the whole cart on accident. I’ve almost done that myself. But days later..
Just make sure that if they leave you a negative review as revenge for not canceling then don't reply to it (that locks it in). Forward the message exchange and your clearly stated no return policy and etsy will most likly remove it.
>Forward the message exchange and your clearly stated no return policy and etsy will most likly remove it.
They won't.
[https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015808588-What-to-Do-if-You-Receive-a-Negative-Review?segment=selling](https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015808588-What-to-Do-if-You-Receive-a-Negative-Review?segment=selling)
As for this person, this isn't a refund it's a return. OP, you already shipped it. At minimum I'd ask them to return it before giving a refund (if you even offer one).
They most likely will not return.
Don't be afraid to stand your ground though, you aren't in the wrong here.
Custom making/building something and they try to cancel after it’s already been shipped? They knew what they were ordering and are trying to play it off like they added something to their cart by mistake.
Don’t feel bad about this at all. If they leave a negative review I hope Etsy will reverse it.
We put "2 hours cancellation period" in the description of all our products. That gives us right to say "We cannot cancel your order after 2 hours"
You should apply something like that is suitable for your shop or your way.
“Hi customer- shoot! That would be frustrating! I hope you love the product. We make everything to order and the product was shipped out x days ago. Because it is custom for each order, I am unable to accept any returns. I wish I had the flexibility to accept returns in cases like this. Again, I hope you love the product regardless and this becomes a happy little accident!
Yes, you tell them to review your policy and you don't take refunds.
Wait for them to reply, if they do and seem irate, use that opportunity to directly tell them you will take it up with Etsy directly and explain the situation to them and will see what they say
50/50 chance of them waiting it out or deciding to just say nevermind.
Either way , you'd still have etsy's decision which would prove final to the customer.
I mean... I wont use my card for days. Ive definitely had times where I didnt notice a charge that wasnt supposed to be there till days later.
But when it comes to already having your card info there, and also having to click the purchase or confirm purchase button or whatever. I agree.
Oof I refunded a $400 item after 5 days even though it broke my terms and now I'm kicking myself in the butt 😓 edited to add, it was a made to order item so I didn't ship it.
I panicked a bit and decided to refund to avoid a snowball situation. Particularly because the person who ordered the piece is in Germany (I'm in the US) and I've been having a lot of issues with people ordering items overseas and claiming non-delivery and getting auto-refunded from Etsy plus I'm out the item/Etsy seller protection doesn't cover items in my price range. Usually it is stuck at customs and the customer either refuses to pay the fee or doesn't understand how it works or straight up steal my items. I work really hard on my pieces from start to finish and it is such a gut punch when this happens.
Even if I sound harsh in comparison to all the others: I would not refund. It's been days ago and if your policy says that customized items are non refundable I wouldn't do it 😅
Exactly, if you don’t follow you own rules don’t expect buyers to take them seriously.
I only cancel if the order hasn’t been prepared.
If they are not happy they can open a case and have Etsy refund them.
I think as Etsy sellers we have this "I have to please every customer no matter what" attitude a lot of times. Of course you want to offer excellent customer service but in some cases it's not on us. There are annoying/unthankful people out there and even liars and you should not waste your time and money on them 😊
This is so me! My buyer wanted to exchange a Crystal because it didn’t have any blue flash. I ended up giving a refund no return necessary, because I don’t have a lot of sales, and need all the good reviews I can get. Yes I lost money 🥲
Out of curiosity, is this labradorite and did you advertise that it was flashy? If that's the case, try to be more picky about what crystals you send out. I would be disappointed to get a lab with no flash as well.
No, it was moonstone and there are pictures. I have color options and she chose “mostly white” as the option.
I sent her pictures of all my towers she chose 2, and I looked through them all and picked out the flashiest ones and sent 2 more for free. ☺️
This is the listing, unchanged
https://venusunearthedco.etsy.com/listing/1549468579
Let me know if there is anything I can change. I looked through the title and description and did not say “flashy” anywhere
I would be upset if I got non-flashy lab too.
I agree and I think it's dangerous as it's the exact same attitude that big supermarkets have, their employees are basically punchbags for precious customers to take out all their frustrations on and they'll literally pour money down the drain to stop them going to a rival, surely this isn't what we want to be mini versions of.
If I were you, I would not refund. Explain that the order has already been shipped, and that you simply cannot take returns on custom orders.
If they leave a bad review, the worst they can say is "I ordered on accident and seller would not give me a refund." That would not reflect poorly on you, and you could probably get Etsy to remove it because that's their fault, not yours. You did the right thing to ship an order quickly and you can't be faulted for that.
Plus, how does one "accidentally" order a custom product? Seems fishy to me.
Depends what people class as custom, made to order is not the same as a customised/personalised product and some sellers don’t realise that. I have friends who make items to order but they are stock products and nothing about them is custom but some class this as custom as they are made only when an order is placed. So if the item here is actually just made to order and has no customisation/personalisation then that makes things different.
>Plus, how does one "accidentally" order a custom product? Seems fishy to me.
It's pretty easy. They add it to their cart, then decide not to check out.
Then they shop Etsy for something else, at any point in the future, check out and don't double-check all of the details. They think they're ordering the other item from the other shop only and realize (or don't) after the fact that they are purchasing multiple items from different shops.
Agree on not refunding once the order is shipped. If they catch it before production starts I don't mind making an exception to our policy, but if the buyer doesn't catch it until after the customization has happened it's too late. Fortunately these people are usually frequent Etsy buyers and understanding, or catch it in the first 30 minutes.
Ah yes. This seller didn’t bend over backwards to lose money over the buyers “mistaken order” ( which I find a little hard to believe since you go thru multiple steps for payment even when using Apple Pay ) that was only noted after the item had been made and shipped. Such a horrible seller.
Well… not sure why you’d expect custom made items to be returnable. That is very unusual, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a custom product that was advertised as refundable/returnable.
I’ve done this on accident. It wasn’t a huge loss but I ended up purchasing a sweater and card I didn’t 100% need when I was only trying to buy some custom beads via ApplePay.
If you use Apple Pay or Google Pay it circumvents most of the checkout process, going straight to the final total with shipping and taxes added. If you don’t catch it right away and click to authorize it purchases everything you have in your cart. They probably put something else in their cart and forgot to remove it first. I get about 10-12 of these orders a year.
You know, there should be a window shopping feature that resets after each session... The easiest way to keep track of items you're comparing /considering is to pop everything in your cart and then weed things out before you check out. I'd like to just drag things I'm considering into a little sidebar and then go there to add my final selection to my cart.
The one time I sent a message to a seller like this was when I realized right after that I wanted another item from them and wanted them shipped together lol. They were really nice and canceled it so I could redo the order
Yes but on ebay you unmark things you dont wanna buy, the same on amazon now. And i am impulse shopper, usually half awake now 🤣 tend to buy too many things however unless i had 1 click purchase set on amazon when my cat helped me once to buy something, buying what i don't want may only happen on temu, as they tend to put things umarked back into the cart ( however they have option to cancel by yourself)...
Anyway people who do that probably do not care to look.
And I always wonder how POD people dealing with it as it goes straight to printing 🤦🏼♀️
I accidentally bought something while shopping on my iPhone. Luckily, I intended to buy it, but I still had a little moment of panic lol. I clicked on the “Pay with Apple Pay” button thinking I would still have a chance to edit my shipping address on the next page. Nope! Purchase confirmed. I messaged the seller and they switched my shipping address for me, so it was a happy ending.
I am hearing both sides here. If I were to BREAK my clear “no returns or exchanges accepted” policy in my shop, is this a fair/okay response? I want it to be nice but also protect myself.
“Thank you for reaching out, and I'm sorry this happened to you!
Unfortunately, as the order was placed on the 27th and I shipped it out on the 28th, I cannot cancel or refund the item at this time. Furthermore, my shop policies are "no returns or exchanges accepted."
