Suspension riskSH-5 · Shipping Policy

Sellers must follow delivery, customs, and carrier rules

What this rule means

You must follow local and international delivery and customs rules. If you buy postage labels on Etsy, you also agree to follow the rules of the carrier you use. Shipping items a carrier does not allow, or sending orders to destinations that sanctions or trade restrictions cover, can break these rules.

What Etsy says

Comply with all local and international delivery and customs regulations. In addition to Etsy's policies, you agree to comply with the terms and conditions and any other policies or rules imposed by the carrier you use to ship your items.

Read Etsy's full Shipping Policy

Why Etsy has this rule

Carriers set rules about what they carry because some items are dangerous or restricted by law. An item that breaks those rules can be stopped, returned, or lost, and it can put people and other parcels at risk. A buyer who paid for it gets nothing.

Etsy's Delivery Policy says to comply with all local and international delivery and customs regulations. Its Prohibited Items Policy says you must also comply with economic sanctions and trade restrictions. The rule keeps orders deliverable and lawful.

Common mistakes

Sending items with batteries, liquids, or aerosols without checking your carrier's rules for them.
Offering shipping to a country where trade sanctions or export rules apply to you.
Choosing a carrier that does not deliver to your buyer's address.
Using an informal courier that Etsy's shipping system does not recognize.
Turning on international shipping for every country without checking each destination.
Mislabeling a package's contents to get around a carrier restriction.
Assuming that because you can buy a label, the carrier will accept the item.

Examples

AllowedYou check your carrier's list of restricted items before you list a new product.
AllowedYou ship only to destinations you have confirmed you can legally serve.
AllowedYou use labels and carriers supported by Etsy's shipping system.
AllowedYou remove a destination from your ship-to list when you learn it is not allowed.
Not allowedYou mail a restricted liquid through a carrier that bans it.
Not allowedYou offer shipping to a country under trade sanctions.
Not allowedYou label a package as something else to avoid a carrier's restriction.

How to stay compliant

Review your shipping destinations and remove any destination covered by sanctions or trade restrictions, including those of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Verify that your product type is permitted by your chosen carrier — especially for items containing batteries, liquids, or aerosols.
Use tracking or a postage label bought on Etsy where available. Purchase Protection requires one of them.
If shipping internationally, confirm the import and export rules for your product category before you enable international shipping.

Effort: medium · 30-90 minutes

If your suspension email cites this rule

Read the email for the item, the carrier, or the destination Etsy questions. Then pull the shipping details for the listing or order. Write down what the product is, which carrier and service you used or listed, and where it was going. Check the carrier's published rules for that item and destination. Check which countries your listing ships to.

If a rule was broken, stop shipping that way. Remove the destination, change the carrier, or take down the listing until you can ship it lawfully. Because this area can involve legal rules, check official sources and do not guess. In your appeal, state what happened, what you changed, and how you will check new products before you list them. Do not promise a result. Etsy makes the final decision.

Suspended over this rule?

Generate a complete, ready-to-submit Etsy appeal for this exact violation.

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Common questions

What counts as a prohibited shipping method?

Etsy's Delivery Policy points to delivery and customs laws, and to carrier rules when you use Etsy postage labels. An order that breaks either should not have gone that way.

How do I find out what my carrier does not allow?

Check your carrier's published list of restricted items. Rules often cover batteries, liquids, and aerosols. Do this before you list, not after an order arrives.

Can I ship to any country I choose?

No. Etsy's Prohibited Items Policy says you must comply with economic sanctions and trade restrictions, including those of the US Office of Foreign Assets Control. Laws in some countries also prohibit importing or exporting certain items. Confirm the requirements for your product and destination before you enable international shipping.

Can I use a courier that Etsy does not list?

Be careful. Etsy expects you to follow delivery and customs laws and the rules of your carrier. Purchase Protection needs valid tracking or an Etsy postage label where available, so a courier with no tracking can leave you unprotected.

What should I do if my product is restricted for shipping?

Take it down, change how you ship it, or limit where you sell it, depending on the carrier's rules. If you are unsure, ask the carrier before you list it again.