Why isn’t Etsy paying me the shipping charge on an order?

Hi! On Etsy, the buyer’s shipping charge is paid to you as part of the order total, but it doesn’t always show up as a separate “shipping payout” line—usually it shows up inside the Sale amount for that order in your Payment account, and then it can get “eaten up” right away by fees, a shipping label purchase, or a reserve/hold, which makes it look like Etsy never gave it to you.

Here’s where to look and what commonly makes it seem missing:

Where the shipping money should appear

• Go to Shop Manager → Finances → Payment account and click into the order’s activity.
• You should see a Sale (credit) for the order that generally reflects what the buyer paid at checkout (items + shipping, and sometimes other amounts depending on what’s included).
• You may also see sales tax/VAT shown on the order/receipt, but that portion is typically collected and remitted by Etsy (so it can appear on the order total without becoming money you can withdraw).

Why it can look like you didn’t get the shipping charge

1. Etsy transaction fee is charged on shipping too
   Etsy’s transaction fee applies to the item price and the shipping amount (and gift wrap, if any). So even if the buyer paid $X shipping, you won’t “net” the full $X.

2. Payment processing fee is also taken from the total (including shipping)
   Etsy Payments processing fees are calculated on the total the buyer paid (including shipping, and often including tax where applicable). That can further reduce what you expect to see.

3. You bought an Etsy shipping label (or had a label adjustment)
   If you purchased a shipping label through Etsy, you’ll see a Shipping label charge (a debit) in your Payment account. That debit can be equal to—or higher than—the shipping fee the buyer paid, especially if the buyer paid a flat shipping rate but the real postage was more, or if there was a carrier adjustment later.

4. Funds are in a Payment account reserve (hold), so they aren’t “Available” yet
   If your shop has a reserve, Etsy may hold part (or all) of the order proceeds (including the shipping portion) so it won’t show in Available for deposit right away. In that case, check the Reserve section in your Payment account and look for an “order in reserve” indicator. Adding valid tracking can sometimes release reserved funds sooner.

5. The shipping charge is present, but it’s not itemized the way you expect
   Etsy’s line items can make it feel confusing because you’ll see:

   • Sale (credit)
   • then separate debits like Transaction fee, Payment processing fee, Shipping label, Etsy Ads/Offsite Ads (if applicable), etc.
     The shipping charge is usually “inside” the Sale line, while the costs that affect it show up as separate deductions.

If you want, paste the labels of the lines you see for that order in Payment account (for example: “Sale”, “Transaction fee”, “Payment processing fee”, “Shipping label”, “Reserve”), and I’ll tell you exactly which line is offsetting the buyer-paid shipping in your case—no private info needed.