Non-US Etsy Sellers Stuck In Tariff Turmoil As Shipping Labels Cause Country Of Origin Confusion
Etsy sellers outside the US are struggling to comply with new tariff requirements as labels purchased from the platform don't allow changes to be made to the Country of Origin.
Ecommerce consultant and Etsy seller Cindy Baldassi posted about the issue on LinkedIn, pointing out it's an old problem recently gaining more attention due to recent changes and the company should have fixed it long ago.
Other sellers are discussing the problem in the Etsy community forum, urging the company to take immediate action to help them be able to comply with the requirements so they can continue selling to US buyers.
TickleYourWitch
For anyone outside the US using Etsy labels, note with new tariffs against China each item in a shipment must have Country of Origin recorded as well as HS code. Currently Etsy labels default Country of Origin to our home country for all items and we have no way to update this.
This subjects Etsy sellers to fines, penalties and shipping delays.
They should suspend the ability to buy Etsy labels until it is sorted out then. Every package that crosses with an inaccurate Country of Origin code or codes is subject to headaches and delays.
I have a couple stuck in limbo that all have Canada as Country of Origin as per label default. One has two vintage items with a different country of origin (thankfully not China) so the label is inaccurate.
These packages have not been updated for a couple days since they arrived at the distribution center and so I'm wondering what will become of them. Will they move or be returned, who knows. So much anxiety!
In typical fashion, Etsy has done a poor job of communicating with sellers about these important, business impacting issues.
The company started a thread in the community forum to serve as an official source for news about the tariff situation, but it was last updated on February 2nd to reflect the 30 day pause for Canada and Mexico while not addressing the impacts sellers face from goods whose Country of Origin is China.
jamesossman
And because that is posted in the announcements section, users are not able to reply to it, so they must use other contact methods to try to get answers - all of which so far appear to not be particularly helpful.
Until/unless anything changes, non-US sellers will need to purchase labels out of the platform or risk delays and potential consequences if their shipments do not properly document that Country of Origin.
Alternatively, some may decide to stop offering their goods for sale to US buyers, which could be disastrous for Etsy's cross border trade business.
How are recent tariff and de minimis changes impacting your Etsy business? Let us know in the comments below!
