Please advise me on what to do

[Morgana7]

I’m such an idiot!!!
I’m a seller on Etsy and have posted out an order today (a gift box that a woman ordered for her friend).
She wanted a gift message included.
I’ve just been looking at her order again and realised she wanted her name “Grainne” on it but I remember I wrote “Love Granny” on it.
I don’t know how this happened as I’m normally extremely careful with all the little details. The order has been posted out now so there’s nothing I can do. The friend will receive it and be really confused as to who sent it.
I feel awful that I’ve probably ruined the surprise and will now likely receive a bad review too.
Should I email the customer to warn her and profusely apologise (and maybe offer a refund or a replacement?)
Or should I say nothing and see what happens?
:-(

If it were me, I’d be tickled. Hope they’re understanding!

OP I’m a long time Etsy seller, please don’t beat yourself up, it’s a simple human error. And I would find it funny! I have a foreign name and seen all sorts of variations in my life.

Pls do not offer a refund, there’s nothing wrong with the item itself and the gift messaging is just a little free service on top. It’s enough that you messaged the customer. If they end up leaving a shitty review, you can calmly reply to it with the facts. Misspeling a name on a gift message won’t put off future customers. It’s not like you engraved or embroidered it.

Are you a new seller? Join the Etsy sellers UK facebook group, it’s been a valuable help during my years as a seller and you’d get a lot of help there too.

Thanks for your nice message :-)
I’ve been doing it for about 3 months now. She hasn’t replied yet 😬

These things happen, you could let the buyer know you've made a mistake and apologise. That feels better than waiting for a potentially poor review.

IdkickJilliansass.yes, of course I am.

@MikeUniformMike

IdkickJilliansass.yes, of course I am.

Good, it is not beyond the realms of possibility on this forum that you were deadly serious 😉

Aw don't worry. I wouldn't be really annoyed and would see the funny side. And also if I received an apology from the seller I'd definitely cut them some slack. You have to respect someone for holding their hands up to a mistake. Hope she accepts your apology with grace as she should do

My first thought was also that the recipient could have just buried her grandmother. From COVID. However, if you're lucky she will be the ditsy superstitious type who believes in angels sending feathers - and she will be thrilled to receive an actual package in the post as a Sign from the Other Side.
But probably best to own up and apologise now. Assuming Grainne doesn't live in Ireland, she's probably had a lifetime of being taken for Granny.
And after that - best go to Specsavers!

Email the customer and apologise, I don't think you have to do anything more.
I work for a company who sells on Etsy - we wouldn't even notice if we had missed a gift note - it happens all the time.
We have thousands of good reviews, most customers aren't as harsh as MNs!

Hurry up granny!

I once mixed up two orders, one customer contacted me and I immediately knew who the other one was and contacted them. They were so good, I emailed a postage label to each and both parties posted them to each other. I could not believe how nice they were about it just said we are all human and make mistakes. I posted them each a bar of chocolate and a thank you card. I still felt stupid, and have never done it since.

To make you feel better. My friend bought me a lovely glass as part of a birthday present. It had my name and presumable was meant to say “queen of all she surveys”. It actually says queen of all she purveys- I am not a purveyor of anything but I do have a giggle whenever I use it.

Send the correct tag to the orderer so she can send it to the recipient. Doing nothing is the wrong thing to do.

Hope she accepts your apology with grace as she should do

Which is in face what Grainne means in English (grace)

Your husband is an idiot. Doing nothing will get you a bad review.

Don't offer a full refund.

Email her again, we're all waiting to see what she says 😁

I agree with @RedHotChiliChips. You made a mistake on a free add on service on Etsy (I'm an almost five year veteran on Etsy). Mistakes happen. If it was the gift basket that was wrong I'd offer a refund, but it isn't.

Personally I'd have sent a new gift tag to the recipient, explaining what I'd done and then emailed the person who had ordered to explain what I'd done to rectify it. Then wait, see what they say and go from there.

As someone who buys a lot on line all I want is for a mistake to rectified, fast.

And I second you joining Etsy Facebook pages. I'd also recommend the 'Etsy Insiders - tips from top sellers'. Lots of great support there too.

You're very conscientious, OP! If something like that happened to me someone getting my name wrong on a gift note I'd laugh it off. Really, don't take this to heart. It's easily done. Maybe send an apologetic note, but nothing more.

I think I’m just worried that the recipient will open it and be confused and not have a clue whose sent it. This obviously ruins the element of surprise that the sender would have wanted as she’ll have to tell her in advance it’s from her.
I’ll check out the Facebook group thanks

If it’s only an incorrect card I don’t think a refund or replacement is necessary, you could perhaps send a small token gift with the correct message but don’t do yourself out of money because of a misspelled name. It’s a treat box not a coffin.

These things happen :)

The granny/Grainné thing is pretty common though, she’s probably going to figure it out

I would send a tag, first class, with a covering compliment slip to say, so sorry, your gift from X had an error on the tag....

People get the most ridiculous birthday cake orders and the like. This was a genuine error and I am sure it will be OK for all concerned.

The fact you are taking it so seriously is an indicator that you care and you will be fastidious in future. Lesson learned. It'll be OK :-)

I really don’t think it’s that big a deal. I would let her know about the error so she can warn her friend and then maybe send her a discount for her next order? I have a weird last name and people always spell it wrong. Make me laugh more than anything. People know Etsy sellers are not big corps. Don’t worry x

My friend Gráinne is nicknamed Granny and we live in a Celtic country .

How is Grainne actually pronounced?