If you’re located in the US or Canada and you ship your orders with the USPS, Global Postal Shipping, or Canada Post, you can use calculated shipping on Etsy. If you purchase shipping labels on Etsy, the package details from the order are automatically imported into the shipping label purchase page.
Setting up calculated shipping has several steps:
- Set up a shipping profile with calculated shipping
- Add size and weight information to your listings
- Add the calculated shipping profile to your listings
If an item is too big or too small to ship as a USPS, Global Postal Shipping, or Canada Post package, you can still set your own shipping rates later.
How does calculated shipping work?
Calculated shipping combines your location, the buyer’s location, and the item’s size and weight to generate shipping costs for orders.
If you enable calculated shipping for your listings, buyers can preview their shipping costs by entering either their zip/postal code or country. We default to the least expensive shipping method that is eligible for the total weight and dimensions of the item.
You’ll see all of the shipping 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 shipping profiles to set up calculated shipping:
To set up a calculated shipping profile:
- On Etsy.com, select Shop Manager.
- Choose Settings.
- Choose Shipping settings.
- Select Edit next to an existing profile or Add a shipping profile.
- Select Calculate them for me next to Shipping costs.
- Enter the origin zip/postal code where you’ll ship your orders from. Shipping rates will be calculated based on this location.
- Select a processing time.
- Confirm which countries you ship to. Your shop country is a required shipping destination, but you can add or remove other countries. To ship only to your shop country, remove the checkmark from All countries.
- Confirm which shipping services you’d like to offer.
- Choose if you’d like to offer free shipping.
- Choose if you’d like to add an optional handling fee.
- Name the shipping 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 shipping, 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 shipping profile to your listings:
- Select the checkbox on the listings you want to add this shipping profile to.
- Select Editing options.
- Choose Change shipping profiles.
- Select your shipping profile.
- Select Apply.
- When you’re ready, Choose Publish.
What are package preferences for Calculated Shipping?
If you use calculated shipping, 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 shipping label.
How is a package size selected for an order?
Calculated shipping 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 ship 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 Shipping 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 shipping 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 ship as a USPS, Global Postal Shipping, or Canada Post package?
If the item can’t be shipped as a USPS or Canada Post package, you can still manually add shipping 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 ships by letter mail instead of in a package
To manually add your shipping rates:
- From Listings in Shop Manager, select the listing that you want to change.
- When adding or editing the listing, scroll down to Shipping options.
- Select Enter custom shipping options.
- Next to Shipping costs, change Calculate them for me to I'll enter fixed costs manually.
- Enter your shipping details as normal.