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Sun Oct 5 2025 14:21:51

Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping

By: Ina Steiner

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Online buyers generally pay for shipping, but in 2019, Etsy compelled sellers to offer free shipping on their listings if they wanted visibility. But now that Etsy has skin in the game, it has learned what sellers have long asserted: there's no such thing as free shipping.

The hard lesson came after the marketplace offered free shipping to members of its invitation-only Etsy Insider loyalty program that it launched in closed beta in September 2024. During its second-quarter 2025 earnings call on July 30th, Etsy President Kruti Patel Goyal told Wall Street analysts that Etsy Insider did not provide scalable economics in its V1 (version 1) iteration. 

Etsy CEO Josh Silverman elaborated, telling the analysts that Etsy would be launching a new version of the program that would continue to offer free shipping on millions of listings but would do it with a few more guardrails that would help Etsy "manage the cost a little bit better."

On October 1, Etsy provided sellers with details about the changes to the program that will go into effect on November 4, 2025, including changes to the shipping perk for Etsy Insider subscribers:

"Eligibility for shipping savings: Etsy will now cover up to $6 in shipping costs on the least expensive US domestic shipping option for orders over $15 per shop. This means that many orders will still ship free, but if shipping is more expensive than what we cover, the buyer will pay the difference. There's no change to the way that you're paid for shipping costs. Plus, we have great news for sellers outside of the US: Starting next year, we'll expand this benefit to international orders! Stay tuned for more information."

Previously, Etsy Insider members were responsible for the full cost of shipping for items where the shipping cost exceeded $20.

The expression "rules for thee but not for me" comes to mind, as Etsy has a different definition of "free shipping" for its own program. If shipping is costly, it will force buyers enrolled in its loyalty program to pay anything over $6 - but sellers have no such exemption. In fact, on March 3, 2025, Etsy removed the option sellers previously had to charge handling and package fees as part of shipping prices.



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Perminate Link for Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping   Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping

by: etectra This user has validated their user name.

Sun Oct 5 15:43:33 2025

Another punch of pencil pushing idiots who sit behind desks without a clue about the real world yet are allowed to make decisions for others.

Perminate Link for Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping   Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping

by: Shanna This user has validated their user name.

Tue Oct 7 02:17:16 2025

Etsy will now cover up to $6 in shipping costs on the least expensive US domestic shipping option for orders over $15 per shop.

13-15.9oz shipping cross coast is now over $7. So they won't even cover the whole cost for former First Class packages.

Perminate Link for Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping   Etsy Learns There's No Such Thing as Free Shipping

by: Geetar This user has validated their user name.

Tue Oct 7 16:31:39 2025

It's all nonsense. Ebay and Etsy trying to copy Amazon, with the free shipping bull. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FREE SHIPPING. Easy to give things away when it's not your money. What a coincidence that shipping costs started to sky rocket when they pushed free shipping. What a coincidence that returns sky rocketed when they started the free shipping bull. Bunch of con artists.



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