Our research in December 2019 showed that knowing when an item would arrive was a key factor for Etsy buyers in making their purchase decision. They let shoppers know upfront when to expect their orders and help them feel more confident making a purchase. For items shipping from the US to buyers in the US, details related to estimated delivery dates are required in order to create a listing/shipping profile and to renew listings. This article will help you find answers to frequently asked questions about estimated delivery dates.

1. What is an estimated delivery date?

The estimated delivery date shows a time frame when an order should arrive. There are three different pieces of information we use to calculate estimated delivery dates:

Shipping carrier and mail class: We use this information to determine how long it will likely take for the package to arrive after you ship it based on the information we have from carriers. And don’t worry, we automatically adjust estimated delivery dates for you when we see that carriers are experiencing delays—so you’re always giving shoppers the best estimate of when their order will arrive, even during busy times of year.

Processing time: This is the number of business days you need to make or design the item and get it handed off to the shipping carrier.

Zip code (US only): If you're in the US, adding your zip code makes our estimates even more accurate because we know exactly where you’re shipping from—for example, that a shipment will arrive faster for buyers within your state, versus shipping across the country. Your zip code won’t be shown to shoppers.

2. How do I set my estimated delivery date?

Multiple fields are used to calculate and show an estimated delivery date to shoppers, so there isn't one place to set your estimated delivery date. Filling out processing time, mail class, and mail carrier on individual listings and/or creating shipping profiles will generate the estimated delivery date a shopper sees.

Using a shipping profile lets you apply the same shipping details to multiple listings at once. Check out Etsy’s Help Center for step-by-step instructions for setting up estimated delivery dates.

3. How is an estimated delivery date calculated?

An estimated delivery date is shown to buyers as a range of dates when their order is likely to arrive. The earliest date is determined by the short-end of your processing time + your quickest expected transit time. The latest date is the long-end of your processing time + your longest expected transit time. For example, if the processing time for an item purchased is three to five business days, and the transit time for the shipping method chosen is usually two to four business days, the estimated delivery date is five to nine business days from the order date.

If you're shipping from the US, the origin zip code is layered in for better accuracy. For example, shipping from California to New York would take more time than if the package were being shipped from one city in California to another.

4. How is estimated delivery date information shown to buyers?

The more inputs you give, the more details are shown to the buyer and the better expectations you set! For example, if you share your processing time is three to five business days, then we'll let buyers know that their order will be ready to ship in three to five days. If you share your processing time and your shipping carrier information, we'll show buyers a timeline of what they might expect from their order, including approximately when the item(s) will be ready to ship and an estimate how long it will take to get to their doorstep.

If you don't share any information about your shipping carrier and processing time, we don’t give the buyer any specific information about when the order will arrive. Rather, we direct them to contact you to find out when it will ship.

Buyers in the US can filter search results of listings by their estimated delivery date. Only items with estimated delivery dates are shown in this search filter, so it’s a great way for your listings to have more visibility on Etsy with buyers in the US.

5. Do estimated delivery dates take holidays and weekends into account?

We factor weekends and US holidays recognized by USPS into our estimated delivery date calculations so that buyers have the most accurate expectations of when to expect their order.

6. Are estimated delivery dates ever updated after a purchase?

If you mark the order as shipped later than the expected ship date, the estimated delivery date will be recalculated accordingly to show the later arrival. Then, this new date is communicated to the buyer in the email that’s sent alerting them that their order has shipped—with no further effort from you.

7. I don’t want to make a promise to my buyers I can’t keep. What happens to my estimated delivery date if carriers are experiencing delays?

This is where we can help. Etsy is able to adjust transit times for top carriers for sellers when we detect carrier delays. We can do this for a few reasons:

• We have close partnerships with carriers and we frequently are in conversation with them about how their networks are performing.
• We‘ve also developed technology in-house that analyzes data we have on millions of packages to detect where carrier delays are forming and make adjustments to transit time estimates to keep them accurate.

That’s why it’s important for you to select one of the available carriers in your shipping profiles. Without knowing which carrier you’re using, we won’t know what transit time adjustments to make.

You can also let your buyers know about delays to better manage their expectations and deliver a great customer experience through Messages. Here’s an example of a message you can share with your buyer if you think an order may arrive later than expected:

I wanted to keep you updated on the status of your order. Due to shipping carrier delays, there’s a chance your package may not arrive on the originally estimated date. Rest assured I’ll keep you updated along the way as I get new information from the carrier. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.

8. I make custom items and my production time varies. How do I determine my processing time?

Your processing time is how much time you need to get an order ready to ship, including production time. If an order is custom, this should include the amount of time it takes to create the custom item.

9. Do I have to use the mail carrier/class options Etsy provides?

You can set your own transit times by selecting "Other" as the carrier, but we strongly recommend using the mail carriers in shipping profiles. That way, we can adjust transit times in case of carrier delays and you can focus on your creative business.

Learn more about providing a great shipping experience for buyers in the Ultimate Guide to Shipping.