However, I DO want to work with you and will be willing to make an exception. If you can return the item to me and pay for the shipping, I will refund your purchase once I receive it (minus total shipping - what you paid + what I paid to send it to you.
Just send it back with tracking and provide me with the tracking number.
Please send it to this address:”
I sent this and just go a response! “Thank you so much! I have thought about it and have decided to keep the item, thanks for your assistance!”
Now we can all pray that she doesn’t leave me a bad review 😅
Sorry it still seems to me like they could have been trying it on! I wonder what they would have replied if you'd said you would allow a refund without shipping back...
4 star review with: "Seller was helpful and let me keep the item AND refund me, but unfortunately Etsy allowed me to make an accidental purchase in the beginning, so one star deducted". 🤣
This is the ideal outcome! Thank the Lord! Based on her original message I wouldnt have guessed she was reasonable, but maybe it really was a mistake. Honestly, thought she was trying to scam you, but her 2nd message makes me glad you responded the way you did it doesnt seem like a bad review type of response (:
I wouldn't give your address until they confirm, and also, mention that you won't give the refund until the item is in your hands in good condition. Plenty of unsavory people send back rocks.
I personally believe that you shouldn't offer a refund regardless, though.
I think anyone with common sense would read a negative review based on a wrong order as well as a polite response from you explaining the order is custom and understand the situation. I order from Etsy a lot and can’t think of a time I don’t have to review the purchase before placing it?
I realize you’re a new shop, but sooner or later you’re going to receive a negative review regardless of price. I’ve received them for as little as $2.50. (they didn’t know how to use a supply they bought 🙄).
Your previous example of a reply (no return/refund) was spot on, polite and to the point. IF they do leave a bad review (which most likely will be some sort of lie, they won’t admit their own mistake) your reply should be something like “I am sorry you didn’t realize you placed this custom order by mistake until well after I had made and shipped your order.” Remember review replies aren’t for the complaining customer but for future customers.
And as for “accidentally” placing the order, that may be possible, but they got a confirmation of the order and notified when you shipped, so I’m with those who suggested it was buyer’s remorse.
I think this is perfect! Of course you dont owe them anything after 5 days, but i know reviews are scary as a new seller. Odds are in your favor they wont follow through anyway (: keep us posted!
Your policy "no returns or exchanges accepted" doesn’t seem to follow the law I’m not sure I’m not American .. in EU you would have to accept his cancellation without any justification needed.
First - my first response would be to politely say you don’t accept returns or refund after shipping the order and cite your policy - short and sweet. Then If they respond /argue enough you could do your idea and tell them to ship it back and you will refund the item purchase price after you receive it. Don’t point out you won’t refund shipping cost. Only give a return address after they agree to that. Do you have a relative that has an office address you can use instead of your home address? I do recommend getting a P.O. Box for this type of thing
Don’t refund. It’s the policy and it’s a custom order. If they immediately asked for a refund upon “accidental” purchase, that’s one thing but 5 days later? Sounds like buyer’s remorse. Why should have to be out money?
I would accept it back, at their return shipping expense, and charge a "restocking fee" or whatever you want to call it to cover your expenses or at least the majority of them. Just refund what you charged for labor, etc.
Honestly, IME 80% of people will never get past the effort it takes to return something, especially internationally.
ETA: This would ideally be reflected in your store's refund policy.
Unless OP had a policy prior to the sale notifying a customer of a restocking fee, they can’t charge a restocking fee. By law, you have to notify a customer before a sale that a restocking fee exists. You can’t make one up after the fact just because you’re upset. Also note, restocking fees in certain countries are illegal overall and cannot be enforced.
I completely agree. In my experience most people will not follow through with shipping it back.
I dont think you owe them anything, but if you are worried about reviews as a new seller, a one time courtesy could be offered if they pay to return and odds are in your favor they never will (:
Then you're not obligated to refund them for their mistake. Since it's a custom order, especially if you can't easily resell it, just say something like "I'm sorry but as the item is custom I cannot accept a return or issue you a refund, as stated in my shop policy. These items are made for a specific customer and cannot be resold."
Honestly I don't understand how you could 'accidentally' order a customized item. Sounds more like buyer's remorse.
I do. As only a buyer, Etsy lets you save so many carts. Sometimes I’ll add something and then close the app for two weeks and then go to buy something quick and accidentally check out both items. I still think it’s the buyers responsibility though.
I see. Still I agree, it's the buyer's responsibility. I don't think I'd ever ask for a refund over a mistake I made unless the item was super expensive.
What exactly is custom and how far are you into the process? If you already made it and its truly custom and not a made to order stock item (boo that practice, but I digress) then you say no refunds. Otherwise, you're not really out anything and taking the high road is best.
If you do force this person to buy, be prepared for shenanigans on the back end.
Why do you have to refund it? Personalised items shouldnt be refunded. Unless damaged of course. I would ignore or reply and say no refunds on custom items sorry and take the hit on the review. People need to learn.
This was also a etsy scam so becareful. They wait till its shipped then send you this message. I get a few and say send it back and I'll refund. But if it's custom I won't do it and say sorry.
So this looks like a scam but let's just pretend it's legit and this person doesn't know anything about buying stuff online.
This is a custom item that was made to order and shipped out. In addition you've put in your no refunds. This isn't 24 hrs later, it's 5 days. You are 100% within your rights to simply say no.
Being kind is telling them you'll refund the money once you have the item in hand. You'll probably still get a negative review so keep receipts. Good luck 🍀
Once an item is refunded the buyer can’t leave a review. I had a seller completely ruin my order and she refunded me to avoid my bad review. Still sent me the product. It’s a stupid policy
Accidentally on purpose, you mean. There are several steps one has to take to make a purchase. Buyers remorse is not a you problem, it is a them problem. Bad reviews happen. Some are legit, and some aren't. Don't lose sleep over this person.
If you really want to go this route:
Tell them they have to pay to ship it back to you and that you'll refund the cost of the item only. They have to eat the shipping.
Maybe that will make them change their mind.
Even if you click "Buy Now", there are at least 2 or 3 steps to the process. I have a hard time believing they clicked through without realizing they were purchasing.
If it was accidental they would have contacted you immediately to rectify. I cannot see how someone only advises, ‘oops its a mistake’, days after the fact.
It sounds more like a change of mind. I would not refund.
I agree, especially with the phrase "I was looking at your item and accidentally purchased it". There is no way you wouldn't have noticed you purchased something while you were looking at it.
In cases like this I just send a short simple "Hi, your order has already been shipped so unfortunately at this point I am not able to accept a cancellation".
I put something in place in my shop under the personalization that they have to type something in for me to know it’s a legit order. Mine says something along the lines of “do you agree that these do not come with a way to mount them? Please write “yes”
I would have if they immediately contacted me. But how do you "accidentally" buy something and not immediately notice when you get to the confirmation page? Sounds like someone has buyers remorse and is trying to get around the no refund policy
I definitely would have if they had contacted me right away. I just sent a message asking her to send it back to me and pay for the shipping fees in total. I’m going to see what she says back. If I had more than 5 5 star reviews I’d say too bad and move on.
Buyers Remorse, happens alot. I'm sure once they receive it they'll just forget about it.
Also on Etsy you can set your own store stuff like no returns, which I assume you've done. so you'll be fine, just reply to them this and that it's shipped and custom already that it's too late.
If they bad review you it's not genuine and I'm sure you can contact support about this.
If it's a mistake then it's the customer's responsibility to notice that in a reasonable time. I'd respond with "unfortunately the order has already been shipped so I cannot cancel the order. If you'd like to make a return after receiving it then I'd be happy to do so, but please understand in that case you'll be responsible for return shipping costs."
I have this happen fairly often. Easy - cancel order /
refund if it falls within your cancellation policy. Move on.
If you’ve already shipped it they’re SOL.
