One of the first options for online product sales that people learn about when setting up their small businesses is Etsy. Many entrepreneurs begin their journeys on this platform. Many continue to operate their Etsy shop long after they've gained some notoriety in the market and have their own standalone website.
Although Etsy is one of the most fancied marketplaces for selling handmade goods, the fees and cost of running your Etsy shop can quickly pile up. Opening an Etsy shop doesn't cost a cent, but Etsy charges fees whether or not you make sales on their platform and takes a percentage of each sale you make.
Once you understand the Etsy fees levies, you need to consider the other expenses related to operating an Etsy shop. This article will discuss the actual cost of starting and running your Etsy shop. Keep reading to find out more.
Listing Fees
The process of adding a product to your Etsy shop is known as listing. That said, the listing fee is the fee you'll end up paying for listing your products for sale on your Etsy shop. Typically, you'll be charged a listing fee for each product you post.
On Etsy, the listing fee is a flat rate of $0.20 per listing for both physical and digital products. The charge is automatically added to your payment account after the item is listed. After 4 months, the listing will expire, and you will need to pay an additional $0.20 to renew the product listing.
This listing system automatically reposts your listing once purchased. That will save you time compared to reposting the item manually. When you set this system up, you'll be charged a standard $0.20 listing fee.With that said, when you possess 20 products linked to a single listing, you will be charged the listing fee for each of the 20 transactions made.
Private-listing fee: Here's another helpful tool, especially if you want to post privately. What does that mean? This feature lets you post a particular item for only a specific buyer to see. The private-listing fee costs $0.20.
Multi-quantity listing fee: When a customer charges different variations of a single item, you'll be charged another $0.20. Etsy lets you have different interpretations of a single product in any listing. That ensures your customers get options to pick from. But in such cases, this would ideally cost you a little extra.
Transaction Fees
Transaction fees are another bill you'll see a lot when you get your daily Esty bills. Etsy transaction fees are charged every time you make a transaction on the platform. As of April 11, 2022, Etsy has been taking 6.5% out of the total cost of each product in your listing including shipping fee.
In-Person Selling Fees: Sellers can connect their Etsy shop to their Square account and accept payments directly from buyers. If sellers choose this method, they will need to pay the fees charged by Square for processing payments. These fees can be either $0.10 plus 2.6% of the sale price or $0.15 plus 3.5% for payments entered manually. The advantage is that if you use Square for in-person sales, you don't have to pay Etsy's transaction fee.
Payment Processing Fees
The Etsy payment processing fees are imposed on all sellers in countries where the Etsy payment option is available. Etsy payments are available in over 40 countries, including the UK, Canada, the US, and Australia. That means you will likely be compelled to use the Etsy payments for your store.It provides customers with the option to make payments using various methods such as credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay, and more. If you don't use Etsy Payments, your customers will be limited to paying only through PayPal.
The payment processing fees are charged at a set rate plus a percentage of the total sale price of the sold item. Also, the set rates will likely vary depending on your country of origin.
A good example is; that an Etsy store owner in the US will be charged a payment processing fee of 3% + $0.25. On the other hand, an Etsy store owner in the UK is charged a payment processing fee of 4% + 0.20 GBP.
Currency Conversion Fee
If you list items on Etsy using a currency that is not the same as the currency of your payment bank account, Etsy takes care of converting the funds for you. For example, if your shop is set to list items in USD (United States Dollar), but your payment bank account is in EUR (Euro), Etsy will convert the received payments from USD to EUR on your behalf.
When currency conversion is necessary, Etsy applies a fee of 2.5% of the converted amount. This fee is assessed to cover the costs and expenses associated with the currency conversion process. For instance, if you receive $100 USD in payments, and your payment bank account is in EUR, Etsy will convert the $100 USD to the equivalent amount in EUR and apply a 2.5% currency conversion fee on the converted amount.
Pattern Fee
Pattern is like having a separate store for your Etsy shop. You can create a special website with your own domain name, cover photo, layout, and blog. It costs $15 each month, and you can try it free for 30 days. The good thing about Pattern is that if you list items only on your Pattern site, you won't have to pay the fees for listing and selling those items. The fee is recurring on a monthly basis and can be canceled at any time.
Regulatory Operating Fee
The Regulatory Operating Fee is an extra charge that sellers in certain countries need to pay on top of their regular selling costs. This fee is added to the price of the item and the postage costs (which includes gift wrapping and personalization charges if there are any). Etsy introduced this fee because doing business in some countries became more expensive due to new regulations there.
By charging this fee, Etsy can continue to offer its services to sellers in these countries. The countries where sellers have to pay this fee and the rates are:
- United Kingdom: 0.32%
- France: 0.47%
- Italy: 0.32%
- Spain: 0.40%
- Türkiye (Turkey): 1.1%
Shipping Label Fees
When you purchase shipping labels on Etsy, you can print labels at home without going to the post office. The costs depend on package weight, type, the carrier you choose, dimensions, and delivery service.
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Subscription Fees
Esty offers two subscription packages that you can choose from. There's the;
· Esty Standard
· Esty Plus
Esty standard is the default subscription plan which is free to every seller on the platform. On the other hand, Etsy plus charges a monthly subscription fee of $10. The subscription fee gets added to your payment account monthly in your domestic currency. You get billed on the same day every month through the Etsy Auto-renew feature. For instance, if you upgrade to Etsy Plus on May 5, you will be billed on the 5th of every month.
