Etsy Sellers Struggle with Shipping & AI
13 posts across 5 communities in the last 90 days; 54% from r/EtsySellers.
“Hello! I have been a long-time user of Etsy, although this is my first time posting here. Recently, I’ve become frustrated at the platform because AI slop has flooded my feed, making it hard to find credible shops with real art. Since I’ve found there’s no way to filter out…”
“Im starting an Etsy shop to sell stickers and prints of my artwork. I'd like to sell the stickers with the cheapest shipping possible by sending them in a greeting card, and the prints would go out in rigid mailers with etsys standard shipping options. I cant seem to figure out…”
“Hey all! I don't usually post often but I am really struggling to determine wether this store is using AI images or am I actually just going crazy from paranoia. And I can't post on the isthisAI subreddit because I don't have enough karma. Something looked immidietly off for me…”
Etsy sellers are facing challenges related to shipping larger orders and concerns about the prevalence of AI-generated content on the platform. One seller struggles with finding appropriate packaging for multiple cards, while others express difficulty distinguishing between genuine artwork and AI-generated images.
SOURCES (20)
“I’ve been using Gelato with Etsy for my print shop and have created 80+ listings using their Fine Art Paper products with Framed options as variants. Just today when I went to add a new listing on Gelato's side as I always do using Create…”
“Hello! I have been a long-time user of Etsy, although this is my first time posting here. Recently, I’ve become frustrated at the platform because AI slop has flooded my feed, making it hard to find credible shops with real art. Since I’ve found there’s no way to filter out AI-generated imagery, I’ve almost completely given up on Etsy. I’m sure this issue is particularly affecting sellers, who I sympathize with. I’m looking for shop recommendations for stationary. I particularly love stickers, b”
“Etsy and USPS are the worst combo on Earth. Pitney Bowes is absolute trash and rarely actually works. USPS is the dressing ontop. I ship thru Etsy with the Pitney Bowes envelopes that are supposedly "tracked"... This is the only option that makes any sense as my items I sell are stickers and patches, usually under 2 ounces, and thin. And I would never even think of asking my customers to pay $5-6 for a real USPS package, for an item that costs $8 or $10. I would never do that myself if”
“My shipping situation is this: I ship a lot of low-price-point items, mainly postcards, washi tape, stickers, and prints. Postcards ship in a regular envelope if there are five or fewer. More than that, they ship in a flat. If someone orders washi tape, that goes in a padded mailer (a package). If there are a lot of postcards and at least one washi tape, that order goes into a box. Etsy can’t account for letters or flats with calculated shipping, so I do a flat fee for certain items to keep ship”
“Im starting an Etsy shop to sell stickers and prints of my artwork. I'd like to sell the stickers with the cheapest shipping possible by sending them in a greeting card, and the prints would go out in rigid mailers with etsys standard shipping options. I cant seem to figure out how to ship one product for $1 (to cover stamp and card) and other products as the etsy standard shipping options. Is there an option to send a package for <$1 as an envelope? submitted by /u/solaceartw”
“my items are too big to ship with the cheap Etsy endicia postage, and USPS is raising the 0-2lb package rate by $1 in a few weeks. at this point the shipping is the same cost as my items. I guess I can just raise the item price by $1 but I'm in a saturated field trying to compete. and making the shipping cost $7+ would mess up my spot in the algorithm. what is everyone else doing? not to mention how Etsy takes a cut of the shipping amount 🥴 submitted by /u/NacelleS989 [link] ”
“Hi! I just started my Etsy business and I’m flabbergasted by the costs of Canada post. My products are small and lightweight but the one product is a A7 sized binder and because of the rings, it causes the package to slightly push past the lettermail/standard service so from $5 to $16! It’s only a tiny bit bigger in height than the plastic slot measurement they use. One Canada post worker was able to get it through and I only paid $5 but when I had to deliver again, this different worker said sh”
“I checked printify and its mostly bundles, it has only a few for individual cards, most based in Australia so shipping is like 10-30 days. Checked Printful and there is not much choice either, only found two, with mixed reviews, some saying it didn't feel premium, any advices or experiences? submitted by /u/Imperceptible_x [link] [comments]”
“Double-box it and make sure the piece can’t touch the outer walls at all, like suspended in foam or crumpled kraft. Do a “drop test” with a sacrificial print before you ship the real ones. If it’s higher value, I’d pay for packing at Pack & Send at least until you dial in your own method.”
“I sell posters that are 40in wide at the widest. I'm getting a lot of complaints recently that the packages are getting damaged and then I need to send them another poster. I first put the poster in a cardboard tube with the white plastic caps, then i put it into a cardboard box because UPS mandates I put everything into a box. I think it gets damaged because they stack heavy packages on the middle of the box, or throw heavier packages on it, and it gets squished in the middle, and then it b”
“If you're selling individual cards, I'd honestly recommend taking your own photos or scans. Buyers usually appreciate seeing the actual card they're getting, especially for condition”
“The post is not letting me add pictures in the comments. I saw many people say they mail those rigid mailers as letters or flats, but when I try to use the Etsy shipping calculator, it says this for both options. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong submitted by /u/DaniB9_ [link] [comments]”
“I am in the process of starting my first Etsy shop and I’m really struggling with the shipping settings. If I were to use 6x8 and 9x12 rigid mailers, what package type would they be when purchasing a label? Thank you for any help!!! I’m so confused right now submitted by /u/DaniB9_ [link] [comments]”
“I sell printed greeting cards on Etsy, and up until now my orders have mostly been 1-2 cards at a time, so I’ve been using a small rigid mailer that works great for that. Then someone ordered 5 cards in one go, and I realized my usual mailer isn’t going to cut it. I know I could just size up to a bigger rigid mailer, but I’m curious how other card sellers handle this when it happens: • Have you adjusted your listings (like adding quantity-based shipping) after something like this happened? • Any”
“I sell printed greeting cards on Etsy, and up until now my orders have mostly been 1-2 cards at a time, so I’ve been using a small rigid mailer that works great for that. Then someone ordered 5 cards in one go, and I realized my usual mailer isn’t going to cut it. I know I could just size up to a bigger rigid mailer, but I’m curious how other card sellers handle this when it happens: • Have you adjusted your listings (like adding quantity-based shipping) after something like this happened? • Any”
“Hi All, I am designing a product that includes a acrylic box. I am buying this in currently but want to put a technical file together. I can’t seem to find a supplier that provides any material compliance data sheets. Given these are for sale in Uk I was expecting some compliance information. What does everyone else do? Am I been a bit paranoid about compliance? submitted by /u/DualPeaks [link] [comments]”
“Hey all! I don't usually post often but I am really struggling to determine wether this store is using AI images or am I actually just going crazy from paranoia. And I can't post on the isthisAI subreddit because I don't have enough karma. Something looked immidietly off for me when I found this shop but I can't quite put my finger on it even after looking at the pictures for a while. The things they are selling are right up my alley as well so I think I am biased as I am hoping”
“Hey guys, I’ve recently ordered a commissioned watercolor painting from this seller, and upon arrival (of the original, not print) I suspect it’s AI due to the smooth finish of the painting with no texture at the front. On her page under a review, she claims this is due to the protective varnish coating. I was wondering if anybody can help confirm if this seller uses AI or not? They have 218 sales within 4 months and claim to finish a painting between 1-5 days. They did have 1-2 reviews that cla”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★★ 3/5 (v2.1.1) — Etsy needs to provide a discounted shipping option for UPS… the only option currently is USPS”