I made my first sale on Etsy!!

United States
June 19, 2009 12:25pm CST
And I was so excited. I received the email 2 days ago. I was very glad to make a sale. But I have not received payment yet (thru paypal). I checked the buyer's feedback, and all but one were good. The negative one said 'had to cancel sale because buyer never paid.' I sent a friendly reminder message, but haven't heard back. How long do I wait for payment, or to send a second reminder? How long does it usually take to receive payment?
2 people like this
9 responses
@suzzy3 (8341)
19 Jun 09
You should get paid straight away with in minutes,so if you have not recieved anything yet don't send the goods.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jun 09
That's what I thought, which is why I started to wonder if it's going to happen at all. I won't ship until and unless payment is received.
1 person likes this
@suzzy3 (8341)
19 Jun 09
To right be careful mark them as unsafe with your payment company.
1 person likes this
@gdesjardin (1918)
• United States
20 Jun 09
Good for you! I absolutely love Etsy. I have bought several things through them, however I have never sold anything yet. I definitely wouldn't ship anything out until you receive payment, and you should have received payment instantly. I would maybe send out a second reminder, perhaps the person just forgot...which is something I tend to do these days especially with my kids being out of school for the summer. Good luck to you and I wish you success on your Etsy future!!!
• United States
20 Jun 09
Thanks, I will send a second reminder, then give the buyer a chance to respond, then cancel the sale, because I don't want to get charged the commission by Etsy if I never received payment.
1 person likes this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
19 Jun 09
well, sometimes there are people out there that buy things just for the fun of it but dont have any intention of actually paying for the item. this happens to me a lot on ebay but has never happened to me on etsy. wait a few days then send them a note saying that they have entered into a legal binding agreement etc...then wait a few days, then if you dont hear anything, contact etsy.
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jun 09
I haven't shipped, and won't until payment is received. I will give the buyer a chance, wait a few days and then contact etsy. My paypal email is different than my etsy email, but I did enter it in my etsy account info. I worry that this causes a problem, but if that was the case the buyer would probably tell me that payment was sent.
1 person likes this
@kykidd (6812)
• United States
19 Jun 09
This Etsy sounds interesting. I will have to check it out. I have sold some things on eBay through the years, but haven't tried any other web sites. I have a few items that I am trying to sell, that do not qualify on eBay. I wonder if I would be able to sell them on Etsy. However, it sounds like a store front, and not just an auction site. I have also bought things on eBay, and most of the time, sellers require you to have payment via PayPal within 48 hours. I hope you get paid!
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Jun 09
It is a storefront. Etsy is for selling handmade crafts and vintage items, so there are restrictions on what you can sell. I will wait for payment before shipping, and probably set my shop policy to include a time frame for payment. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
19 Jun 09
That's so awesome that you made a sale - i hope your buyer does make the payment. I've seen a few shops on etsy that have a policy of payment must be received via paypal or arranged for other payments within 3 days some say 24 hours others i've seen say 5 days. I'd go and browse other seller's shop policies on etsy and set yours to what you would prefer.
• United States
19 Jun 09
I haven't seen that, but it's a good idea. I think 3 days sounds reasonable, since paypal is so quick and easy. I'll look at some other shop policies and see what they say. Thanks.
1 person likes this
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
23 Jun 09
Your welcome!
@punkincat (214)
• United States
20 Jun 09
When I sold my items I got payed right away. People are different you might give them until Monday, most people don't count the weekend. Them give the second notice, wait a couple of days, then you can offer the item up to the second bidder or relist. I believe that policy is listed on ebay, official rules. The seller do not have many rights but they do have a few ( getting payed in a timly manner is one )
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Jun 09
I think that's what I do, give them till Monday, then a second notice, then cancel the sale if no response.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Jul 09
This happened to me a couple times. each time, I sent a friendly reminder after 2-4 days. Only one time did the buyer never respond or send payment. Sometimes, the paying process freezes when paying on Paypal through the etsy site (it happened to someone who purchased from me today) One thing to consider is the customer may not have funds in their Paypal account and need to transfer money from their checking acct. This can take from 3-5 days for the money to arrive. Always check your Paypal account before shipping the item. If Paypal says it is okay to ship, then go ahead (I always use Delivery confirmation on items under $50 and I add insurance on shipment for more than $50) Wait no more than 14 days before contacting Etsy to let them know that you have sent the buyer a few reminders and payment has not been received. They will tell you to cancel the sale, refund your sales fee and then you can relist your item. Great news on your first sale...CONGRATS to you!!! I hope it works out for you!
• United States
24 Jun 09
I thought they had a week and then the sale was void, I'm not sure though, check the fine print.
• United States
24 Jun 09
Not sure, I'll check on that. At any rate, I sent a second notice yesterday and will cancel tomorrow- which will be a week- if no response. How rude not to even send a courtesy email to let me know she changed her mind.
@joye68 (151)
• United States
30 Aug 09
I have my sale policies set for the following: ---Payment from PayPal/Visa/Mastercard must be received within 3 calendar days as PayPal works 24/7. If this is not received, the item will be immediately relisted once this period has expired. ---Payment through checks/MO must be received within 7 business days. If this is not received, the item will be immediately relisted once this period has expired. (NOTE: Be sure you go through with the sale through etsy so that etsy can properly receive their cut of the listing). ---If, for some odd reason, there is an issue with payment, please contact me within 3 business days. (NOTE: I find this especially true with newbies since they are not always yet fully aware of how PayPal or etsy works). This way I can accommodate your needs and extend the period of time. If I am not messaged within the specified amount of time, the item will be relisted once this period has expired. It was a good thing to send the email reminder. Additionally, you should go into PayPal and send an invoice (I send both at about the same time, and I'm sure to include that I've sent/will send the invoice in the reminder email). Your customer could have THOUGHT the sale was completed and THOUGHT the transactions through etsy AND PayPal were completed and may be sitting there waiting for their product, not realizing the issue at hand. Good luck!