How Long does Etsy take to Ship? 

Etsy is a popular platform for buying and selling handmade and vintage goods. It’s safe to buy from, but many people want to know before ordering; how long does it take for goods purchased on Etsy to ship?

 

Let’s look at the common questions and how to determine how quickly your order will ship.

 

 

How long does it take for Etsy to ship?

Products ordered on Etsy take between 1 – 5 days to ship within the US, plus the seller’s processing time. How long it takes for an Etsy item to be prepared to ship will depend on the individual seller. Most sellers process orders within a week, however, some require several weeks.

 

How long an Etsy order takes to arrive will depend on where the seller lives, where the item is shipping to, the postal carrier the seller uses, and the seller’s processing time. 

 

When an item is purchased, Etsy will automatically calculate an estimated delivery date to give buyers a better indication of when they will receive their order. 

 

 

What does estimated delivery date mean?

Etsy’s estimated delivery date is the seller’s processing time + the carrier’s transit time + 1 day. 

 

A) Processing Time

Each seller will require a different number of days to process an order. This time may increase or decrease depending on factors such as customization, made-to-order, how many orders a seller receives in a week, how often they go to the post office, etc. 

 

Customization

If an Etsy seller allows customization, it may increase processing time since changes to a product must be made after a purchase is made. Customization may be as simple as stamping initials on a product, or it may impact the entire product. The level of customization will influence processing time. 

Made-to-order

Some Etsy sellers don’t make an item until they receive an order. The more complex an item is to make, the longer the processing time will be. 

Seller’s Sales

If the Etsy seller receives several sales each day or week, that can increase the processing time. They’ll process orders in the order they receive them. So if there are ten orders in the queue, the seller may have a longer processing time. 

Post Office Frequency

Processing time includes the time it takes a seller to package a shipment and how long it takes them to get it into a courier’s hands. If the seller doesn’t live close to a post office or only sends shipments out one day per week, that can increase processing times. 

 

 

B) Carrier Transit Time

Once an Etsy seller packages an order and drops it off at a post office or has it picked up by a courier, shipment times are out of their hands. Etsy sellers can choose which postal service they use, but they can’t control how fast the postal service moves their parcel from one location to the next. 

Some Etsy sellers will offer expedited shipping for an additional cost, which will speed up shipping. Carrier transit time will increase during busy times of the year, such as the holidays. Weather and other world events can also influence how long shipping takes. 

Below are some approximate shipping times for popular origin and destination locations and courier services. 

 

How long does Etsy take to ship to the US?

US sellers shipping to a US address: 

• FedEx 1 – 5 business days
• USPS 1 – 3 business days

 

Canadian sellers shipping to a US address:

• Canada Post 4 – 6 business days
• FedEx 2 – 7 business days

 

How long does Etsy take to ship to Canada?

US seller shipping to a Canadian address:

• FedEx 2 – 7 business days
• USPS 3 – 5 business days

 

How long does Etsy take to ship to the UK?

US sellers shipping to a UK address:

• FedEx 4 business days
• USPS 6 – 10 business days

 

C) +1 Day

Etsy doesn’t share why they add one day to their estimated delivery date; however, it’s likely to account for the day the order is placed.

 

 

How to find out estimated delivery date on Etsy

You’ll find the estimated delivery date in the email sent from Etsy Transactions after placing an order. The subject line will read: Your Etsy Purchase from ______ (name of Etsy shop you purchased from). Inside the email, you’ll find an “expected by” date at the top, as well as under “Estimated delivery” in the content of the email.

 

If you don’t have the email handy, you can sign in to your Etsy account go to “Your Account” (or “You” on the Etsy app). Click the “purchases and reviews” link and find your order. Next to your order, you’ll see the estimated delivery date. 

 

Not every purchase will have an estimated delivery date. Most sellers include processing time and shipping information, but it’s not required for each listing.

 

 

Does Etsy ship internationally?

