Etsy provides services to help sellers deliver their unique products to customers safely and promptly.

The Etsy Shipping Solutions outlines your shipping duties as an Etsy seller, including your legal rights and obligations when using Etsy’s shipping label services.

Here is a rundown of Etsy’s shipping policy.

Shipping Items

Etsy sellers should adequately pack and ship goods that customers have purchased.

As an Etsy seller, you’re also responsible for ensuring your customers receive their orders, whether or not you’re working with a shipping or fulfillment service.

You must also be able to offer sufficient proof of shipping if an order doesn’t arrive.

Proof of shipping must demonstrate that the shipping company dispatched the package to the address the Etsy buyer provided.

Buyers can open a case against your store if they don’t get their order.

Using Etsy Shipping Labels

Shipping Labels are available for Etsy sellers in the following locations:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • India
  • Australia

These sellers must also accept PayPal or Etsy Payments as payment methods.

You’re still responsible for accurate label application and fulfillment even if you use Etsy shipping labels.

Ensure you know each carrier’s additional requirements if you choose this method.

Shipping Return Labels

US Etsy sellers can purchase a USPS shipping return label from Etsy if they accept returns from customers and ship packages via USPS.

Shipping return labels are also available to US Etsy buyers who purchase items with registered Etsy accounts.

UPS shipping return labels are only available for packages shipped from and to addresses in the 50 U.S. states.

Shipping Insurance

Consider purchasing parcel insurance to safeguard your shipments when you use Etsy shipping labels.

Canada Post can insure shipping labels you buy from the postal operator. Meanwhile, you can insure labels you buy from FedEx and USPS through Shipsurance.

You can obtain parcel compensation through Royal Mail for shipping labels you buy from them.

Shipping Fees

A package’s weight, origin, mail class, dimensions, destination, and type will affect the price of the shipping label.

Fees are added to the total cost of the label if you add insurance, signature confirmation, or Royal Mail insurance.

Who Pays for the Shipping Costs on Etsy?

Customers often pay for shipping because it’s part of the product’s price. Most Etsy stores add a separate shipping fee to the cost of the item.

However, a recent update in the Etsy search algorithm gave free shipping guarantees for items that ship to the US and cost more than $35.

As a result, many Etsy stores provided free shipping for their goods. The actual item’s price would include the shipping expenses in those circumstances.

Although it may appear that the seller covers shipping costs, the Etsy customer is ultimately responsible for paying the shipping rates.

Why Use Etsy Shipping?

Here are some reasons why you should use Etsy shipping.

  • Etsy shipping costs less than using the post office. Etsy negotiates lower shipping rates with major carriers. Therefore, the cost of using Etsy Shipping is generally lower than going to the post office yourself.
  • You can track your package. Etsy provides you with a tracking number after you’ve printed your shipping label. The tracking number makes it easy to check the status of your parcel and estimate arrival time.
  • You’ll have proof of shipment. Etsy tracks when you print your shipping label, which can be helpful if there are any issues with delivery or the buyer claims they never received the item.

Setting up Your Shipping Profiles

Selecting your shipping carrier is the first step in shipping on Etsy.

Setting up delivery profiles is an excellent idea once you’ve decided on your preferred carrier or carriers for shipping with Etsy shipping labels.

You can designate these pre-set shipping options for your products so you won’t have to repeat the process.

You can also edit products in bulk and assign profiles to multiple products.

When you’re ready to start shipping your items, here’s how to set up your shipping profiles.

  1. Log in to your Etsy account.
  2. Go to the Shop Manager.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Click Delivery settings, then Delivery profiles.
  5. Select Add a delivery profile.
  6. Add your delivery details.
  7. Click Save.

Setting Your Shipping Time

The next step is to add your shipping timeframes to your profile and listings.

Setting your shipping time ensures buyers know how long it would take to receive the items they purchase.

Buyers want to know when they’ll receive their orders, so it’s crucial to include shipping time in your listings.

Here’s how to add shipping timeframes to your profiles:

  1. Log in to your Etsy account.
  2. Go to the Shop Manager.
  3. Go to Settings.
  4. Go to Shipping settings.
  5. Go to the Shipping profiles page.
  6. Choose an existing shipping profile you want to update or click Add profile.
  7. Fill out the shipping profile.
  8. Choose your processing time from the dropdown menu. Several options are available, from one business day to ten weeks.
  9. Choose the Create a profile option.

Here’s how to add your shipping timeframes to your Etsy listings.

  1. Go to the Shop Manager and choose Listings.
  2. Find an existing listing you want to edit or add a new listing.
  3. Locate the gear icon, then select Edit.
  4. Scroll down to find the Shipping section.
  5. Pick a shipping profile with the appropriate processing time.
  6. Click Publish.

Your Shipping Strategy

Your shipping strategy is how you’ll choose to ship your items based on several factors, including:

  • The type of item you’re selling
  • Its size and weight
  • Shipping destination
  • Arrival time
  • Shipping cost (international shipping applies when shipping overseas)

Free shipping is a fantastic way to entice buyers, but ensure it’s not affecting your profit margin.

Experiment with various shipping options to find what works best for you and your Etsy shop. With a little trial and error, you’ll be an Etsy shipping pro in no time!