How to Ship Furniture on Etsy

Do you want to sell your furniture online, but you have no idea where to start? I would totally recommend you sell them on Etsy. Right behind that recommendation, I always get this question, though! Here’s how to ship furniture on Etsy so you can start doing it!

Learning how to ship furniture is important in becoming a successful seller. It might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but with some good tips and a little prep, you’ll be able to easily do it for your customers. Let’s dive in!

So, you want to start selling painted pieces online, but you know that shipping can be quite tricky. Many sellers are hesitant because there’s a lot that goes into this process. But with the right preparation and knowledge, you can set it up successfully!

Etsy is the easiest way to get started! It drives over 200 million visits each month, and don’t you want a piece of all those customers instead of trying to drive traffic to your own website each month?? It also collects sales tax from your customers and even sends it in for you. It also does a lot of advertising and has an easy to use platform.

Here’s my Etsy Furniture shop if you want to take a look! Now, let’s dive into the details of how to ship furniture on Etsy so you can get started selling your pieces.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also may earn from other qualifying purchases with other companies or get free product to review and use. All opinions are my own.

Sell Upcycled Furniture on Etsy

If you haven’t already, set up your Etsy account. (If you use this link for a brand new seller’s account, you get 40 free listings!) Then, take really nice styled photos of each of your items. Edit those photos so they are pleasing to the eye.

Write out a detailed description of each piece you’re selling.

• What color is it?
• How many drawers does it have?
• What can it be used for?
• Was it made by a certain brand?
• What is the finish like?
• Make sure to include the dimensions of the piece as well!

If you’re still thinking, can you make money selling furniture on Etsy? – read through this post to learn more.

Shipping Furniture on Etsy

If you’re filling out a listing, you’ll end up getting to the shipping part. The part that freaked me out to no end when I was getting started on Etsy. I honestly saved my listings as drafts because I had no idea how to handle it. Let alone how to even enter it into Etsy’s listing!

How to Fill Out the Shipping Portion of an Etsy Listing

*Note – this is so much easier on the desktop than on a phone. The process is a little bit different on your phone.

• When you get to the shipping options at the bottom of your listing, select ” Enter custom shipping options”.
• Then in the drop-down menu that says “calculate them for me,” click down to “I’ll enter fixed costs manually”.
• Make sure your shipping origin is the right country.
• Then select your processing time in the next drop-down menu.

Etsy Processing Time

The processing time is the time it will take you to get the item shipped out. So, your processing time depends on your method of shipping.

If you are doing the packaging and offering a fast service like freight delivery, UPS or Fed Ex, then you can offer a faster processing time. However long it will take you to package and have the company pick it up, or for you to drop it off at the terminal. Learn more about how to package furniture for shipping here.

If you are using a slower service like white glove shippers or possibly a uShip company, then you will want to account for how long it will take them to be in your area to pick up your item.

Talk with the service companies that you are planning to use before setting your processing time. They might come to your area once a month or once every other month.

• Under “Fixed shipping costs”, navigate to the Shipping carrier drop-down menu.
• Select “Other”.
• And then select how long the service will take to deliver to your customer in the next two drop-down menus.

Delivery Time Estimates

If you’re using a freight company, UPS or Fed Ex, the delivery time is usually less than 7 business days, depending on the area it will be sent to. Get some quotes for a location near you and a location across the country from you. Enter the quoted days as your estimated delivery times.

If you’re using a white glove service, ask them how long it usually takes to get to different areas. They may know, and they may not really know. But consider how long it takes for them to get to your area.

In my area, my favorite white glove shippers only come once every other month. Based on that, I set my delivery time to the max that it allows (which basically comes out to a month).

• Next, select your choice from the “what you’ll charge” drop-down menu. Either a fixed cost or free.

Etsy Fixed Cost Shipping

You have two ways of charging under the fixed cost method.

First, gather quotes from your preferred shipping companies based on locations near and far, depending on the size of the furniture. Then, decide what it would most likely cost to send it based on the quotes. Enter that number into the fixed cost.

You can also enter an average shipping cost, and then in your listing description ask for the customer to contact you for a specific quote to their zip code. That way, you don’t have to suck up any extra costs if it gets sent to a faraway destination that costs more.

I’ll talk more about free shipping in a little bit, but if you offer this, you need to include your delivery costs in your listing price.

• Decide if you are willing to send outside of your country or not. If you’ll only stick to local, delete the “Everywhere Else” option.
• If you want to use this method again, click on “save as a shipping profile.” You can save multiple profiles!

How to Ship Furniture on Etsy for Free

In 2019, Etsy announced that they want every seller to offer their free shipping program on orders over $35. As an incentive, they are showing the “free shipping” products higher in the search than products that don’t offer it.

You’re probably wondering though, how in the world do you offer free delivery on a huge piece if you have no idea how much it’s going to cost to send it across the country??

First, take a step back and think things through one step at a time. If you’re new, you probably shouldn’t offer it. There are a lot of risks, and you should probably send at least 5 pieces (probably more) before doing it for free.

To dive more into this, read our how to offer free shipping and still make money post!

Gather Quotes for Shipping

Now, go gather some shipping quotes from your preferred companies! Make sure you ask for quotes for different sizes and how much it costs to send across the country or to a city only 200 miles away.

Also, check on quotes in big cities and places in the middle of nowhere. Gather up those quotes and decide how much to charge. Then finish off your listings!

How to Ship Furniture – The Ultimate Guide

Want to know more? We’ve only skimmed the very surface! Learn about packaging to prevent damage, the best companies that do delivery, and a whole lot more with our how to ship furniture guide!

You can also learn more about how to ship furniture across the country, including how to weigh and how to package. We answer your burning questions that will make it easy. You’ll be sending pieces across country in no time!

How long does it take Etsy to ship Furniture?

As a buyer, you may be wondering how long it takes for your purchased item to reach you. Well, the answer depends on various factors, such as the processing times and delivery time estimates we’ve mentioned above.

These are set by the seller and can vary depending on their location and preferred carriers. It’s important to check the estimated delivery time for each piece you’re interested in before making a purchase, especially if you need it by a certain date.

If you’re in a hurry to get your item, you can filter your search by “Ready to ship.” These items are already made and can be sent out right away, cutting down on processing and delivery time. You can also reach out to the seller to chat about your timeline and see if they can speed up delivery.

Your location will also matter. If you’re located in the seller’s area, you may receive your item sooner than someone across the country from them. And don’t forget about potential delays due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances!

So, those are the tips and tricks on how to ship furniture on Etsy! When you’re flipping furniture for profit on this platform, you’ll need to consider various factors like delivery costs and delivery times.

Make sure to do a little homework and get quotes from different carriers before deciding on a set cost or offering free shipping. Once that’s sorted, you can dive into creating amazing pieces and getting them sold!

More Furniture Shipping Resources

• Packing Materials for Shipping
• How Much Does it Cost to Ship Furniture to Another State?
• Blanket Wrap Furniture Shipping

Follow us on YouTube to get more tips for painting furniture. Or share your project with us on our Facebook Group and be part of our community. See you there!