If you’re located in the US or Canada and you deliver your orders with the USPS, Global Postal Delivery, or Canada Post, you can use calculated postage on Etsy. If you purchase postage labels on Etsy, the package details from the order are automatically imported into the postage label purchase page.
Setting up calculated postage has several steps:
- Set up a delivery profile with calculated postage
- Add size and weight information to your listings
- Add the calculated delivery profile to your listings
If an item is too big or too small to be sent as a USPS, Global Postal Delivery, or Canada Post package, you can still set your own postage rates later.
How does calculated postage work?
Calculated postage combines your location, the buyer’s location, and the item’s size and weight to generate postage costs for orders.
If you enable calculated postage for your listings, buyers can preview their postage costs by entering either their zip/post code or country. We default to the least expensive delivery method that is eligible for the total weight and dimensions of the item.
You’ll see all of the delivery details on both your Sold Orders and Receipt pages that show the package type, package dimensions, and package weight.
This video (in English) shows how to use delivery profiles to set up calculated postage:
To set up a calculated delivery profile:
- On Etsy.com, select Shop Manager.
- Choose Settings.
- Choose Delivery settings.
- Select Edit next to an existing profile or Add a delivery profile.
- Select Calculate them for me next to Postage costs.
- Enter the origin zip/post code where you’ll dispatched your orders from. Postage rates will be calculated based on this location.
- Select a processing time.
- Confirm which countries you deliver to. Your shop country is a required delivery destination, but you can add or remove other countries. To delivery only to your shop country, remove the checkmark from All countries.
- Confirm which delivery services you’d like to offer.
- Choose if you’d like to offer free delivery.
- Choose if you’d like to add an optional handling fee.
- Name the delivery profile.
- Select Create profile.
Accurate size and weight measurements of your items are needed in order for us to calculate the type of box that would be the best fit for them. The weight of the order combined with the size and weight of the box in which it will be placed determine your buyers' postage costs during checkout.
Etsy offers a list of default box sizes. You can also set up your own custom box sizes using package preferences. If you’d like to use your own box sizes exclusively, you can disable Etsy’s default sizes.
To add size and weight information:
- In Shop Manager, choose Listings.
- Select Quick Edit.
- In the listings where you want to use calculated postage, enter the weight of the item next to Item weight.
- Enter the size of the item after it’s been prepared for packaging but not yet packaged (for example: folded, but not boxed) next to Item size (when packed).
- Choose Exit quick edit.
Last, add the calculated delivery profile to your listings:
- Select the checkbox on the listings you want to add this delivery profile to.
- Select Editing options.
- Choose Change delivery profiles.
- Select your delivery profile.
- Select Apply.
- When you’re ready, Choose Publish.
What are package preferences for Calculated Postage?
If you use calculated postage, Etsy calculates the box size needed for your order. To see a list of the default Etsy packages and their dimensions select the ? next to Use common Etsy package sizes.
If enabled, Etsy automatically calculates the type of box to place the order in from among your preferences and Etsy’s default sizes.
Custom package preferences you set up can also be selected when purchasing a postage label.
How is a package size selected for an order?
Calculated postage automatically calculates the smallest and cheapest package to use for each order based on the selected mail class and the total weight and dimensions for the order.
If you send your items using box sizes other than the default Etsy box sizes, you can add your prefered box sizes under in Package preferences:
- On Etsy.com, choose Shop Manager.
- Choose Settings.
- Choose Delivery settings.
- Select the Package preferences tab.
- Choose Add a package preference.
- You can choose a pre-populated Package type, or select Custom if your preferred box size isn’t included.
- For US sellers, you can add an optional Package fee. This fee will be applied to an order when this package preference is used, regardless of the number of items in the order. The package fee is in addition to any handling fees that you set as part of your calculated delivery profiles.
- Choose Save.
Once you add your package preferences you will have the option whether or not to use common Etsy package sizes in addition to the preferences that you set. You can uncheck Use common Etsy package sizes to only use the preference you add.
If the item size is greater than any of the preferences you’ve set up, we’ll use the item’s dimensions as the package size.
For sellers in Canada, package fees and pre-populated package types are not available.
What if I list an item too big or too small to be sent as a USPS, Global Postal Delivery, or Canada Post package?
If the item can’t be sent as a USPS or Canada Post package, you can still manually add postage rates.
There are a few reasons sellers might choose to do this:
- The package is bigger than the carrier's maximum dimensions (furniture, for example)
- The item is delivered by letter mail instead of in a package
To manually add your postage rates:
- From Listings in Shop Manager, select the listing that you want to change.
- When adding or editing the listing, scroll down to Delivery options.
- Select Enter custom delivery options.
- Next to Postage cost, change Calculate them for me to I'll enter fixed costs manually.
- Enter your delivery details as normal.