What Should You Do If Something Goes Wrong With a Handmade Order?

Tell the maker.

That's it. 

Say it.

I've completed over 2K orders across my shops and still, every time a message comes, my heart skips a beat. What if something went wrong? What if the customer is not satisfied? But when the momentary panic passes, the truth that remains is: A customer's feedback, even when something has gone wrong, can be gold.

I will explain why. 

If you receive something damaged, discover a fit/problem issue, notice something unexpected, or think “Something isn't right here” you may hesitate because "it's part of the risk when shopping online" and "these things happen" and "what's the point, I don't want to be difficult."

Well. Yes and no. Online shopping includes some risk. You only see a few pictures, read a few lines of a description, pay upfront (!) for a promise (yeah, that's it, let's name it) and then, you hope.

But it doesn't end here.

If something went wrong, you deserve to have the problem taken seriously and addressed.

But the shop deserves to know, too. 

Before you assume it's the end of the story, leave an angry review, and move on without looking back at that shop ever again, tell the maker what happened.

As I have said before, reviews are data. Information. 

In the same way, a clear, detailed message that explains what went wrong with your order is valuable information as well.

Instead of:

“It broke! I lost it!”

You can explain:

“The bracelet kept snapping open whenever I bent my wrist, it eventually got caught on something and I lost it.”

Now that gives the maker something to work with. 

Fun fact (not), #ithappenedtome.

I had a customer who ordered a bracelet made of thick oiled vachetta leather. The problem occurred from the beginning, and I never noticed: their wrist size was too small. XS. This meant that the bracelet formed a very tight circle when closed, with much tension building while worn, which eventually caused the bracelet to snap open and get lost.

Who knew?

Well, my customer knew. Their detailed message helped me understand how and more importantly why this happened, because I am very confident with both my materials and crafting skills and I wouldn't let out a faulty finished item. 

Technically, I didn't. As usual, I snapped and unsnapped the bracelet many times to confirm the closure was fine and the bracelet was ready to go. But a bracelet opening and closing in the air is different from a bracelet opening and closing around a wrist that moves around all day, works, cooks, puts the kids to sleep, drives, or parties at nights like "Sarah 34, loves yoga and oat milk."

Real life introduced new variables.

I couldn't know this from the bench, could I. Now I know.

So: Gold.

I apologized, thanked them for the pro-tip, I sent out a free replacement (that was on me after all) and since then, every time someone orders bracelets made of that particular leather and their wrist size is too small, I replace it with a thinner version of it to prevent that tension.

Never got another issue!

Problem solved once and for all, for both of us.

Clearly explaining the issue makes it easier to diagnose the problem, because it gives the maker information they didn't have before.

Diagnosing the problem correctly makes it easier to work on a solution.

Lesson of the day: If something goes wrong with your order, contact the shop before assuming the situation is hopeless and tell them exactly what happened.

Give them a chance to understand the issue, and see what solution they offer.

A good maker might offer a repair, replacement, adjustment, refund, troubleshooting, or another appropriate solution depending on what happened.

My 1st ever 1-star review (and if I remember well, the last one, too) was from a customer who instead of reaching out they left this "It broke after two weeks".

Now, as a new shop back then, this was devastating to see, and no, I am not saying this to prevent you from expressing your real experience: if that's what you feel about it, you have the right to say it.

Where was I? Oh yes, devastated. 

Broke? What broke? Leather does not break. I squeezed my brain to remember. What I made, how I made it, what could possibly had been a weak part, I went back to that order, checked the product photos (it was an OOAK piece) zoomed in...

nothing. I couldn't see anything.

So I reached out and asked the customer directly: what went wrong, how can I fix this? I told them "I can't remake the exact same piece - no more materials left for it! - but I can definitely make something similar".

Guess what: They were genuinely surprised.

Long story short: I sent out a replacement. No further discussion about the 1-star review. I moved on. Devastated, with notes taken, knowing that I did the right thing. 

And couple of weeks later, when they received it, they updated their feedback to a splendid, heartfelt, thorough 5-stars review:

(Of course I've kept it. It's in my shop's review history anyway, you can find it - if you're willing to go down this particular rabbithole of digging out 550 reviews.)

My point is: Tell the maker. Don't treat an issue as a lost case. 

A replacement may not always be the solution. But a responsible maker or shop should take a genuine problem seriously and try to find an appropriate way forward.

Why wouldn't they? That's their job. That's my job. That's how I provide for my family. What's good for me if I don't strive for great customer service and products?

And as an online buyer myself, I don't remember having a problem that didn't work out somehow with a genuine, established shop. Bad things can happen — they have happened to me too — but sellers have offered me solutions, and they worked.

BuTbUtBuTbUt: Sometimes there is no easy fix. Sometimes there's no fix, just honest communication.

Because...

Unpopular opinion: The buyer isn't always right (and that's okay).

A buyer can make mistakes. A buyer can order a wrong size, misread descriptions (or not read them at all - looking at you), enter delivery information wrong, or give a fake phone number when required for delivery.

(Yes, sometimes shops may ask for your phone number because their courier provider or postal service requires it. I wrote about this recently here, in case you want to go down that particular rabbithole.)

Not everything can be solved quickly with a free replacement. Things can get more complicated, too. Sometimes you may end up with an item that doesn't fit you — therefore unusable — and resolving that situation may not be simple.

How to avoid bad situations? Just fon't make buying decisions at 2 am, after a fight with your S.O. or over a breakup.

Don't drink and buy online.

No. I'll tell you a few things you can do to avoid preventable problems:

If you're buying clothes, shoes, jewelry, read size guides and follow them.

If they ask you to measure your wrist properly for this particular order (that would be me frantically typing like Kermit the frog MEASURE YOUR WRIST BEFORE ORDERING), do it.

Triple check your delivery information and make sure you enter everything correctly: Recipient's full name and address, postal codes, and phone number (if required). 

If a parcel is returned because the delivery details you provided were incomplete or incorrect, the situation may be different from a delivery failure caused by the shop or carrier.

Provide an email you actually check and keep an eye on tracking. 

Communicate before assuming the situation is hopeless.

Online shopping will never be entirely risk-free. Handmade products won't be immune to mistakes, either. But a problem doesn't have to be the end of the story.

Tell the maker what happened. Give them the information they need to understand it. And give both of you a chance to work out what comes next.

Sometimes the result is a repair or replacement. Sometimes it's an explanation. And sometimes, as in my case with those XS bracelets, it makes the product better for every customer who comes after you.

That's why I say: tell the maker.