Etsy - "Update Required", who asked for this?

*Warning: The following article may contain rants, profanities, and disgruntled sighs* 😒

So, Etsy recently decided that they were going to remove the "Other" option from delivery profiles - an update that no seller in the history of Etsy has ever asked for - and one that has caused numerous challenges and conundrums for many Etsy sellers (yours truly included).

What's the big deal?

Sellers outside of the U.S. and Canada don't have access to calculated shipping services and, therefore, rely on the delivery times set in their shipping profiles. Etsy previously allowed sellers to set the delivery company or courier as "other"; this would then allow the seller to specify the delivery timeframe. With the removal of this option, Etsy is now forcing sellers to select a predefined service (even if that isn't the one you are going to be using), and that predefined service has a preset delivery timeframe. In many instances, this timeframe is inaccurate and overly optimistic.

For instance, Etsy advertises Royal Mail's International Standard service as a 3-7 working day service! This is wildly inaccurate, and from our years of experience, we suggest to our customers 10 -14 working days.

"I'm an Etsy seller, what can I do?"

Well, I'll be honest, at the moment, the options aren't great. You can...

1. Set it to the closest delivery service that Etsy offers and try to highlight in your description and item images the true delivery service and timeframe used.
   

2. Update your processing times to account for the added delivery time. This will likely affect your listing score, though, as customers prefer faster processing times.
   

3. Stop selling Internationally on Etsy (UK delivery profiles are more accurate as they don't have the issue of customs delays to deal with).
   

4. Stop selling on Etsy
   

5. Get your own website (this one makes sense anyway)

In the meantime, continue to leave feedback with Etsy and complain wherever possible. With enough unhappy sellers, maybe Etsy will make a u-turn. Who knows?

Let us know your thoughts, workarounds, or just vent in the comments below.