As a Buyer as well as a Seller on Folksy, can I say how important I think it is to let the buyer know you have received their order.
When I place an order, I get the Folksy email confirming it; also a PalPal email confirming my payment. However, sometimes there is no more contact until the item arrives. I really value a quick email from the seller, just acknowledging the order - otherwise I have no idea whether the order has been passed on by the Folksy system, whether the seller has noticed it, whether itâs disappeared into their Spam folder, or if they are away.
How long do I wait before I nag them? Should I just wait for the âdispatchedâ email? What if they donât send that either? When should I expect my item to arrive? ⌠and all this could be prevented by a little thought and a 5-minute email on the lines of âThank you for your order, Iâll be processing it tomorrow and itâll be in the post the day afterâ email. Following up with the âdispatchedâ email thatâs sent when you click the âDispatchedâ button on the order is even better!
Do Folksy automatically send an email when you click the shipped button?
Iâve been assuming they do and donât normally send an email because I donât want to flood my buyers with hundreds of emails about one order (I know ebay can be a bit over the top sometimes with all their automatic notifications and then if the seller does personal ones too). Thatâs on a normal day though, where I will have ticked the shipped box the same day if they ordered before 3/4pm, or next day if it was after that time. If itâs a weekend so itâll be a couple of days before I can tick the box, then I send them an email to say when itâll be sent (and for international orders to let them know how long to expect⌠I hope with UK orders the couple of days for it to arrive shouldnât be long enough to make them worry).
Would you still prefer an email too if youâll have a shipped notification within 24 hours of your order?
When I get an order providing dispatch by return, always send an email when posted. If taking longer and something bespoke. Email on receipt and confirm dispatch time. Again sending an email when sent.
Personally I will email the customer after Iâve shipped, which is usually same or next day. Iâll also add to that email with a query about where they came across me, & a note to say if they have any issues then to contact me. Sometimes I get no response, but sometimes Iâve had really helpful feedback about what they were searching for, or which social media platform they found me on, plus it prompts some people to leave a review!
@konyskiw Iâve bought stuff recently & you do get an automated email from Folksy to say itâs been shipped, along with the sellers contact details.
I suppose I donât really expect an email from the seller, I just do it as a bit of marketing feedback! Although I ordered more gift boxes the other day, & didnât have anything from the supplier until a text from DPD telling me theyâd be there within the hour - that was quite annoying, so it is handy to know when to expect things, especially if it wonât fit through the letterbox!
I always acknowledge the order and tell them when Iâll be posting it, but I assumed that Folksy send an email when you hit the âshippedâ button. If they donât, then I will send an additional one to confirm itâs in the post. Does anyone know if Folksy send an automated email to confirm when shipped?
Yes Chris, when you press âshippedâ, Folksy sends the customer a message to say so.
I usually print my postage through Paypal, so customer receives notification from them as well as from Folksy that the item has been dispatched. So I do not always send an email to say I have posted. Iâd send one if there was anything out of the ordinary, or sometimes I just get a feeling that one ought to be sent.
Yes, folksy do send an email which you click âdispatchedâ, and Iâm quite happy just to get that it itâs within, say 24 hours. It just makes me nervous when thereâs complete âradio silenceâ for days, so if I wonât be able to post for a day or so, I would send an email just to confirm.
This was sparked by my not having heard anything about something I purchased 6 days ago. I knew it was âmade to orderâ so expected a small delay, but nothing - so I emailed today and got a very speedy reply most apologetic - this was the sellerâs first sale on Folksy and the order email had gone into her Spam folder so she was wasnât aware of it!
Glad I trusted my instincts and checked - and pleased to have been this ladyâs first sale here too!!
Absolutely. I Always acknowledge orders and thank the customer for making it. I also like to mention if I remember them as a repeat customer and thank them for that.
If you tell the customer you are posting first class today, tomorrow then they know when to expect it and they know if itâs late. I also say, unless posting signed for, that if it hasnât arrived after a couple of days please check to see if it has been left somewhere safe as my packages, except jewellery only, never fit through the letterboxâŚ
Thatâs good to know, thanks, Iâll just make sure I email when itâs got a little extra wait then.
I know what you mean though, I have a habit of buying second hand clothes on ebay and sometimes theyâre awful at communication. Can be left a week or two wondering if theyâre really slow at sending or forgot to click the shipped button and itâs lost in the post. Itâs good you got that inkling and checked!
Yep. I always send a âThank you for your orderâ email when an order comes through. It explains when the order will be sent, how it will be sent and when itâs expected to arrive. I donât send an email when itâs been shipped as Folksy automatically sends one
I always did but then I thought as Folksy sent an email, that I didnât want to send something else. I think though I will start sending them again now.
We always acknowledge the order and advise when the order will arrive. We werenât sure if folksy did send and email to the customer when we clicked the âshippedâ button. Good to know that they do.
I always acknowledge the order with an email and then another when Iâve posted it out, giving them the tracking number. It doesnât seem to help with buyers leaving a review as they rarely do anyway but at least I feel Iâve done the right thing.
As Folksy send an email confirming the order, as well as Paypal sending an email, I tend to feel that a 3rd email is a bit much so I donât send confirmation of the order. If I post out within 24 hours and itâs not signed for I just mark the item as posted on my dashboard. However, if Itâs a couple of days before I get to the post office, or the item is signed for, I will email them thanking them for the order and letting them know itâs on itâs way. I personally donât email them before Iâve posted it, telling them when I am posting, incase something happens and I cannot get to the Post office that dayâŚwhich can happen for me.
I think thatâs fine, Kim. Just something that confirms with a day or so that, not just do Folksy know that thereâs an order, the actual seller does as well - thatâs where the system can occasionally fail.
I always send a confirmation of order email so the customer knowâs Iâve seen the order and I let them know when I will be taking it to the post office. I also invite them to let me know if their there are any problems with their order etc etc
When I returned from posting the customers item I then hit the despatch button on the item this I know sends the customer notification Iâve posted their item out to them.
Itâs interesting to hear another perspective. I have always been wary about a customer receiving too many emails; thereâs one from Folksy and one from Paypal, then a confirmation from Folksy and one with the tracking number from Paypal - do they really need another one from me, or is that getting spammy?
Of course thatâs assuming the automated systems work properly. Yesterday I received a despatch confirmation email from a packaging company telling me that nearly ÂŁ400 worth of assorted boxes were on the way! My one line costing ÂŁ5.95 was buried in there - I think the rest was the warehouse picking list for the whole afternoon. At that point yes I did seek reassurance from a human that this was a computer glitch, and I wasnât about to have 5000 boxes arrive through my letterbox
I only personal email a customer if i need more information about the order (particularly for my made to order items) and, although itâs never happened, if i couldnât post within the given timeframe i would email. I think the folksy and PayPal emails are enough.
