10 Golden Tips on How to Sell on Etsy successfully Without Negative Reviews

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Has the holiday sales surge and USPS late deliveries impacted your Etsy Shop? If so, you definitely need these Etsy Shop Tips to help protect and create an Etsy Business Strategy that will recover your shop as well as protect it for future reviews.

Depending on the type of shop you have, you will need to implement these strategies to help your shop increase positive reviews AND decrease new negative customer experiences. As an Etsy seller myself, I understand how difficult it must be to navigate through the holiday season (especially with a Pandemic!) Luckily, my experience with customers during this holiday season has helped me create this guide for you and future sales.

This post is all about 10 Etsy Shop Tips and Why You Need These Automated Etsy Messages To Prevent Customers From Leaving Negative Reviews

1. Create an Automated Messaging System Using Etsy Snippets

Etsy Snippets will save you 100+ hours every single month that you would have been replying to every single message. When you go to your Seller Dashboard, go to Messages, Click on any Message Thread, Click Saved Replies. In Saved Replies, you will have access to adding new replies. These snippets or saved replies will pop up as “Frequently Used Saved Replies” once you are in Etsy Messages or the Etsy App while you are talking to a customer. I will normally categorize replies in these categories:

Processing and Shipping Times
Personalization Order Requests
Customer Inquiries about the ETA of their item
Answers about any Sizing, Material and Other
Thank You Discount Codes for Customers who Leave Reviews (To Increase Repeat Buyers)

I truly believe that the most important category is the ETA of a customer’s item, followed by any personalization and direct requests. As an Etsy Seller, you are competing against thousands of other shops and thousands of other customer experiences. Stand out by providing exceptional customer experiences. Leave out any emotional negativity you might have experienced that day and shift gears.

The snippets will be your saving grace when it comes to saving your mind from hundreds of customer inquiries! 2020 has been a tremendous year for sales, but near the end, it has also been a struggle for many shops to keep up with the high demand of orders and slow delivery times. Ease this transition by creating the snippet system! Leave a comment down below and I can update on Youtube which message replies you would like to see 🙂 Always start every message by saying thank you.

You may copy this and re-word it to best fit your shop for the USPS Deadlines:

Situation #1 On USPS Delays:

Hi (Customer Name)

Thank you for your message. I’m so incredibly sorry, but this has been something the majority of Etsy customers have been experiencing across all online shops.

We anticipate a formal update from USPS this week. Several cities/states are experiencing USPS delayed tracking scans. It appears it is not isolated to specific orders/packages. From what we understand, the USPS facilities are at maximum capacity, which is causing significant delays. I will keep you posted once I hear back any updates, meanwhile your tracking can also correspond with the USPS on their end although I cannot see more information on mine.

Again I am so sorry for the delays from the USPS as well as their not so helpful response you have experienced. I will keep you posted with any additional information ASAP.

Sincerely,
Your Name

Worst Case Scenario Situation #2 On Refunding: Refunding Shipping Only

Hello Customer Name,

Thank you for your fast reply back. I am deeply sorry that you’ve experienced the impact of the USPS delays. It looks like your order is still in transit. I wanted to see if we would be able to reach a compromise since your order is still on the way. If it does not reach your destination by X amount of time, I will love to offer a full refunding of just the shipping cost. This way, you still get your item and satisfaction from my store despite the long delays. Let me know what you think 🙂

Sincerely,

Your Name

2. Message Any Outstanding Orders + Customers on a new ETA

Inside of your Etsy Shop and under Orders, you will see each individual order. You can update a new Ship By Date for each order if you know that it will take out an X amount of days before you are able to ship any orders out. Once the new shipping date has been updated, you can no longer re-update it again.

For orders that are waiting for the post office to update their tracking and depending on your individual store needs, I would go ahead and message your customers on any formal updates that the post office has given and apologize in advance for any delays they have been experiencing.

While I understand that some of you may not want to open a can of worms, there may be instances when you will want to offer an email to a customer assuring them that their order is still in transit. In situations where an order has been late for a month+ are times when I would go ahead and message the customer before they message you.

3. Contact the USPS or your Production Partner for a formal update on any outstanding orders

If you are an artist/designer who works with a warehouse to help print your products, then you need to get in touch with them on what the USPS has to offer on the situation. In Pandemic times, there is bound to be day to day up to date news and changes that are happening. Keep in mind, the post office is trying their best and we just need to re-assure the customer of this. Customers come from all different types of backgrounds and knowledge of Etsy. Some are shopping on Etsy for the first time. Leave them with a positive experience by making the first move especially on orders up to a week+ late.