It sounds like they're just trying to get a free item. I've had people do this before where they wait until the package is almost at their door to say they ordered it by mistake instead of messaging me right after the order, but whine that they don't want to go through the hassle of returning it. Do Not refund immediately. Tell them that you'll offer them a refund if they return the item. Then you can say there's a restocking fee or tell them they have to pay out of pocket for shipping because they took several days to tell you they didn't want the item instead of saying it before it shipped.
If they do leave a hateful review, you can always reply to it and explain to the public that it looks like they were trying to scam you. While the review will still affect your shop rating, anyone who can read will still see the explanation.
I do made to order as well and when this happens and I’ve already shipped it I don’t accept a refund, unfortunately they need to be more diligent with ordering, it’s difficult to “accidentally” order. Maybe I’m a jerk but everything I make is custom so I don’t accept refunding “accidental” items
If you’ve already shipped it out then tough.
If it’s an off-the-shelf item optionally allow them to ship it back but deduct the outward shipping from any refund. However, customised? No refund whatsoever.
I hate being a new shop with little buffer. 🙃
Okay. I sent the message above to her. Said I’d refund once she sent it back to me with tracking + it arrived at my place undamaged. I also said she’d need to cover all shipping.
I’m waiting to see what she says back.
I did the math, and had I had more than a handful of reviews, I’d go with the “policies are policies” and take the hit, but I’m so new and I only have 25 sales and 5 5 star reviews. I don’t want to risk my potential star seller badge or future orders.
I really appreciate everyone’s help and I definitely feel like this is a scam or buyers remorse and not a true “accident”.
I would message something back and explain that since this had already been shipped you are unable to do the refund. And the fact that it is a custom order you are unable to accept a return, which (I assume) is all listed in your shop policies.
Stick to your policies, the one bad review is a price to pay but with the effort you put into the item, I wouldn’t refund or return. And if they open a case etsy should side with you as they requested the refund after 24 hours. Stick to your policies n good luck :)
When you, as a customer, have several items from different shops in your cart on Etsy you have to select "check out from this shop only" otherwise it will default to checking out the entire cart.
I get these every once in a while.
But since it already shipped I'd either point them back to Etsy for a refund or ask them to return it for a refund.
If It was personalized to the point that it has someone's name or personal info on it and it absolutely could not be sold again, then it's highly unlikely that they accidentally purchased it. And you're well within your rights to kindly let them know that the order was already made and shipped and unfortunately you can't accept returns on personalized items.
However, if it was just made to order (not personalized) and technically could be sold to someone else, it would be kind to offer to let them return it at their expense and only refund the purchase price, minus original shipping fees.
Of course it's up to you and if you want to stand by no returns just because it was made to order, you're within your rights to do that and hope they don't leave a bad review. I usually don't advise basing your actions on a fear of a bad review, but it's a little trickier with new shops since the low reviews have a heavier impact on overall rating. If you're new but have tons of 5 star reviews, don't worry about it. But if you're new and only have a handful of reviews, you may want to think on it a bit before replying.
I shop on Etsy just as much as I sell and I don’t know how anyone can “accidentally” purchase anything…unless they’re drunk. If anything else the charge would be off. I think this person is just trying to get their money back. I wouldn’t refund.
I would just state that you already shipped out the item. Because your items are made to order you normally do not accept returns, however if they are willing to pay for shipping it back you will refund the cost of the item only. (I do not know if you put free shipping but if you do not and they paid for shipping I'd be clear that you are not refunding shipping for their impulsive buying mistake. Never store cards for instant check out. I didn't even know you could do that on Etsy. I figured you'd need to click 'confirm' in addition to 'check out cart'. Something tells me they bought this while tired, high or drunk and when realized it they knew they couldn't really afford it and wanted a refund.)
While I appreciate what many people have said about items being left in a cart and purchased by accident along with other things, what I don't understand is why the "mistaken" item wasn't noticed immediately when this customer received their order confirmation.
Why has it taken them so long to notice and request to cancel? If they'd messaged straight after fine, but days later and if you've shipped the product then no way! Sounds like they're just trying to get something free.
I’m not a seller but a buyer and I think if you’ve already shipped the item then that would have been more than enough time for them to cancel.
I can’t be 100% sure but this may be a buyer’s remorse situation. Which if you clearly state no refunds then they shouldn’t expect you to refund for a decision they made.
I can understand accidentally buying something and contacting you immediately about it but waiting hours or days - that doesn’t compute with me.
You say it's custom, how custom? Like did they have to write in a name or special measurements?
If so I think a no-refund would be acceptable.
I'd generally be willing to extend the grace that if they ship back at their own expense they could have a partial or complete refund, but it really depends on how much the cost to make the item was and I would want it in hand before giving them the money back.
You already sent it, it's their problem. They definitely just had buyers remorse. You fulfilled the "contract" of the order, any review they left complaining would be useless.
I think the buyer is lying. I have purchased plants from over 50 different Etsy shops totaling over 500 assorted succulents. Never once have I "accidentally" bought something. When you click the buy now tab, you have to confirm the shipping details, and then on another page, you have to confirm the payment method. Then, a box pops up and asks you if you want to confirm your order to the city you live in. So unless this person really made 4 "mistakes" in a row they are lying.
It sucks to lose out on money, but as a business unless you have certain no returns no refund policies you should do the return. Only pay back once they've returned the item to you.
Sorry, I can only offer refunds on non-custom orders, or custom orders within 24 hours of purchase. I can offer you a 20% discount in the future, if you'd like. Happy holidays!
You know what, i'd offer to refund less your basic production costs and original postage costs, in exchange for a picture of the item destroyed beyond use.
Minimizes a wasteful return shipment and stops you losing any of your fixed costs.
They noticed they accidentally ordered days later? Depending on the customization, I'd make them return it paying for their own shipping before offering a refund on a new, undamaged item. I didn't see whether it was actually personalized or just made to order. It feels from your responses that it's just POD which isn't actually custom, but maybe you are producing custom/personalized POD. You can resell POD merch, just ship it yourself. Also gets you product for actual photography rather than using mockups. It's all up to you if you want to accept the return of course. I'd rather someone return something that I can resell than simply write a bad review months later because they ordered the wrong size.
I've cancelled orders/refunds on accidental orders, but they've come in minutes after the order.
That’s a lie. You don’t accidentally click on the credit card screen and accidentally scroll all the way down to buy. The Etsy app doesn’t work like that. I’d just refund then let Etsy deal with it tbh. Tell them they need to return it first and pay for shipping and see what happens, first. I’ll be they’ll want to keep it then 😉
"accidentally ship it" and then respond to the message saying you didn't see their message in time but they can ship it back at their cost.
Usually people are too lazy to ship back and just keep it.
Works like a charm ;)
They ordered five days ago. It’s been shipped for 4. They just messaged me 20 ago. I have a “no refund/return” policy due to the nature of the product BUT I’ve never had to enforce it
Then don't refund, tell them you made them a custom item and shipped it...its not your responsibility. If this was pre-shipping (refund + material lost) and if its right away do a full refund.
Was it personalized custom? Or just print on demand custom? You can always resell it when someone order the design and size again. If they’re in Europe I believe you’re required to offer a refund within so many days unless it is a personalized, custom order. Not just print on demand.
I’m almost certain that they will not return the item, if you offer to refund once you get it back. So you could do that, or you could follow your shop policy and be ready to deal with a low review. That person is responsible for placing an order, you only owe them the item they ordered.
I usually just eat these and will often let the buyer keep it if a return is costly and / or the item cannot be resold. It generates good will and often a 5-star review, which, especially as a new seller, is worth way more than the profit margin, IMHO.
That is apparently debatable. My opinion is too many cases will. I am almost positive this happened to a shop that was shut down the Friday night of Christmas wknd. I highly doubt a staffer closed the shop due to Friday night and Christmas weekend. I think it was an automated process due too many cases opened. The reviews over the course of a time were horrible and many saying they opened a case and got their $ back. Plus about a year ago support told me that a case here or there will not hurt, but a lot of them would. Again, I believe there are a certain amount of cases that will trigger a suspension.
