Shipping Etsy Orders to the US From Another Country: the DDP Rule Since 9 July 2026, and What Happens if You Ship Without It

If your shop ships from outside the US, every US order now needs Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping to keep Etsy Purchase Protection. Requirement J of Etsy’s Purchase Protection policy, in force since 9 July 2026, tells sellers to “use a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) shipping method” for US orders. Ship without it and a lost or late parcel’s refund can land on you.

DDP means you prepay the import duty when you buy the label, so the buyer pays nothing at the door. DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) leaves the duty to the buyer. Etsy says it enforces the rule “through Etsy Purchase Protection coverage”, so what changes is who pays when a US sale goes wrong. Below is what the policy says, where Etsy’s own pages contradict it, the one exception, and the shipping and pricing tools Etsy gives you. Every quote was read on Etsy’s pages on 2 November 2026.

What does Etsy’s DDP rule say?

Etsy’s Purchase Protection Program for Sellers policy lists ten requirements, A to J. Requirement J reads: “For orders shipped to the United States, use a Delivery Duty Paid (DDP) shipping method to ensure buyers are not charged additional import duties, taxes, or customs fees after purchase.”

The page says the policy “will take effect on July 9, 2026” and was last updated on 9 June 2026. The version it replaced, now titled “Effective until May 6, 2026”, had eight requirements, A to H, and none of them mentions duty. Etsy’s Help article on Purchase Protection for Sellers (edited 9 July 2026) lists the same requirement in plainer words: “Duties and import fees are included upfront if the order is shipping into the US.” Etsy’s Seller Handbook guide Navigating Evolving Global Tariff Policies (9 June 2026) puts it bluntly: from 9 July 2026, “if you ship from outside the United States to a US buyer, you must use delivery duties paid (DDP).”

The rule covers physical items only. The same guide says digital listings “are not subject to additional tariffs.”

What happens if you ship a US order without DDP?

The order loses Etsy Purchase Protection. Normally Etsy refunds the buyer itself on a qualifying case and covers up to $250 of the refund. The Handbook guide spells out the cost of shipping DDU: if “the order arrives late or doesn’t arrive, you may be responsible for the refund if the buyer opens a case.”

None of the pages read for this post says a DDU order breaks a listing rule or puts a strike on your shop. The risk is the refund. How the $250 cover works on orders that do qualify is covered in who pays when an Etsy buyer opens a case.

Is DDP required or only recommended? Etsy’s pages disagree

The policy is the page that decides, because Etsy says its terms “are part of our Terms of Use”. Several of Etsy’s other pages haven’t caught up with it, and two still say the opposite on refunds. Read side by side on 2 November 2026:

The last two rows cover a buyer who won’t pay duty on arrival, which only happens on a DDU parcel. Etsy hasn’t said how those lines square with requirement J, under which a DDU parcel to the US is outside Purchase Protection. The policy is the binding page, so plan around requirement J.

When is shipping without DDP allowed?

Only when no DDP option exists for you, and the two pages define that differently. The policy says Etsy “may, in its sole discretion, recognize limited exceptions” in “rare circumstances where a DDP option is genuinely not available”, and that Etsy “may verify the seller’s claim”. The Handbook says exceptions “apply only in countries where DDP services are not available.”

Both pages ask for the buyer’s agreement in Messages. The Handbook asks for more, so meeting its list covers the policy’s too:

• In the listing: state that duties aren’t included in the price and are due when the buyer collects the order (Handbook only).
• In Messages, before you ship: send the estimated total duty and carrier fee, and get the buyer’s agreement (the policy asks for “an accurate estimate” and “explicit buyer confirmation”).
• Keep the thread. The Handbook says you “may not be responsible for the refund” if you meet the conditions “and can show proof of communication.”

The exception is narrow in practice. Etsy’s DDP carrier table in Information for Managing International Shipments names at least one DDP carrier in every row but one, including “Rest of the World: DHL, FedEx, UPS”. The one gap is Israel, whose DDP column is empty, although Israel Post appears under “Rest of Asia”. Whether a listed carrier serves your town and parcel size is for you to check, and Etsy says it may check too.

Which DDP labels can you buy on Etsy itself?

Two, both for specific origin countries. UK sellers can buy Royal Mail International Tracked DDP (3-7 business days) by adding the United States to a shipping profile and picking that service. Canadian sellers can buy Chit Chats labels, added in an article Etsy created on 13 October 2026. Sellers elsewhere use a DDP carrier outside Etsy’s label tool.

Two carriers are in an odd spot. Etsy has suspended US-bound Canada Post and Evri labels on Etsy since 25 August 2025 and says it will bring them back “when they are able to support orders into the US with DDP options.” The same article’s table lists Canada Post and Evri as “Commonly Used DDP Carriers” for Canada and the UK. Etsy’s pages don’t say whether a Canada Post or Evri US service bought off Etsy is DDP. Ask the carrier before you count on it.

