Why is Etsy asking for customs details on a domestic US shipping label?

Hi! Etsy will only ask for “Customs details” on a label if it thinks the package is crossing a border (or going to a destination that requires a customs-style form), so when it shows up on a North Carolina order it’s almost always caused by one field in the “ship to” or “ship from” address being set to a non‑US country (or otherwise not being recognized as a normal US domestic address).

Here’s what usually causes it, and what to check:

1. The buyer’s address has the wrong Country (most common)

• Open the order and look at the full “Ship to” address.
• Make sure Country = United States (not a similarly named option, not blank, not something like “United States Minor Outlying Islands”).
• If you can edit the address on the order, correct it. If you can’t, ask the buyer to confirm the exact address and cancel/rebuy if needed (since labels are tied to the address saved on the order).

1. Your ship-from address (label origin) is set to a non‑US country
   Even if your shop is US-based, Etsy shipping labels use the specific “ship from” address you’ve set for labels/dispatch.

• Go to your shipping label settings and confirm the origin address country is United States, with a valid US ZIP code.
• If you have multiple ship-from profiles/addresses, make sure you’re selecting the correct one when buying the label.

1. Etsy can’t validate the destination as a standard US address
   This can happen if something is off-format (which makes Etsy/carrier treat it like “international/other”):

• State should be NC (two-letter code), and ZIP should be a valid 5-digit (or ZIP+4) US ZIP.
• Watch for swapped fields (ZIP accidentally in the city line, “North Carolina” typed into the country line, extra text in the state field, etc.).

1. It’s actually a special destination (not your case if it’s truly NC, but worth knowing)
   Customs details are normal for things like:

• US territories (PR, GU, VI, etc.)
• Military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO)
  If the order looks like “North Carolina” but any of those keywords/codes appear, that’s the reason.

If you fix the country/origin details and Etsy still prompts for customs on that order, try buying the label from a different browser/incognito (sometimes the label purchase screen glitches), and as a workaround you can purchase the domestic label directly through USPS/your shipping software for that shipment. If you tell me what carrier you’re selecting on Etsy (USPS, etc.) and what the “country” fields show on the order and your ship-from address (just the country, not the full address), I can help pinpoint which setting is triggering it.