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Although considering your shipping process may not be the most exciting part of starting your Etsy store, it is vitally important to your success. Your shipping policies and practices can make or break your Etsy shop! Too many new sellers become intimidated and overwhelmed by trying to figure out a shipping strategy – from calculating their own shipping time to what they will charge for shipping. Many even end up losing money while trying to figure out the best way to ship! That’s why today, we will delve into all aspects of shipping on Etsy so that you can feel confident about setting up your own shipping profiles asap!
What is a shipping policy on Etsy?
As a shop owner on Etsy, your shipping policy basically outlines what the buyer can expect with regard to shipping if they purchase your item. Some aspects of the shipping policy include:
- When the buyer can expect to receive the item if ordered today (this doesn’t have to be an exact date, it may look something like “April 14th – April 19th” as this date range will combine processing time + shipping time to provide an estimate)
- Are returns and exchanges accepted on this item?
- What is the cost to ship the item?
- Where is the item shipping from?
- Any deals that the buyer can take advantage of (ie. “Free shipping guarantee on orders over $35”)
What is processing time?
Processing time refers to the time that it takes for you, the seller, to make or prepare the item for shipping. This time is going to vary depending on the product that you sell (for example, the processing time for a custom art piece will likely be much greater than for a vintage brooch. The brooch is already created and ready to ship!) It is important to allow yourself a realistic and accurate processing time based on how long it will actually take you to create the product. It is better to under-promise and over-deliver in this scenario – you’d rather your buyers receive the product sooner than expected than have to wait longer than you stated in your policy. Delayed shipping is a major contributor to negative reviews
How do I calculate the cost of shipping?
The cost of shipping will need to take into account postage price along with the cost of any materials necessary for packing and shipping your package. Several factors will come into play when determining postage price, including:
- The item’s weight (Heavier items will cost much more than lighter items)
- Size / shape of the product (Small items will be cheaper than larger ones)
- Package type (ie. box vs. padded envelope)
- Desired delivery date (ie. Priority Mail Express will be more expensive than regular Priority Mail, but will also get your package to its destination much sooner!)
- Location that you’re shipping to/from
One convenient way to estimate postage costs is to use USPS’s postage price calculator. You can simply input the item’s weight / dimensions, your zip code, and the purchaser’s zip code to see all of your options for various mail services. If you plan on doing much shipping at all, it’s a good idea to purchase your own scale (I like this one!) so that you can weigh your products accurately.
Another option to consider is flat rate shipping. Flat rate shipping allows your to pay a single, “flat rate” price as long as your item can be shipped in a box of a particular size.
Since calculated shipping may not always be accurate, you can also make a trip to your local post office with your product to determine exactly what the cost will be. If your business consists of selling primarily similar items, then you may be in the clear once you have shipping costs established from the beginning!
How do I calculate delivery time?
Delivery time will depend heavily on where you’re shipping your item and which mail service you select. Obviously, if you live in the United States and are shipping to another state, delivery time will be much quicker than if you are providing international shipping. When configuring delivery time, you also want to consider factors that may be out of your control (ie. delays with the postal service.)
This is why it is very important to clearly state shipping details in your policies and within your item descriptions, especially if the item is likely to be a time-sensitive purchase (ie. items for weddings/events, seasonal items). During the holidays, it may be important to specify that any orders placed X number of business days before Christmas may not be delivered in time.
How do I ensure that packages arrive safely?
Packaging is another area where customer satisfaction is paramount. If you are shipping fragile items, expect that you will need to take extra care to ensure that they remain in tact throughout the shipping process. You may need to invest in bubble wrap, tissue paper, plastic wrap, or other supplies to protect your product. Unfortunately, this can sometimes involve some trial and error as you learn about any packaging blunders from Etsy buyer feedback. In the event that you have items that break during shipping, parcel insurance through your shipping provider can be very beneficial!
It’s also important to calculate the cost of your needed shipping supplies in your own shipping rates (ie. if you know that specific items may require more extensive packaging materials, you may need to increase the shipping costs on these items to offset your expenses).
Should I offer free shipping?
This is a difficult question! It has been said in the past that Etsy does “reward” shops that offer free shipping. However, sometimes this is just not feasible for your profit margin. In reality, most sellers offset their “free shipping” by increasing the overall price of their product. In this scenario, it really just depends on your own information (such as your competitors’ prices and their shipping settings) to determine whether it’s a good idea to offer free shipping.
What are Etsy shipping profiles?
Once you have found the “sweet spot” for a certain product, Etsy shipping profiles allow you to save that shipping information to easily access when adding a new product to your shop. For example, maybe you have perfected the price and shipping time for necklaces sold in your shop. You might then save an Etsy shipping profile as “necklaces” so that any time you add a new necklace to your Etsy shop you will be able to simply pull the shipping information from that profile rather than using brain power to re-calculate it!
Should I use Etsy shipping labels?
Using Etsy’s shipping labels can be incredibly convenient! They are available to all Etsy sellers and can help you qualify for purchase protection. Wondering how to access shipping labels?
- Log in to your Etsy account
- Go to your “shop manager”
- Go to “Orders and Shipping” and then select the Etsy orders for which you would like to print shipping labels
- Purchase & print shipping label for use! If you plan on doing a lot of printing, you may even want to invest in a label printer.
In Summary…
Hopefully you feel ready to ship packages on Etsy like a pro! Make sure that you have a thorough shipping section in your shop that explains your policies, your stance on returns/exchanges, any shipping upgrades available (and their extra cost), along with estimated processing/delivery time. Transparency is key when it comes to customer satisfaction with your packaging/shipping. Rather than being intimidated by shipping, consider it a time to shine and really go the extra mile as a small business owner.
And if shipping is REALLY not your thing, you could always consider selling digital products or using a fulfillment service (ie. print on demand) where the shipping is taken care of for you! Check out our post on Etsy and print on demand!