International Shipping: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Posted by Emily Orpin on 5/29/10   |   Categorized as Etsy Tips,For Sellers,Learn,Read

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Air Mail labels by Squid Ink

Air Mail labels by Squid Ink





I started thinking about writing this post over a month ago, and back then it would have simply been called ‘International Shipping: The Good’.  But as I read through various blog posts and forum threads and spoke to other Etsy sellers, I began to realize that the question of shipping ‘Everywhere Else’ (or anywhere else, for that matter) is not as straight forward as I first thought.  And definitely not as straight forward as I would like it to be.  It’s complicated, and it impacts a bunch of areas I hadn’t even considered – the environment, for starters.

It’s a complex issue, and as a result, this post is a little longer than normal- please bear with it!  There’s lots of food for thought.

After all the reading and pondering I’ve done, I still don’t have the answers – I would love to hear your thoughts.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself there…





Vintage Air Mail stickers from Time Passages





The Good

Did you know that over 30% of all transactions on Etsy include a non-US user?  And that Israel comes in 5th in Etsy sales (after the US, Canada, Australia and the UK)?  And that the people of France spend up big on Etsy (fifth spot in buyers – behind the US, Canada, the UK and Australia)?

Yes, Etsy is a part of the world wide web.  It truly is a global marketplace.  As such, it seems obvious to me that meeting the needs of those customers by offering international shipping makes good business sense.

We’ve all read numerous comments from those of us who live outside the US lamenting shops who choose not to sell globally.  We know too well the heartbreak of falling in love with an item only to realize that the seller doesn’t ship outside the US.  Personally, I know there are many, many items that I’ve simply ignored rather than go through the hassle and time of messaging the seller to get a quote for postage, waiting for a response, waiting for them to edit the listing…and on it goes.  I still feel a twinge when I think about some items that I really, really wanted that have been snapped up by someone else whilst I’ve been trying to sort out international postage with the seller.

Artist, card maker and UK Etsy seller Linda puts it perfectly ‘As sellers, we serve customers and potential customers; making them work to ask about postage costs is not service‘.

In response to another blog post on international shipping, Linda also commented ‘As 98% of my customers are from America…it is vital for me to post internationally.  It is vital for all Etsy sellers to realize the world is your market‘.





Blue Boat greeting card by LindaButterfly





In response to the same blog post, artist and Handmade Spark blog writer Kirsten writes about her approach to shipping:

‘I’m a seller from Australia and I love to buy on Etsy as much as sell…I get very frustrated when I see an item I love but it is only shipped to the US.  I understand for some things…but for most things there’s no reason why someone shouldn’t be able to post to Australia.  I actually feel a bit insulted when I see US-only shipping – it doesn’t exactly make me feel valued as a customer.

When I first started selling on Etsy, I wasn’t too sure about what to charge for shipping either.  I put in some estimates…Some were spot on.  Some were a bit under – so I lost out on a few dollars…I adjusted the next time and moved on.  Sometimes I overestimated the shipping – I send a refund through PayPal to my customer for the amount they were overcharged and explained why…over time I’ve adjusted my shipping costs to where I think they should be.’





Silver White Winter original watercolour by KLBaileyART





Australian jewelry-maker and Etsy seller Pepe (who also writes Handmade Spark blog posts) has taken a similarly pragmatic approach to international postage:

‘Australia is a long way from anywhere and as a buyer frankly sometimes I balk at how much something will cost to get to me AFTER I buy it, so…well, I don’t buy it, simple.

I may be way off track but as a seller I figure shipping is just a cost of doing business, I try to keep shipping costs low for my international customers.  I have the same shipping cost for everywhere in the world and it’s a token cost only (mind you, I do cover costs elsewhere by being careful how I price my items).  If I have an overseas buyer then sure, I’ll convo with them and give them the option of express post, but mostly people are happy with the snail mail version at a lower price.

It’s just my theory, and hasn’t been totally tested, but I like it for now!’





Spring Flower brooch/pendant by Pepe








Mailbox crochet pattern by CraftyAnna





The Bad

So it seems simple doesn’t it?  Figure out how you’re comfortable dealing with the cost of postage (estimates? a cost of business? exact quotes?), and open your shop up to the world!  That’s what I thought anyway, until I came across crafter and US Etsy seller Lara.  Lara strives to make toys that ‘tread gently on the environment’ – not just in what they are made of and how they are made, but in how they are shipped, too.

