What should I do on Etsy if an international package is returned unclaimed?

Hi! When an international package is returned “unclaimed,” the cleanest Etsy-friendly way to handle it is to message the buyer right away and offer two options: (1) you can resend it if they pay new postage, or (2) you can refund the item price once it’s back in your hands, usually not including the original shipping cost (since you did ship on time and the carrier attempted delivery/held it for pickup).

If you’re open to resending, yes—you can require the buyer to pay for shipping again. Just be aware you can’t simply “add” postage onto the original Etsy order after the fact; the usual approach is to create a custom listing/custom order for the reship shipping cost (and any upgrade like tracking/signature, if they want it) and then ship after it’s paid.

A simple way to present it to the buyer:

• Reship option: “I can resend it to you—please confirm your address/phone number (if your country requires it for delivery) and I’ll set up a listing for the new shipping cost.”
• Refund option: “If you’d rather not reship, I can refund the item price after it arrives back to me. Original shipping isn’t refundable in unclaimed/returned-to-sender situations.”

A couple of practical tips that save headaches:

• Wait until you physically receive the parcel back before refunding (unless you fully trust the situation and want to refund early).
• Screenshot/save the tracking showing “unclaimed/returned to sender” in case the buyer opens an Etsy case later.
• If the buyer wants a resend, confirm the address exactly as it appears on Etsy (and fix it there if needed) before you ship again.

If you tell me what your shop’s return/refund policy currently says (especially about “returned/undeliverable/unclaimed” mail), I can help you word a short message to the buyer that matches it.