Etsy's Handmade Blog
Customer Care How-to for Sellers: Shipping Costs and PayPal
Story by CustomerCare
Published on October 10, 2007 in How-To 		Photo by Anda

From time to time, sellers contact the Etsy Support Team and say the shipping cost on their PayPal invoice is not the same as what it was in the listing on Etsy. Unfortunately, contacting PayPal's Customer Support doesn't always produce the best answers (they try to blame us!). To save you some trouble, we've figured out how to enable transaction-based overrides for shipping. This way you can be sure that the shipping in the Etsy listing will transfer correctly to the PayPal invoice:

To enable transaction-based override:

1. Log in to your account at http://www.paypal.com.
2. Go to My Account > Profile > Shipping calculations (in the Selling Preferences column)
3. Select the Shipping Method and click Edit
4. Select Yes for "Use the shipping fee in the transaction instead of my calculator's settings" and press
Save Changes.

Note that if you have not set up any Shipping Calculations in PayPal, the default is to override shipping methods per transaction (you should not need to change anything).

Also, these instructions are for US PayPal; other country-specific versions of PayPal may differ slightly.

For more seller how-tos on shipping, click here. 

Tags CustomerCare, CustomerCare Tips, Customer Support, HOW-TO, PayPal, Seller Handbook, selling, shipping, tips
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16 comments     Login to add your own!

Dec. 18, 2007 at 8:46 p.m. GermanPerfection

How come we can not pay our etsy bill with Paypal and only with a credit card, since I only take Paypal, the money is already in my paypal, with that I would like to pay my etsy bill as well.

Jan. 21, 2008 at 7:53 p.m. JillsTreasureChest

After I select my shipping method, I can't find an edit button or any way to override anything. I haven't ever selected anything on Paypal, nor have I had Etsy sales yet, but I want to be sure.

Jill

June 22, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. MaryUniqueBoutique

Do you have to contact paypal before selling if you've never sold before? I have only paid through paypal.

June 28, 2008 at 9:52 p.m. CapeCard

I recently had an experience with Paypal. I didn't receive sales confirmation email for a sale from June 3. The buyer finally emailed me directly asking when she would receive her order. I called Paypal, and only got a lame excuse that the system may have been overloaded. Since then, I check my Paypal account directly at least once a week.

Oct. 22, 2008 at 3:52 a.m. justcraftsupplies

Proper shipping calculations are a real burden. I have found it to be simpler to offer free shipping. This approach impacts my profit margin - as I have to absorb the cost - but it makes for an easier transaction.

Oct. 24, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. MaryUniqueBoutique

Just craft supplies***
How do you handle high rates when sending out of USA?

Oct. 29, 2008 at 10:58 a.m. JewelrybyValerie

My long time customer phoned me and explained while in my shop she selected items form the cart, but when she clicked on checkout nothing happened. What is preventing the sale completion?

Nov. 9, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. cln42da87

ok.. i'm new.. can i have in my add "offers may be accepted" if someone wants to offer me a lower price than what i am selling the item for?

Dec. 22, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. clevergirl

My how to...

http://beclever.wordpress.com/2008/12...

June 18, 2009 at 3:18 p.m. GrandmaGinnys

I new to Etsy and am just setting up my shop. I don't know how to figure what the cost of shipping is. I went to the post office and got boxes that were flat rate to ship, but the costs don't match up with other similar items listed by other sellers. How do you figure what to charge for shipping and cover your costs? I am in the US.
I can't seem to find an article about it. Please help!

June 18, 2009 at 4:38 p.m. cosmichippodesigns

Hi GrandmaGinnys:
The U.S. Postal Service has all the info you will need. Go to: www.usps.com/prices

Each seller sets their own shipping fee. When I ship Priority Mail and it's a small item I either charge $3, giving a $1.95 break to the customer or I charge $5, giving myself a nickel profit which goes toward my shipping loss. I had one situation where Paypal neglected to add the shipping fee. I chose to offer free shipping to keep the customer happy. It's a bit of guesswork, but you'll get the hang of it.

June 24, 2009 at 6:22 p.m. ShabbyChicFairytale

Hi, as a slight newbie to ETSY I was wondering if any experts how there have some advice on how to ship furniture! I am bummed to find out that I have a bunch of interest out of state but everytime I get a bid on USHIP or something it is way too much!!! Any suggestions!

Aug. 26, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. LaurensFaire

How about fedex? Has anyone had food or bad experiences with them? I'm getting shop set up and plan on offering free shipping, and I had heard that fedex had the lowest small business shipping around. However, I am not finding them to be even remotely affordable so far. Is there a shipping blog where people talk about this stuff? :)

Sept. 21, 2009 at 9:52 a.m. CliftonPinesCrafts

HI, What a surprize to find my business here!! I don't know how the shipping works I hope it is easy using paypal. Time will tell. Stop by my shop if you have the time.

Oct. 15, 2009 at 3:19 p.m. Deconize

Thanks for the shipping tips, figuring it all out is a real challenge!

Oct. 21, 2009 at 4:05 p.m. TrendyTrimmingsByTT

Thank you! I hope this resolves my problem. I have just had my first two sales and PayPal did not collect shipping so I have followed your recommendations and hope that my future sales will be properly credited!

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