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WarningSP-6 · Seller Policy

Sellers must honor stated processing times and accurately represent their shipping location

What this rule means

Buyers plan around the dates and the location you state. Etsy expects you to honor your dispatch and processing times and to show an accurate 'ships from' location. Unless something exceptional happens, you should send each order promptly and in line with what your listing promised.

What Etsy says

Honor your shipping and processing times. Sellers are obligated to ship an item or otherwise complete a transaction with a buyer in a prompt manner, unless there is an exceptional circumstance. Provide an accurate "shipped from" address.
Read Etsy's full Seller Policy

Why Etsy has this rule

A shipping promise is part of the sale. A buyer who picks your item for a gift date or because it ships from nearby is relying on those details. If they turn out to be wrong, the buyer pays for it, and so does trust in every other shop.

Etsy's policy says sellers must honor their dispatch and processing times, must dispatch or complete a transaction promptly unless there is an exceptional circumstance, and must give an accurate 'ships from' location. The rule keeps the details on your listing true to what really happens.

Common mistakes

  • Listing a processing time of one to three days because it looks good, when your real turnaround is longer.
  • Setting 'ships from' to your home country when a partner ships the item from somewhere else.
  • Using phrases like 'ships immediately' or 'same-day dispatch' when you cannot do it on every order.
  • Using a print-on-demand or dropship partner and never updating the origin on your listings.
  • Describing an item as made locally while the order ships from overseas.
  • Quoting the best-case timeline for custom work and leaving out production time.
  • Missing your window and saying nothing to the buyer.

Examples

  • AllowedYou set a processing time that matches your slowest normal week, then meet it.
  • AllowedYou list the country your partner actually ships from.
  • AllowedYou message a buyer early when an order will miss your stated window.
  • AllowedYou describe custom work with production time included.
  • Not allowedYour listing says 'ships from USA' but each package leaves another country.
  • Not allowedYou advertise same-day dispatch and routinely ship days later.
  • Not allowedYou promise a short window to win the sale and plan to deal with delays afterward.

How to stay compliant

  1. Update the 'ships from' country on every listing to match the actual origin of shipment — your address or your production partner's address, whichever ships the order.
  2. Set processing times to reflect your realistic worst-case turnaround, not your best case; buyers plan around the stated window.
  3. Remove any 'fast shipping', 'same-day dispatch', or 'ships immediately' language from listings unless you can consistently guarantee it.
  4. If using a print-on-demand or dropship partner that ships from overseas, update all affected listings' 'ships from' field to the correct country.
  5. Communicate proactively with buyers if an order will ship outside your stated processing window.

Effort: low · 30-90 minutes

If your suspension email cites this rule

Read the email for the claim Etsy questions: a processing time, a dispatch promise, or a 'ships from' location. Then compare it with what actually happens. Look at your last several orders. How long did each take to leave your hands, and where did it ship from? Write the real numbers down.

If your listings overstate things, correct them first. Update the location and the timeline on every listing, not only the cited ones, and remove any speed claim you cannot meet. In your appeal, state what was inaccurate, what you changed, and how you will check your listings from now on. If the information was accurate, show order records that back it up. 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 does 'ships from' mean on a listing?

It is the country the order actually leaves from. If a partner or fulfillment service ships the item, use that country. Etsy's policy requires an accurate 'ships from' location.

Can I use print-on-demand and still follow the rule?

Yes, if your listings are accurate. Set 'ships from' to where the partner ships, and set a processing time that reflects the real turnaround from order to dispatch.

How short should I set my processing time?

Set a time you can meet on a busy week, not your best day. Buyers plan around the number, and Etsy expects you to honor it.

What if I cannot meet my processing time on one order?

Tell the buyer as soon as you know, and ask them to agree to a new date. Etsy's Delivery Policy says you must get your buyer's agreement before you extend the processing time for their order. Etsy's policy allows for exceptional circumstances, but silence is not a plan.

Is 'fast shipping' in a title a problem?

Only if it is not true. A speed claim has to match what you do on every order. If you cannot keep it, take it out.

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