Can I run my US Etsy shop while living in the UK for 4–5 weeks?

Hi! Yes—you can usually keep your US Etsy shop open while you’re in London for 4–5 weeks, and the simplest approach is to leave your shop’s country/Etsy Payments setup as-is and just temporarily switch your shipping setup (delivery/shipping profiles, processing times, and “ships from” details) to reflect that you’re dispatching from the UK.

If you plan to fulfill from the UK, here’s what I’d do (and what I’d avoid):

• Do change your shipping/delivery profiles for that period: set the country items are dispatched from (UK) and use a UK origin postcode, then adjust shipping services, costs, and transit times accordingly. (You can create “UK Dispatch” profiles and swap your listings over, then switch back to “US Dispatch” when you return.)
• Do adjust processing times to give yourself cushion for travel days and UK supply runs.
• Do communicate it clearly: add a quick note in your shop announcement and/or an FAQ like “Orders placed between [date] and [date] ship from London, UK.” This prevents surprises (especially for US buyers who assume domestic shipping).
• Don’t change your shop country unless the move is long-term. Changing country/region or payment/tax identity settings can trigger extra verification and headaches, and it’s generally not worth it for a short trip.

On tax/VAT: for a short stay, most sellers don’t change Etsy tax settings—but VAT and “where goods ship from” can get nuanced when inventory is physically in the UK. Etsy may handle VAT collection in some situations, but whether you have any UK obligations depends on your exact facts (what you sell, values, where buyers are, and whether you’re considered to be “trading” in the UK). Since rules can be situation-specific, I’d treat this as “don’t guess” territory—if you expect meaningful volume while shipping from the UK, it’s worth getting quick guidance from a tax pro.

About Vacation Mode: it’s totally fine to use if you’d rather not deal with international dispatch, but yes, it often causes a dip in momentum because your listings stop showing in search while you’re away, and when you reopen you’re basically rebuilding recent activity. Some shops bounce back quickly; others take a couple weeks. If you want the least disruption, staying open with updated shipping profiles is usually better than Vacation Mode.

If you tell me where most of your buyers are (US vs UK/EU) and whether you’ll still be making items to order in London or bringing finished stock, I can suggest the cleanest “UK dispatch” setup (and whether it’s smarter to only ship to certain countries during those weeks).