“thanks for the great deal & fast shipping. One problem-
I received the shield and noticed it it was an
open item… Not a problem. EXCEPT the screen
protector clearly had been used and was in the box
in fair condition, these screen protectors are
once use only and I am clearly upset that I paid
and received a used protector. I am requesting my
money back i.e: full refund.
Thank you. ”

To which a string of emails ensued.

The seller telling, me, the buyer to return the package put tracking and insurance on it and he will THINK about refunding my money.

I was very put off by this.
Not only was I called a liar but also a thief and a con. Clearly not the case. I had to take the loss. Now, I know most etsy as well as other sellers are cordial and understanding. But I think we all really need to
re think how we treat our buyers after all they are our INCOME. Without buyers, sellers will not succeed.
Obviously I encompassed a bad seller. But never the less he lost my future business as well as possibly others (Neg. Feedback).

Sometimes sellers need to take a loss. As well as to trust their buyers. After all buyers are trusting the sellers by paying ahead in expectancy of a package to arrive.

Even, if it is you who will refund shipping. Or whatever do it. Your business will thrive on great customer service. Not greed over a few bucks.
Just my 2 cents!

Sorry for such a long post.
And thanks for reading if you are still there

Not knowing who you have been dealing with or white kind of defect your product arrived with I couldn’t tell you the reasons behind the hoops. But in the cases where I had to request that a customer take a few extra steps in order to correct an order that had gone wrong it was also policy to educate the customer about why we were asking for the extra work on their part, often it was for use in our purchasing department so that they could make a full complaint to our suppliers or the company who shipped for us.

In my own personal experience I have had no customer complaints and only one instance of a package taking too long to arrive to a give away recipient. As far as I’m concerned it’s all about communication. If you allow the unhappy customer to get their complaint off their chest, listen to what they have to say and let them know that you have heard them you can move on from there. Of course this is much easier to do if you start the communication off before there are any problems. Thanking your customer for shopping with you, sending them a copy of your shop policies, letting them know when a package has been shipped and giving them the tracking number so they can check shipping progress on their end is a great way to initiate that line of communication.

If a package of mine ever arrives damaged (also knock on wood) I have how to handle the situation lined out for both myself and my customer. A damaged package is the responsibility of the post office or courier. If the item is damaged inside of a damaged package it is my job to contact the post and get the insurance ball rolling, at the same time I will replace the item that was damaged right away. I always include insurance on my packages for this reason. I may have to provide proof of the damaged package which means I might have to ask my customer to photograph the package. Since I have opened a line of communication with my customer they know why I’m asking for them to photograph the item for me, we are working as a team to make things better.

If a product arrives defective because something I did or because the material I was working with was defective (ie necklace clasp) it is my policy to replace the item or send a replacement part as quickly as I can. It is my responsibility to pay for return shipping and the cost of shipping out the new item. In the interest of knowing the exact nature of the damage and figuring out how to avoid a problem with the second package I may ask for photographs. Again because I’ve been communicating with the customer we can work as a team to correct the situation.

If the customer decides that the item is not what they wanted it is my policy that I will replace the item once the first on has been returned or in some cases refund their money minus shipping fees once the item is returned. It is the customer’s job to ship back the item to me since they are wanting to return the item based on changing their mind about it.

In the end it’s all about creating a relationship through communication. I’d love to hear about other peoples ideas and thoughts too.

My immediately reaction is to offer to send another one out with extra precautions on preventing what happened to them from happening again. So if a print was folded, I fort-knox the package (more so than I already do) so there is little to no chance of it being damaged again. If an order did not make it, I add tracking and add their email to the tracking so it cannot be questioned as to where the order is and when it will arrive.

I do not have any customer complaints (knock on wood) but the ones who have emailed me to explain a less-than-ideal situation, have changed the approach I take to packaging and shipping. I now invest in mat backings and sleeves to protect my prints, and I always add delivery confirmation to all my packages. All this from just 2 customers saying that they did not receive their prints (which ultimately arrived AFTER they received the second re-sent package) and that was all before I made these changes. Investing in prevention up front means that you do not have to worry about making things up. It’s a small investment to make if you are serious about your business and about retaining your customers.

I am interested to hear from business owners who have higher-cost products that they sell. I recognize that a print that I can easily re-make or re-print is not the same as a product that costs hundreds or hours of labor to replace.

Thanks for the article!

Grace Hester Designs
Silhouette- and typography- based artwork and prints
Shop my designs at http://gracehesterdesigns.etsy.com