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

Hi! When Etsy asks for customs info on a “domestic” U.S. order, it almost always means Etsy is treating the destination as international even if USPS can verify the street/ZIP—usually because the order’s country/region fields don’t match what you think, or because it’s going to an APO/FPO/DPO or a U.S. territory that USPS handles with special international-style paperwork in some systems.

A few common causes to check (these are the ones I see most often):

1. APO/FPO/DPO (military) address

• These often look “U.S.” but use AA / AE / AP as the “state,” and Etsy/USPS may require customs details (especially for certain services).
• Make sure the address is formatted exactly in APO/FPO style (City = APO/FPO/DPO, State = AA/AE/AP, ZIP is the military ZIP).

1. U.S. territories that can trigger customs-style prompts

• Orders going to places like Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands can cause Etsy to show international options/customs prompts even though they’re U.S. territories.
• Puerto Rico is usually straightforward, but territories can be the “why is this acting international?” culprit.

1. The buyer’s “Country” field is wrong (most common “bug-looking” situation)

• The street/ZIP can still validate, but if the buyer accidentally set the country to something else (or Etsy stored it oddly), Etsy will push you into customs/international label flows.
• Double-check the order’s shipping address fields very carefully: Country/Region, State/Province, ZIP. If “United States” isn’t truly set as the country (or it’s set to a lookalike entry), Etsy labels can behave exactly like you described.

1. A freight forwarder / reshipper address

• Some buyers use a U.S. warehouse address tied to an overseas forwarding service. Occasionally the way they enter it (company name lines, country mismatch, special characters) trips Etsy’s label validation and nudges it into international options.

What I’d do (best path before canceling)

• Confirm the “Country/Region” on the order is truly United States and that the state + ZIP combination makes sense (especially if it’s AA/AE/AP or a territory).
• If it’s an APO/FPO/DPO or territory, try selecting a USPS service that Etsy supports for that destination and proceed with the customs prompts if required (it can be normal for those cases).
• If it’s clearly a normal mainland U.S. address and Etsy still forces customs/international, the fastest workaround is usually: buy the USPS label off Etsy (Pirate Ship, Shippo, USPS.com, etc.), then mark the order complete and add the tracking number. That gets the package moving without fighting Etsy’s label screen.

Should you cancel and have them repurchase?

Only if you confirm the order’s address is actually wrong (especially the country/region)—because Etsy generally doesn’t let you “fix” the buyer’s saved shipping address on an existing order in a clean way. In that case, ask the buyer to re-enter their address correctly and repurchase, and you cancel/refund the original (so you’re not shipping to an address you know is incorrect).

If you tell me what the destination is (just the state/territory and whether it’s APO/FPO/DPO, no full address), I can tell you which of the above is most likely and what format usually fixes it.