Etsy Fees in 2025: What You Actually Keep After Every Sale
If you’re selling on Etsy, you’ve probably looked at your revenue and thought — wait, where did my money go? You’re not imagining it. Etsy has one of the most complex fee structures of any selling platform, and most sellers only discover the full picture after months of wondering why their bank account doesn’t match their sales dashboard.
This is the breakdown nobody gave you when you opened your shop.
Every fee Etsy charges — the complete list
Etsy charges six different fees. Most sellers only know about two or three.
1. Listing fee — $0.20 per item
Every time you list a product, Etsy charges $0.20. If your listing expires after four months and you renew it, that’s another $0.20. If you sell the same item multiple times from one listing, each sale auto-renews the listing for $0.20.
2. Transaction fee — 6.5% of the sale price
This is the big one. Etsy takes 6.5% of the total sale amount — including the item price and the shipping you charge the buyer. So if you charge $5 for shipping, Etsy takes 6.5% of that too.
3. Payment processing fee — 3% + $0.25
Every time a buyer pays through Etsy Payments (which is required in most countries), Etsy charges 3% of the total transaction plus $0.25 flat. This applies to the full amount including shipping and any taxes.
4. Offsite Ads fee — 12% or 15%
If Etsy promotes your listing through their offsite ads (Google, Facebook, Pinterest) and a buyer clicks that ad and purchases within 30 days, Etsy charges you 12% if your shop has made over $10,000 in the past year, or 15% if it hasn’t. You cannot opt out of this program if you’ve made over $10,000. This one surprises a lot of sellers.
5. Etsy Plus — $10/month (optional)
Gives you listing credits, customization options, and discounts on custom domains. Optional but worth knowing.
6. Regulatory operating fee — varies by country
In some markets Etsy charges an additional fee to cover local tax compliance costs. In the UK this is currently 0.25% of your item price and shipping.
A real example: what you keep on a $35 sale
Let’s say you sell a hand-poured soy candle for $35 with $6 shipping. Total transaction: $41.
Here’s what Etsy takes:
| Fee | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | flat | $0.20 |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% of $41 | $2.67 |
| Payment processing | 3% of $41 + $0.25 | $1.48 |
| Total fees to Etsy | $4.35 |
You receive $36.65 from that $41 sale.
But wait — that’s before your costs. If the candle cost you $8 in materials, $2 in packaging, and $6 in actual shipping, you’ve spent another $16.
Real profit: $36.65 − $16 = $20.65
That’s a 58% margin — which sounds decent. But if that candle took you 90 minutes to make, you’re paying yourself $13.77 per hour before taxes.
Is that the number you had in your head?
The fee combination that kills margins
The most dangerous scenario for Etsy sellers is when all three main fees hit the same sale at full force — transaction fee on a shipping-heavy item, payment processing, and an Offsite Ad conversion.
On that same $41 candle sale with an Offsite Ad:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Listing fee | $0.20 |
| Transaction fee (6.5%) | $2.67 |
| Payment processing (3% + $0.25) | $1.48 |
| Offsite Ads fee (15% of $41) | $6.15 |
| Total fees | $10.50 |
You keep $30.50instead of $36.65. That’s $6.15 less — gone to an ad you didn’t choose to run.
On a product with thin margins, that single fee can turn a profitable item into a losing one.
Why most sellers don’t see this coming
Etsy’s seller dashboard shows you your revenue. It does not automatically show you your profit after all fees combined. You have to calculate that yourself — or use a tool that does it for you.
The sellers who scale successfully are the ones who know their actual numbers. Not their revenue. Their profit.
Revenue is what Etsy shows you. Profit is what you actually make.
How to calculate your real profit automatically
You have two options:
It’s free to start — no credit card, no spreadsheet required.
Calculate your real Etsy profit →The numbers that matter — a quick reference
For every $100 in Etsy sales, here’s what fees typically take depending on your situation:
| Scenario | Fees taken | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Standard sale | ~$10–11 | ~$89–90 |
| Sale with heavy shipping | ~$11–12 | ~$88–89 |
| Offsite Ad conversion (15%) | ~$22–23 | ~$77–78 |
| Offsite Ad + heavy shipping | ~$24–25 | ~$75–76 |
Before you even count materials, time, or other expenses.
What to do with this information
First, audit your current listings.For each product, calculate: sale price minus all Etsy fees minus material cost minus packaging minus shipping cost. That’s your real profit per sale.
If any product comes out at less than what you need to make per hour, you have three options: raise the price, lower the cost, or stop making it.
Second, track every sale going forward with actual numbers— not estimates. The sellers who grow are the ones who make decisions based on data, not gut feeling.
Third, know your Offsite Ads situation.Check in your Etsy seller dashboard whether you’re enrolled and what percentage you’re being charged. If you’re at 15% and a product has thin margins, that fee alone can flip it from profitable to losing.
Bottom line
Etsy is a powerful platform with real traffic and real buyers. But it’s not free to use — and the fees add up faster than most sellers realize.
Knowing exactly what you keep after every sale isn’t just good accounting. It’s the difference between a business that grows and one that stays busy without getting ahead.
Track your real Etsy profit for free — no credit card, no spreadsheet.
Start tracking your real Etsy profit →