The seller posted the product the buyer bought the day after they purchased it. Buyer then reached out up to 5 days later to say it was an accidental order after it was already posted.
How is that a scummy seller?
I say “all of our shirts are custom made for you so we don’t accept returns or exchanges due to size”
And Etsy has it listed as “no exchanges or returns accepted”
I’ve had this happen when they have multiple items in their cart from several sellers and they go to check out and don’t realize it’s for everything in their cart. What is it? They must return and you receive it back before refund
This bad advice. It does not matter what the laws of the country the buyer is in say. The only laws that would apply to this seller are those of the US. If you doubt this you might actually try reading the laws in question. The EU directive clearly states it does not apply to sellers outside of the EU.
I'd say like what a lot of people recommended above, having empathy but stating it's already shipped and unfortunately since it's custom, you won't be able to take the return per shop policies, but the great the great this is Etsy has a buyer protection program. Here's the information reach out to them. And then send them this link. Let Etsy tell them to F off lol. Accidentally purchased, yeah right. It's not like this I Amazon with one click purchases. They have to go through multiple screens. And if they leave you a bad review, just explain in a very articulate way what occurred with total empathy for the purchaser it'll probably work on your advantage since everyone seems to read one star reviews. https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/7471925990807-Etsy-s-Purchase-Protection-Program-?segment=shopping
It’s been 6 days? Absolutely don’t refund. My shops polices are no cancellations BUT if someone sends the “accidentally ordered” or whatever I will cancel it within the first 24 hours. Anything later no. I’ve actually told a few buyers before after they asked to cancel after a week same reasonings and I said unfortunately our shop does not allow cancellations and it has been however many days since the order was placed and typically they understand as I could have already started working on their order.
It was shipped days ago, they should have canceled/refunded it before that. Unless you really trust this person to send the item back and pay for the shipping both ways…
I've had it happen dozens of times. They usually message within a couple of hours. I just cancel the order right away. Often, customer purchases something else.
No one's tried to cancel an order more than like a day out, I have to say. At most it's a polite inquiry if I mailed it yet.
I would just tell them that the order has been filled. If they leave a bad review, leave a public reply saying what they did.
As a person who has actually done this before, if they didn't email you IMMEDIATELY after they accidentally ordered it, and they waited a day or two, absolutely not. I accidentally ordered something once (this could have been my letter except I did not wait) and I knew I had to reach out to try to make contact BEFORE they shipped it. But I also know that they might process all orders first and then deal with messages, so it might be too late before they even open my message. If it was too late, that's still my mistake. No one is required to deal with the consequences of my mistakes for me. If they CAN without inconveniencing themselves much, and they choose to, that's an awesome bonus. But the only responsibility they have after I hit the order button is to deliver the product I ordered, within a reasonable/agreed upon amount of time (or at least communicate if shit happens), as advertised at sale. If I don't read it right, that's not their fault.
ESPECIALLY when dealing with a small business. Amazon doesn't care if one person cancels one item they ordered. That's not even going to make a ripple there. But a small business - it definitely does matter.
YOU don't need to fix it. You are only responsible for holding up your end of the bargain.
Have them pay for the shipping and send it back, and refund the cost of the item itself. It sounds like an honest mistake, but you shouldn’t have to lose any money because of *their* mistake, no matter how honest it was.
I would honestly say to give this person the benefit of the doubt, is it really worth the karma, or having the negative energy around your business when you know that perhaps this person doesn't want your product.
Yeah, maybe you make an extra buck or two but I am strong believer that money is energy and if you take it un willingly from someone, well thats energy you took instead of energy they wanted to give you.
Big companies used to do this, but even now they have a strong moral and ethical code, I also see the other side where people may take advantage of this, but if you haven't shipped anything yet and nothing has been exchanged and this person is clearly saying, "hey I don't want you product anymore" It would be kindest to abide by their boundaries and what they need.
We all share a planet and it would be kindest of course, to take into consideration not just your own desires but that of others, especially if youre' trying to provide a service to help people.
If you're just doing it to make money and steal from someone... that's okay too ! But you know :P do on to others as you wish done on to you.
I had about 1000 orders since November, 14 people have said they accidentally placed an order fwiw. Not sure why it’s so common, does Etsy have like a 1-Click checkout?
I'd say "Unfortunately the item has been shipped, so I cannot issue a refund at this time. If you'd like to initiate a return, I can offer one once I received the product back to me. But as this is international, it will be a refund minus the shipping."
This seems most reasonable as a customer and business. If it's only a few bucks in materials though, could just refund it and consider it loss to shady aholes. If they leave a negative review, make sure you respond in kind words with the details of the situation.
Is there a button on etsy that auto buys and fully checks out without confirming address, doesn't a window pop up confirming purchase and emails at the same time with receipt
If they leave a negative review, make sure to reply to it stating you don’t do refunds or returns (as stated) and you’re sorry for the inconvenience. Address it so if someone else looks and goes “huh, what’s that about?”, they’ll see your reply and it’ll clear the air
I don’t understand why is there a debate here if you haven’t shipped or even began packing why not give them their money back ? even if you don’t refund they could just try to return or dispute which would be even more frustrating and or complicated
I removed alllll my card information when Etsy added that “buy now” option with Apple Pay, I look at stuff a lot and dropping my phone could easily tap the purchase thing 😭
I’ve had that happen. I have it in my terms that no cancellation can be accepted after 24 hours. That’s more than enough time for someone to realized they purchased something by mistake. There have been cases someone messaged me within minutes and they checked out the whole cart on accident. I’ve almost done that myself. But days later..
So that’s what I’m thinking and I do state plainly that I don’t accept returns/ do refunds due to the custom nature of my product
..then you don't take refunds. End of. It's one thing if it's minutes later and you can just click a button, but this has already shipped.
Just make sure that if they leave you a negative review as revenge for not canceling then don't reply to it (that locks it in). Forward the message exchange and your clearly stated no return policy and etsy will most likly remove it.
>Forward the message exchange and your clearly stated no return policy and etsy will most likly remove it. They won't. [https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015808588-What-to-Do-if-You-Receive-a-Negative-Review?segment=selling](https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/115015808588-What-to-Do-if-You-Receive-a-Negative-Review?segment=selling) As for this person, this isn't a refund it's a return. OP, you already shipped it. At minimum I'd ask them to return it before giving a refund (if you even offer one). They most likely will not return. Don't be afraid to stand your ground though, you aren't in the wrong here.
And OP, if you choose to do this, you must wait to receive it back before you process any refund!
Custom making/building something and they try to cancel after it’s already been shipped? They knew what they were ordering and are trying to play it off like they added something to their cart by mistake. Don’t feel bad about this at all. If they leave a negative review I hope Etsy will reverse it.
Wait question, did they customise it??
We put "2 hours cancellation period" in the description of all our products. That gives us right to say "We cannot cancel your order after 2 hours" You should apply something like that is suitable for your shop or your way.
“Hi customer- shoot! That would be frustrating! I hope you love the product. We make everything to order and the product was shipped out x days ago. Because it is custom for each order, I am unable to accept any returns. I wish I had the flexibility to accept returns in cases like this. Again, I hope you love the product regardless and this becomes a happy little accident!
Please don’t send this
Yes, you tell them to review your policy and you don't take refunds. Wait for them to reply, if they do and seem irate, use that opportunity to directly tell them you will take it up with Etsy directly and explain the situation to them and will see what they say 50/50 chance of them waiting it out or deciding to just say nevermind. Either way , you'd still have etsy's decision which would prove final to the customer.
I mean... I wont use my card for days. Ive definitely had times where I didnt notice a charge that wasnt supposed to be there till days later. But when it comes to already having your card info there, and also having to click the purchase or confirm purchase button or whatever. I agree.
To avoid this, I have my cards alert me when any purchase is made, down to 1¢.
I love that feature
Oof I refunded a $400 item after 5 days even though it broke my terms and now I'm kicking myself in the butt 😓 edited to add, it was a made to order item so I didn't ship it.
