As an online seller, one of your biggest challenges likely comes with the calculating of shipping costs. Understanding this, many marketplaces have implemented advanced tools and features to simplify the process. Etsy is one of the latest, with changes and enhancements to shipping profiles, calculated shipping, handling fees, and more.
New and Improved Features
Shipping profiles
To save time, take advantage of improved shipping profiles. These allow you to apply the same shipping costs to multiple listings by inputting details such as your zip code, processing time, item dimensions and weight, and shipping services. By making a change to a shipping profile, you automatically update all your listings set to that profile.
Calculated shipping
You no longer need to rely on shipping profiles alone to calculate costs. You can now add calculated shipping to listings sent from the US to anywhere in the world. Using your zip code, the buyer’s location, and the weight and dimensions of the item, and the USPS shipping method, Etsy will calculate shipping rates for you.
Handling fees
If you use calculated shipping, you’ll also have access to additional handling fee settings. As well as the combined handling fees for all your listings, you can set individual handling fees for both domestic and international transactions.
Shipping cost estimator
The shipping cost estimator tools enables you to see a preview of shipping costs as they appear to buyers. Prices reflect your most inexpensive shipping option.
Shipping upgrades
You can give domestic and international buyers the option of shipping upgrades at any cost you wish, starting from $0. Simply add as a manual cost and fill in the customized shipping information.
Criticism
The new tools have so far been met with mixed reviews. Some sellers have even reported greater difficulties with the enhanced shipping features; for instance, shipping profiles fail to show actual costs after sellers make a selection. Other problems are closer to minor annoyances — increased scrolling and the tip to use Etsy shipping labels in the middle of every listing, for example — but even these issues are leaving users to question whether it would have been better for Etsy to leave the shipping features alone.
Bear in mind, Etsy only released these new shipping features on May 26. The marketplace will continue to make changes to address sellers’ concerns as they arise. You can read all about the new changes in detail at etsy.com.