Did you know that – in the US at least – trucks are responsible for a quarter of smog-causing pollution?  And that a single container ship emits more pollution than 2,000 diesel trucks?  And that the world’s merchant shipping fleet represents 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions?

Neither did I, until I received a thought provoking email from the clearly thoughtful Lara, which led me to do some research.





Plush wool baby by Three Owls Toy Studio





In her email, Lara wrote: ‘I am trying to balance my need to make money to support my children with my need to protect the environment that they live in.  So, as a maker of things in a world that really doesn’t need more things it’s hard not to be a hypocrite, but at some point you have to draw a line.

I have real issues with overseas shipping…I don’t buy the carbon offset industry either – as a person who has lived in the forest while jet planes flew over head, I don’t think you can undo something that has already been done.  The bottom line is that part of my handmade life is buying local.  That said, I don’t live in a place with enough population to sustain my business so I have to look to larger markets so I can pay my rent and buy groceries.

So, how far am I willing to look?  It’s a good question and I grapple with it constantly.  At the moment I sell to shops in my own province and ideally I’d rather send out ten boxes with 100 items each than 1000 boxes with one item each.  It seems to make more sense both for time and money and being green.

I have a neglected Etsy shop mainly for shipping issues…I have spent my time pursuing independent retailers and that is where my energy will continue to be spent.

I am grateful to be in a position where I get to make choices and I try to be mindful of the millions of people who don’t have the same options.‘

To be honest, Lara’s comments and my research haven’t changed my lifestyle.  I am stranded in an English-language entertainment wasteland and Amazon is my lifeline, pollutants and all.  I could regale you with tales of other ways in which I’m kind to our planet, but that’s not the point.

Considering how often the craft community likes to spruik it’s green credentials (just do some Google searches with a mix of keywords like ‘green’ ‘environment’ ‘handmade’ and ‘etsy’ and you’ll see what I mean!), international shipping is really the elephant in the room.  It may not change the way you operate, but perhaps it’s time we all had a good think about it.  At the very least it might help us be more honest about how eco-friendly our little businesses really are.





Air Mail notes by Squeedles




The Ugly

And one last cautionary tale…

Although opinion is somewhat divided, there is evidence out there that free shipping can be a good marketing tool (this article describes it as a ‘siren song’ to internet shoppers!).  Unfortunately the reality is that most of us are running fairly marginal businesses, so unless we cover the cost elsewhere it is likely that when we offer ‘free shipping’ we may skimp on things we’d otherwise do.

I heard a story recently that goes a little something like this: an Etsy seller of high quality clothing decided to offer free postage, and as a result decided not to insure an expensive dress that they were sending internationally.  The item disappeared in the postal system, and the seller had to resend.  In the meantime, the buyer was unfortunately being the opposite of patient and understanding.  The result – a nasty, stressful experience for both parties.

So what do you think?  Is international shipping worth it?  Could you/your business survive without it?  Are you concerned about the risks?  Are you concerned about the environmental impact?

Where do you draw the line?

With thanks to all the Etsy sellers who offered their opinions and postage tales, and to Etsy admin for helping out with some interesting stats.

P.S. Here are some useful links if you want to find out more:

Handmade Spark blog post – International Shipping how-to (for US sellers)


Guardian article – True scale of CO2 emissions from shipping revealed

Grist blog post – Ship it, Ship it Good

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  • http://www.brendasalzano.com brenda

    Good post! I had a frustrating time trying to understand all the different prices to oversea areas. Since I do not have large items but small artisan Jewelry, and miniature art, I decided on Free shipping to USA and Canada and low, usually $3.00 shipping to all other areas. I decided this just last year. So far, this works for me. I may have to adjust some prices later if prices are way more than I expect but I am willing to take the hassle out for my customers and for me.

    Last, I make a commitment to pay extra for proof of delivery. My husband sent me a large box last year, and did not get insurance or proof. Yes, the whole box of things disappeared in a postal office. All they found was the empty box. Was over 250.00 worth of things in it. arghhhhh! lesson learned for him too.

