How does Etsy shipping work in Ireland, and who pays postage?

Hi! On Etsy you can do it either way: you can charge postage to the buyer at checkout (you set a shipping price on the listing/shipping profile), or you can offer “free shipping/free delivery” and build the postage cost into your item price—Etsy will support both, so it’s really a pricing strategy choice.

Since you’re shipping from Ireland, the simplest setup is usually fixed rates in Shipping/Delivery profiles (rather than Etsy “calculated shipping,” which is mainly available to sellers in the US/Canada with certain carriers). You’ll create a profile, set your processing time, then set what you’ll charge for:

• Ireland (domestic)
• United Kingdom
• EU
• Everywhere else (or add specific countries if you want tighter control)

Here’s a practical way to set rates so you don’t lose money:

1) Work out your true “ship cost” per product
For each item type (e.g., greeting card vs acrylic sign), figure out:

• Packed weight (item + sleeve/box + label + any backing board)
• Packed size (especially for acrylic signs—thickness matters)
• Postage price for that size/weight to each region (Ireland / UK / EU / Rest of World)
• Packaging cost (mailers, boxes, tape, inserts)
• A small buffer for rate changes, returns/resends, and the occasional “oops” (wrong weight band, etc.)

2) Decide: “buyers pay shipping” vs “free shipping”

• Buyers pay at checkout: easiest to keep your item price clean and transparent, and easiest to stay profitable internationally.
• Free shipping: often works best when your shipping cost is fairly similar across orders (or if you mostly sell to one region). For international, it can get tricky unless your margins are strong.

3) Use “One item” + “Additional item” to avoid overcharging on multiples
When you set fixed postage, Etsy lets you set:

• One item = the full cost to ship that product alone
• Additional item = the extra cost to add one more (often much lower for cards, sometimes higher for bulky signs)
  This helps you stay competitive when someone buys 2–5 items.

4) Don’t guess—price from the worst-case packaging
Especially for acrylic signs, price based on the sturdier packaging you’ll actually need (better protection = fewer breakages = fewer refunds/replacements). If some designs are heavier/bigger, either:

• make a separate shipping profile for that size, or
• set the shipping price based on the heaviest/largest version.

5) Plan for UK customs & international paperwork
Shipping from Ireland to the UK is treated as international shipping (customs forms, potential import VAT/fees on the buyer’s side depending on order value and rules). Make sure your item descriptions are accurate and you’re comfortable with the buyer potentially paying import charges—this avoids surprises and “item not received / refused delivery” headaches.

If you tell me roughly (a) typical packed weight/size for your greeting cards and your acrylic signs, and (b) whether you’ll ship with An Post or a courier, I can suggest a simple shipping profile structure (and how to set “additional item” rates) that usually works well for Ireland/UK/EU/worldwide.