I Can’t Deliver My Etsy Order Because Buyer Won’t Respond to Messages

I sold an item on Etsy and shipped it to the United States as scheduled. However, the shipping company contacted me asking for the buyer’s phone number or email address in case the recipient wasn’t home. I immediately messaged the buyer through Etsy to request this information, but they have completely ignored all my messages.

Despite the lack of communication, I went ahead and shipped the package, trusting the process. Now the courier has confirmed that the buyer wasn’t available during the delivery attempt, and they’ll try again on the next business day. The issue is, they can’t even call or email the buyer, so there’s a real chance the parcel won’t get delivered at all.

This leaves me extremely frustrated as a seller—what happens if the item is returned? The money is currently in Etsy’s pending balance, and I’m worried that it might be refunded to the unresponsive buyer, even though I fulfilled my part. Etsy must address situations like this more clearly and offer sellers support when buyers go completely silent. I need an urgent resolution and clarity on what will happen to my payment and shipment.