The holidays are almost here! Streamlining your shipping process now can help save you time, offer some extra protection, and help answer shoppers’ shipping questions. Plus, following shipping best practices like getting items out on time and including tracking can help you earn your Star Seller badge. We’re sharing this quick checklist to help you prepare before the holiday rush.
Update your processing times
Your processing times should include the time you need to make the item, pack it up, and drop it off with the shipping carrier. Plus, shorter processing times on Etsy have shown to help lead to more sales.* Consider shortening the processing times on items you have ready to ship, or extending your processing times if you need more time to complete orders during the holiday rush.
Review your shipping profiles here.
Double check your zip code and shipping service
Make sure you’ve added your zip code and shipping service to your shipping profile—we recently added even more service options. We use these details to give shoppers an estimated delivery date so they feel confident knowing when their order will arrive. Choosing a specific shipping service (rather than the “Other” option) helps us give shoppers a more accurate estimate, including when major carriers are experiencing delays.
Confirm your details here.
Ship with tracking
Spend less time answering questions from shoppers by shipping your orders with tracking. We’ll automatically send the tracking info to the buyer so they can follow their order’s journey.
Pro tip: Offer upgrades
In a recent Etsy analysis we saw about a 45% increase in Etsy shoppers using shipping upgrades to expedite their order as Christmas gets closer.*** Consider adding shipping upgrade options so shoppers can be more confident their orders will arrive in time.
Learn more about shipping upgrades here.
Want more holiday tips?
Check out our October Holiday Prep Checklist in the Seller Handbook.
*Based on a January 2021 analysis of the previous 90 days comparing the conversion rate of listings with different processing times for global, non-digital orders.
**For the first damaged instance per calendar year.
***Based on an internal analysis of physical Etsy orders that offer shipping upgrades from 2 weeks before December 25, 2021.