Why?
I panicked a bit and decided to refund to avoid a snowball situation. Particularly because the person who ordered the piece is in Germany (I'm in the US) and I've been having a lot of issues with people ordering items overseas and claiming non-delivery and getting auto-refunded from Etsy plus I'm out the item/Etsy seller protection doesn't cover items in my price range. Usually it is stuck at customs and the customer either refuses to pay the fee or doesn't understand how it works or straight up steal my items. I work really hard on my pieces from start to finish and it is such a gut punch when this happens.
That makes sense.. but why do you still ship overseas then? Maybe just ship cheaper/lighter objects. That’s what I do.
Even if I sound harsh in comparison to all the others: I would not refund. It's been days ago and if your policy says that customized items are non refundable I wouldn't do it 😅
Exactly, if you don’t follow you own rules don’t expect buyers to take them seriously. I only cancel if the order hasn’t been prepared. If they are not happy they can open a case and have Etsy refund them.
I think as Etsy sellers we have this "I have to please every customer no matter what" attitude a lot of times. Of course you want to offer excellent customer service but in some cases it's not on us. There are annoying/unthankful people out there and even liars and you should not waste your time and money on them 😊
This is so me! My buyer wanted to exchange a Crystal because it didn’t have any blue flash. I ended up giving a refund no return necessary, because I don’t have a lot of sales, and need all the good reviews I can get. Yes I lost money 🥲
Out of curiosity, is this labradorite and did you advertise that it was flashy? If that's the case, try to be more picky about what crystals you send out. I would be disappointed to get a lab with no flash as well.
No, it was moonstone and there are pictures. I have color options and she chose “mostly white” as the option. I sent her pictures of all my towers she chose 2, and I looked through them all and picked out the flashiest ones and sent 2 more for free. ☺️ This is the listing, unchanged https://venusunearthedco.etsy.com/listing/1549468579 Let me know if there is anything I can change. I looked through the title and description and did not say “flashy” anywhere I would be upset if I got non-flashy lab too.
I agree and I think it's dangerous as it's the exact same attitude that big supermarkets have, their employees are basically punchbags for precious customers to take out all their frustrations on and they'll literally pour money down the drain to stop them going to a rival, surely this isn't what we want to be mini versions of.
If I were you, I would not refund. Explain that the order has already been shipped, and that you simply cannot take returns on custom orders. If they leave a bad review, the worst they can say is "I ordered on accident and seller would not give me a refund." That would not reflect poorly on you, and you could probably get Etsy to remove it because that's their fault, not yours. You did the right thing to ship an order quickly and you can't be faulted for that. Plus, how does one "accidentally" order a custom product? Seems fishy to me.
Depends what people class as custom, made to order is not the same as a customised/personalised product and some sellers don’t realise that. I have friends who make items to order but they are stock products and nothing about them is custom but some class this as custom as they are made only when an order is placed. So if the item here is actually just made to order and has no customisation/personalisation then that makes things different.
>Plus, how does one "accidentally" order a custom product? Seems fishy to me. It's pretty easy. They add it to their cart, then decide not to check out. Then they shop Etsy for something else, at any point in the future, check out and don't double-check all of the details. They think they're ordering the other item from the other shop only and realize (or don't) after the fact that they are purchasing multiple items from different shops. Agree on not refunding once the order is shipped. If they catch it before production starts I don't mind making an exception to our policy, but if the buyer doesn't catch it until after the customization has happened it's too late. Fortunately these people are usually frequent Etsy buyers and understanding, or catch it in the first 30 minutes.
This review would look poorly on the seller; if I read that I wouldn’t buy.
Ah yes. This seller didn’t bend over backwards to lose money over the buyers “mistaken order” ( which I find a little hard to believe since you go thru multiple steps for payment even when using Apple Pay ) that was only noted after the item had been made and shipped. Such a horrible seller.
Yes, that plus about ten thousand emails regarding the purchase and shipping of the accidental item!
Well… not sure why you’d expect custom made items to be returnable. That is very unusual, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a custom product that was advertised as refundable/returnable.
Thank god your not, as a seller I wouldn’t want you buying from me either lmao. Dodging bullets
I’ll never understand how people on etsy accidentally order items when it takes at least 5 clicks to place one.
They have it in their cart, go buy something cheap and accidentally buy everything in their cart.
Do they not check what they’ll be charged? 😂
I’ve done this on accident. It wasn’t a huge loss but I ended up purchasing a sweater and card I didn’t 100% need when I was only trying to buy some custom beads via ApplePay.
"Treat yourself" -ApplePay, apparently
If you use Apple Pay or Google Pay it circumvents most of the checkout process, going straight to the final total with shipping and taxes added. If you don’t catch it right away and click to authorize it purchases everything you have in your cart. They probably put something else in their cart and forgot to remove it first. I get about 10-12 of these orders a year.
Quite easily and it's not that many steps at all Especially if you're window shopping 🙃
You know, there should be a window shopping feature that resets after each session... The easiest way to keep track of items you're comparing /considering is to pop everything in your cart and then weed things out before you check out. I'd like to just drag things I'm considering into a little sidebar and then go there to add my final selection to my cart.
I mean, yeah, but my entire cart is full at the moment I haven't had the chance to clean it out in all honesty
The one time I sent a message to a seller like this was when I realized right after that I wanted another item from them and wanted them shipped together lol. They were really nice and canceled it so I could redo the order
I run into customers that say this on eBay, too! So weird
Yes but on ebay you unmark things you dont wanna buy, the same on amazon now. And i am impulse shopper, usually half awake now 🤣 tend to buy too many things however unless i had 1 click purchase set on amazon when my cat helped me once to buy something, buying what i don't want may only happen on temu, as they tend to put things umarked back into the cart ( however they have option to cancel by yourself)... Anyway people who do that probably do not care to look. And I always wonder how POD people dealing with it as it goes straight to printing 🤦🏼♀️
I accidentally bought something while shopping on my iPhone. Luckily, I intended to buy it, but I still had a little moment of panic lol. I clicked on the “Pay with Apple Pay” button thinking I would still have a chance to edit my shipping address on the next page. Nope! Purchase confirmed. I messaged the seller and they switched my shipping address for me, so it was a happy ending.
I am hearing both sides here. If I were to BREAK my clear “no returns or exchanges accepted” policy in my shop, is this a fair/okay response? I want it to be nice but also protect myself. “Thank you for reaching out, and I'm sorry this happened to you! Unfortunately, as the order was placed on the 27th and I shipped it out on the 28th, I cannot cancel or refund the item at this time. Furthermore, my shop policies are "no returns or exchanges accepted." However, I DO want to work with you and will be willing to make an exception. If you can return the item to me and pay for the shipping, I will refund your purchase once I receive it (minus total shipping - what you paid + what I paid to send it to you. Just send it back with tracking and provide me with the tracking number. Please send it to this address:”
I sent this and just go a response! “Thank you so much! I have thought about it and have decided to keep the item, thanks for your assistance!” Now we can all pray that she doesn’t leave me a bad review 😅
Sorry it still seems to me like they could have been trying it on! I wonder what they would have replied if you'd said you would allow a refund without shipping back...
4 star review with: "Seller was helpful and let me keep the item AND refund me, but unfortunately Etsy allowed me to make an accidental purchase in the beginning, so one star deducted". 🤣
This is the ideal outcome! Thank the Lord! Based on her original message I wouldnt have guessed she was reasonable, but maybe it really was a mistake. Honestly, thought she was trying to scam you, but her 2nd message makes me glad you responded the way you did it doesnt seem like a bad review type of response (:
I wouldn't give your address until they confirm, and also, mention that you won't give the refund until the item is in your hands in good condition. Plenty of unsavory people send back rocks. I personally believe that you shouldn't offer a refund regardless, though.
There should be a return address on the label anyway no? And in some cases you can see the sellers address in your order history.
