Thank You Fellow Etsians!!

Last week I was so excited when I checked my Etsy shop and learned I had my first international sale. A delightful customer from Australia had purchased one of my favorite guys (yes, I’ll admit I have favorites…) ~ Oliver, the long-eared bunny.

This being my first shipment halfway around the world, I wasn’t quite sure where to start. And to complicate it just a little, her purchase had already gone thru Etsy and PayPal before I had a chance to calculate the international shipping rates and change that in my shop for her order. I didn’t want to lose a sale and a nice customer, but also couldn’t afford to forego the additional shipping costs.

Not sure how to proceed, I turned to the Community Forum on Etsy and posed my dilemma. Within in minutes – and I mean minutes – I had responses from fellow Etsians willing to brainstorm the problem with me. It didn’t take long to figure out what to do. Again, within minutes, I had my answer. I simply emailed my customer and explaining I would need to send a PayPal invoice for the additional shipping charges and once I received that payment, the bunny would be on his way. She was fabulous about it, paid immediately and – bingo, bango - Oliver was winging his way Down Under.

So I wanted to thank my fellow Etsians – ShopRedLeaf, GoTo, missbreezybox and HammelArt who all came to my rescue! I was so happy to have an answer so quickly and not risk losing what has turned out to be a wonderful customer and sale! Thank you guys so much!! It’s reassuring to know I have a friendly and helpful place to pose any questions and there will be someone out there in cyberspace to help me. I only hope I can return the same in kind sometime soon! Thanks again!!!

Cyberspace is a wondorous place. I never would have imagined when I began creating cuddly little animals that one would end up on the other side of the world. But one is. And I can’t stop smiling.

I’ve spent the last couple of days communicating with a beautiful woman (who I would love to meet someday!) figuring out how to get Oliver, the long-earred bunny to Australia. This being my official first international shipment it took a little research and in the end, wasn’t hard at all. My customer down under was extremely patient and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that!

So, I this morning finally figured things out (again, with the help of my Post Office guru, Deep – we’re on a nickname basis now), confirmed all the important info and Oliver is off to Australia! I was so grateful for such a patient customer; and I didn’t want Oliver to travel all the long way alone – so I added his little brother, Ralphie, in the package to keep him company on his journey. I know my customer and her family will welcome both of them.

And I hope she doesn't read my blog (till later) or finds me on Facebook (till later), or I just blew the surprise.