  • http://sewmenaomi.blogspot.com Naomi

    Thanks for this. As an Australian I can only agree with the Aussie’s comments above…. it is so frustrating to come across something I love and find that it’s only for shipping to the US (despite it being an item that would fit in a regular envelope) or that it costs twice as much to ship as it does to buy it. It really puts me off. As a seller, I’ve never had any issues with shipping – the Australian postal system has been fantastic to me – but then again, I’m not selling very heavy items.
    I’m off to check out your tips.

  • http://twocheekymonkeysdesigns.blogspot.com Deb (Two Cheeky Monkeys)

    I am also an Aussie seller (and buyer) who gets disappointed when I find items I love but the seller doesn’t ship to Australia or only at an exorbitant shipping price. While I understand that people may want to try to be environmentally friendly, I feel that for my own store, not offering reasonable worldwide shipping is poor customer service (approximately half of my customers are international buyers).

    I have not had too many issues with shipping especially since I generally ship fairly lightweight and small items. I have found both the Australia Post and USPS sites to be quite helpful for estimating shipping, I have yet to find my quoted shipping prices to be incorrect.

    My main attempt at being “environmentally friendly” is to use packaging materials made from recycled paper or to re-use packaging I have received from purchasing supplies or other items. It’s not much, but I feel that I need to do at least something.

    Thanks for this interesting post, I will definitely come back and read it again for tips. :)

  • Marg

    Thanks for this thought provoking article, I do like the idea of buying locally and reducing the impact on the environment, but the other part of it is that the global village feel of ETSY must contribute to the development of cross cultural understandign and appreciation, thus leading to a more harmonious an dpeaceful world. How much harder woul dit be to go to war with a country you were buying beautifully crafted items from? So, given the damage to the people and environment from weapons, perhaps the encouragement of global communication outtwiehgs the damage of the shipping costs.

  • pepe Newton

    Thanks Emily, all very interesting! Nice to hear some other viewpoints. I hadn’t really considered the green issues either but I guess if you want to keep things local then etsy is probably not the best place to be. I’m finding handcraft markets are springing up all over lately so maybe shipping will be less of an issue as hand made wonders begin to become more available on our own doorsteps :)

  • http://www.lindabutterfly.etsy.com linda

    An excellent and well thought out article. I appreciate how you have looked at various angles of international posting.
    One reason I chose to sell art and greetings cards was the simplicity of posting from UK to Everywhere else, except Jupiter.
    From my end, our English Postboxes have a small slit through which you post your item. Anything bulky has to go to the post office and as hundreds of these have been shut, one has to travel to get there. I refuse to do that; it is costly in petrol and environmentally.
    It is also extremely easy to weight a greetings card, look up the cost to *you* wherever you are, and my Etsy site clearly shows the actual cost of postage.
    I add in the envelope, the cello sleeve and a penny or so for time.

    I feel “free postage” is an extremely poor business decision for an individual seller. We are not major outlets, like Amazon. and if I paid the postage then I would make very little profit. I am not a charity; I sell unique items and my customers will have to pay for the postage. They do, willingly.
    I also feel that saying “free postage” or showing an unrealistic postage and then adjusting the price of the item is tantamount to lying. It is not ethical business practice to say “free” and charge the customer behind their backs. And customers are not stupid; if you want to sink your profit into postage, then do so, but if you aim to be ethical, don’t say “free” and adjust the cost of the item.
    And as that story shows, “free” can get you into trouble.
    Another tack on the free shipping is the tax situation. I’ve just done my Self Assessment Tax returns and my Etsy business is obviously included. We get money from the customer, we pay Etsy and PayPal fees, and postage should come from the customer’s wallet. If you are a tax payer you will pay tax on your profit, but what do you do about the postage you pay out of the profit? Do you declare the actual profit, or do you reduce it by removing the postage?

    I know exactly how insulting it feels when people from another country see US shipping only. I feel the same exclusion and sense of insult. This happens too when a US seller shows an American coin in the photo to indicate size. Do all Americans know the size of an English 20p? A Euro? An Icelandic Kroner?

    And you know, it does seem to be that US sellers do this far more than sellers in Australia, UK, Hong Kong, France.
    Frequently US sellers will gaily announce, “Free shipping” but if you ask them if that includes UK, they say “Oh no….”
    That attitude is thoughtless.