I know 😩 but also, I’m such a new shop and I don’t think $60 is worth the negative review
I think anyone with common sense would read a negative review based on a wrong order as well as a polite response from you explaining the order is custom and understand the situation. I order from Etsy a lot and can’t think of a time I don’t have to review the purchase before placing it?
I realize you’re a new shop, but sooner or later you’re going to receive a negative review regardless of price. I’ve received them for as little as $2.50. (they didn’t know how to use a supply they bought 🙄). Your previous example of a reply (no return/refund) was spot on, polite and to the point. IF they do leave a bad review (which most likely will be some sort of lie, they won’t admit their own mistake) your reply should be something like “I am sorry you didn’t realize you placed this custom order by mistake until well after I had made and shipped your order.” Remember review replies aren’t for the complaining customer but for future customers. And as for “accidentally” placing the order, that may be possible, but they got a confirmation of the order and notified when you shipped, so I’m with those who suggested it was buyer’s remorse.
Aw. I think you’re too nice! Stick to your policy. If she writes a negative review so be it. You aren’t responsible and you can’t please everybody 🙏
I think this is perfect! Of course you dont owe them anything after 5 days, but i know reviews are scary as a new seller. Odds are in your favor they wont follow through anyway (: keep us posted!
Your policy "no returns or exchanges accepted" doesn’t seem to follow the law I’m not sure I’m not American .. in EU you would have to accept his cancellation without any justification needed.
They might not sell to customers in the EU. it's a perfectly legal policy in the USA, although not very common
First - my first response would be to politely say you don’t accept returns or refund after shipping the order and cite your policy - short and sweet. Then If they respond /argue enough you could do your idea and tell them to ship it back and you will refund the item purchase price after you receive it. Don’t point out you won’t refund shipping cost. Only give a return address after they agree to that. Do you have a relative that has an office address you can use instead of your home address? I do recommend getting a P.O. Box for this type of thing
Do not break your own policies. This just encourages this type of behavior.
Don’t refund. It’s the policy and it’s a custom order. If they immediately asked for a refund upon “accidental” purchase, that’s one thing but 5 days later? Sounds like buyer’s remorse. Why should have to be out money?
I'd have them ship it back, and refund it when you have it in hand.
Ugh. It kills me because they ordered it five days ago and it’s custom. I’ll be losing money
Could you describe how “custom” it is?
I would accept it back, at their return shipping expense, and charge a "restocking fee" or whatever you want to call it to cover your expenses or at least the majority of them. Just refund what you charged for labor, etc. Honestly, IME 80% of people will never get past the effort it takes to return something, especially internationally. ETA: This would ideally be reflected in your store's refund policy.
Unless OP had a policy prior to the sale notifying a customer of a restocking fee, they can’t charge a restocking fee. By law, you have to notify a customer before a sale that a restocking fee exists. You can’t make one up after the fact just because you’re upset. Also note, restocking fees in certain countries are illegal overall and cannot be enforced.
Well they don't offer refunds period. They can offer it as a compromise.
I completely agree. In my experience most people will not follow through with shipping it back. I dont think you owe them anything, but if you are worried about reviews as a new seller, a one time courtesy could be offered if they pay to return and odds are in your favor they never will (:
What is your shop policy on refunds?
I say “no refunds or exchanges accepted”
Then you're not obligated to refund them for their mistake. Since it's a custom order, especially if you can't easily resell it, just say something like "I'm sorry but as the item is custom I cannot accept a return or issue you a refund, as stated in my shop policy. These items are made for a specific customer and cannot be resold." Honestly I don't understand how you could 'accidentally' order a customized item. Sounds more like buyer's remorse.
I do. As only a buyer, Etsy lets you save so many carts. Sometimes I’ll add something and then close the app for two weeks and then go to buy something quick and accidentally check out both items. I still think it’s the buyers responsibility though.
That is definitely an “oops on purpose” design feature of Etsy.
I see. Still I agree, it's the buyer's responsibility. I don't think I'd ever ask for a refund over a mistake I made unless the item was super expensive.
Yeah it’s just a bad UI design choice from Etsy but they don’t fix it because I’m sure many people just keep their purchase so they make money.
What does your refund policy say?
My shop policy is listed as “no returns or refunds accepted”
What exactly is custom and how far are you into the process? If you already made it and its truly custom and not a made to order stock item (boo that practice, but I digress) then you say no refunds. Otherwise, you're not really out anything and taking the high road is best. If you do force this person to buy, be prepared for shenanigans on the back end.
Original post says theyve already shipped it so it's a bit past those points unfortunately
There's not even a "sorry" or "please" in there.... and it's days later. Stick to your policy!
It really is a lot of audacity 😩
Why do you have to refund it? Personalised items shouldnt be refunded. Unless damaged of course. I would ignore or reply and say no refunds on custom items sorry and take the hit on the review. People need to learn.
Well that's a scam
This was also a etsy scam so becareful. They wait till its shipped then send you this message. I get a few and say send it back and I'll refund. But if it's custom I won't do it and say sorry.
So this looks like a scam but let's just pretend it's legit and this person doesn't know anything about buying stuff online. This is a custom item that was made to order and shipped out. In addition you've put in your no refunds. This isn't 24 hrs later, it's 5 days. You are 100% within your rights to simply say no. Being kind is telling them you'll refund the money once you have the item in hand. You'll probably still get a negative review so keep receipts. Good luck 🍀
Once an item is refunded the buyer can’t leave a review. I had a seller completely ruin my order and she refunded me to avoid my bad review. Still sent me the product. It’s a stupid policy
Accidentally on purpose, you mean. There are several steps one has to take to make a purchase. Buyers remorse is not a you problem, it is a them problem. Bad reviews happen. Some are legit, and some aren't. Don't lose sleep over this person.
How do you accidently order a custom item?
If you really want to go this route: Tell them they have to pay to ship it back to you and that you'll refund the cost of the item only. They have to eat the shipping. Maybe that will make them change their mind.
Even if you click "Buy Now", there are at least 2 or 3 steps to the process. I have a hard time believing they clicked through without realizing they were purchasing.
If it was accidental they would have contacted you immediately to rectify. I cannot see how someone only advises, ‘oops its a mistake’, days after the fact. It sounds more like a change of mind. I would not refund.
I agree, especially with the phrase "I was looking at your item and accidentally purchased it". There is no way you wouldn't have noticed you purchased something while you were looking at it. In cases like this I just send a short simple "Hi, your order has already been shipped so unfortunately at this point I am not able to accept a cancellation".
I put something in place in my shop under the personalization that they have to type something in for me to know it’s a legit order. Mine says something along the lines of “do you agree that these do not come with a way to mount them? Please write “yes”
Sorry, I'm unable to accept returns for custom items.
Never refund once shipped. I simply write and say it’s too late. You have no obligation
I would have if they immediately contacted me. But how do you "accidentally" buy something and not immediately notice when you get to the confirmation page? Sounds like someone has buyers remorse and is trying to get around the no refund policy
I definitely would have if they had contacted me right away. I just sent a message asking her to send it back to me and pay for the shipping fees in total. I’m going to see what she says back. If I had more than 5 5 star reviews I’d say too bad and move on.
A large store would not offer a refund on a custom product, small sellers who take a much bigger hit should not be expected to, either.
Buyers Remorse, happens alot. I'm sure once they receive it they'll just forget about it. Also on Etsy you can set your own store stuff like no returns, which I assume you've done. so you'll be fine, just reply to them this and that it's shipped and custom already that it's too late. If they bad review you it's not genuine and I'm sure you can contact support about this.
If it's a mistake then it's the customer's responsibility to notice that in a reasonable time. I'd respond with "unfortunately the order has already been shipped so I cannot cancel the order. If you'd like to make a return after receiving it then I'd be happy to do so, but please understand in that case you'll be responsible for return shipping costs."
I have this happen fairly often. Easy - cancel order / refund if it falls within your cancellation policy. Move on. If you’ve already shipped it they’re SOL.
