How can I set a 5-8 day processing time with tracking on Shopify?

Topic summary

Seller expanding from Etsy to Shopify wants to match Etsy’s 5–8 day processing window with tracked shipping. Shopify’s available settings appear limited to 1–2 or 3–4 day processing, which forced a 2-day turnaround on a recent order. Support suggested creating a custom shipping option and informing customers of a 3–5 or 5–8 day processing time, but the seller couldn’t find a way to include tracking with that approach.

Key points:

  • Goal: Set a processing time (time to make/prepare orders) of 5–8 days and still ship with tracking.
  • Constraint: Shopify’s processing time options seem shorter (1–2 or 3–4 days), impacting workflow.
  • Gap: Unclear how to provide a tracking number when using a custom shipping method (e.g., USPS First Class Package with tracking).

Status: Unresolved. The seller is seeking a method to combine a longer processing window with tracked shipping on Shopify.

Summarized with AI on February 1. AI used: gpt-5.

hello, I’ve been selling on etsy for almost a year, and sales are great, so I’m expanding to shopify, where I’m fairly new to it. I am trying to find a shipping timeframe/method that matches my etsy settings, and on etsy they are:

ships item with tracking 5-8 days after order, once a customer places an order, I have 5-8 days to process the order, make the item and ship it out, providing a tracking number to the customer.

however, on shopify, it looks like my only options to are 1-2 days, or 3-4 days, this just isn’t enough time to process the order. I received an order on jan 16, and had to have it shipped out today (jan 18). which meant I had to make this item and ship it before I fulfilled any prior orders on etsy. seems a bit stressful for me.

when I contacted support, they mentioned I could create a customer shipping and let my customers know there is a 3-5 or 5-8 day processing time before the order is shipped. this is well and good, except when I originally set that up I couldn’t find a way to ship the item with a tracking number, which is not good b/c I want my customers to receive tracking numbers when I ship the item.

is there a way to have a “processing time” on an order and still provide first class package with tracking as the shipping method?

thanx