3rd time this week!

Today marks the 3rd transaction I've had to cancel on Etsy in the past week. Yet another customer has bought from me without pay or contact. What is going on here? I send messages and/or emails offering to help with completing the checkout process, I send custom invoices and reminders, and I wait anywhere from 3-7 days for payment or at least a response about the problem. Am I doing something wrong here? Is there more that I should do? Or are there just people who don't know the right way to window shop?

This really is frustrating though, because I get so excited knowing that I have a sale. I get ready to start making the product, check for customer specifications, and realize.. "Hey, I haven't been paid yet..."

I know this isn't Etsy's fault. I also know that sometimes people are new and just don't understand the proper way to do things, but something needs to be done here. I will not sit here and be okay with canceling more bad transactions than actually completing good ones. Because even though Etsy does pay me back the transaction fee, I still don't get my .20 for listing and re-listing the item. It is small now, but it adds up, and I have no idea what I would have lost had I actually been paying to advertise my items as well.

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And of course as I type this I see that Etsy actually has changed the cancellation process a bit today, but that still doesn't fix my Checkout issue. I'm thinking that it would be a good idea not to consider an item bought UNTIL it is paid for. I don't know, I am sure it is more complicated than it seems, but I am broke, tired and slightly annoyed....


....END RANT