When I get an order Folksy sends me a notification with the buyers email address. I sometimes respond to them that the ordeer has been posted etc, is this what others do- should I add extra comments etc or just post as usual??
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I often send them a short email thanking them for their order, and leave folksy to send the āyour order has been despatchedā email. Thats generated automatically when you click that youve shipped the item, i believe.
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I send an order acknowledgement. Thanking them for their order and telling them when and how it will be posted. 50% of customers write back to thank me, often to tell me it has been received and they are happy.
Well worth the two minutes it takes to send my message.
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I send confirmation that their order has been collected, along with the tracking number.
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I do not send emails unless there is a delay in posting as I tend to despatch same day and they already get the 2 emails from Folksy and one or two from RM.
Itās a nice touch, but I donāt think itās essential.
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I always respond to my customers thanking them for their order with the details of their Royal Mail Signed For service tracking number details. I also update PayPal if they have sent an email with payment details.
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I always send an acknowledgment order, Les - to say thanks but also repeating back exactly what theyāve ordered and their postal address - youād be amazed at how many times people come back and say thereās something wrong with the address theyāve entered! I also confirm in that email how long I expect to take to make the item if itās a made to order piece (I make lots of mine to order) so youāre managing expectations from the off.
Although Folksy send the confirmation of posting, I send my own too, which is also an opportunity to add details of my newsletter, if they want to subscribe. I know lots of people think thatās probably too much messaging with Folksyās as well, but Iāve generally found that people like plenty of communication about a purchase - I know Iām happy with it when Iām buying and I usually let that guide what I do as a seller.
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For made to order items I send an email thanking for the order, as well as some info about the progress and a wip picture. When I send out the item, and before I mark it shipped, I send an email with the tracking number, the service I have used and the RM delivery times. I also mention that they will receive an email from folksy and the RM once the item is scanned, so they know what to expect. If the order is for an already made item, then this email will be the only one they will receive. Always thanking them for their support, mentioning the item/s, what to expect etc, and also reassuring them that they can get in touch if they have any concerns or any problems occur. Nobody has complained, some will reply, some wonāt, but itās always good if they know they havenāt been forgotten, especially if their item takes a while to be made.
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Iāve only had a handful of sales on here, but the only one Iāve contacted personally was when I sent an item to the US. I use international standard delivery, which isnāt tracked, and I wanted to let her know it was on its way. There was no response from that one. I did find using non-tracked delivery a bit disconcerting as I have no idea if it arrived safely or not, I just have to trust that everything was ok!
Iāve held back from sending personal emails to UK customers as I donāt want to bombard them.
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If you saw the wonderful messages i get in reply to mine you would not hesitate to send at least an acknowledgment. I also get brownie points in reviews for communication so most people seem to appreicate it and donāt seem to regard it as hassleā¦
I would be extremely unlikely to place a second order with a seller who didnt bother to communicate in any way. After all the person who buys my glass is My customer not Folksyās. The idea is to get my Joysofglass name out to my customers so they remember it and return for more. Works for me 
Worst of all of course are the orders which appear after a few days after no communication and with no paperwork or identification of any sort included ā¦so I have to search to see who i ordered it from . I would not order from them again so probably doesnt matter 
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Thatās all very helpful advice, thank you all
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In all honesty it didnāt occur to me to communicate directly with customers until I saw people chatting about it on here. Iāve done a lot of shopping on Etsy over the years, and I canāt recall getting much in the way of direct emails from sellers other than the standard ones. It is nice to get a thank you note in the parcel though, but generally if Iāve had a successful purchase (good condition, as described, nicely packaged, on time etc.) then I donāt think twice about going back for repeat purchases. But itās good to learn that itās important to some customers, so Iāll start doing it from now on. I do put a thank you note in with orders (ā¦except for the one I sent out this morning, because I completely forgot to put it in!! That was a bad oversight, I always put my wee note in - have emailed now instead). This is the good thing about the forum, comparing notes with experienced sellers and finding out what customers might expect.
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I always send an email to the customer as soon as i see the order to thank them and to let them know when i will be posting. In fact sometimes I do it twice 
, I always send a thank you via email but often if they are return customers who buy regularly they send me a message via IG to say they have just bought a bear and to ask how I am etc etc. I usually start by saying I have just sent you an A4 essay via email then repeat half of it again but itās nice as I do have some lovely customers who have become bear friends over the years.
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I have an āoddā people memory. Face to face not a chance of remembering anyone but give me their name in an email and it immediately sends me off to check and sure enough I am 95% accurate at remembering previous customer names. It means i can confidently thank them for coming back for more of my glass and we do have the loveliest of conversations sometimes
At this time of year i add a little pre-xmas gift to every order. I donāt say Iām sending it but I do mention it on the paperwork I enclose with my business card.
Customers really do seem to appreciate them. This year Iāve been making little fused tree decorations, specially. Only tiny and they fit in a matchbox but of course with my shop name and website label on there too Just got another 20 out of the kiln as Iāve been really busy. Posted 14 parcels so far this week.
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Me too Joy in fact I did the same few weeks ago and looked through back orders as I thought I knew the nameā¦and did.
I sometimes put a little extra in, a little embroidered heart or similar, especially with the high end artist bears but as I have been so busy trying to get new stock made I have now run out of time and little extras to give. At this time of the year I usually add a little shop bought christmas cracker or tiny tree. It does make all the difference and I have bought many things from Folksy sellers who do the same.
They sound lovely and so good to hear you are really busy Joy, my shop went a little quieter a few weeks ago but in fairness I have been holding bears to list end of January when the magazine feature comes out so I havenāt had many new ones for my collectors. I am often really busy in January so will see how it pans out.
This, just received (from an order which came in Monday) is the sort of reply i get and every one makes me so very very happy
They are one Very very good reason to take a moment to acknowledfge orders.
Dear Joy
The beautiful butterfly picture arrived safe and sound yesterday and I absolutely love it. The colours are so vibrant and will look lovely in my sisterās window.
Thank you for my little gift. It was a very nice surprise and it will take pride of place on my Christmas tree. I may also wear it as a pendant at other times of the year. Thank you.
Your lovely glass hangings have exceeded my expectations each time Iāve ordered them, you never fail to impress with them. Thank you very much.
Kind regards
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Life is too shortā¦ I rarely email unless thereās a specific reason to, but I always put a receipt in the parcel (unless I know itās a gift going direct to the recipient) and include a handwritten thankyou note (which people seem to love) and a business card. (Once I figure out how to leave a review I might start putting in a little reminder about how to do that too!)
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Thatās lovely Joy and it does really make what we do worthwhile. You can probably imagine some of the messages I have from Bear customers, they are the reason I struggle to do what I do still. We certainly donāt get replies like that from Amazon or eBay. I am always very grateful and excited when I receive a little extra in my packages, I know itās not always practical to do and especially with smaller, cheaper items but lovely if you can, I actually enjoy wrapping the bears for their new home x
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When I get an order, I immediately respond to the buyer thanking them for their order and inform them of the status of the order. I then email them when I have posted the order, giving them the tracking number. I find, by doing this, they have confidence in me and Folksy. Hope this helps x
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I do email to confirm and thank. I remember one buyer was very grateful as she wasnāt familiar with Folksy.