I agree… when I receive items, the included paperwork goes in a file so I know I have received the item…matching it with a separate invoice or Paypal receipt if I have one.
In my working life I have always had to match packing slips with invoices etc. and get annoyed if there is no packing slip as there is no record that the item has been received., so I suppose it’s what I am used to.
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I believe it is also a requirement that the customer should receive a printed copy of your returns address/procedure? Which is another reason I include a printed packing slip - as well as all the ones Eileen @EileensCraftStudio has listed - my returns info is included on the bottom. I have to say that very few of the parcels I receive from handmade makers have included this info. Not that I have ever wanted to use it, but that’s not the point! 
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I think its all a big learning curve and all our shops evolve in terms of professionalism over time. I know for certain my products, listings, photography, packaging and customer service have improved over time. When shops open on Folksy there is no real guide as to what is expected in terms of packaging/paperwork etc. I always include a business card and most items are wrapped in cellophane onto which, like @curiousseagull, I attach a small white sticker with my shop name and email address. Many items also have some information regarding the making process included. My return address is always added as a sticker on the reverse of the mailing bag/box. I haven’t ever bothered with a packing slip but having read this thread maybe I should start. I am currently looking into improving the packaging of some of my items to improve its “visual” look.
Going back to the original post - I also received goods from Folksy that were a bit of a disappointment. The communication was pretty non existent, delivery time excessively long and due to poor packaging the item was broken when received. I probably should have complained and asked for a refund but to be honest as it was a very low value item I couldn’t be bothered.
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Personally I like receiving items that are securely packaged, but am not fussed by excess packaging, after all, we end up paying for all the excess gumph it in the product price. Plus I don’t like waste - organza bags etc that can be re-used are fine.
I like the items I send to be packaged securely, and I make sure they are waterproof (pretty essential in the UK lol!), the return address is on the outside, and inside there will be a business card, and the return address (just in case anything happens to the outer packaging - I sent a painting once in really secure packaging, but somewhere en route it got run over - there were tyre marks on it when it arrived!)
I sometimes add some extra goodies a card or bookmarks, but not always. I simply haven’t got time for handwritten notes with the amount I’m posting out, but I do pop a note in if it’s needed for a special reason.
And sometimes when I’m doing a huge batch of posting I will have counted out the number of business cards I need and at the end find one left over, so I’m sure a few items have been sent out without one, but the intention is good!
I do want to get some certificates of authenticity printed for my original artwork - they’ll just be small, about A6, and I’m aiming to do a small leaflet with info about how my pet signs are produced too - that’s on my hit list for this year.
I offer gift wrapping if the item is being posted direct to the recipient, and will add a card with a message from the buyer too at no extra cost.
I think most people who are starting out will realise as they go on that there are things they can add, we all evolve our businesses over time.
I often send 2 business cards, one for the buyer to keep for future reference and one for them to pass on to the recipient (greeting cards are rarely bought to keep 
)
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I’m starting to think I need to add afew more bits to what I offer.
I’d never really thought about things like gift wrapping the business cards ect.
I always put my return address on the envelope and try to send a little thank you note with my orders I will admit I do forget.
Thanks to this thread I have a lot to think about.
I’m glad we’ve discussed this as I realize I need to add washing instructions to my knits and crochet items. They’re in my descriptions however I suppose I should have them on little cards or added to my delivery notes.
As a buyer on Folksy I would not buy from someone with no positive feedback, having bought something that smelled of smoke and another item from a shop that never responded to emails etc and never sent out what I bought. (Refunded by paypal eventually!)
As a seller I try and make the experience for the buyer a pleasurable one with an email confirming the order details and dispatch timescale.
I include a handwritten thank you across the printed invoice and a business card. I also include some free gift tags or a bookmark with repeat customers. Seems to work although often they are more excited about the freebie than what they ordered!!
Unfortunately we are all under the Folksy umbrella whilst selling on here - a customer who happens across the site and has a bad experience I would suggest is unlikely to return even though we are all individuals. Anyone can open a shop and with no vetting procedure it’s a tough thing to mange I guess!
