How to Add Tracking and Complete an Order

Quick answer

Buyers are notified that their items are on their way based on the ship date you set when purchasing a shipping label and completing your orders.

Make sure that the ship date matches the date you plan to hand off the order to the shipping carrier. 

There are 2 ways to add tracking to an order: 

• Purchase shipping labels on Etsy. If you use shipping labels purchased on Etsy, tracking is automatically included.
• If you complete an order without purchasing a shipping label, tracking information can be added manually.

When you add tracking to your order or use shipping labels purchased on Etsy, you help provide your buyer an excellent customer service experience by keeping them updated about the status of their shipment. Adding tracking information is required to complete an order for US sellers.

Jump to a section:

• How do I add tracking and complete an order on Etsy.com?
• When is a tracking number required?
• How do I accurately complete my orders?
• How do I edit the tracking number on an order?
• How do I add tracking information after completing an order?
• How do I combine multiple orders into one shipment and complete them?

How do I add tracking and complete an order on Etsy.com?

1. On Etsy.com, go to Shop Manager and then Orders.
2. In the New tab, you'll see a list of your sales that you haven't completed yet.
3. Select the Complete order icon on the right side of the order you're interested in.
4. Choose a Ship date. You can choose to set a Ship date up to 3 days in the future. We will not send a Shipping Notification to your buyer until the package’s Ship date. Ship dates are based on Eastern Time.
5. Add a personal Note to Buyer. You can save up to 10 versions of your Note to Buyer. To save a note, write your message in the Note to Buyer field. Then select Add to saved notes.
6. Select a Shipping carrier and add Tracking information if you're purchasing a shipping label off of Etsy.
7. Select Preview buyer notification to view the shipping notification that will be sent to your buyer. If you’d like, check Email me a copy of this notification.
8. Select Complete order.

How to add tracking and complete an order on the Etsy Seller app

1. On the Etsy Seller app, go to your Orders tab. 
2. Select the order you're looking to complete from your list. 
3. Review the order information and select Complete order. 

4. Put in your order’s tracking number. If your order doesn't have tracking, such as if it’s a digital item or an item for local pickup, select This order doesn’t have tracking and choose your reason from the list of options.

5. Choose your Shipping carrier from the dropdown menu. 
6. Select a date from the Ship date dropdown. You can choose to set a Ship date up to 3 days in the future. Buyers won't won't receive a shipping notification until the package’s Ship date, which are based on Eastern Time.
7. Select Add note to buyer to include a personalized message and choose Save. Select the pencil icon if you need to edit your message. 

8. Select the checkmark if you would like to have a copy of this notification emailed to you.

9. Select Complete order.

When is a tracking number required? 

Orders for physical items must have a valid tracking number in order for them to qualify towards Star Seller. You may risk losing your Star Seller badge if you ship orders without including tracking. 

Orders must also have valid tracking to qualify for Etsy Purchase Protection. If something goes wrong with a qualifying order, Etsy Purchase Protection can help you keep your earnings from that sale.

Tracking is not required in the following instances: 

• Digital downloads, including custom digital items
• Customized order additions linked to another order
• Orders being delivered through local pickup
• The shipping of oversized and heavy items

If you need to indicate an exception other than what is listed, you’ll see an option to indicate This order doesn't have tracking below the tracking number field. You can then add a quick explanation for why you can’t add tracking for an order.

How do I accurately complete my orders? 

When you complete an order, either when you purchase a shipping label from Etsy or are completing it manually, you must set a ship date for when you expect to hand the item over to the shipping carrier. An email is automatically sent to the buyer letting them know their order is in transit on the ship date you set. 

If you set a ship date for an order before the package is actually en route, it creates an inaccurate expectation of when the buyer will receive it. This can also cause your order to arrive later than its estimated delivery date, which can impact things like your on-time delivery rate for Star Seller, or the order’s eligibility for Etsy Purchase Protection.

How do I edit the tracking number on an order? 

Once you complete an order and add tracking information manually, you have 3 days to make changes to the tracking number or shipping carrier.

To edit the tracking number or shipping carrier:

1. On Etsy.com, go to Shop Manager, then Orders.
2. Select Completed.
3. Choose the order with the tracking information you want to change and scroll down to the package you want to edit.
4. Select Edit tracking next to the original tracking number.
5. Make any changes to the tracking number or shipping carrier.
6. Select Save. 

If you need to change the number after 3 days, you can contact your buyer through Etsy Messages with the correct tracking number, and add the tracking number to your private notes on the order for your records. Keeping your buyer updated will help avoid any potential confusion or disputes.

How do I add tracking information after completing an order?

After you complete an order, you can add tracking information at a later date.

To add a tracking number to a completed order:

1. On Etsy.com, go to Shop Manager, then Orders.
2. Select Completed.
3. Select the ... icon next to the order you want to add tracking information to.
4. Select Add a package.
5. From here you can:
   • Choose a Ship date. You can choose to set a Ship date up to 3 days in the future. We will not send a Shipping Notification to your buyer until the package’s Ship date. Ship dates are based on Eastern Time.
   • Add a personal Note to Buyer.
   • Add a tracking number, if one was provided by your shipping carrier. If you already added a tracking number to the order previously, this new tracking number will appear on the order in addition to the previous number(s) you have entered.

How do I combine multiple orders into one shipment and complete them?

If a buyer purchases several items from your shop that you can combine into one shipment, you can complete the orders in the following ways: 

Combining multiple orders into one box:

1. Go to your Shop Manager.
2. Go to Orders.
3. Find one of the buyer’s orders you want to buy a shipping label for.
4. Select the icon of a van to purchase a shipping label.
5. When putting in the package dimensions, make sure that the Package weight, and Length, Width, and Height of the box reflects the combined package dimensions.  
6. Finish purchasing your shipping label. 
7. Complete the order as usual. 
8. Copy the tracking number for the combined package. 
9. Find the other purchases from the buyer’s order and select the Complete order icon. 
10. Paste the combined package’s tracking number into the Tracking number field. 
11. Fill out the rest of the information and select Complete order. 
12. Repeat this process for each item in the combined order.
13. Refund the extra shipping costs for the additional orders back to the buyer.

If you have orders that you shipped, but that are still in the New tab of your orders page, you may need to select Complete order.

To complete an order, find the order on your Orders & Shipping tab. Select the timer icon on the order, then choose Complete order.

You can then:

• Choose a Ship date. We won’t send a Shipping Notification to your buyer until the package’s Ship date. 
• Add a personal Note to Buyer.
• Add a tracking number, if one was provided by your shipping carrier.

Why is an order showing as Not Paid?

If one of your orders is showing as “payment processing” or "Not Paid" on your Order page or if you received an email from Etsy saying that your order is still processing, it means that Etsy is reviewing the transaction.

This review may take up to 72 hours, although it may occasionally take longer. This review process is in place to protect you and other sellers and buyers on Etsy from possible fraud.

The buyer has also received an email letting them know that their order is being reviewed by Etsy. 

We know it’s important to have your order completed as soon as possible. Our team is working diligently to review your transaction. 

Once the order has fully processed, both you and the buyer will receive an email confirmation. Please don’t take any further action regarding your order until you receive the confirmation email.

I want to cancel an order, but I don’t see the option to

You can’t cancel an order while it’s processing. After the order is processed, you can cancel the order from your Orders page.