TOPIC: Question about stuck etsy orders

Hi Guys,

I ordered off etsy on June 11th, and on July 1st it was marked as shipped (build order). On July 3rd i was told it would ship in a week but since then there has been no progress. I see some people who ordered late june / early july have had theirs progress further. I contacted the shop start of this week but so far no reply.

So what do you think, should I be concerned my order is lost in their system somewhere? or is this typical kind of time frames and the FAQ is just out of date. If it helps I ordered the Avenger.

Edit: issue was apparently a workflow issue, at the end of the day I'm happy to know things are moving. I think most people's concerns is the estimated time verse feedback we are getting on etsy. Going 4-6 weeks with no idea what is happening is stressful.

I'm assuming they ran out of parts for your particular hilt and are waiting on a new run of parts to be completed to finish. I know they ran into that problem with my venomous fury hilt that I ordered off their main site.

That's just an assumption though, so don't take my word for it. You already did the best thing you could and emailed them. I'm sure they are just swamped with emails about the ASP surveys at the moment, thus they havn't replied yet. Sending multiply emails will just slow down the response, so avoid going that route.

If it makes you feel any better, I wish I would of ordered of etsy, because I'm just about to hit week 12.

Very little chance of it being lost anywhere. If anything, there's been a delay in the construction of your saber. Contact them through Etsy to get a status update. Unfortunately this isn't the best place to get those questions directly addressed.

Also, the FAQ is very much up to date, lol. It's pretty much brand new. It's just a matter of typical vs. non-typical scenarios.

Of course Knytiri has a better response lol and deff listen to him.

Therraforce wrote:
I ordered my Bane on the same day, with a June 30th change and no progress since. I have 2 other orders that were placed after that (July 1st and July 15th) that now have the same status - so I'm just hoping that it starts raining lightsabers 'round these parts!

It took a full seven weeks to receive my Etsy order of an apprentice-level hilt. Patience is all that's needed, I'd say!

I can attest to +9 weeks and counting for an Etsy order :\

I suggest crossing your fingers and hoping with all your heart. That may help...

I ordered my Silverknight the 21 of June and ... It has finally really shipped today !

Therraforce wrote:
I'm in the same boat. I ordered my saber on the 5th of June, shipping label was created on the 25th. I spoke to them on the 5th of July and they told me they were currently working on the saber and it should be shipped in a week's time. I tried contacting them 2 days ago but still no reply.

The whole time on Etsy though it says it's in Portland still.

I'm hoping its just a USPS error and hoping my saber arrives any day now, but now I'm starting to think it actually hasn't been shipped yet and may be a few more weeks.

Hey guys, as most of you are probably aware...

SF is extremely, EXTREMELY busy. They're pushing out new designs to keep up with demand, trying to get the ASP system up and going, still working on expanding the company, training new employees, working on opening new shops/space, it's a LOT to deal with. Their focus is on lowering the wait time, but the influx of orders and increasing volume of orders is making this a very trying task.

This all being said...

The explanation of all shipping procedures is in the FAQ. SF is NOT going to forget your orders, lose them, overlook them, or something else even remotely similar. They are trying. Let's all be patient, remember that, and take a step back and be grateful that we're not in their shoes, dealing with so much and handling a LARGE flow of customer questions at the same time... with the same small staff.

Have some patience. They respond to all their messages, just give them some time to do so. I'm sure their inbox is full. There's a LOT going on.

I've noticed that the usual gang of SF employees and associates have slowed/stopped making online posts, like Knytiri points out they are HAMMERED right now.

Wooot just found out my new Epoch got posted 2 days ago! Etsy just hadn't updated but it does show on the USPS site. So hopefully Therraforce yours isn't too far behind as we ordered around the same time.

Ribber wrote:
Or use the Force.....

I ordered two sabers (warrior Gladius and Arbiter) on July 10th,and was surprised to see a shipping notification from etsy on the 24th. Of course then I learned what "shipping notification" actually means lol. The note in the shipping email said that my order would be completed the following week and ship soon after. That week has come and gone, so I'm hoping to see some sort of update any day. Fingers crossed!

I also gave in and ordered a champion Exhalted on July 20th, and got the "shipping notification" yesterday, the 1st. Now I have two tracking numbers to stalk

Also, I can't be the first to notice that USPS tracking can be pretty worthless, so I won't read much into the tracking info not updating as accurately as other carriers. Not yet anyway...

ODog2323 wrote:
Urg.... yeah. On the 22nd last month mine changed to shipped on the website.

Apparently, on the 24th the preshipment information was sent to USPS but USPS's website didn't update THAT information until today almost two weeks later.

