Seller Handbook

Having a clear shipping strategy is essential to ensure the best experience possible for both you and your buyers. Use this checklist to help get your shop in shape for fulfilling holiday orders with our favorite shipping tools and best practices.

Make sure your processing times and order processing schedules are up to date

Accurate delivery dates are an important factor for shoppers when deciding to make a purchase. Based on your listing’s processing time and shipping profile information - which includes shipping services like carrier and mail class, and zip code - we’ll show shoppers an estimated delivery date range of when their items should arrive. This can help them feel more confident when making a purchase, and make it easier to manage your orders and reduce the volume of messages you receive from customers.

• Just like a shipping profile lets you assign shipping details to multiple listings, processing profiles let you set a processing time for multiple listings or multiple variations. Your processing profiles will either have a “Ready to Ship” or “Made to Order” label based on your listing details.
  • Make sure to set your processing times accurately for each of your variations if processing time differs between them.
  • Consider pre-making popular styles and setting a lower processing time to let buyers know some items can ship and arrive more quickly.

• You can also customize your order processing schedule by choosing when you process orders. The schedule you set determines which days to include or skip in your processing time automatically, so your ship-by dates and delivery dates are more accurate.

• If you’ve added shipping services like expedited shipping to your listings or shipping profiles, we'll adjust the estimated delivery date shown to buyers pre-purchase with more accurate info based on carrier information. We’ll also let them know if the shipping carrier you’re using is experiencing delays that may extend their estimated delivery date once their order is en route. Review your shipping profiles.

Ship your orders on time, by the ship-by date, with tracking

Shipping your orders by their ship-by date is an important step in building—and maintaining—buyer confidence. When you complete your order, be sure to set an accurate ship date that matches when you plan to hand your package off to a carrier.

It’s important to avoid marking your order as complete before you hand the package off to the carrier, as this can cause buyers to assume the package will arrive earlier than it will, which may disappoint customers during this critical period.

Only mark an order as complete once the package is handed off to the carrier and make sure to add tracking information for an excellent customer service experience. Keep in mind that for an order to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection, you must include valid tracking.

Pro tip: When you purchase shipping labels on Etsy, tracking is included (when available) and your order is marked as complete automatically!

Keep your buyers in the know

If an order is running behind schedule, keep your buyers in the loop so they know when to expect it. Use the Etsy Seller App to communicate directly to your buyers about potential delays and update your ship-by dates to reflect delays on the go.

We’re also making it easier to keep buyers updated after they’ve purchased, with automated post-purchase updates like order confirmations, shipment, and delivery notifications built right into Messages. That way, your customers stay in the loop, and you get more time back in your day.

Appeal to last-minute gift shoppers

Another way to appeal to last-minute shoppers is by offering shipping upgrades. Shipping upgrades allow shoppers to pay for expedited shipping during checkout. In a 2023 Etsy analysis, we saw about a 32% increase in shoppers using shipping upgrades to expedite their order around Christmas!

Pro tip: Pre-making some of your most popular items and setting lower processing times lets your shop appeal to last-minute shoppers looking for ready-to-ship inventory later into the shopping season!

Save with discounted shipping labels

Purchasing shipping labels on Etsy is the preferred option for many sellers because they’re easy to buy and print from Shop Manager, and when you use Etsy Labels, your order is marked as shipped automatically (and tracking is included automatically as well, when available!). You can access discounted rates and view all available options directly through Etsy. Learn more here.

Take advantage of our preferred fulfillment partners

We’ve built ongoing partnerships with trusted shipping services around the world—so you can manage and ship your orders more efficiently, no matter where you sell. These preferred partners are designed to help you save time, access competitive rates, and simplify fulfillment across e-commerce platforms.

Our partners include leading services like ShipStation and Shippo in the US, Chit Chats in Canada, ShipEntegra in Türkiye, Sendcloud and Billbee in Germany, and Sendcloud and Packlink in France. We continue to expand our list of preferred partners in new regions to give sellers more flexibility and options that fit their business needs.

Learn more about our preferred fulfillment partners and regional options here.

Stay up to date on shipping carrier cutoff dates and holiday surcharges

Carriers have deadlines that packages must be shipped by to arrive by Christmas. Many carriers also make shipping rate adjustments so they can continue delivering the best service. Staying informed about these cutoffs and surcharges helps you plan ahead and avoid unexpected costs. Review the latest carrier deadlines and rate updates here.

Know that Etsy has your back on carrier delays

The influx of packages being shipped during the holidays can sometimes cause carrier delays. Our estimated delivery dates take into account seasonal fluctuations in carrier transit times. If a major carrier is experiencing extreme delays, Etsy may make adjustments to estimated delivery dates to help give shoppers a more accurate estimate of when their order will arrive. We also communicate delays to affected customers, letting them know packages may arrive late because shipping carriers—not Etsy sellers—are experiencing delays.

We also know shipping can be especially challenging with changing global trade policies. For tips on managing these complexities, check out our article on Navigating Evolving Global Tariff Policies.

The Etsy team is here to support you this holiday season and wishes you the best. As always, you can get 24/7 live support for most topics in the Etsy Help Center. We’re adding 100 more specialists to our support team so you can get faster resolutions during this critical time. We’re also expanding access to chat in Shop Manager, so you can connect with us even more seamlessly. Make sure to bookmark this list for easy reference!

Plus, this holiday season we’re increasing Etsy Purchase Protection for sellers by covering refunds on qualifying orders up to $500 USD—double our regular coverage of up to $250 USD.* Get more information on how it works here.

* Qualifying orders based on criteria outlined as part of Etsy’s Purchase Protection program. Orders placed from November 1, 2025 at 12am ET through December 31, 2025 at 11:59pm ET that are up to $500 USD (or local equivalent) and meet all other eligibility criteria will qualify for Etsy to cover the cost of refunds if a buyer doesn’t receive their order, it arrives damaged, or it doesn’t arrive within the seller’s estimated delivery dates.