Suspension riskSH-4 · Shipping Policy
Sellers must not mark orders as shipped before shipping, or upload false or invalid tracking numbers
What Etsy says
You may only mark an order as shipped after you actually have shipped it. Never confirm shipment before you've actually shipped your order — doing so creates a false expectation for the buyer and may constitute fraud.Read Etsy's full Shipping Policy
How to stay compliant
- Never mark an order as shipped in Etsy until the package has physically left your possession.
- Only upload tracking numbers for the specific order they belong to — do not reuse tracking numbers across orders.
- If you have accidentally marked orders as shipped prematurely, message each affected buyer immediately to reset their expectations.
- If Etsy has flagged false tracking, acknowledge the error in your appeal and provide evidence of corrective process changes.
Effort: low · 30-60 minutes
Suspended over this rule?
Generate a complete, ready-to-submit Etsy appeal for this exact violation in about 5 minutes.
Related shipping policy rules
- Sellers must ship orders; failure to ship purchased items is a policy violationSuspension risk
- Sellers must consistently ship within their stated processing timesWarning
- Sellers must ship to the buyer's address as provided on Etsy at time of purchaseWarning
- Sellers must use legal shipping methods; prohibited carriers or illegal shipping violates policySuspension risk