Etsy is a global online marketplace that connects people looking for unique and creative goods with independent sellers from around the world. Etsy focuses on unique handcrafted pieces, vintage items, and craft supplies. Many artists also sell digitally downloaded items, such as art prints, stationery designs, and other printable documents.
So, you have created your Etsy account, added your unique products to your Etsy shop, managed to drive customers to your page through sophisticated marketing campaigns, and set up your shipping methods.
Etsy offers several tools to help streamline your delivery workflow, such as delivery profiles. You can use the same delivery settings for multiple listings with delivery profiles, saving time when adding new products to your shop.
Everything is now in place, and you have just made your first sale. Now it's time to ship those products to your customers as fast as possible.
The only thing missing is to create and print your Etsy shipping label. But how exactly do you do that?
Print shipping labels directly from your Etsy account
Sellers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia can purchase shipping labels directly through Etsy and then print them at home.
More specifically, you can purchase and print shipping labels for the following carriers:
· Australia Post
· Canada Post
· FedEx
· USPS
· Royal Mail
If you are not based in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, you have to purchase shipping labels directly through your preferred delivery carrier.
How much do shipping labels cost?
The cost of a shipping label will depend on the type, destination, weight, and dimensions of your package. When purchasing a shipping label from your Etsy account, you can preview its cost after adding the consignment's details. Etsy does not charge you any additional fees when purchasing shipping labels for the above carriers.
Global Postal Postage label
Besides the above carriers, Etsy has partnered with Asendia and offers sellers based in the US that receive payments through Etsy Payments or PayPal another option to ship internationally called Global Postal Postage labels.
When you purchase a Global Postal Postage label, you'll print a USPS domestic postage label addressed to the closest Asendia processing centre. When Asendia receives your package from USPS, they will replace the domestic postage label with a USPS international postage label or other national postal carrier addressed to your buyer. They then send the package through the buyer's country's national postal carrier, who delivers the package to the buyer's address.
Global Postal Postage labels are available for international orders up to 4 lbs (approximately 1.8 kg), and the necessary customs forms will be provided to you. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility to ensure the required information is completed.
Purchase your Etsy shipping labels
To buy shipping labels on Etsy, follow the next steps:
1. Go to Shop Manager.
2. Click Orders & Delivery.
3. Find the order you want to buy a shipping label for.
4. Click the icon of a van to purchase a shipping label.
5. Under Get postage labels for, check that your address is correct.
6. Under Deliver to, check that the buyer's address is correct.
7. Fill out the Delivery information for the package (package weight, package type, package dimensions, and delivery service).
8. If you're dispatching this order internationally, fill out the customs form.
9. Click Review your purchase to view a summary of your purchase.
10. Confirm the documents you'd like to print.
11. Click Customise options to specify a download preference for your shipping label.
12. Click Purchase.
After that, a dispatch notification will automatically be sent to your buyer, and your order will be marked as Complete.
If a buyer in the US wants to return an item, sellers in the US can purchase a USPS shipping label for them through Etsy. You can then send the return label directly to the buyer through a message on Etsy.
Choose the correct printer for your Etsy shipping labels
After you have purchased a shipping label, go to the respective order and click Download Postage Label to download and print a PDF containing the shipping label.
You can use your desktop printer to print your Etsy shipping labels. However, we strongly recommend a dedicated shipping label printer especially if you ship a large number of orders every day.
A shipping label printer is equipped with features designed to make your Etsy shipping label printing a fast, easy, and cost-efficient process; unlike your current all-in-one printing set-up, they are designed to do one thing and to do it well.
A shipping label printer prints durable, waterproof labels that are the right size, pre-cut, and ready to stick on your package. Furthermore, a label printer is much faster and more durable than your desktop printer and takes up less space on your desk.
This comprehensive guide on shipping label printers includes a list of the top shipping label printers in the market that will help you streamline your Etsy shipping process.
Key takeaways
Buying shipping labels directly from your Etsy account can be a very convenient solution if you are based in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia, and you only need to ship a small number of orders every day.
But as your order volume grows, buying shipping labels and filling customs documentation manually can be extremely time-consuming. And I am sure you would like to spend that time on other aspects of your business instead of on fulfilment, right?
Also, what if you need to use a different carrier, one not supported by Etsy, or you simply want your Etsy shipping labels and customs documentation to get generated and printed automatically when a customer places an order?
Use a shipping software solution
If you are looking for more options when printing your Etsy shipping labels, several shipping software solutions in the market will help you automate your e-commerce shipping process and save you time and money.
Shiptheory is a cloud-based shipping management solution that integrates fully with Etsy and allows you to automatically print your Etsy shipping labels and customs documentation and streamline your entire shipping process.
By connecting your Etsy shop to Shiptheory, you can choose from more than 45 direct carrier integrations, like Royal Mail, FedEx, DPD, USPS, and more, to ship your Etsy orders all around the world.
How can Shiptheory automate your Etsy shipping labels?
If you want to ship your unique handcrafted goods with the world's most popular carriers, then Shiptheory's shipping integration with Etsy is the perfect solution!
Shiptheory automatically imports your Etsy orders, so there is no need to upload orders via CSV or manually entering information for each order every time you make a sale. Also, you can have any messages that are added to the Message from Buyer field in your Etsy checkout page (such as "leave my parcel with the neighbour") automatically downloaded into Shiptheory in the Delivery Instructions field.
Then, Shiptheory's intelligent shipping rules engine will allow you to automate every step of your shipping process based on a combination of shipping destination, order weight, value, product SKU's, and more.
In addition, your Etsy shipping labels and customs documentation (if you are shipping internationally) are automatically printed, and shipment tracking information is sent back to your Etsy store and customers moments after an order is complete
If you sell online through Etsy, Shiptheory's shipping software will save you time and money so you can focus more on the creative side of your business and less on fulfilment.
What do I need to get started?
All you need to do is create a free Shiptheory account and have an active Etsy account.
If you want to start right away shipping your online orders, connecting your Etsy store to Shiptheory and creating your first shipping label is a matter of minutes, as you can see in this guide.
If you have any queries regarding our Etsy shipping integration, please do not hesitate to reach out to support. We are more than happy to answer your questions and give you a hand to get it up and running.
Otherwise, create a free Shiptheory account and start shipping smarter and faster today!
