Etsy Ads vs Offsite Ads: what each costs

What's the difference in cost between Etsy Ads and Offsite Ads?

Etsy Ads are pay-per-click; Offsite Ads are pay-per-sale. With Etsy Ads (ads inside Etsy search and pages) you set a daily budget, from a minimum of $1, and you're charged per click whether or not the shopper buys; Etsy says you'll never spend more than your daily budget, and all sellers start with a maximum daily budget of $25. With Offsite Ads (Etsy advertising your listings on Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bing and partner sites) there's no upfront cost: you pay a fee only when a buyer clicks an ad and buys from your shop within 30 days, at 15% of the order, or 12% if your shop has made $10,000 or more in a 365-day period, capped at $100 per order. If the buyer's last click was an Etsy Ad, only the Etsy Ads fee applies.

Formula: Etsy Ads cost per sale = ad spend ÷ ad-attributed orders. Offsite Ads cost per sale = 15% (or 12%) × order total, max $100.

Worked example: a $45 item + $5 shipping from an Offsite Ad costs 15% × $50 = $7.50 ($6.00 at 12%); $30 of Etsy Ads spend that brings 2 orders is $15.00 per sale (illustration).

Last verified October 31, 2026 against Etsy Help: How to set up and manage an Etsy Ads campaign, Etsy Help: How to review the performance of your Etsy Ads, Etsy Help: How Etsy's Offsite Ads work, Etsy Fees & Payments Policy (last updated Oct 5, 2026). Fee change tracker · How we verify

Side by side

	Etsy Ads	Offsite Ads
Where ads show	Etsy search results and other pages on Etsy	Off Etsy: search engines, social media and partner sites (Etsy lists Google, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bing and others)
What you pay for	Each click on your ad	Only orders from a buyer who clicked an Offsite Ad and bought within 30 days
Price	Cost per click set by Etsy's bid for each ad; it varies by listing and placement (Etsy doesn't publish a fixed rate)	15% of the order, or 12% for shops with $10,000+ in a 365-day period
Limit	Your daily budget: minimum $1; maximum starts at $25 and is recalculated weekly	$100 per order
Charged on	Clicks (summed daily)	The order total: item price, shipping and gift wrap; not US sales tax (Etsy Fees & Payments Policy)
When it's billed	Next day, to your Payment account	On each attributed order
Can you turn it off?	Yes, any time (pause listings or turn off Etsy Ads)	Only if your shop has never made $10,000 in a 365-day period; above that it's required, at 12%

Offsite Ads fee by order size

Order total	At 15%	At 12%
$20	$3.00	$2.40
$50	$7.50	$6.00
$100	$15.00	$12.00
$400	$60.00	$48.00
$1000	$100.00	$100.00

The $100 cap is reached at about $667 at 15% and $833 at 12%. These fees are on top of Etsy's normal listing, transaction and processing fees.

Does the ad pay for itself? Break-even math

Start with your profit per order before ads. On a $45 item with $5 shipping and no sales tax, Etsy's standard US fees are $0.20 + 6.5% of $50 + 3% of $50 + $0.25 = $5.20. If materials, packaging and postage cost $20 (an example), you make $24.80 before ads.

Offsite Ads sale: $7.50 at 15% leaves $17.30. You can't lose money on the click itself, only on a low-margin sale.
Etsy Ads: the ads pay for themselves while ad spend per ad-attributed order stays under $24.80. Etsy reports ROAS, which it describes as comparing ad-attributed revenue to ad cost; in this example, break-even ROAS is $50 ÷ $24.80 ≈ 2.0. Below that, the ad costs more than the sale makes.
Average cost per click: Etsy's own formula is the budget spent for a listing divided by the number of clicks it received. Etsy suggests running an ad for 30 days before judging it.

The $20 cost and the $30 / 2-order Etsy Ads figures are illustrations, not Etsy data. Use your own numbers in the Etsy fee calculator (it has an Offsite Ads option) or the handmade pricing calculator.

How to record them

Record Etsy Ads as a marketing expense from your monthly statement (Shop Manager > Finances > Payment account). Record the Offsite Ads fee on the order it belongs to, next to that order's transaction and processing fees, so you can see which listings sell through ads and what they really earn. If you refund an Offsite Ads order, see whether the Offsite Ads fee is refunded.

Questions

Is Etsy Ads the same as Offsite Ads?

No. Etsy Ads show your listings inside Etsy and cost per click, from a daily budget you set. Offsite Ads are ads Etsy runs on other sites (search engines, social media, partner sites) and cost a percentage of the order only when an ad leads to a sale within 30 days.

How much do Etsy Ads cost?

You choose a daily budget, with a minimum of $1. All sellers start with a maximum daily budget of $25, which Etsy recalculates weekly. You pay per click; the cost per click varies by listing and placement, and Etsy says you'll never spend over your daily budget.

How much is the Offsite Ads fee?

15% of the order for shops that have always made under $10,000 in any 365-day period, or 12% for shops that have made $10,000 or more, never more than $100 per order. On a $50 order that is $7.50 or $6.00.

Can I be charged for both Etsy Ads and Offsite Ads on one sale?

Etsy Help says that if the buyer's final click before purchasing is through an Etsy Ad instead of an Offsite Ad, only the Etsy Ads fee applies to that order.

Can I turn off Offsite Ads?

Only if your shop has never made $10,000 or more in any consecutive 365-day period: Shop Manager > Settings > Offsite Ads > Opt out. Once a shop reaches $10,000, Offsite Ads are required, at the 12% rate.

Do I pay for Etsy Ads if nobody buys?

Yes. Etsy Ads charge for clicks, not sales. Clicks are summed each day and the cost is added to your Payment account the next day. Offsite Ads, by contrast, charge only when an ad leads to a purchase.

General information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rates change: check the linked official source before you rely on a number. Not yet reviewed by a CPA or EA.