Our House Rules

Get to know Etsy's legal terms and policies

Our House Rules

Shipping Policy

Etsy offers a variety of services to make it easier for sellers to get their one-of-a-kind items into the hands of buyers quickly and securely. This Shipping Policy explains your shipping obligations as a seller and your rights and responsibilities when using Etsy’s shipping labels services.

This policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening an Etsy shop, you're agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use.

1. Shipping Your Items
2. Shipping Labels on Etsy
3. Shipping Return Labels
4. Shipping Insurance
5. Fees
6. API

1. Shipping Your Items

Sellers are responsible for packaging and shipping their sold items to buyers. If you're using a shipping or fulfillment service, please keep in mind that you are ultimately responsible for making sure that your buyers receive their orders.

By selling on Etsy, you agree to:

A. Provide an accurate "ships from" address.
B. Specify your shipping costs and processing times in your listings.
C. Ship items promptly after they are sold. Prompt shipping means that you ship each item within 30 days of purchase, unless you specify otherwise in your processing time or agree to a different shipping period with the buyer through Messages. Before you update your processing time for a specific order, you must first obtain your buyer’s consent.
D. Comply with all local and international shipping and customs regulations. We know that shipping and customs regulations can be tough to read, so check out these Help articles on international shipping using United States Postal Service (USPS), FedEx, UPS, Canada Post, Royal Mail, Evri, Australia Post, and Global Postal Shipping.
E. Ship to the address listed on the Etsy receipt.
F. Mark the order as shipped when you ship it, or use a shipping label purchased on Etsy, which automatically marks your order as shipped. Remember that you may only mark an order as shipped after you actually have shipped it. When you mark an order as shipped, the buyer will receive a notification.
G. Charge an appropriate amount for shipping. US and Canadian sellers may be able to use calculated shipping to have shipping costs calculated automatically. H. By entering tracking information or delivery confirmation on Etsy, you're giving us permission to collect and share this data received from your chosen shipping carrier with the buyer.

In the unlikely event an order does not arrive, be prepared to provide valid proof of shipping. Valid proof of shipping must show that the item actually was shipped and that it was sent to the address provided by the buyer on Etsy. If a buyer does not receive their order, they may file a case against your shop. Please see this Help article to learn more about Etsy's case system.

But don't fret, Etsy offers support for sellers who meet our requirements for the Etsy Purchase Protection program for sellers. Read more about Etsy's Purchase Protection program for sellers here.

2. Shipping Labels on Etsy

Sellers in the United States, Canada, UK, and Australia who accept Etsy Payments or PayPal as a payment method are able to purchase Shipping Labels on Etsy.

By purchasing and using Shipping Labels on Etsy, you agree that:

A. All shipping labels will only be used to ship corresponding Etsy orders.
B. Shipping labels may not be transferred or sold to a third party.
C. You are fully responsible for the contents of any parcels you ship using Shipping Labels on Etsy. In addition to Etsy’s policies, you agree to comply with the terms and conditions and any other policies or rules imposed by the carrier you use to ship your items.
D. Shipping services are provided by the applicable third party shipping partner and/or carrier, not Etsy, and you are responsible to review, accept and abide by the applicable shipping partner’s and carrier's terms and conditions, including their privacy policy, in connection with your use of their services. Etsy is not liable or responsible for any issues you may have with a carrier’s services and you should contact the applicable carrier as needed. In addition, Etsy is not responsible for any issues you may encounter while items you ship using Shipping Labels on Etsy are in transit. That means that if an item is lost, damaged, or arrives later than expected, you will have no recourse against Etsy, regardless of Etsy’s involvement in resolving the issue. Please review the applicable carrier’s terms and conditions for more information on how they handle parcels that are lost, damaged, or delayed.
E. Etsy reserves the right to remove your access to and ability to purchase Shipping Labels on Etsy at any time and for any reason. F. You acknowledge and consent to Etsy sharing your information with your chosen shipping partner and shipping carrier in order to complete your requested transaction subject to our Privacy Policy.

USPS Labels

US sellers can purchase USPS postage on Etsy to fulfill their orders. By using USPS postage, you agree to comply with the USPS rules and USPS Privacy Statement.

