The standard Share & Save benefit is a 4% refund on an eligible order total after a buyer follows the seller's qualifying link. An attributed Offsite Ads order instead adds a 15% or 12% fee, subject to a $100 per-order cap. Etsy's current rules make these outcomes mutually exclusive for one order.
1. The short answer: identify who drove the attributed order
Share & Save is an optional program for enrolled sellers who share qualifying shop, listing, section, review, or promotion links through approved off-Etsy channels. If a buyer clicks an eligible link and buys from the shop within 30 days, Etsy can issue a fee refund.
Offsite Ads is Etsy's external advertising program. When a qualifying ad click leads to a shop order within its attribution window, Etsy can charge the shop's 15% or 12% Offsite Ads rate. These are not two discounts or fees to add together.
2. Share & Save and Offsite Ads solve opposite traffic cases
| Order outcome | Who drove the visit | Rate | Payment Account effect | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share & Save | The seller's qualifying link on an authorized off-Etsy channel | 4% standard refund | Credit against Etsy transaction fees | Optional enrollment |
| Offsite Ads below Etsy's threshold | An Etsy-paid external advertisement | 15% attributed-order fee | Additional fee debit, capped at $100 per order | Eligible shops below the threshold may opt out |
| Offsite Ads reduced tier | An Etsy-paid external advertisement | 12% attributed-order fee | Additional fee debit, capped at $100 per order | Mandatory after Etsy's stated sales threshold is reached |
Joining Share & Save does not erase standard Etsy transaction, payment-processing, or listing charges. It creates a separate refund line when the order qualifies. Likewise, Offsite Ads does not replace the ordinary Etsy fees; it adds an attributed advertising fee.
3. The last qualifying visit can change the outcome
Etsy's Share & Save terms provide a 30-day window after a buyer clicks a seller's qualifying URL. They also state that when an enrolled Offsite Ads seller's buyer later visits through an Offsite Ad and completes the purchase within the window, the transaction is not a Share & Save qualifying transaction and may receive the Offsite Ads fee.
The current Help Center describes this operationally as the buyer's last link before purchase. A last visit from an Offsite Ad makes the order ineligible for Share & Save. Links placed inside Etsy Messages or listing descriptions do not qualify as off-Etsy Share & Save links.
Do not model both on one order. The calculator intentionally makes Share & Save and Offsite Ads mutually exclusive attribution choices.
4. What the 4% refund uses as its base
Etsy's program terms define the qualifying transaction total as displayed listing prices plus buyer-paid shipping and gift wrapping. Paid personalization is included with the listing price. The Help Center describes the calculation as the same order base used for Etsy's transaction fee and excludes taxes.
Standard Share & Save credit = round-cent(4% x eligible pre-tax order total)
For the supported MarginGauge model, the standard credit base is seller order revenue after seller-funded discounts. When an Etsy-funded promotional discount exists, current Etsy guidance says the Share & Save amount uses the eligible order total minus that promotional discount. The calculator therefore keeps the credit separate from seller revenue and other fee lines.
5. One $130 order under five attribution outcomes
Assume one item priced at $120.00 and $10.00 buyer-paid shipping. Product cost is $45.00, packaging is $5.00, and the actual shipping label is $10.00. There is no tax, discount, gift wrap, personalization, Texas seller-fee tax, or allocated Etsy Ads spend.
Seller order revenue is $130.00. Before either program, the existing calculator produces $12.80 of Etsy transaction, payment-processing, and allocated listing fees. Operating costs are $60.00.
| Scenario | Program line | Net Etsy fees | Contribution profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No attribution | $0.00 | $12.80 | $57.20 | 44.00% |
| Share & Save, standard | $5.20 credit | $7.60 | $62.40 | 48.00% |
| Share & Save, confirmed introduction | $8.45 credit | $4.35 | $65.65 | 50.50% |
| Offsite Ads, 15% | $19.50 fee | $32.30 | $37.70 | 29.00% |
| Offsite Ads, 12% | $15.60 fee | $28.40 | $41.60 | 32.00% |
The standard Share & Save outcome leaves $24.70 more contribution than the 15% Offsite Ads outcome on this order. That difference is not a promise that seller-driven traffic is free: email software, creators, paid social, content production, and labor are separate marketing costs and should be allocated independently.
6. The 6.5% introductory rate needs seller-specific confirmation
Etsy's current Help Center says new Share & Save participants can earn 6.5% back for their first two weeks. The linked promotion terms limit that rate to invited sellers enrolling for the first time and define an individual 14-day period beginning at enrollment. The 6.5% refund replaces the standard 4% refund during that period; the two rates do not stack.
Use the introductory option only after confirming the invitation and the exact deadline in Shop Manager. The example above contains no Etsy-funded coupon. MarginGauge v1 does not combine the 6.5% introductory rate with an Etsy-funded coupon because the public sources do not resolve that base clearly enough for an automated rule.
7. Compare attribution without hiding marketing cost
Open the Etsy Profit Calculator, enter the full order once, and change only the attribution option. For an existing order, use Etsy's record. For planning, compare no attribution, Share & Save, and the shop's confirmed Offsite Ads tier.
- Choose standard Share & Save only for an eligible attributed order.
- Choose the 6.5% introduction only with the invitation and seller-specific end date confirmed.
- Choose Offsite Ads 12% only after confirming the shop's reduced lifetime tier.
- Enter external marketing spend separately instead of subtracting it from the Etsy fee or credit.
- Keep buyer-paid shipping separate from the actual fulfillment cost.
For deeper rules, read the Offsite Ads fee guide, the complete US fee guide, and the contribution-profit workflow.
Compare who drove the order
Keep the item, shipping, and cost assumptions fixed, then switch the attribution outcome to see the profit difference.
Open the Etsy Profit CalculatorOfficial sources and limits
- Etsy's Share & Save Program Terms: the 4% refund, qualifying order base and URLs, authorized channels, 30-day window, Offsite Ads exclusion, and program restrictions; reviewed September 21, 2026.
- How to Save on Etsy Fees with Share & Save: enrollment, trackable links, order tracking, standard refund calculation, and last-link handling; reviewed September 21, 2026.
- Share & Save Intro Promotion Terms: invited-seller eligibility, 6.5% replacement refund, and individual 14-day window. Page last updated July 7, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026.
- Etsy Advertising & Marketing Policy: Offsite Ads participation, attribution, rates, and cap. Page last updated June 8, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026.
- Etsy Fees & Payments Policy: transaction-fee base and Offsite Ads fee rules. Page last updated February 13, 2026; reviewed September 21, 2026.
Review dates record MarginGauge's source check; they do not replace Etsy's update dates. The examples use the calculator's disclosed line-level half-up cent rounding. Program eligibility, attribution, refunds, and credits are controlled by Etsy and can change.
This guide does not value the seller's audience, predict conversion, recreate click history, challenge attribution, calculate refunds, or model currency conversion. Contribution is not accounting net income. MarginGauge is independent of Etsy, Inc. Corrections: [email protected].