    In conclusion, this is a fine article. If you are on Etsy, then realise you have the world at your doorstep, so treat everyone the same; ship to them all, and charge the correct price.

  • http://TheVintageApartment.etsy.com buttercupcaren

    I’m a Canadian seller (and buyer!) on Etsy. As a buyer, I’m always thrilled when I see Canada or Everywhere Else listed on items I want. I wish I could do the same on my shop.
    As a seller, I quote for Canada and US shipping. I was open to International, though, and made it clear to customers they can contact me for quotes. After finding out how much it was to ship a book to Belgium, I realized I was way out of my comfort zone. Obviously, that interested party did not buy the book (I don’t blame her! $20?!). I’m not interested in losing money just to ship internationally – and that’s all I do, is lose money. I deal with vintage items – mostly breakables – and the bare minimum for shipping internationally seems to be $20 (surface) to $50 (air). I hear Air is the best method to use, but who’s willing to spend $50 on a $20 item?
    And so, I no longer offer International shipping.
    If I had an Etsy shop that sold prints or soft items, I think I’d be open to it, though. I hear great success stories from artists. But for vintage housewares & collectibles? Not so much.
    If there’s any other Canadian vintage sellers who’ve come up with a beneficial international shipping method, please contact me! I’d love to hear what you do.
    ~caren
    p.s. thanks for this article! very timely & very helpful!

  • http://www.lindabutterfly.etsy.com linda

    Caren, have you tried putting the actual cot of international shipping on your shop and seeing if customers actually ARE willing to spend the money? Some are.

    Somewhere on Handmade Spark was an article about customers who simply *would not bother to ask for a quote* when a shop did not supply the cost of postage.

    You lose nothing at all by listing for Everywhere; it is then up to the customer to decide if to buy or not.

    As it is, you’ve made that decision for them and you could be losing sales.

  • http://TheVintageApartment.etsy.com buttercupcaren

    Linda – I find it difficult to do an Everywhere quote, as the costs are different to send to Australia than to Asia or even individual European countries. But, perhaps if I did a standard amount and let them know any difference would be refunded, it could be a good starting place… I never thought to try (fear factor!). I think, perhaps, I over-think things! :)

    As a buyer, I always contact the seller whether or not they list a shipping price outside of their original country. I often find that they end up giving me options (cheaper vs. more expensive). I just bought a vintage dress, for instance, and the seller was quite lovely in responding to all my shipping questions (hopefully I didn’t annoy her too much!). Communication is key.

  • http://allaboutthebuttons.etsy.com Barbra

    I am in the US and international shipping is well worth it although lately my sales are all US. I go to the PO 3-4x a week for my day job and found them to be most helpful. One time they even suggested removing some filler that brought down the price by $3.00 that they ultimatly lost! As a buyer, I will rarely send a convo for a shipping quote….no shipping=no sale.

  • http://samsstuff-samsstuff.blogspot.com Shelley

    I’ve been selling internationally for awhile now. At first, I would say contact the shop for shipping, but that was unwieldy & took extra time, I think some buyers did just give up, so I started adding shipping to the UK (where most of the inquiries where from), then later to Canada, Australia, Mexico & the European Union. I love hearing from people in other countries & my pieces have international influences (having lived in Germany & visited Canada, Mexico & many other places), so this seemed right. I’m not sure that adding a blanket “everywhere” shipping policy works, as shipping varies greatly from place to place. I once spent $30 shipping something to Malaysia & that’s not something I could afford to ‘eat,’ on a regular basis. I am continuing to tweek my shipping policies & add more areas so I keep the please contact the shop for more shipping options sentence up on my listings. I gladly refund any excess & have had to ‘eat’ shipping on several items, not having charged enough. All in all, though, I love shipping internationally & wouldn’t give it up for anything. International buyers definitely are welcome to stop by anytime!

  • http://www.yifatiii.etsy.com/ yifatiii

    Great Artical!
    As I seller I noticted that most of my buyer are from USA so I charge 3.5$ for small items or 5.3$ for big items.
    For the rest of the world the shipping is higher so I pay the gap and lost a few dollars/cents.
    It’s more easy for me that try to calculate each area and weight.

