Anyone else use Etsy? I just had an interaction with a buyer that went as follows.
- Thurs May 24: Buyer buys item. Etsy informs me that item is bought. As a new seller, I misinterpreted this to mean that the seller had also sent me the payment.
- Fri May 25: I thank buyer for the transaction and inform the buyer of intent to ship.
- Sat May 26: I ship the item
- Sun May 27: I realize that the item was not paid for
- Mon May 28: I send first notice to the buyer, via email and Etsy convserations, that the item has not yet been paid for.
- Tues May 29: I send a second notice to the buyer, via email and Etsy convserations, that the item has not yet been paid for, should be arriving any day now, and that the buyer should pay me to avoid receiving negative feedback and such.
- Weds May 30: Buyer sends payment, says never received the first email, assumed that since I sent the item that the buyer had already paid for the item. I reply via email that the Etsy buyer FAQs indicate that the burden of payment are on the buyer, and that the seller is not required to send an invoice or payment request.
The relevant Etsy buyer FAQ is as follows.
How does buying on Etsy work?
To buy items, you'll need to create an Etsy account (it's free and easy – see the General FAQ for details). You purchase items on Etsy directly from the seller, using whatever payment you specify when checking out (e.g. PayPal, money order, check etc.). Keep in mind that every seller must be paid individually, and all payments must be made within three days of checkout. We ask if you choose to pay via PayPal that you submit payment immediately to the seller. Each seller will have their own return policy (if they have one at all), shipping options and payment terms. If you have any questions about any of these, it's best to contact the seller directly before making the purchase.
http://www.etsy.com/faq_buying.php [Emphasis added]
Did I do things wrong? *Should* I send an invoice each and every time if the buyer does not immediately send me PayPal payment? I guess maybe I will if they don't pay me, but I really honestly didn't realize. What do other sellers do? I know that in the future I will not ship until I receive the PayPal notification, that was my bad, but I don't see that the buyer should be
blaming me for their thinking they had already paid me - it's in their PayPal account, for 'sakes, and they wouldn't've had a receipt anywhere. The buyer has more experience with Etsy than me, I would think that paying should be automatic on the buyer's part. *sigh*
And to top it all off, I'm sure I'm going to get bad feedback now.
