Etsy requires Delivered Duty Paid shipping on orders to the US from July 9, 2026

Sellers who ship to US buyers from outside the US must prepay duties on orders from July 9, 2026, or lose Purchase Protection on those orders.

Alura News

What changed

From July 9, 2026, Etsy's Seller Policy requires that "any orders shipped to the United States are sent using a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) shipping method." With DDP, you prepay duties and import fees when you buy the label and build them into your price, so the buyer pays the full cost at checkout, as Etsy explained in its June 9, 2026 announcement.

The policy also bars "use of Delivery Duty Unpaid (DDU) shipping" or any other step that leads to buyers "being charged additional fees after purchase."

Who it affects

Etsy's Seller Handbook says the rule applies "if you ship from outside the United States to a US buyer." The Seller Policy itself covers "any orders shipped to the United States."

What it costs

The Handbook says Etsy will enforce the rule through Purchase Protection. Orders shipped without duties prepaid "will no longer qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection," and if the carrier charges the buyer tariffs or collection fees, the buyer can be refunded and "the charges will be deducted from the seller" (announcement). The Help Center now lists "Duties and import fees are included upfront if the order is shipping into the US" as an eligibility condition.

Example: you ship a $60 order to a US buyer without DDP.

  • If the carrier bills the buyer $9 in duties and a $5 collection fee, Etsy can refund the buyer $14 and deduct that $14 from you.
  • If the parcel is lost instead, the order no longer qualifies for Purchase Protection, which covers up to $250 of a refund on eligible orders. The Help Center says sellers are "responsible for refunding costs for orders that don't qualify," so the $60 refund would be yours. The Handbook says you "may be responsible for the refund" if the buyer opens a case.

With DDP, you pay the duties when you buy the label and recover them in your US price.

What to do

  • Use a carrier with a DDP option. The Handbook keeps a list of DDP carriers that "includes providers such as UPS and FedEx." Sellers shipping from the UK can buy Royal Mail International Tracked DDP labels on Etsy.
  • Check your US prices. Etsy points to separate US listing prices and a US tariffs estimator in Shop Manager (announcement).
  • If DDP isn't available in your country, the Handbook allows an exception. You must "state in your listing that delivery duties aren't included in your price," message the buyer with the estimated total duty and carrier fee, and get their agreement before you ship. If a case is opened, you meet these conditions and you can show proof of that message, "you may not be responsible for the refund."

What we don't know

Etsy hasn't said how it checks whether an order was shipped DDP.

Etsy's pages don't all say the same thing. The Purchase Protection Help article, edited July 9, 2026, still says buyers "are responsible for paying any customs duties" payable on delivery, and that sellers are not responsible for refunds when a buyer refuses to pay those charges. The Handbook says the same under "Currently." Etsy hasn't said how that text applies to US orders. The Seller Policy lists no exception to the DDP rule; the exception for countries without DDP appears only in the Handbook, which in one place describes DDP as required "in order to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection."

Sources

Related articles