What do Chit Chats labels involve for Canadian sellers?

US-bound Chit Chats services use DDP, so “applicable tariffs are paid as part of the shipping process rather than collected from the buyer at delivery,” Etsy’s article says. You must be based in Canada and accept Etsy Payments. Normal Etsy fees still apply, but “there is no additional fee to use Chit Chats shipping labels.”

For US services, tariffs and handling fees “are included as part of DDP shipping.” The details, from Etsy’s article (edited 28 October 2026):

CUSMA is Canada’s name for the agreement Etsy’s other pages call USMCA. Under it, Etsy says, “some goods may enter the US tariff-free” if they meet the rules of origin. In Etsy’s table, Chit Chats is the only Canadian carrier marked as providing the “ability to pursue USMCA exemption”. Whether your product qualifies depends on the item and its origin, and Etsy’s guide suggests a legal professional for personalized advice. Disputes on other carriers’ labels follow different windows, set out in Etsy shipping label adjustments and refund windows.

What tariff code does a US-bound parcel need?

A 10-digit HTS code. Etsy’s international shipping article says “Shipments to the US require a 10-digit HTS code,” against 6 digits for EU parcels worth €150 or less, and that parcels without one “may be delayed by customs or returned to you.”

Etsy Support “cannot assist with determining the right code”. Etsy links the US Census Bureau’s lookup and the US International Trade Commission’s schedule at hts.usitc.gov.

Etsy’s US estimated tariffs calculator (in the listing form, under Price and inventory) can suggest one. It is powered by Zonos and uses AI, and Etsy says it “does not guarantee the accuracy” of the codes or estimates. Its advice on the item description you type in is worth following anyway. Say what the item is and what it’s made of, for example “Soy wax candle in glass container, 8 oz.” rather than “Luxury scented candle for cozy vibes”. Don’t rely on a brand name alone, and leave out colors, internal SKUs and emojis.

How do you build the duty into US prices?

With US-specific pricing, which Etsy recommends to sellers outside the US. Turn on Add global prices under Price and inventory and set separate prices for your country, the United States and everywhere else. If you skip it, “US buyers will see your global price,” so the duty comes out of your margin or every buyer’s price.

The limits, from Etsy’s pricing and calculator articles:

• Etsy says you can edit domestic, global and US-specific prices “on up to 500 listings at a time”. US-specific prices are set on Etsy.com; the feature isn’t available on third-party apps.
• A listing with more than 400 variation options can’t have domestic and global pricing.
• The tariffs calculator is “unavailable for listings with price variations”, so those need an estimate from somewhere else.
• The calculator’s figures “do not include additional fees your carrier may charge, such as customs clearance, brokerage, or administrative costs.” Compare against a real label quote.
• A shipping profile linked to listings with domestic and global pricing can’t have its country of origin changed.

Why can’t Etsy collect the tariff for you, the way it collects VAT?

Because, as Etsy’s Handbook guide puts it, “the United States does not have a process for allowing intermediaries like Etsy to collect and remit tariffs.” Etsy collects VAT or GST at checkout for countries such as Australia and Canada, but US import duty is paid through the carrier, and Etsy says each carrier “may handle tariffs and associated costs” differently.

That is why the rule sits on your label and not in Etsy’s checkout. The EU’s own €3 duty and €2 handling fee on low-value parcels are covered in shipping Etsy orders into the EU.

Is the US de minimis exemption coming back?

Not as of 2 November 2026. Etsy’s guide says that since 29 August 2025, “there is no longer a de minimis exemption for goods entering the United States”, the rule that used to let low-value parcels in duty-free. Executive Order 14388, signed 20 February 2026, continued that suspension.

A CBP rule effective 24 June 2026 suspends it indefinitely for parcels worth $800 or less sent by any route other than the international postal network.

On refunds, Etsy’s guide says a recent US Supreme Court ruling means “some sellers may be eligible for refunds” on tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It adds that refund processes for parcels entered by a postal carrier “have not been released”. For labels bought on Etsy, it says Etsy is “continuing to monitor”. For other labels, ask your carrier.

A checklist before your next US order

1. Pick a DDP service for every US destination in your shipping profiles: Royal Mail International Tracked DDP (UK), Chit Chats (Canada), or a DDP carrier from Etsy’s table for your country.
2. Note a 10-digit HTS code for each product type you ship to the US.
3. Set US-specific prices that cover the duty and the carrier’s handling fees you saw on a real label quote.
4. If you think no DDP option exists for you, put the duty notice in the listing, send the buyer an estimate, and get their agreement in Messages before you ship.
5. Check “ships from” in your shipping profiles. Etsy uses it for the estimated delivery date, and the policy requires an accurate “ships from” location.

Etsy also suggests noting in your listing descriptions that US prices include duties. If you are drafting new listings, the free generator at /generate takes a short product description, plus a photo if you add one, and returns a title, 13 tags and a description to add that line to.