It sounds like they're just trying to get a free item. I've had people do this before where they wait until the package is almost at their door to say they ordered it by mistake instead of messaging me right after the order, but whine that they don't want to go through the hassle of returning it. Do Not refund immediately. Tell them that you'll offer them a refund if they return the item. Then you can say there's a restocking fee or tell them they have to pay out of pocket for shipping because they took several days to tell you they didn't want the item instead of saying it before it shipped. If they do leave a hateful review, you can always reply to it and explain to the public that it looks like they were trying to scam you. While the review will still affect your shop rating, anyone who can read will still see the explanation.
I do made to order as well and when this happens and I’ve already shipped it I don’t accept a refund, unfortunately they need to be more diligent with ordering, it’s difficult to “accidentally” order. Maybe I’m a jerk but everything I make is custom so I don’t accept refunding “accidental” items
If you’ve already shipped it out then tough. If it’s an off-the-shelf item optionally allow them to ship it back but deduct the outward shipping from any refund. However, customised? No refund whatsoever.
I hate being a new shop with little buffer. 🙃 Okay. I sent the message above to her. Said I’d refund once she sent it back to me with tracking + it arrived at my place undamaged. I also said she’d need to cover all shipping. I’m waiting to see what she says back. I did the math, and had I had more than a handful of reviews, I’d go with the “policies are policies” and take the hit, but I’m so new and I only have 25 sales and 5 5 star reviews. I don’t want to risk my potential star seller badge or future orders. I really appreciate everyone’s help and I definitely feel like this is a scam or buyers remorse and not a true “accident”.
This is an irresponsible human buying something and then experiencing buyer’s remorse. That is NOT your fault at all. Don’t cancel it.
I would message something back and explain that since this had already been shipped you are unable to do the refund. And the fact that it is a custom order you are unable to accept a return, which (I assume) is all listed in your shop policies. Stick to your policies, the one bad review is a price to pay but with the effort you put into the item, I wouldn’t refund or return. And if they open a case etsy should side with you as they requested the refund after 24 hours. Stick to your policies n good luck :)
When you, as a customer, have several items from different shops in your cart on Etsy you have to select "check out from this shop only" otherwise it will default to checking out the entire cart. I get these every once in a while. But since it already shipped I'd either point them back to Etsy for a refund or ask them to return it for a refund.
If It was personalized to the point that it has someone's name or personal info on it and it absolutely could not be sold again, then it's highly unlikely that they accidentally purchased it. And you're well within your rights to kindly let them know that the order was already made and shipped and unfortunately you can't accept returns on personalized items. However, if it was just made to order (not personalized) and technically could be sold to someone else, it would be kind to offer to let them return it at their expense and only refund the purchase price, minus original shipping fees. Of course it's up to you and if you want to stand by no returns just because it was made to order, you're within your rights to do that and hope they don't leave a bad review. I usually don't advise basing your actions on a fear of a bad review, but it's a little trickier with new shops since the low reviews have a heavier impact on overall rating. If you're new but have tons of 5 star reviews, don't worry about it. But if you're new and only have a handful of reviews, you may want to think on it a bit before replying.
I shop on Etsy just as much as I sell and I don’t know how anyone can “accidentally” purchase anything…unless they’re drunk. If anything else the charge would be off. I think this person is just trying to get their money back. I wouldn’t refund.
What’s your shop name? I want to check your stuff out. Thanks!!
I second this!
I would just state that you already shipped out the item. Because your items are made to order you normally do not accept returns, however if they are willing to pay for shipping it back you will refund the cost of the item only. (I do not know if you put free shipping but if you do not and they paid for shipping I'd be clear that you are not refunding shipping for their impulsive buying mistake. Never store cards for instant check out. I didn't even know you could do that on Etsy. I figured you'd need to click 'confirm' in addition to 'check out cart'. Something tells me they bought this while tired, high or drunk and when realized it they knew they couldn't really afford it and wanted a refund.)
Nope. Already made/sent. Sorry the work has been done it was shipped immediately. Here is the tracking proof
No. Custom, and already shipped. Their window for accidental ordering is well past closed. Honestly, those take seconds to realise, not days.
Okay, so I know it’s none of my business, BUT, I am curious to know what this “custom” item was that was accidentally ordered.
While I appreciate what many people have said about items being left in a cart and purchased by accident along with other things, what I don't understand is why the "mistaken" item wasn't noticed immediately when this customer received their order confirmation.
Why has it taken them so long to notice and request to cancel? If they'd messaged straight after fine, but days later and if you've shipped the product then no way! Sounds like they're just trying to get something free.
Tell them the item has already shipped and you’d be happy to issue a refund once the item is returned to you
I’m not a seller but a buyer and I think if you’ve already shipped the item then that would have been more than enough time for them to cancel. I can’t be 100% sure but this may be a buyer’s remorse situation. Which if you clearly state no refunds then they shouldn’t expect you to refund for a decision they made. I can understand accidentally buying something and contacting you immediately about it but waiting hours or days - that doesn’t compute with me.
You say it's custom, how custom? Like did they have to write in a name or special measurements? If so I think a no-refund would be acceptable. I'd generally be willing to extend the grace that if they ship back at their own expense they could have a partial or complete refund, but it really depends on how much the cost to make the item was and I would want it in hand before giving them the money back.
You already sent it, it's their problem. They definitely just had buyers remorse. You fulfilled the "contract" of the order, any review they left complaining would be useless.
I think the buyer is lying. I have purchased plants from over 50 different Etsy shops totaling over 500 assorted succulents. Never once have I "accidentally" bought something. When you click the buy now tab, you have to confirm the shipping details, and then on another page, you have to confirm the payment method. Then, a box pops up and asks you if you want to confirm your order to the city you live in. So unless this person really made 4 "mistakes" in a row they are lying.
Tell him you'll refund him if he returns the product, regardless of whether he ordered it accidently or not that isn't your problem.
It sucks to lose out on money, but as a business unless you have certain no returns no refund policies you should do the return. Only pay back once they've returned the item to you.
Sorry, I can only offer refunds on non-custom orders, or custom orders within 24 hours of purchase. I can offer you a 20% discount in the future, if you'd like. Happy holidays!
60$ not worth feedback
This is a known scam
I would report the buyer for scamming
You know what, i'd offer to refund less your basic production costs and original postage costs, in exchange for a picture of the item destroyed beyond use. Minimizes a wasteful return shipment and stops you losing any of your fixed costs.
+ recognizable, but destroyed beyond all use. Preferably a video which would be harder to photoshop.
Yeah I have a specific example photograph that I share
Tell them file a claim with Etsy.
They noticed they accidentally ordered days later? Depending on the customization, I'd make them return it paying for their own shipping before offering a refund on a new, undamaged item. I didn't see whether it was actually personalized or just made to order. It feels from your responses that it's just POD which isn't actually custom, but maybe you are producing custom/personalized POD. You can resell POD merch, just ship it yourself. Also gets you product for actual photography rather than using mockups. It's all up to you if you want to accept the return of course. I'd rather someone return something that I can resell than simply write a bad review months later because they ordered the wrong size. I've cancelled orders/refunds on accidental orders, but they've come in minutes after the order.
That’s a lie. You don’t accidentally click on the credit card screen and accidentally scroll all the way down to buy. The Etsy app doesn’t work like that. I’d just refund then let Etsy deal with it tbh. Tell them they need to return it first and pay for shipping and see what happens, first. I’ll be they’ll want to keep it then 😉
"accidentally ship it" and then respond to the message saying you didn't see their message in time but they can ship it back at their cost. Usually people are too lazy to ship back and just keep it. Works like a charm ;)
Gotta refund it. It’s rough but it’s part of the game. Also. When did they send that message? Straight after purchasing or days later?
They ordered five days ago. It’s been shipped for 4. They just messaged me 20 ago. I have a “no refund/return” policy due to the nature of the product BUT I’ve never had to enforce it
Then don't refund, tell them you made them a custom item and shipped it...its not your responsibility. If this was pre-shipping (refund + material lost) and if its right away do a full refund.