So I'm confused as to where things are at with my order but as has been mentioned, SF will let anyone know if something is up on their end. I'm honestly, just hoping my saber shows up today...

thesunisgrey wrote:
"Shipped" just means a label was created and they're building your saber. "In Transit" is when it's actually in the mail as far as I know.

maverick777 wrote:
Yes, I was more attesting to the fact that USPS tracking is garbage. Ten days to wait for an update is quite long,

Just so you're aware... the shipping label being created IS pre-shipment info being sent. I'm not entirely sure why USPS sometimes distinguishes between the two within their system, sometimes with a time delay... but it probably has to do with the fact that SF utilizes stamps.com to purchase their shipping labels, and the two sites (usps and stamps) have some sort of time delay running between the two. There's no scan or manual entry for the tracking information at this junction; tracking information is then updated as the package is scanned through the system as it progresses. SOMETIMES... the package doesn't get scanned properly into the system, and no one catches it/corrects it, so no tracking information will get updated, but this is a common problem for all carriers, not just USPS. Personally, I much prefer USPS Priority. I can send a package from here (west coast) to the east coast in 2 days for 10 bucks. Try to do the same with Fedex? It'll take at LEAST five days and cost 30. UPS? Same. The Priority Mail system since the revamp a couple years back (which they're still in the process of upgrading all of their facilities and features, which can sometimes lead to tracking hiccups and the like) has come a very long way.

In short... Guys. There's a reason for everything.

It's been said, many times... nothing is wrong. SF is backed up. They are slammed. They've made comments and statements about their tracking process and from what I understand Phil is even looking into ways to streamline the process a little more. But. The bottom line here is... SaberForge is not a HUGE company like Amazon where everything is an automated process that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to put in place. They are a small company dealing with the situation with the best tools they have to hand and looking for better.

So... soapbox moment. I don't mean this directed at any specific person or individual, but more of a blanket statement. SF offers the very best, quality saber they can manage to produce at an affordable price to us, the end consumers. To do so, their process takes a bit of time. They don't have the limitless resources and ability to mass produce and cheaply assemble hundreds of sabers all at once. They order as needed to keep the costs lower, so that the price reflected to us in the end is lower. They ship the way they do because they've had trial and error and experience with other carriers, and they've picked the one they have for reasons that perfectly legitimate. You can prefer your other carriers if you like, that's fine. But they aren't who SF uses... so bashing on the tracking, bashing on the wait time... bashing on this, that, whatever the situation is/may be, serves no one in the long run. It's a frustrating experience that gets nowhere fast and serves only to stir up frustration and negative emotions and feelings. If you sit and dwell on the downsides to anything, anything at all, it soon becomes all you can see, all you can think about when you think of that item. So... I'm asking everyone to please keep the negativity to minimum here on the forums. There are about 5 active threads currently all obsessing over wait time, tracking updates, etc etc etc. SF is aware of ALL of this. They are working their ASSES off to get caught up, to get sabers out the door, to serve everyone. Have a little patience, a little respect, and ease off. Let the poor guys breathe. Emailing them nonstop won't help; if you must send a message, remember to only send ONE. DarthMario has said that when you send more than one, the way their system organizes incoming messages, it'll actually increase your wait time for a response. Send one. Be kind, respectful. Understand that circumstances change, that things are progressing far past any rate that SF could have foreseen.

And most of all... freaking smile and be happy people. YOU'RE GETTING LIGHTSABERS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

Speaking to Knytiri's point, try taking a step back and thinking about it from your own perspective. You have ordered something very precious to you on many levels. They understand that, or they would not be in this business! However, in our current world, we are all growing (perhaps too much) accustomed to instantaneous gratification. We push a button, and it arrives!

In some things, that works great, and we are all happy. However, when it does not, we tend to measure it against the things that do, and deem that which does not satisfy immediately as being deficient, or defective in some way, so we begin to worry. That worry manifests itself in many ways, but around here it is the fear that the time involved for manufacture, for responses to inquiry, etc., somehow mean that something has gone wrong.

In this case, with VERY few exceptions, it simply does not. As Knytiri pointed out, they are busier than ever at The Forge, between their main website orders (which involve more customization), their Etsy orders (trying to keep the lead time at around 4 weeks), new model releases (and there have been quite a few lately), the ASP kick-off, and their efforts at expanding facilities/personnel to meet all of these demands that they have set for themselves.

In classic terms my brethren, they have a fantastic set of products, and a ravenous customer base, which adds-up to growing pains for the business! They are trying to meet current demands, and prepare for future demands all at the same time. I know that when they get everything set the way they want it on the labor and facilities end, they are going to be the absolute industry leader in every category! However, while they are attempting to reach those lofty goals, it might require a little more patience, and faith than normal. I think I speak for many when I say that, on the other end of these expansion efforts, your loyalty, along with your patience, and faith will be well justified.

Hold on folks! It's gonna be one hell of a ride, and when it's over, we are going to be able to say "Man! This is the place to be!" I just know it!

Brax wrote:
wiser words has never been spoken so calmly
like you said their expanding but as they expand they need more members to work on those sabers with and also need more patience than ussual

i for one never expect things to get done so fast and has learned to cope with patience

not all of us have alot of patience but guys we need remain calm and wait i know its not easy when you want a saber badly
but i who want both count and archon need to sell stuff to make room
i know i repeat the same thing said an hour ago but lets give the crew at saberforge time
THEY are doing their best to make your fav sabers an reality