4. If you have a Negative Review Based on Shipping – Contact Etsy ASAP

To Contact Etsy Support Click Here. Although the policies are very strict about exactly what they can or cannot remove, Etsy will consider removing reviews based on third parties (not your shop). If your negative review talks about the slow delivery times and a third party, then consider contacting Etsy Support to help to remove the review.

5. What To Do Worst Case Scenario (The Negative Stars Come Flooding In)

So it happened. Your first one-star review. Or perhaps you are having back to back negative reviews. If you are having back to back reviews, please consider updating your Ship By Date (if you haven’t already), message customers first, and also putting your shop in vacation mode. Vacation Mode will not stop customers from reviewing, but it does prevent new orders from coming in. I highly advise this because when you go into Vacation Mode, you will allow yourself time to compose a new strategy without worrying about the new orders trailing in. While it is highly unlikely that you get orders based on delivery guarantees since it is now past the holiday season sales, it would still be wise to include in your policies about the current USPS situation.

6. Mentally Clear Your Head of the Holiday Difficulties (Remember the Positives)

If you are going through a difficult time with your customers and refunds, take a moment to clear your mind. Hundreds and hundreds of other sellers are also experiencing these same difficulties. Let’s take a moment to create a strategy & action plan. Second, let’s appreciate the fact that your store is not suspended. Everything apart from suspension/banning is HOPE when it comes to selling on a third-party platform. Once this passes, you will come out stronger than ever and will have an even better policy/FAQ section. This leads me to the next topic…

7. Change your January 2021 store policies and deadlines based on the December 2020 Experiences

None of what you might have experienced during the Holiday 2020 Rush would be for anything if you do not change and update your policies. Think about what the highlights and low points of your Etsy Shop are. How can you automate the process better? How can you provide better customer service? How can you stand out from other sellers? People are ALWAYS buying. Events are always going to happen (whether it is inside or outside!) As Etsy Sellers, we have the privilege to be able to provide a unique customer experience to people all over the world. We provide them unforgettable gifts. Protect your store within your own policies section and don’t forget to add these to the Shop About Us, FAQ, and those messages that buyers get once their order is confirmed!

8. Join any Etsy Seller Groups that can positively help your journey

No man or woman is an island. Joining the Etsy Sellers Groups and various other Blogging Groups has helped me SO much on my own Entrepreneurship Journey. I now understand and realize that I am not alone. We are so lucky to have an online community that can connect with others from thousands of miles away. Utilize these tools to your advantage, don’t get sucked up into the drama, and learn from others’ mistakes. A community is such an important tool to a shop’s success. There have been countless times when I thought my shop analytics were glitching but then I logged online and just realized that Etsy was down (glitch-wise) 🤣 then a deep sigh of relief came over me.

9. Keep Adding New Products in January 2021

As someone who has been selling for over 5+ years, the key and tip I want to really provide are that you need to be aware of the upcoming events, Google Trends, SEO and do this ALL while adding your new relevant products. This is what will make your sales, period. Etsy rewards sellers who constantly interact on their platform by uploading new products. If you haven’t already signed up to an SEO Tool, then I highly recommend ERank.com by far.

10. Create a Diversified Stream of Income as Diversified Marketing Methods

Last but not least, I want you to be a well-rounded seller. To do this, you will not only master Etsy but you will master multiple methods of selling online. There are also a variety of other platforms to sell your items such as Amazon Handmade, Amazon in General, Amazon Merch, Shopify, Creative Market, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shopping, and more! New apps and platforms are being created every single year. You just never know what will be popular and what will be trending next. It is in your best interest not only to Sell on Etsy but to spread your amazing crafts to various corners of the internet.

Other FAQ that Etsy Sellers During This Time May Experience:

When is a Package Deemed Lost?

This has yet to be determined as of 12/28 by the USPS. Usually at around 2-4 weeks is the time to file a case of a lost package with the tracking number to the USPS. The official website says 30 days for regular mail and 15 days for priority mail.

Will Etsy Refund orders at their expense?

It is a case-by-case basis but there have been instances where Etsy is refunding orders at their own expense which saves hundreds of dollars for many sellers. Other sellers have been experiencing refunding full amounts at the expense of a possibly negative review. I would really push for having only a partial refund and possibly a future discount on all orders. Again, it truly depends on your shop and your specific shop abilities/needs. You may also try to respond to a customer but asking them to return their order back once delivered before you can issue a full refund.