Build an Etsy Shipping Calculator with Claude Code

E-commerce tool that calculates accurate shipping costs for Etsy sellers with multiple carriers. Etsy sellers and handmade businesses use it to set competitive shipping prices and increase profits.

2,600 searches a month for “etsy shipping calculator”WeekendA working first version in a day or two

The Claude Code prompt

Build an Etsy Shipping Calculator web app. People search for "etsy shipping calculator" about 2,600 times a month, plus related searches like "etsy shipping cost calculator", "shipping calculator for sellers", "etsy postage calculator". The goal is a tool that ranks for those searches and makes money.

What it should do:
Build an Etsy shipping calculator with package dimensions and weight input. Include destination selector and carrier comparison (USPS, UPS, FedEx). Add packaging cost calculation and profit margin settings. Show shipping rate comparison table with delivery times. Include international shipping and tracking options. Focus on getting basic rate calculation working first.

How to build it:
1. Read this folder first. If it is empty, set up Next.js (App Router, TypeScript, Tailwind). Write a short PLAN.md with the pages, components, any library or API you need, and what you are leaving for later. Then build.
2. Put the tool itself on the homepage so a visitor can use it within seconds, with no sign-up. Do the processing in the browser where you can, so it is fast and cheap to run. Look at how ShipStation, Pirate Ship, Easyship do it and make ours simpler and faster.
3. Make it rank. Use "etsy shipping calculator" in the title tag, H1 and meta description. Under the tool, add a short how-to and an FAQ with FAQPage schema, and add a sitemap and robots.txt. Scaffold these programmatic pages from one template and a data file: /etsy-shipping-calculator-[country], /shipping-rates-[product-type], /calculate-shipping-[carrier].
4. Monetisation: Freemium: 20 calculations/day, $8/mo unlimited + profit tracking. Add a pricing page and the free usage limit, and leave Stripe checkout as a clearly marked stub with the environment variables it needs.
5. Run it locally and test the main flow end to end, including edge cases like empty input and very large files. Fix what breaks, then finish with a summary of what works, what is stubbed and how to deploy it to Vercel.

Paste it into Claude Code in an empty folder. It plans first, so read PLAN.md and steer before it starts building.

What people search for

etsy shipping calculatoretsy shipping cost calculatorshipping calculator for sellersetsy postage calculatorsmall business shippinghandmade shipping costsetsy shippingseller shipping calculatore-commerce shippinghandmade shippingshipping cost estimatorpostal calculator

Who you're up against

  • ShipStation : Multi-carrier shipping software for e-commerce
  • Pirate Ship : Free shipping software with discounted rates
  • Easyship : Global shipping platform for online sellers

Pages that can rank

One template, many long-tail pages:

  • /etsy-shipping-calculator-[country]
  • /shipping-rates-[product-type]
  • /calculate-shipping-[carrier]
  • /etsy-seller-shipping-[size]

Content to write

  • How to Calculate Profitable Shipping Rates on Etsy
  • Etsy Shipping Strategy Guide for Sellers
  • Small Business Shipping Cost Optimization
  • International Shipping Tips for Etsy Sellers

How it makes money

Freemium: 20 calculations/day, $8/mo unlimited + profit tracking

More to build

More in Calculators · Every build idea