What should I do if an Etsy digital order shows as not paid but counts as a sale?

Hi! In most cases you don’t need to do anything—if an Etsy digital order shows “not paid” (or “payment processing”), Etsy hasn’t fully confirmed the buyer’s payment yet, so the download won’t be released until it clears. Etsy may still temporarily count it in your sales/notification totals while it’s in that processing state, but it’s not truly completed until the payment succeeds.

A few practical tips:

• Don’t message the files manually yet (and don’t change anything on the order) until the order moves to Completed and/or you see the funds in your Payment account.
• Wait it out: Etsy reviews some payments for fraud protection and it usually clears within up to ~72 hours.
• If it fails: Etsy will notify the buyer and the order typically cancels on its own / won’t complete, and you won’t be paid.
• If it’s still stuck after a few days: then it’s worth contacting Etsy Support, because sometimes it’s a processing glitch.

So yes—this is mainly on the buyer/Etsy’s payment system to finish, and your files should deliver automatically once Etsy marks the payment as confirmed.