Etsy Alerts UK Sellers to Rising Cost of Shipping

Etsy created a new resource on 2021 shipping rate hikes today beginning with costs for UK sellers. The post appears on the marketplace’s Seller Handbook, which Etsy said it would continue to update.

“At the beginning of every calendar year, most shipping providers make changes to their rates and services,” the company wrote. “We know these changes have a big impact on your shops, and we want to make sure you have the information you need to succeed in 2021.”

The post kicked off by noting UK’s Royal Mail domestic rate changes: “On January 1, 2021, the price of a 1st Class stamp will increase by 9p to 85p and the price of a 2nd Class stamp will increase by 1p to 66p.” The post links to a 14-page PDF file on the Royal Mail website with details.

“We’re sharing Royal Mail rate updates today, and we’ll update this article with details from the other shipping options available for purchase on Etsy when they’re available,” the company wrote – sellers can check back on this page of the Etsy.com Seller Handbook.

Note that as EcommerceBytes has reported, USPS is raising its domestic and international shipping rates effective January 24th. It’s also worth noting that higher shipping rates mean more revenue for marketplaces like Etsy that take a commission on the total selling price plus shipping.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.