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Note: All screenshots and setting data was taken from the US version of the Etsy dashboard.
Unless you are only selling digital items, then you have dealt with shipping packages to your customers. Today we are going to dive into shipping settings details and provide a few other related tips.
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Etsy Shipping Profiles
Creating shipping profiles on your Etsy shop will save time when creating listings. It’s also a great way to make changes to the shipping parameters of multiple listings.
To create a shipping profile, in your Etsy Shop Manager click on the settings icon on the bottom of the left side navigation pane followed by shipping settings. Here you will find the shipping profiles dashboard. Click create profile in the upper right corner to begin creating your shipping profile.
A popup will appear where you will need to add the appropriate information and provide a name for the shipping profile.
First you will need to choose between Calculated and Fixed pricing. When you select Calculate them for me Etsy will calculate shipping prices for the package based on the buyer’s zip code and the package details. This gets added to the order total.
When you choose I’ll Enter Fixed Prices Manually you will need to enter the amount you will be charging for any packages associated with this shipping profile. This option is great if you need to charge shipping but want to entice buyers with a reasonable flat rate price.
Once you choose how you want pricing set, you will need to go through the rest of the fields. Everything in this popup is a required field except for Free Shipping and Handling Fee. These are optional but can be used if you provide free shipping for orders using this shipping profile, or charge a handling fee.
If you choose to set fixed prices for shipping, you will have the ability to provide your buyers with shipping upgrade options that you can upcharge for.
Free Shipping Guarantee (For US Buyers Only)
As many of you know, Etsy is big on free shipping. They have a program called “Free Shipping Guarantee”. This program provides shops who offer free shipping on orders over $35 with priority placement in search. This means that listings meeting the criteria will place higher in search than relevant listings that don’t meet those criteria.
Under the free shipping guarantee tab there is a tool to allow you to bulk reprice your products to compensate for your free shipping offer. To use this tool, click Start Repricing to open a popup where you can enter a dollar amount to raise your prices by. If you want to reprice items individually, you can click the radio button for Keep Current Prices then click review and edit.
On the next screen you will be able to filter your items by category and shipping profile, and you will have the option to modify each items price individually.
Package Preferences
If you find yourself using the same few package sizes frequently, you may benefit from adding the packaging details in this section. Here you can add and name custom package dimensions to use for calculated shipping. In addition to creating custom package sizes, you can also select from common package sizes for the carrier.
To create a custom package preference, select Package Preferences at the top of the Shipping Settings page, then select Custom from the dropdown menu, the package preference a name, and then add the dimensions and click Save. You can add additional package preferences by clicking Add a Package Preference.
Rates and Upgrades
Under the rates and upgrades tab, you will see the option to choose between Post Office Retail Rates and Etsy Shipping Label Rates. You may be wondering what the difference is and why you would choose one over the other. These options choose what shipping price is charged to the customer. Post Office Retail Rates are the rates that would be charged to ship the package from the Post Office counter. Whereas Etsy Shipping Label Rates are the price that an Etsy seller pays for a shipping label due to the commercial relationship Etsy has built with the Postal Service.
The only real difference between these two options is the price the customer is charged for shipping. Choosing the retail rates allows you some wiggle room to offset some of the packaging costs or fees. Choosing Etsy shipping labels passes on the commercial savings to your customers. Also, Etsy Shipping Labels bump the weight limit on First Class packages from 13oz to 16oz.
Below the rates options, you will see that you have the choice between enabling and disabling shipping upgrades. This lets you decide whether you will allow the option for buyers to upgrade their shipping service.
Shipping Label Options
At the top of this page, you will find the address fields where you can make changes to how your from address is displayed on your labels.
You can also modify the shipping zip code independent of your shop’s address if you are shipping packages from a zip code that differs from the one associated with your shop. This can be useful if you are traveling, but still shipping packages.
Below the from address, you can modify your preferences for your shipping labels.
Download Labels
Here you can select how your label is downloaded and printed. If you are using a traditional printer, you can select between one or two labels per page. If you use a dedicated 4×6 label printer, you can select that option.
Pre-Filled Calculated Shipping Labels
This pre-populates mail class, weight, and dimensions on calculated shipping labels based on those fields from the item listing. If something changes before you purchase the label, you can make edits to those fields before purchasing and printing the label.
USPS Customs Form Signature
If you are shipping an international package through the USPS, you are required to sign and date the label for customs. Here you can choose between having your signature and the date added when you are printing the label or not. This can be a time saver if you are shipping a lot of international packages.
International Customs Form
By default, Etsy adds your listing title to the customs form as the item description. You can also choose to type a custom description to use across all international shipping labels.
Default Label Preset
This simply lets you choose which of your shipping profiles are used as the default when purchasing labels. If you find that you frequently sell items that use a particular shipping profile, you might consider setting that as your default.
Printing Shipping Labels
Unless you are getting your shipping labels at your carrier’s drop off location, you are going to need to print shipping labels for your packages. There are a few ways to achieve this, some better than others. Let’s look at a few common options:
Print Cut and Tape
This method requires the least amount of equipment and doesn’t rely on any special paper. Whether you’ve been selling online for years, or just started, you have probably used this method. Simply print your shipping labels on standard printer paper, cut them out, and tape them on to your package.
Adhesive Label Sheets
A quick trip to your local office supply store, or online search will show you that there are plenty of options for adhesive label sheets that conveniently fit in your inkjet or LaserJet printer. Many of these sheets are 8.5×11” and are split in the middle giving you’re the ability to print two labels to a sheet.
Thermal Label Printer
While it may not be in every shop’s budget, it is one of the quickest and most efficient ways to print your shipping labels. They are useful if you are printing many labels at a time. These are specialized printers that use heat to print onto thermally activated labels. They are often fed from rolls which is why they are so great for continuous printing. Another benefit is that if you need to print other documents, you won’t need to continually swap out paper.
Using Other Carriers with Etsy
For shops based in the US, you can purchase shipping labels for both USPS and Fed Ex directly through Etsy. However, if you would like to use another carrier, like UPS for example, you have that option as well.
Your first option for doing this would be to go to a retail location for the carrier of your choice like The UPS Store. Purchase a label at drop off, which would require you closing out your order manually on Etsy and providing the tracking information.
Another more streamlined option would be to use a third-party shipping integration like Pirate Ship. Using a product like Pirate Ship gives you a range of shipping options at discounted prices. Since they offer integration with your Etsy shop, you can easily import your order data to quickly buy labels. Then once you purchase a label, Pirate Ship automatically closes your Etsy order on your behalf and provides tracking information.
Want to see all of your currently shipped packages at-a-glance? eRank’s delivery status report will provide you with a sortable report for all of your recent Etsy shippments.
Get Those Packages Shipped
As you might expect, shipping is handled differently all around the world. The data and information above are based on carriers and shops shipping from the US. While many of the features and settings within Etsy function the same outside of the US, keep these tips in mind.
We hope that the information above was helpful and provided some additional insight into all things shipping on Etsy. Do you have any tips you think might help other sellers? Let us know over on the eRank Facebook group.