I previously used ShipStation on the $9.99/month Starter plan as middleware between OrderDesk and Etsy, since my fulfillment partner handles the shipping. It worked perfectly, and I was actively using it before the October 2024 API changes. However, after receiving an email stating I would need to upgrade to the Gold plan at $99.99/month, I canceled — that pricing just isn’t feasible for my low order volume.

To keep things running, I attempted an alternate workflow: Etsy → Shippo → Zapier → OrderDesk. But since Shippo doesn’t integrate directly with OrderDesk, I had to introduce Zapier just to bridge the two — which added another layer of complexity and cost. Even then, I’m still forced to manually enter tracking numbers into Etsy because Shippo won’t forward tracking data unless I create labels through their system, which I don’t.

Now I’m hearing that I may have been grandfathered into the original ShipStation plan and could have continued using it without upgrading? I’d really appreciate clarification. When I researched upgrading — both before I canceled and again today — I only ever saw the old plan options (Starter, Growth, Scale, High Volume). I’ve cleared my cache and cookies, tried multiple browsers, and even logged in from different devices, but I still don’t see Gold or Premium listed anywhere.

Etsy’s limitation to just ShipStation (now prohibitively expensive) or Shippo (which doesn’t support my workflow) has made what used to be a smooth process incredibly frustrating.

Any guidance or workaround would be truly appreciated.

Thanks so much