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Well I’ve made 2 Folksy purchases this weekend and have not had a personal acknowledgement from either. I did of course get the Folksy automated ones… but…
I had an order this morning and when I went to acknowledge it I realised the email address was wrong - interney not internet. That means if I hadn’t bothered to acknowledge (to the corrected address of course) my customer would have received nothing until the parcel arrives on Tuesday morning.
If that were me, I would not be impressed by my Folksy experience however much the contents of that parcel will please (I hope 
)
I guess that’s another case of can’t please all of the people…some people (myself included) don’t really want/need a load of extra e-mails, a purchase on Folksy already generates 2 plus the ‘shipped’ e-mail. Of course I send a message if there is something to confirm, or if the buyer has said something like ‘I hope these will arrive in time for Christmas’ but not otherwise.
I would really like to be able to include some degree of personalisation in the automatic e-mails though, the way we can over on you-know-where. And I really hate the format of the Folksy e-mails, all narrow and stuck in the middle of the page like that!
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Everyone has different opinions on packaging I know, have had the conversation many times but I try and make the whole buying experience from start to finish a pleasurable one … the final act of my customer opening the parcel is important to me as a Seller. The one thing I have been diappointed in on occasion is when I have ordered items and there is nothing to say I am giving a handmade item, people may not want to add a business card in with their gift as they may wish to keep their purchase private so I have handmade by stickers for inside jewellery boxes and tags which I tie on if I’m using a bag. I do vote with my feet as we all do and the people I go back to again and again make me feel special.
I do include a hang tag, but must confess it does not say Handmade…I might have to change that with the next batch I print off…I add a sticker to the back as well with washing instructions, if appropriate.
Oops, I used to acknowledge orders personally when I first started on here, but now I tend to rely on the automated one from Folksy. I hope I haven’t offended any buyers because of this… perhaps that’s why I don’t get much feedback… I didn’t think people expected it ( I don’t) .
Sometimes, if I don’t have a suitable box, I may prioritise the safety of the the item over the beauty of the packaging, and trust the buyer is happy that it’s in one piece! I think there’s always the chance that buyers may think they’re paying over the odds for extra prettiness…
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I always email customers to thank them for their order and to let them know exactly when I will be posting out to them, which is always the next working day.
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Yes, I always acknowledge orders personally too. I think it reinforces the idea that we are individual sellers, not just part of the Folksy brand. I’m sure some buyers think these selling platforms are just one big store, and they’re buying from Folksy, rather than from individual makers who are responsible for their own sales, so any personal interaction helps to differentiate us and strengthens our own brand.
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Well. I wouldn’t want to be bombarded with emails. Personally. But everyone is different and you can not please everyone. I have purchased from here before and have been quite happy with an automated email. Not quite sure about needing anything more? My parcel arrived and I was happy.
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When I started selling on here I started a thread asking if I should send an extra ‘thank you’ email when a customer places an order. The consensus on the forum was quite 50/50, some sellers like to send them and some don’t. I contacted folksy about it too and they said that the automated confirmation emails which the customer receives confirms all the details, including when the order is expected to arrive, so I don’t send extra emails anymore. Maybe @Folksyadmin could create a best practices sheet for sellers to follow so the procedures for all could be more consistent?
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Yes the most important part of my acknowledgment is my note to say when I will be posting and how so that the customer knows when to expect their parcel.
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It is particularly interesting to read these later comments as one of the transactions that spurred me to start this thread - the one relating to the item that I’m still waiting for - did not include a personal message. I waited the full three days for the item to be posted, then contacted the seller, as the item still hadn’t been marked as dispatched and had been relisted. I received a brief reply saying the item had been posted, but not when or how, so I waited until after Christmas and contacted the seller again (the item is still marked as not shipped). I’ve still had no reply and will attempt to contact them again tomorrow… Things do go astray and, as others have said re. floods, incidents occur outside our control, but the personal touch does give the buyer reassurance. Because of the lack of communication, this is being prolonged, as I wait in order to give the seller the benefit of the doubt.
I didn’t used to send an order acknowledgment until I bought a couple of items in November. I was left twiddling my thumbs for a couple of days until they despatched, which was within their stated timescales but surprisingly frustrating for me, the buyer. Since then I have sent order acknowledgments including my next steps and timings, and these have been very well received.
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