How do I fix the AutoDS error “Create readiness state definition” on Etsy?

Hi! That message is coming from Etsy’s newer “processing profile / readiness state” requirement for physical listings—Etsy wants every physical item to have a defined readiness state (basically: ready to ship vs made to order) plus a processing time, and AutoDS can’t publish the listing if your shop doesn’t have at least one of those processing profiles available for Etsy to attach to the new listing.

What to change in your Etsy shop (this usually fixes it)

1. Create (or edit) a Delivery/Shipping profile with a processing time

• Go to Shop Manager → Settings → Shipping settings → Delivery profiles (wording can vary a bit).
• Create a new delivery profile (or edit an existing one).
• Make sure you set a Processing time (e.g., “1–3 business days” or whatever is accurate for your workflow).
• Save it.

1. Make sure the listing will use that profile

• If you can create a draft listing manually in Etsy, check the Delivery/Shipping profile section and confirm a profile is selected and processing time is filled in.
• If you already have listings, open one and verify it has a delivery profile + processing time (this confirms your shop is set up correctly).

If it still fails after that
At that point, the issue is usually not a shop setting—it’s that AutoDS isn’t sending Etsy the required field (readiness_state_id) when it tries to create the Etsy listing. When that’s the cause, you can’t fully fix it inside Etsy; AutoDS has to support Etsy’s processing profiles on their side.

Two practical workarounds people use:

• Create the draft Etsy listing manually first (with the correct delivery profile/processing time), then try using AutoDS to update/attach inventory/images afterward (instead of “create listing”).
• Reach out to AutoDS support and ask specifically whether their Etsy importer supports Etsy’s required “processing profile / readiness state” for new physical listings, and if there’s a setting to choose ready to ship vs made to order during publish.

One extra note (just so you don’t run into a different roadblock)
If this T-shirt is POD/production partner fulfillment, Etsy is generally fine with that if it’s your design/product and you disclose the production partner. Straight resale/dropshipping items you didn’t design can trigger listing or shop issues later, even if you get the API error solved.

If you tell me whether your item is POD (Printify/Printful/etc.) or retail dropship, and whether you already have any successful physical listings in the shop, I can narrow down the exact quickest fix.