Running a successful Etsy shop means not only offering unique, high-quality products but also managing costs efficiently. Etsy’s transaction fees, listing fees, and shipping charges can add up quickly, cutting into your profits.
However, there are multiple strategies you can use to reduce these fees and keep more of your hard-earned money. From leveraging Etsy’s Share & Save Program to optimizing your pricing, this blog will walk you through the most effective ways to lower your Etsy fees and increase your shop’s profitability.
- What is the Etsy Share & Save Program?
- How Does the Etsy Share & Save Program Help You Save on Fees?
- What are the Requirements for the Etsy Share & Save Program?
- Additional Etsy Fee-Saving Strategies
1. What is the Etsy Share & Save Program?
The Etsy Share & Save Program is a way for Etsy sellers to lower their fees while promoting their products. In this program, sellers can share their Etsy listings or shop on social media platforms, and in return, Etsy offers them a discount on transaction fees for any sales made through those shared links.
This program is designed to help sellers reach a wider audience without the burden of full transaction fees, giving them more incentive to market their products across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
When buyers click on these shared links and make a purchase, sellers can save up to 4% on transaction fees, making it a cost-effective way to increase visibility and sales. It’s a win-win for small businesses looking to save on fees while boosting their marketing efforts.
2. How Does the Etsy Share & Save Program Help You Save on Fees?
The Etsy Share & Save Program offers sellers a simple way to reduce their transaction fees, helping them save money with every eligible sale.
When a customer makes a purchase through one of the shared links you’ve posted on social media, using Nuelink of course, or included in an email, Etsy gives you a 4% rebate on the total sale price (before taxes). This rebate directly reduces your transaction fees, allowing you to keep more of your earnings.
If a customer, for instance, buys $100 worth of products from your Etsy shop after clicking on a promotional link you shared, Etsy calculates a 4% refund based on the total sale amount. In this case, you’d receive $4 back from Etsy.
Not only does this program make it easier to market your shop on social media, but it also provides a direct financial benefit. The more you promote your listings using shared links, the more you can save on transaction fees, making it a powerful tool to improve your shop’s profitability.
And, if you are using a social media management tool like Nuelink, this means that you can automatically share your links across your platforms using the Etsy automation. This means less fees and less work.
3. What are the Requirements for the Etsy Share & Save Program?
To qualify for the 4% rebate under Etsy’s Share & Save Program, there are four key requirements you need to meet:
1. The Customer Must Complete Their Purchase Within 30 Days
When someone clicks on a link you’ve shared, they have 30 days to complete their purchase for you to earn the 4% refund. Etsy uses cookies to track visitors to your shop, so if a customer returns and places an order within that 30-day window, you’ll receive the refund.
Even better, if the customer clicks on any of your shared links again within that period, the 30-day window resets, giving you more time to potentially earn the refund.
2. The Sale Must Come From External Traffic
To earn the refund, the traffic needs to come from outside of Etsy, such as social media platforms, emails, or blog posts. Although you can use Etsy’s internal tools, like messages or listing descriptions, to promote your shop, clicks from these sources don’t count toward the Share & Save Program.
Essentially, Etsy rewards you for bringing in new customers from external sites and platforms, so focus your efforts on off-Etsy promotion.
3. The Last Click Before Purchase Determines Eligibility
The refund is based on the customer’s last click before making a purchase. If the customer clicks on someone else’s promotional link, such as another Etsy seller’s Share & Save link and then buys something from your shop, you won’t receive the rebate.
This means it’s important to make your shared links as appealing and clickable as possible to ensure they’re the final step before checkout.
4. Use the Correct Link Format
Only links in the specific format of (http://yourstore.etsy.com/) are eligible for the refund. If you use a custom domain name, you’ll need to ensure that it forwards to your official Etsy shop URL to qualify.
This ensures that Etsy can accurately track the traffic and link it back to your shop, making sure you get the refund on eligible sales.
4. Additional Etsy Fee-Saving Strategies
In addition to the Share & Save Program, there are several other strategies Etsy sellers can use to reduce fees and improve their bottom line. Here are some effective ways to save on Etsy fees:
1. Leverage Etsy Ads Wisely
Etsy Ads can be a powerful tool for driving traffic to your shop, but it’s important to use them wisely to avoid overspending. Set a daily budget that works for your business and closely monitor the return on investment (ROI).
Focus on promoting your best-selling items or seasonal products to maximize sales and cover advertising costs.
2. Take Advantage of Social Media Marketing
Instead of solely relying on Etsy’s paid ads, take advantage of free social media marketing to drive traffic to your shop. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook allow you to showcase your products to a wider audience without paying additional fees.
3. Focus on Organic SEO Growth
By improving your shop’s SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you can increase your visibility on Etsy’s search engine without having to pay for ads. Keywords in your product titles, descriptions, and tags can help you appear higher in search results, driving more organic traffic to your shop.
4. Offer Discounts Strategically
Offering occasional discounts can help drive sales, but over-discounting can eat into your profits. Be strategic about when and how you offer discounts. Consider creating limited time offers for holidays or special events, encouraging buyers to act quickly.
Saving on Etsy fees doesn’t have to be complicated. By using a combination of smart pricing strategies, free social media promotion, and tools like the Share & Save Program and Nuelink, you can effectively reduce costs and maximize your profits.
