Etsy Seller Fees Explained (2026): What Etsy Takes
Verified 2026-07-22
Etsy’s fees stack from several small charges rather than one big one: a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee, and payment processing of about 3% plus $0.25 in the US. Together the standard fees usually come to roughly 10 to 12 percent of a sale, but that can jump past 25 percent when Offsite Ads apply. This guide breaks down every Etsy seller fee, shows what Etsy takes on a real sale, and covers how to keep more of each order.
Key takeaways
- Every Etsy listing costs $0.20 to publish, whether or not it sells, and renews when the item sells or every four months.
- The transaction fee is 6.5% of the total sale price, including the shipping you charge.
- US payment processing is about 3% plus $0.25 per order; rates differ in other countries.
- Standard Etsy fees total roughly 10-12% of a sale, but Offsite Ads add 15% (or 12% for shops over $10,000 a year) when a sale comes from one.
- On a $30 item, standard Etsy fees come to about $3.30, leaving roughly $26.70 before your shipping cost.
What Etsy charges to sell in 2026
Unlike a single marketplace commission, Etsy’s cost is built from three mandatory fees every seller pays:
- A $0.20 listing fee to publish each item.
- A 6.5% transaction fee on the total sale.
- Payment processing of about 3% + $0.25 per order in the US.
Add those up and standard Etsy fees usually come to roughly 10 to 12 percent of a sale. The figure only climbs meaningfully when Offsite Ads apply, which can push the total past 25 percent on a lower-priced item. The sections below break down each fee so you can see exactly what Etsy takes and when.
The listing fee: $0.20 per item
Every time you publish a listing, Etsy charges $0.20, and this fee applies whether or not the item sells. It is charged again when the listing renews, which happens automatically when an item sells or every four months, and once per quantity when you sell multiples of a listing.
For most sellers the listing fee is a rounding error next to the transaction and processing fees, but it adds up if you keep a large inventory of listings that rarely sell. If you have hundreds of stale listings, the recurring $0.20 renewals are a small but real cost worth pruning. For an active shop that turns over inventory, it is negligible.
The transaction fee: 6.5% of the sale
The transaction fee is Etsy’s main cost: 6.5% of the total sale price, including the shipping you charge. That last part matters, because the 6.5% applies to the full order the buyer pays, not just the item, so higher shipping charges raise this fee too.
On a $30 item the transaction fee is $1.95; add $5 of buyer-paid shipping and the fee is calculated on $35 instead, or about $2.28. This is the fee that scales directly with your prices, so it is the number to keep front of mind when you set them. It is charged automatically when the item sells, alongside payment processing.
Payment processing: about 3% + $0.25
When a buyer pays through Etsy Payments, Etsy charges a payment processing fee to cover the card transaction. In the US it is about 3% + $0.25 per order. Rates differ by country: UK sellers pay around 4% + £0.20, and Canadian sellers about 3% + CAD $0.25.
Like the transaction fee, processing applies to the whole order total, including shipping. It is a genuine cost of accepting card payments, the same kind of processing charge every marketplace pays, so there is no way to avoid it while accepting normal payments. Combined with the 6.5% transaction fee, these two are the bulk of what Etsy takes on a standard sale.
Offsite Ads: the fee that can double your cost
Offsite Ads are the fee most likely to surprise a seller. Etsy advertises your listings on external sites, and when a sale comes from one of those ads, Etsy charges an Offsite Ads fee: 15% of the order if your shop earned under $10,000 from Etsy in the past 365 days, dropping to 12% if you earned $10,000 or more.
The key detail: for shops over $10,000 a year, Offsite Ads are mandatory; smaller shops can opt out. When the fee applies, it is added on top of the standard fees, which is how a normal 10-12% cost can jump past 25% on a lower-priced item. It only applies to sales that actually came from an offsite ad, so it is occasional, not on every order, but it is the single biggest variable in your Etsy costs.
What Etsy takes on a $30 sale
Here is the standard-fee math on a $30 item (ignoring shipping for a clean example), the kind of calculation an Etsy fee calculator runs.
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of $30 = $1.95
- Payment processing: 3% of $30 + $0.25 = $1.15
- Listing fee: $0.20
- Total standard fee: about $3.30 (roughly 11%)
- You keep: about $26.70, before your shipping cost
Remember the transaction and processing fees also apply to any shipping you charge, and if the sale came from an Offsite Ad, add 15% of the order (here about $4.50) on top. To estimate any sale: 6.5% + 3% of the order, plus $0.25 and $0.20, then subtract Offsite Ads if applicable.
How to pay less in Etsy fees
A few habits genuinely reduce your Etsy costs:
- Prune dead listings so you are not paying $0.20 renewals on items that never sell.
- Price shipping into the item deliberately, remembering fees apply to shipping either way, so aim for a competitive order total rather than hiding cost.
- If you are under $10,000 a year, decide consciously about Offsite Ads. They can bring sales, but the 15% fee is steep on cheap items, so weigh it against your margins.
- Treat onsite Etsy Ads as ad spend, not a fee, and only run them where they lift sales profitably.
There is no way to remove the transaction and processing fees, but managing listings and Offsite Ads is where real savings come from.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Etsy take per sale in 2026?
Standard Etsy fees are a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee on the total including shipping, and payment processing of about 3% plus $0.25 in the US, which together come to roughly 10 to 12 percent of a sale. If the sale came from an Offsite Ad, add 15% (or 12% for shops over $10,000 a year).
Does Etsy charge a fee if my item does not sell?
Yes, the $0.20 listing fee is charged when you publish a listing whether or not it sells, and again each time the listing renews, which is every four months or when an item sells. The transaction and payment-processing fees only apply when an item actually sells.
Is the Etsy transaction fee charged on shipping?
Yes. The 6.5% transaction fee applies to the total sale price including the shipping you charge, not just the item price, and payment processing applies to the whole order total too. So higher shipping charges also raise these fees, which is worth factoring into how you price.
What are Etsy Offsite Ads and are they mandatory?
Offsite Ads advertise your listings on external sites, and when a sale comes from one, Etsy charges 15% of the order, or 12% for shops that earned $10,000 or more in the past year. They are mandatory for shops over $10,000 a year; smaller shops can opt out. The fee only applies to sales that came from an offsite ad.
How we checked this
Compiled Etsy’s 2026 fee structure (listing, transaction, payment processing, Offsite Ads) from Etsy’s fee documentation and a detailed breakdown, and worked a sample sale to show the calculation Etsy US seller fees for 2026 plus a $30 worked example. Collected 2026-07-22.
What this guide does not cover
These are US seller rates as of 2026-07-22, and Etsy fees vary by country and change over time, so confirm the current rates for your location on Etsy’s own fee page. Payment processing rates differ outside the US, and the worked example excludes shipping cost, currency-conversion fees, and any Etsy Ads or subscription spend. Always verify with Etsy before pricing.
Sources
- Etsy listing fee, transaction fee, payment processing rates, and Offsite Ads fee structure and thresholds — Etsy
- Etsy 2026 fee breakdown: $0.20 listing, 6.5% transaction on total including shipping, ~3% + $0.25 US processing, 12-15% Offsite Ads, ~10-12% standard total — Craftybase
