A shipping template holds all the necessary details for fulfilling orders, and assigning one to a profile is mandatory before listing your products. You can either create a new shipping template or use one you've already set up if you're an existing Etsy seller.

If you're selling to a single country or location, a single shipping template can work for all your profiles. However, if you're targeting multiple countries or regions, you’ll need separate profiles and shipping templates tailored for each location.

 The Shipping tab in the templates grid section has a search bar at the top where you can search for profiles by their names. 

The horizontal tab also contains information to define and identify specific shipping templates, such as:

• Dispatch origin – This filter allows you to search for templates based on their dispatch origin.

• Profile Type – This filter allows you to search for templates based on the type of profile – Manual or Calculated.

• Shipping (Cost): Displays the cost associated with the template, which helps in managing shipping expenses.

• Processing Time: Reflects the expected processing time for orders for products assigned to this template.

• Actions – This column allows you to perform actions on the template – edit and delete.

The fetch shipping template option allows you to fetch any template that you may have created directly on your Etsy shop. It will fetch both manual and calculated shipping templates.

Note – While you can edit the manual shipping templates fetched from Etsy, you can’t edit the calculated shipping templates as of now due to the lack of API.

Creating a Shipping Template

When creating a shipping template, you’ll provide all the necessary information for shipping your products. A profile cannot be completed without a shipping template, which you can either create from scratch or reuse if you're already an Etsy seller. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up your shipping template:

Dispatch Origin

Start by selecting the country from which you’ll ship your products. This is essentially the country where your store is located. You can choose the country by scrolling through a dropdown list or typing its name. Once selected, a “Standard Shipping” panel will appear, which we’ll cover shortly.

Processing Time

This defines how long it will take you to process and ship an order after it’s placed. Note, this is different from the delivery time. You can select a time range from the dropdown, or create a custom range if you have a unique timeline (e.g., for made-to-order items). Keep in mind, processing times cannot exceed 10 weeks.

Origin Postal Code

This is an optional field where you can provide your shipping location’s postal code. You may leave it blank if it's not applicable.

Standard Shipping Panel

This panel shows up after selecting the dispatch origin. It allows you to configure specific details, such as:

• Shipping Country: This will match the country in the Dispatch Origin field. If you’re shipping to multiple countries, you can add them in a later section.

• Shipping Carrier: Choose from a list of carriers based on your location. For example, U.S. sellers might see USPS or FedEx, while sellers in India will see India Post. If you use a local service not listed, you can select "Other."

• Mail Class: This option appears once you’ve chosen a carrier, allowing you to select the type of mail service (e.g., standard or expedited).

Delivery Time

If you don't select a standard carrier, you’ll manually specify the minimum and maximum delivery days. Remember, Etsy requires self-fulfilled orders to be delivered within 45 days.

Shipping Costs

You can offer free shipping or charge a fixed rate. For fixed-rate shipping, you’ll input costs for a single item and any additional items a buyer might purchase. The cost for each additional item must always be less than the cost for the first item.

Adding Multiple Shipping Locations

If you plan to ship to multiple countries, you can click the "Add Another Location" button. A new panel will appear for each additional location where you’ll configure similar details like destination country, carrier, and shipping rates.

Template Name

Finally, give your shipping template a unique name to easily locate it later. The app may auto-generate a name, but you can customize it for clarity. Once everything is set, click “Save.” If there are no errors, your template will be saved and ready to attach to future profiles.

This process streamlines shipping across various locations, ensuring all your products have the necessary shipping information for Etsy listings.