Dear Sellers:

As an online business owner, you may occasionally have a non-responding customer.  They may have made a purchase from you and not specified the custom requirements in order for you to complete the transaction. They may have placed an order and not sent an immediate payment, with no explanation. They may not have left you any feedback for the transaction. There might have been other confusion, like a language barrier.  All of these situations have the potential to be sticky, and in order to help we have gathered some tips and advice to handle the situation gracefully and professionally.  We’ve talked with sellers, buyers and our customer support team to summarize the following responses that you can adopt and customize to your business needs.

Customer that is not responding to your emails: Keep in mind that not all internet shoppers check their email regularly and there might be an unforeseen circumstance keeping them from responding in a timely manner.  It’s always best practice to take a deep breath and remind yourself that no response does not mean they are uninterested.

• Try communicating with your customer via both conversations and the email address the customer provided to you on the receipt page.  Sometimes, emails from unknown addresses can get caught by the customer’s spam filter and never read.  Additionally, be sure to add their email address to your own email address book to be sure the spam filters aren’t blocking their attempts to communicate with you.
• Allow up to 2-3 business days to hear back from your customer.  This may seem like a long time, but realistically your customer might be working a long shift, may not be near the computer, or may even be away for the weekend.  If you do not hear back within that time frame, it is safe to send another message.
• Provide as much information as you can in your message to your customer.  If you do not hear back within your time frame, send another polite message with the same information and make sure to let them know in a friendly way you are waiting for their reply.  Your third message is a good opportunity to give your customer a timeline of when you expect to hear back from them and alert them that you may cancel your sale and relist your item if no contact is made.  If there is still no word, it is a safe time to cut your losses, given you tried your best.

Customer that ordered a custom item without giving you any of the specifications you require: There are a host of reasons a customer might have forgotten to contact you with the information you asked regarding the order.  It is important to keep your cool, remain friendly, helpful, and professional when contacting your customer to ask for additional information.

• Try sending your customer a friendly email thanking them for their order and asking for the specifics at the same time; this way you can kill two birds with one stone.  It may sounds something like “Hello xxxx,  Thank you for your order and for helping to support (yourshopnamehere).  I am excited to start work on your custom order and will need the following information from you before I can get started: (list of information goes here).  Please contact me with any questions and I look forward to working with you.”
• If you do not hear back from your customer within 2-3 days, follow the same steps for contacting your customer as laid out above.

Customer that has made an order, but has not sent an immediate payment:  It’s important to keep the mindset that a customer who has not yet paid is not out to get you.  They are most likely a brand new customer, maybe a little confused, or possibly misunderstood that immediate payment was required.

• “Hello xxxx, I have your recent order of xx item (link to transaction receipt goes here) packaged up and ready to ship out as soon as I receive your payment via Paypal. Please let me know if you need any additional help during the payment process or if you would like me to send you an invoice directly to your email address from which you can pay with your credit card. Thanks again and I hope you love your new xxx item. Keep in touch, (your name)”
• RightAsRainCreations uses this tactic: “Thank you for your Etsy purchase from Right As Rain Creations! My PayPal shows that you have not completed the payment. There is a payment link on your Etsy transaction page. [Insert link to transaction here.] Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or if you’d like to use another payment method, I am happy to help!”
• earlybirdcreations advises: Regarding payment reminders, I also send a short friendly email or convo (depending on whether they are new to Etsy and therefore might not be aware of the Etsy conversations) thanking them for their order. I always use their name in the email. I also say that I will post the item as soon as payment has been received. This approach has had a 100% success rate with people making payment within the next 24 hours. Communication is the key I think!
• MabelMcBee uses something similar: “Thank you for purchasing ‘item name.’ In preparing your order for shipment, I realized that payment had not yet gone through to my Paypal account. You may complete the payment step by clicking the ‘Pay through Paypal’ link here: (and I give the link to the invoice). If you are having difficulty with your Paypal account, please let me know how I can help you.”
• heartworksbylori: “Thanks so much for your order! I’d love to get your jewelry order out to you asap, so as soon as the payment process is complete, I can do that. Here’s the link to your invoice (provide link) Feel free to ask me any questions if you need help and I’d be happy to accommodate! I look forward to serving you. ~Lori”

Feedback reminders or inquiries: It’s important to remember that leaving feedback on Etsy is optional, so keep an inquiry to one convo and refrain from asking again if you do not receive a response.  A buyer may find the tactic a little too aggressive.

• “Hello xxxx, I hope you received you recent order of xx item (link to transaction goes here) safe and sound and are happy with it. If all went well, I appreciate and enjoy getting customer feedback in my shop, if you feel comfortable doing so for xx item you purchased. You can leave me feedback on Etsy by logging into your account and selecting the feedback option in Your Etsy. If there were any problems with your order, please let me know before leaving feedback so we can work out a solution to make you happy. Keep in touch, (your name)”
• Artbynaomi suggests: “I prefer not to make it sound like it’s expected of them. I try not to sound too demanding or forceful, but just convey thanks for their support and mention that leaving feedback is appreciated and helps me in providing quality product and service. I then mention how the buyer can leave feedback through the Etsy system.”
• bddesigns says: “I also wanted to ask you to take a moment, after receiving your package, to leave some honest feedback about your transaction — that lets me know that you received your package and I did my job well! I will also leave feedback for you so that other Etsy sellers know that you are a great buyer to do business with!”

Customers with language barriers: Keep your sentences simple and avoid using any words that are slang or could be easily misunderstood.

• “Hello xxxx, I realize English is not your primary language and want to make sure we both understand the order/your question/your concern. (Repeat to the best of your ability what you think their question/concern/order is). Is this correct? Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you, (your name)”
• bamabelle suggests: “Hi! I’m having a little trouble understanding , let’s double-check our communication by using Babelfish.com. Thanks!”

Do you have a no fail reliable response that you use when faced with these types of potentially sticky situations?  Feel free to share them with us in the comments section of this article below.

More about Service Tips for Sellers Series: Running an online business has many perks, like the ability to remain somewhat anonymous behind a computer screen (and maybe even working in your ‘jammies).  But that computer screen does not preclude interaction with customers. Good online customer service may be even more important than offline: good service gives buyers the peace of mind that they are buying from a trustworthy and reputable seller.  As an online entrepreneur you have the opportunity to provide excellent communication, create a friendly face for your shop, and promote repeat business.