Sellers may request a refund for USPS postage within 10 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. USPS reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers once a request is approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a USPS shipping label, please take a look at this Help article.

UPS Labels

US sellers can purchase UPS postage on Etsy to fulfill their orders. By using UPS postage, you agree to comply with the applicable UPS rules, UPS List of Prohibited and Restricted Items, UPS Technology Agreement, UPS Ground Saver Terms and UPS Privacy Statement.

Sellers may request a refund for UPS postage within 14 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. UPS reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers once a request is approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a UPS shipping label, please take a look at this Help article.

FedEx Labels

US sellers can purchase FedEx shipping labels (including FedEx SmartPost) on Etsy to fulfill their orders. By using FedEx shipping labels, you agree to comply with the FedEx Service Guide.

Sellers may request a refund for FedEx shipping labels within 10 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Etsy processes refund requests, and we will notify sellers after their request has been approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a FedEx shipping label, please check out this Help article.

If you are using FedEx SmartPost, you must file claims for liability coverage for FedEx SmartPost shipping labels on Etsy for eligibility. See additional applicable FedEx SmartPost Terms. FedEx will not be liable for FedEx SmartPost claims filed directly with FedEx. For more information on how to file a claim for a FedEx SmartPost shipping label, please check out this Help Article. All other liability coverage claims should be filed on fedex.com/claims.

Canada Post Labels - Solutions for Small Business

Sellers can purchase Canada Post shipping labels on Etsy with a valid Solutions for Small Business account only. Most Etsy sellers should qualify for a Solutions for Small Business account, but eligibility is determined by Canada Post and is not guaranteed. By using Canada Post shipping labels, you agree to comply with Canada Post rules.

Sellers may request a refund for Canada Post shipping labels within 15 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Canada Post reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers after a request has been approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a Canada Post shipping label, please take a look at this Help article.

Royal Mail Labels

UK sellers can purchase Royal Mail postage on Etsy to fulfill their orders. By using Royal Mail postage, you agree to comply with the Royal Mail Etsy Program rules including Royal Mail Restricted and Prohibited Goods, and the UK Government Webpage on “Shipping Dangerous Goods”.

UK sellers acknowledge and agree that any Royal Mail Trademarks © and Trademarks of Royal Mail Group Ltd displayed on Etsy.com or in any Etsy communication may not be copied or reproduced in any way, without the further written permission of Royal Mail.

UK sellers may request a refund for Royal Mail postage within 14 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Royal Mail reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers once a request is approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a Royal Mail shipping label, please take a look at this Help article. For more information on how to file a claim for a lost or damaged package with Royal Mail, please take a look at this Help article.

Evri Labels

UK sellers can purchase Evri postage on Etsy to fulfill their orders. By using Evri postage, you agree to comply with the Evri Send Terms and Conditions including Evri Prohibited Items, and the UK Government web page on “Shipping Dangerous Goods”.

UK sellers may request a refund for Evri postage within 14 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Evri reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers once a request is approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a Evri shipping label, please take a look at this Help article. For more information on how to file a claim for a lost or damaged package with Evri, please take a look at this Help article.

Australia Post Labels

By using Australia shipping labels, you agree to comply with the applicable Australia Post's Terms & Conditions.

Sellers may request a refund for Australia Post shipping labels within 14 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Australia Post reviews refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers after a request has been approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a Australia Post shipping label, please take a look at this Help article. For more information on how to file a claim for a lost or damaged package with Australia Post, please take a look at this Help article.

Global Postal Shipping

US sellers can purchase Global Postal Shipping postage on Etsy to fulfill international orders (“Global Postal Shipping Postage”). Global Postal Shipping Postage is fulfilled by Asendia through one of their national postal partners. By using Global Postal Shipping Postage, you agree to comply with the applicable Asendia Terms & Conditions, which will depend on the destination of your package. To learn more about Global Postal Shipping please take a look at this Help Article.