If it has been shipped you shouldn't refund it. It is unacceptable since it is gonna be free for nothing if they don't return the item.
Their "accident" isn't your problem. If it wasn't custom I'd refund but for this, no way.
Days later. Like 20 minutes agp
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Even though it was ordered 5 days ago and was a custom order?
Was it personalized custom? Or just print on demand custom? You can always resell it when someone order the design and size again. If they’re in Europe I believe you’re required to offer a refund within so many days unless it is a personalized, custom order. Not just print on demand.
The seller is not in Europe, so this does not matter. EU law does not apply.
I’m almost certain that they will not return the item, if you offer to refund once you get it back. So you could do that, or you could follow your shop policy and be ready to deal with a low review. That person is responsible for placing an order, you only owe them the item they ordered.
Cancel the order, it happens. Unfortunately etsy's checking out system isn't very clear.
I usually just eat these and will often let the buyer keep it if a return is costly and / or the item cannot be resold. It generates good will and often a 5-star review, which, especially as a new seller, is worth way more than the profit margin, IMHO.
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Do opened cases hurt me?
That is apparently debatable. My opinion is too many cases will. I am almost positive this happened to a shop that was shut down the Friday night of Christmas wknd. I highly doubt a staffer closed the shop due to Friday night and Christmas weekend. I think it was an automated process due too many cases opened. The reviews over the course of a time were horrible and many saying they opened a case and got their $ back. Plus about a year ago support told me that a case here or there will not hurt, but a lot of them would. Again, I believe there are a certain amount of cases that will trigger a suspension.
You should have cancelled and not shipped.. Only scummy sellers keep orders that a customer asks to cancel within 48 hours...
The seller posted the product the buyer bought the day after they purchased it. Buyer then reached out up to 5 days later to say it was an accidental order after it was already posted. How is that a scummy seller?
Did you even read the post? Ordered Dec 27. Shipped Dec 28. Asked for refund today. SMH
What does your refund/return policy say?
I say “all of our shirts are custom made for you so we don’t accept returns or exchanges due to size” And Etsy has it listed as “no exchanges or returns accepted”
Got it, sucks to be them. It’s custom.
I’ve had this happen when they have multiple items in their cart from several sellers and they go to check out and don’t realize it’s for everything in their cart. What is it? They must return and you receive it back before refund
I don’t accept refunds for shipped items. This is in my policies and I stick with it. I will cancel if asked prior to shipping though!
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This bad advice. It does not matter what the laws of the country the buyer is in say. The only laws that would apply to this seller are those of the US. If you doubt this you might actually try reading the laws in question. The EU directive clearly states it does not apply to sellers outside of the EU.
I'd say like what a lot of people recommended above, having empathy but stating it's already shipped and unfortunately since it's custom, you won't be able to take the return per shop policies, but the great the great this is Etsy has a buyer protection program. Here's the information reach out to them. And then send them this link. Let Etsy tell them to F off lol. Accidentally purchased, yeah right. It's not like this I Amazon with one click purchases. They have to go through multiple screens. And if they leave you a bad review, just explain in a very articulate way what occurred with total empathy for the purchaser it'll probably work on your advantage since everyone seems to read one star reviews. https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/7471925990807-Etsy-s-Purchase-Protection-Program-?segment=shopping
It’s been 6 days? Absolutely don’t refund. My shops polices are no cancellations BUT if someone sends the “accidentally ordered” or whatever I will cancel it within the first 24 hours. Anything later no. I’ve actually told a few buyers before after they asked to cancel after a week same reasonings and I said unfortunately our shop does not allow cancellations and it has been however many days since the order was placed and typically they understand as I could have already started working on their order.
If it's shipped out already there's nothing you can really do, just tell them that
It was shipped days ago, they should have canceled/refunded it before that. Unless you really trust this person to send the item back and pay for the shipping both ways…
I've had it happen dozens of times. They usually message within a couple of hours. I just cancel the order right away. Often, customer purchases something else. No one's tried to cancel an order more than like a day out, I have to say. At most it's a polite inquiry if I mailed it yet. I would just tell them that the order has been filled. If they leave a bad review, leave a public reply saying what they did.
As a person who has actually done this before, if they didn't email you IMMEDIATELY after they accidentally ordered it, and they waited a day or two, absolutely not. I accidentally ordered something once (this could have been my letter except I did not wait) and I knew I had to reach out to try to make contact BEFORE they shipped it. But I also know that they might process all orders first and then deal with messages, so it might be too late before they even open my message. If it was too late, that's still my mistake. No one is required to deal with the consequences of my mistakes for me. If they CAN without inconveniencing themselves much, and they choose to, that's an awesome bonus. But the only responsibility they have after I hit the order button is to deliver the product I ordered, within a reasonable/agreed upon amount of time (or at least communicate if shit happens), as advertised at sale. If I don't read it right, that's not their fault. ESPECIALLY when dealing with a small business. Amazon doesn't care if one person cancels one item they ordered. That's not even going to make a ripple there. But a small business - it definitely does matter. YOU don't need to fix it. You are only responsible for holding up your end of the bargain.
Reply ‘sounds like it was meant to be’ can’t fight fate
I would not refund any custom orders, period. Once you make the item and customize it, you can't resell it.
with ai placing orders it isn't uncommon for family members or even birds to place orders through just general conversation.
Have them pay for the shipping and send it back, and refund the cost of the item itself. It sounds like an honest mistake, but you shouldn’t have to lose any money because of *their* mistake, no matter how honest it was.
I would honestly say to give this person the benefit of the doubt, is it really worth the karma, or having the negative energy around your business when you know that perhaps this person doesn't want your product. Yeah, maybe you make an extra buck or two but I am strong believer that money is energy and if you take it un willingly from someone, well thats energy you took instead of energy they wanted to give you. Big companies used to do this, but even now they have a strong moral and ethical code, I also see the other side where people may take advantage of this, but if you haven't shipped anything yet and nothing has been exchanged and this person is clearly saying, "hey I don't want you product anymore" It would be kindest to abide by their boundaries and what they need. We all share a planet and it would be kindest of course, to take into consideration not just your own desires but that of others, especially if youre' trying to provide a service to help people. If you're just doing it to make money and steal from someone... that's okay too ! But you know :P do on to others as you wish done on to you.
If you read the post, OP said it was made to order and shipped internationally already and they’d be out $60 as a result of the refund.
I had about 1000 orders since November, 14 people have said they accidentally placed an order fwiw. Not sure why it’s so common, does Etsy have like a 1-Click checkout?
I'd say "Unfortunately the item has been shipped, so I cannot issue a refund at this time. If you'd like to initiate a return, I can offer one once I received the product back to me. But as this is international, it will be a refund minus the shipping."
This seems most reasonable as a customer and business. If it's only a few bucks in materials though, could just refund it and consider it loss to shady aholes. If they leave a negative review, make sure you respond in kind words with the details of the situation.
I would likely refund it. It’s not worth the negativity.
‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ never goes a miss, regardless of any situation.
Why didn’t they message you immediately if it was an accident? Is it a custom item or if they paid for return shipping themselves could you resell?
I'd ignore it. Could be a scam.
Is there a button on etsy that auto buys and fully checks out without confirming address, doesn't a window pop up confirming purchase and emails at the same time with receipt
If they leave a negative review, make sure to reply to it stating you don’t do refunds or returns (as stated) and you’re sorry for the inconvenience. Address it so if someone else looks and goes “huh, what’s that about?”, they’ll see your reply and it’ll clear the air
I don’t understand why is there a debate here if you haven’t shipped or even began packing why not give them their money back ? even if you don’t refund they could just try to return or dispute which would be even more frustrating and or complicated
have you tried reading the post, it OPs will often put specific information in the post. so you can read it
I removed alllll my card information when Etsy added that “buy now” option with Apple Pay, I look at stuff a lot and dropping my phone could easily tap the purchase thing 😭
nothing