Benefits of an Etsy Plus Subscription
Several advantages come with enrolling for Etsy plus. That includes;
· You get a free shop URL in your first year of business Free .store domains or 50% off domain for .com, .net
· You get a wide range of design options and style options that you can use to make your shop unique
· During your Etsy Plus subscription, you get two monthly credits that you can use to pay for Etsy ads or listing fees. You can use one credit to pay listing fees for up to 15 items and the other for $5 worth of Etsy ads.
· Etsy plus allows you to customize how you showcase your products on your store, boosting your sales. You can customize the layout; size, and you can add animations.
· Etsy plus comes with notifications for your customers. They are notified when you upload new items or when out-of-stock items are available again.
· Discount for packaging and promotional materials like business cards and custom shipping boxes
Advertising Fees
Etsy has multiple services that allow you to promote your shop and advertise your listings on the platform. You will get Etsy ads and offsite ads.
Etsy ads offer the opportunity for your ads to be displayed on Etsy search and Category pages, both on the site and app. Etsy ads usually appear at the top, above organic search results. Initially, you have the flexibility to set a maximum daily budget of $25, allowing Etsy Ads to gauge your performance. These ads are only charged when clicked, with the cost-per-click varying based on each listing.
Offsite ads function differently from Etsy ads. With offsite ads, charges occur only when shoppers complete a purchase. If a buyer clicks on your offsite ad and makes a purchase within 30 days, the ad cost is applied. These ads run on various channels, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bing, and more. Two types of rates are available for the advertising fees depending on your annual revenue. If your yearly income is below $10,000, you get an ads rate of 15% and 12% for an annual revenue above $10,000. The benefit is that the offsite ad fee will never exceed $100 per order, regardless of the order's total value.
An Example of Etsy Fees of a Jewelry Seller
Now that you understand and can follow through with the fees applied when your item is posted up to the delivery to your customer, let's have a case study in mind. That should help us calculate the profit and how much it will cost you to publish the item, plus the fees.In the following example, we have included only the basic fees. Please make sure to account for any additional fees that may apply based on your specific situation.
For example, you want to list jewelry on Etsy. Let's say you list this item for $50. With that in mind, let's calculate the cost and your profit margin.
-Product price: $50
-Shipping fee: $5
-Listing fee: $0.20
-Etsy payment fee: $55 x 3% + $0.25= $1.90
-Transaction fee: $55 x 0.65% = $0.65
Total etsy fee: $0.20+$1.90+$0.65=$2.75
Tips on saving cost on Etsy fees
Want to save some money on Etsy fees? Here are some handy tips for you!
Consider raising your prices just a bit to help cover those fees
While it may seem counterintuitive, increasing your product prices slightly can actually help you offset the Etsy fees. You also want to take your time cost into account. Customers are genuinely willing to pay a higher price for a product they believe is worth its value.By doing this, you'll ensure that your profits remain intact even after the fees are deducted. Just be careful not to overdo it and keep an eye on how it affects your sales and customer satisfaction.
Focus on getting more free organic traffic by optimizing your shop and listings
Instead of relying solely on paid advertising, take the time to optimize your shop and product listings. Use relevant keywords and tags to improve your search visibility on Etsy. Additionally, write compelling and detailed product descriptions that showcase your items' unique features and benefits. This way, you can attract more potential customers without spending extra money on ads.
Related: · 5 Ways For Etsy Sellers To Get More Traffic
When you use Etsy ads, be smart and promote your best-selling stuff for the best results
Etsy ads can be effective, but you don't have to promote every single product in your shop. Concentrate on the items that are already popular and have a proven track record of sales. By investing in promoting your best-selling products, you increase the likelihood of getting more sales and better returns on your advertising investment.
Improve your shop's visibility by tweaking your Etsy SEO game
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital for getting your shop noticed on Etsy. Use relevant keywords in your titles, tags, and product descriptions. Think about what potential buyers might be searching for, and try to incorporate those terms naturally in your listings. The better your SEO, the higher your shop's chances of appearing in relevant search results.
Print your shipping labels at home to save time and avoid those pesky post office trips
Save time and effort by printing your shipping labels directly from your computer. Etsy provides a convenient option to buy and print labels at home, so you don't have to make frequent trips to the post office. This way, you can focus more on packing orders and growing your business.
To do this, all you need is to get a budget-friendly abel printers that saves you time and cost. Munbyn thermal label printer comes with 203DPI that effortlessly meets your daily printing needs. Also, with the 300DPI, you get a higher definition. And the best part is that it works with all Windows, Mac, and ChromeOS devices.
Find cheaper yet high-quality packaging materials to impress your customers without breaking the bank
Packaging is an essential part of the customer's unboxing experience, but it doesn't have to be expensive. Look for affordable packaging materials such as branding sticker labels that still maintain quality and protect your products during shipping. Consider creative and eco-friendly options that will leave a positive impression on your customers without straining your budget.
Now that you know how much does an Etsy shop cost, you can see that these expenses can reduce your profits fast. But by remembering all the fees, you can make a smart plan to build a successful and lasting business.
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Entrepreneur Story: LoveIndyUK
1 comment
Noname
Does Etsy just make you pay even if you don’t want them to advertise your things?
If so, is there a different and better website instead that I can use?
Does Etsy just make you pay even if you don’t want them to advertise your things?
If so, is there a different and better website instead that I can use?