  • Anna

    Thank you so much for including a photo of my mailbox in your article! I love this post because I think that shipipng is something that Etsy sellers struggle with constantly. As an Etsy seller in the U.S., I do offer shipping everywhere and I try to make the shipping cost as inexpensive as possible. Unfortunately, this usually means that I use first class mail rather than priority and do not have a tracking number or insurance on my packages. The difference between first class and priority mail is usually $10-15 and I feel bad charging my international customers that much for shipping. I suppose that if I sold one of kind or more expensive items I would feel differently. Knock on wood, so far the post offices around the world have been good to me.

  • http://www.etsy.com/shop/emilyorpin Emily Orpin

    Thanks so much for all the comments – it’s really fascinating reading all of the different approaches and thoughts…I’m currently offering free shipping in my shop but I’m rethinking that now!

  • http://www.amyjoavnet.com/ Amy

    Another issue that of course needs to be dealt with on an individual basis is the legality of certain imports. I was initially quite willing to ship anywhere until I researched customs regulations and found that the import of precious metal jewelry is either prohibited outright by many countries or prohibitively expensive, requiring registered first class or priority postage. That was a sad realization, and I have now put in my policies to contact me so I can check the legality for any specific country.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/ejorpin ejorpin

    Good point Amy. Sometimes customs taxes can be a nasty shock at either end – I just ordered some felt from Japan and had to pay 75% customs tax before I could collect it! It turned an average priced supply in to an expense one – I'll be ordering locally from now on!

  • kat

    well, i'm from the Philippines and, after reading this article, i'm not sure if i should open an etsy shop. i've been doing my research on shipping from my country to the US, and the prices are really high! i could sell good quality handmade jewelry and other things at quite a bargain of a price, but i don't know if there's anyone out there willing to pay $50-100 for shipping, which is really too bad.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/ejorpin ejorpin

    Oh Kat that is so sad! Those shipping prices sound really high – especially for something relatively light like jewelry. This might sound silly but are you sure you've checked out every single option? It's always good to offer the basic/cheapest option available and then explain added extras (eg. insurance, tracking etc) in the item description and leave it up to the customer to choose.

    Maybe you could try it and see and let the customer decide? You would only lose the small Etsy listing fee if nothing sold.

    I just did a quick search for 'Philippines' on the shop local search function – http://www.etsy.com/shop_local.php?ref=fp_nav_loc… There are quite a few Etsy sellers from the Philippines! Maybe you could contact some of your fellow local sellers and ask how they manage shipping? My experience of Etsy is that it really is a community and sellers are willing to share information.

    Good luck!

  • http://www.internationalshipping.net Shipping Companies

    Interesting article. Nowadays, people want to have products shipped anywhere, with no limits. Therefore, the company should be aware of what customers expect when willing to order products from foreign countries.

  • http://www.nichancraftroom.com din

    I agree with kat…
    i don't mind to ship internationally…problem is: would they pay for EMS or at least registered which is more expensive than 'ordinary' mail?
    Some buyers want cheap shipping AND safe; they don't want to 'trade-off' between cost and safety (which is very-very-very common rule)

    I opened etsy since i don't know…but no one buy, perhaps it's because the shipping cost is too high?
    I'm not really interested in etsy anymore now…i really don't know what to do with it…instead encouraging me to do good crafting, it makes me just want to make things that can be sold cheap, easy, and not so original so it can compensate the high shipping cost…

    cost of listing is nothing…yes…but after listing, a lot of people can copy it and they are the ones that make sales, not me…simply because they are from yes, perhaps, top 5 countries mentioned above…

    i'm totally hopeless and clueless now with etsy…haha

  • http://blog.silverdropsdesigns.com/2010/10/international-customers-and-what-to-think-of/ International Customers and What To think of – Silver Drops Blog

    [...] Etsy shop or website and buy from you.  The downside is dealing with international customers is a little more complicated then selling domestically.  I will not lie, when I got my first random international sale I felt I was finally becoming a [...]

  • shipping to australia

    Very good post. I do offer shipping everywhere and I try to make the shipping cost as inexpensive as possible.
    http://www.aussieshipping.co.uk/

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