What should I do if a buyer forgets to use an Etsy site-wide coupon?

Hi! In this situation, the safest “no drama” approach is: don’t try to retroactively apply the coupon (you can’t), and only cancel/reorder if the buyer can still place the new order while the coupon is active and you haven’t shipped yet. If the coupon already expired (or you’re close to shipping), it’s usually best to keep the original order and either do nothing or offer a small goodwill gesture (like a modest partial refund you choose, or a discount on a future order).

Here’s how I’d decide, in order:

1) If you haven’t shipped and the coupon is still valid:

• Cancel the order and fully refund it in Etsy, then ask the buyer to reorder and apply the coupon at checkout.
• This keeps everything clean for fees, receipts, and shipping (and avoids you paying the discount out of pocket).
• If you already purchased an Etsy shipping label, void the label (don’t just ignore it).

2) If the coupon expired (or you’re about to ship):

• Tell the buyer you can’t apply Etsy coupons after checkout, and the site-wide promo is controlled by Etsy at checkout time.
• If you want to be helpful, offer one of these optional alternatives:
  • A small partial refund (only if you’re okay covering it yourself), or
  • A shop coupon for next time (often the simplest goodwill option), or
  • No adjustment (also totally reasonable—especially for handmade/one-of-a-kind items or tight margins).

What not to do (to avoid issues):

• Don’t refund “off Etsy” (PayPal/Venmo/etc.). Always use Etsy’s refund tool so your order stays consistent and you avoid fee/protection/accounting headaches.
• Don’t mark as shipped and then cancel—if you’re going the cancel/reorder route, do it before dispatch.

Quick message you can send the buyer:
“Thanks for messaging! Etsy site-wide coupons can’t be applied after checkout. If you’d like, I can cancel and fully refund this order so you can reorder with the coupon (as long as it’s still active and I haven’t shipped yet). If the coupon has already expired, I’m not able to apply it retroactively—let me know what you prefer.”

If you tell me whether you’ve already bought a shipping label or marked the order as shipped, I can recommend the cleanest next step for your exact situation.