Shipping on Etsy can seem like one of the most complicated parts of owning an Etsy shop. You may feel slightly out of control when you hand your precious product to the postal office. You cross your fingers and hope you did everything correctly. All you want is for your item to arrive on time, safely in the hands of your customers. Today we will cover five ways to have the best shipping experience on Etsy. After we’ve covered the tactics, you’ll build confidence in shipping both domestically and internationally.

#1 Create shipping profiles

First things first, create shipping profiles for your listings. This will show your customer estimated delivery dates for each of your listings. Depending on where your shop is located, you’ll be able to do this in two different ways.

• If your shop is located in the US and Canada: You can use either calculated or fixed cost shipping.
• If your shop is located in the rest of the world: You can use fixed cost shipping.

Calculated shipping is a feature that allows shipping costs to vary depending on where you and your customer are located. The cost of shipping is calculated by using your location, the buyer’s location, and the item’s size and weight.

Fixed shipping is a cost that doesn’t vary, you determine one shipping cost for each listing.

You’ll choose which type of shipping cost (calculated or fixed) when you set up your shipping profiles. You may just need one shipping profile for all your listings. In addition, you can create multiple shipping profiles depending on where you are shipping from and how long the processing time is.

In your shipping profile, fill out your processing time (the time it takes you to prep an order before it ships) and the carriers you will use for shipping. This will show your customer the date range in which they should expect their item. For instance, here’s an example of my free shipping profile that I use on over 300 of my listings. As I’m offering free shipping I will use the fixed shipping option.

Here’s a closer look at the shipping carrier I use. I use USPS First-Class Mail (2-6 business days).

What shipping profiles look like on your listings

Below is what the shipping estimates look like to the customer when you use shipping profiles. I took this screenshot on November 10th, 2021.

• You’ll see that the view reflects the 1-2 week processing time. Nov 10th plus 1-2 weeks processing time is November 18-26.
• You’ll see the view reflects the 2-6 business day shipping time. It’s adding on to the processing time above, therefore, November 18-26 plus 2-6 business days is November 22nd-December 2nd.

Notice that Etsy has to account for business days, so the number of days will be slightly longer than if Etsy didn’t have to account for business days and it was a straight calculation of days.

#2 Adjust your processing times and modify ship by dates when needed.

It’s a great idea to adjust your processing time when you get busy or get ahead. Feeling overwhelmed, or want to go on a trip? Just adjust your processing times in your shipping profiles, this will allow each customer to know when they can receive their items before they purchase.

If you already have orders that you don’t think you’ll be able to ship on time you can push back the shipping date. However, if you are ahead of schedule you can notify your customer that the package will arrive early. To adjust your ship by date navigate to:

1. On Etsy.com, click Shop Manager.
2. Click Orders & Shipping
3. On the order you would like to adjust click the elypisis located at the bottom right hand corner of the order.
4. Click on updade ship by date

#3 Offer upgraded shipping

Upgraded shipping means just that… a faster shipping time. It does not mean a faster processing time (the time it takes you to make the item before it ships). You can keep your processing time the same and just purchase a shipping label that has a faster delivery time. To offer upgraded shipping you’ll have to:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com.
2. Click Shop Manager.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click Shipping settings.
5. Click the Rates & upgrades tab.
6. Click Enabled under Shipping upgrades.

After enabling shipping upgrades, you can add them to individual listings or shipping profiles.

After you’ve enabled the shipping upgrade option you can add a shipping upgrade to your shipping profiles:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com.
2. Click Shop Manager.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click Shipping settings.
5. Select the Shipping profiles tab.
6. If you don’t already have a shipping profile Click Add a shipping profile.
7. On your new shipping profile select I’ll enter fixed costs manually from the dropdown menu in the shipping costs section at the top.
8. On your new or exisitng shipping profile scroll down to the Shipping upgrades section and select Add a shipping upgrade.
9. Fill out the information you want for the shipping upgrade, selecting the shipping carrier and amount you would like to charge the customer for the upgrade, this is totally up to you how much you want to charge.
10. Click Save.

For instance, here’s my shipping upgrade to priority shipping:

#4 Consider using Etsy shipping labels

Etsy wants to save you time and make shipping cost-effective. You should consider printing your shipping label via Etsy! You’ll be able to print it right at home and depending upon which service you use you can get a discount. I love the approx 30% off I get when I use Etsy shipping labels to ship First Class USPS.

Here are the carriers that partner with Etsy to provide shipping labels:

• Australia Post
• Canada Post
• FedEx
• Global Postal Shipping
• USPS
• Royal Mail

To purchase shipping labels on Etsy:

1. Sign in to Etsy.com and go to Shop Manager.
2. Go to Orders & Shipping.
3. Find the order you want to buy a shipping label for.
4. Select the icon of a van to purchase a shipping label.
5. Under Get shipping labels for, check that your address is correct. If you need to update your address, select Edit.
6. Under Ship to on the right side of the page, check that the buyer’s address is correct. If you need to update their address, select Edit.
7. In addition, fill out the Shipping information for the package. Learn more about shipping information.
8. If you’re shipping this order internationally, fill out the customs form.
9. Select Review your purchase to view a summary of your purchase.
10. In addition, confirm the documents you’d like to print. Select Customize options to specify a download preference for your label(s).
11. Select Purchase.

For instance, here’s how I get shipping labels on one of my orders, I use a label preset to save time:

Shipping internationally with Etsy shipping labels

You may find yourself getting comfortable with shipping within your country or region and then you receive an international order and you want to ensure every part of shipping is done correctly.

To make shipping internationally a smooth process, use Etsy shipping labels to ensure you have all the information necessary for your shipment. Here are some tips on shipping internationally with Etsy:

• In the USA, Asendia is a company that Etsy partners with to ship packages internationally. When you purchase a Global Postal Shipping label, you’ll print a USPS domestic shipping label addressed to the closest Asendia processing center. When the Global Postal Shipping Partner, Asendia receives your package from USPS, they replace the domestic shipping label with a USPS international shipping label or other national postal carrier addressed to your buyer, that label includes the customs information you’ve provided. They then send the package through the buyer’s country’s national postal carrier, who delivers the package to the buyer’s address. In addition, don’t be concerned if you don’t see the customs information on the label you print out. Asendia will add the needed global shipping information on the new label at it’s processing center.
• Global Postal Shipping labels are available for international orders up to 4 lbs
• When you purchase an international shipping label, the necessary customs forms will be provided to you. It’s your responsibility to ensure the required information is completed.
• Tariff numbers are required on any package entering the European Union (EU), therefore, if you are shipping to a country in the EU Etsy will prompt you to fill in the tariff number and suggest one to use.

#5 Don’t worry about reviews that are just based on shipping experience

You can flag reviews that are just based on shipping experience. Etsy will review and take them down when necessary. Etsy knows you don’t have control over shipping carriers and this shouldn’t be reflected in your shop rating.

In conclusion, Etsy tries to streamline the shipping component of running an Etsy shop. Etsy offers discounted shipping rates, they can also notify customers of major shipping delays by carriers. The more orders you ship both domestically and internationally, the more you grow confident in the process. In addition, if you need a place to stay organized and have a daily view of your to-do list, download this daily planner for Etsy shop owners, here. Try not to stress too much about shipping, it can be complicated at times; however, with these tips, you will grow in confidence with every order that you ship to your excited customers!