For qualifying orders, Sellers may request a refund for a Global Postal Shipping Postage within 10 days of creating a label, as long as the label has not been used to ship a package. Carrier will review refund requests, and Etsy will notify sellers once a request is approved or denied. For more information on how to cancel and request a refund for a Global Postal Shipping Postage shipping label, please take a look at this Help article.

3. Shipping Return Labels

U.S. Sellers who accept returns from buyers and ship packages using USPS, can purchase a USPS shipping return label on Etsy. Shipping return labels are available for packages purchased by U.S. buyers who made the purchase as a registered Etsy user. USPS shipping return labels are available for packages shipped from and to addresses in the 50 U.S. states only (currently labels are not available for APO/DPO/FPO military addresses or U.S. territories). For more information on how to purchase a USPS shipping return label, please take a look at this Help article.

4. Shipping Insurance

When you purchase and use Shipping Labels on Etsy, you can purchase parcel insurance, when available, to protect your shipments. Insurance is available through Shipsurance for USPS and FedEx shipping labels and through Canada Post for shipping labels purchased from Canada Post. Parcel compensation is available through Royal Mail for shipping labels purchased from Royal Mail.

Shipsurance Insurance

You may purchase parcel insurance from Shipsurance Insurance Services, Inc. for packages that are shipped using USPS, FedEx, or Global Postal Shipping labels. If you choose to purchase insurance from Shipsurance, you agree to the Shipsurance Coverage Rules.

If you purchased parcel insurance from Shipsurance for a USPS shipping label and need to file a claim, please check out this Help article. To file a Shipsurance claim for a FedEx shipping label, please have a look at this Help article. To file a Shipsurance claim for a Global Postal Shipping shipping label, please have a look at this Help article.

Canada Post Insurance

You may purchase parcel insurance from Canada Post for packages that are shipped using Canada Post shipping labels. Insurance claims for packages sent using Canada Post labels are handled exclusively by Canada Post.

If you purchased parcel insurance from Canada Post and need to file a claim, please check out this Help article.

Royal Mail Compensation

All Royal Mail delivery services offer inclusive compensation at different levels. When selecting the Royal Mail service, make sure you check the compensation level is right for the value of the item you are sending. Compensation claims for packages sent using Royal Mail labels are handled exclusively by Royal Mail.

If you purchased parcel compensation from Royal Mail and need to file a claim, please check out this Help article.

Australia Post Insurance

You may purchase parcel insurance from Australia Post for packages that are shipped using Australia Post shipping labels. Insurance claims for packages sent using Australia Post labels are handled exclusively by Australia Post.

If you purchased parcel compensation from Australia Post and need to file a claim, please check out this Help article.

5. Fees

The cost of a shipping label will depend on the origin, destination, weight, mail class, package type, and dimensions of the package. If you add signature confirmation, insurance, or Royal Mail parcel compensation, fees will be added to the total cost of the label at the point of purchase. All fees for USPS, FedEx, UPS, Canada Post, Royal Mail, Australia Post and Global Postal Shipping labels, and Shipsurance, Canada Post parcel insurance, Royal Mail parcel compensation, and Australia Post parcel insurance will appear separately on your payment account and will specify the name of the service provider and the shipping label number. The fees for shipping labels and shipping insurance will appear in US Dollars (USD), unless specified below.

If you purchase Canada Post shipping labels, the cost of each shipping label, taxes, and parcel insurance will appear separately on your payment account. When you purchase a Canada Post label, the fees will appear in Canadian Dollars (CAD) and US Dollars (USD) in the total cost summary. All final label charges will be listed on your payment account in CAD.

If you purchase Royal Mail or Evri shipping labels, the cost of each shipping label, taxes, and parcel compensation will appear separately on your payment account. When you purchase a Royal Mail or Evri label, the fees will appear in British Pounds (GBP). All final label charges will be listed on your payment account in GBP.

If you purchase Australia Post shipping labels, the cost of each shipping label, taxes, and parcel insurance will appear separately on your payment account. When you purchase an Australia Post label, the fees will appear in Australian Dollars (AUD). All final label charges will be listed on your payment account in AUD.

Please see the Fees and Payments Policy for additional information.

6. API

Third parties using Etsy's API are subject to our API Terms of Use.

Last updated on Mar 28, 2024