Not every seller on Etsy will ship internationally. Each Etsy seller gets to decide where they’ll ship their items. For some sellers, the cost to ship products outside of their country is too expensive or requires too much tracking for tax purposes, and they may not ship internationally. 

 

You can find sellers from all over the world on Etsy’s platform. If you find a product you love and the seller doesn’t ship to your location, it’s worth it to message them. They may be willing to make an exception for you, if you’re willing to pay the required shipping fees. A private listing can be created with shipping costs included so the seller doesn’t have to set up a new shipping profile for one sale. 

 

 

Where does Etsy ship from?

Products sold on Etsy are shipped from around the world. Each product is sold by a different seller, and each seller ships their items from their place of business. Etsy does not have a distribution center or warehouse full of products. 

 

If you buy a product from an Etsy seller located in Los Angeles, California, USA, the product will ship from Los Angeles, California, USA. If you buy an item from a seller located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the product will ship from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

 

 

Does Etsy ship quickly?

Etsy encourages its sellers to process and ship their items quickly. Sellers may also offer faster shipping options to speed up delivery. 

 

Etsy knows that shipping costs and times influence purchasing decisions. They want more people to buy from their platform, so they reward Etsy sellers who can offer free and timely shipping. 

 

Although Etsy doesn’t share exactly how their search algorithm works, it’s speculated that shipping factors do influence where a seller’s listings appear in search results. Every seller wants their listings to appear on the first page of results, so most sellers do their best to process orders quickly.

 

 

How long does a seller on Etsy have to ship?

Etsy requires sellers to ship an item within 30 days of a purchase, unless specified otherwise. Each seller can set their processing time, which is how long they need to prepare an order to ship. Most sellers have a much shorter processing time than 30 days. However, if an item is complex and made-to-order, it may take longer than 30 days to make, package, and get to a shipping courier. The product listing should specify how many days processing takes. 

 

Once a seller has placed an order in a shipping courier’s hands, they must mark the order as dispatched. If they don’t mark it as dispatched by the specified date, Etsy may penalize the shop, which sellers want to avoid.

 

 

Why do Etsy orders take so long?

Etsy orders can take longer than some online stores because the people shipping items are often a one-person operation. Etsy has millions of shops on its platform, and each is run by a different seller. Those sellers are typically small business owners who make, market, sell, and ship each product. They don’t have a team of people helping them with each step involved in running a business. 

 

Amazon has hundreds of fulfillment centers, each with hundreds of employees (and even robots) fulfilling orders. These factors allow Amazon to offer next-day delivery for many products. However, Etsy is nothing like Amazon regarding how orders are processed and shipped. 

 

Keep in mind, Etsy orders may take longer to get to you, but you’re receiving unique handmade or vintage items. You’re also supporting small business owners when you order on Etsy. These are perks that help balance out longer shipping times.

 

 

How to check order status on Etsy

To check your order status on Etsy, you must have an account. If you processed an order as a guest, you can click on “view your order” in the email receipt you received. From there, follow the steps to create an account using the same email address entered during checkout. 

 

Once you have an Etsy account, you can sign in and go to “Your Account” (or “You” on the Etsy app). Then click “purchases and reviews” and find your order. The order will show: not shipped, shipped, or in transit. 

 

 

How to find a tracking number on Etsy

Once you’ve signed in, gone to your account page, and found your order, you may be able to see tracking information. 

 

If the order’s status is “shipped” or “in transit” and the seller added tracking information, you’ll be able to click on a “track package” link.

 

If your order doesn’t have tracking, you can contact the seller to see if they have tracking information but simply didn’t add it to the order. Not every shipment will include tracking information.

 

 

What if my Etsy order never ships?

If the status of your order never changes to “shipped” or “in-transit”, first, contact the seller. If you don’t get a reply from them within 48 hours, you can open a case with Etsy. 

 

Opening a case will let Etsy know that the seller hasn’t held up their end of the transaction and unless the seller refunds your money or proves they’ve shipped the item, Etsy will refund your money.