$47 Dollar Offsite Fee?

[TechUpcycle]

I did not opt-in to any offsite promotion, because I know they would be too expensive. 

Yet I was charged a $47+  dollar fee for a recent sale? 

How may I get that money back? I didn't opt into any such promotion.

[TheVintagePineapple]

New sellers are automatically enrolled in OSAs, but you can opt out.

How Etsy's Offsite Ads Work – Etsy Help

Directions to opt out are under the ''Are Etsy's Offsite Ads optional?'' section.

[ACertainFeel]

It’s not obvious so it catches a lot of newer sellers off guard. Definitely opt out while you can. 

[BootifulLabels]

If your shop has never exceeded $10K in any 365 day period you can opt out of Offsite Ads (new shops are opted in by default).  However, once you pass that volume of sales, even if you never make that much in a year again, you can no longer opt out.  

Etsy used to pay for Offsite Ads for every shop at no cost to us, but the growth of shop numbers has made that expense too high, so now we pay part of the cost.  Etsy pays the advertising sites upfront on a per click basis for all our listings.  When a sale occurs in your shop from a buyer who clicked an ad on one of Etsy's advertising partners within the last 30 days, you pay an ad fee (12% for those who have no opt out choice, and 15% for those who have a choice).  Either way you only pay when you get a sale as a result of the ad click, so if you spread the cost across all your sales you can cover the ads with a small global increase so every sale helps pay for the ad fees on the smaller number that attract them.  EG suppose you get If you get an ad charge once in every five sales, you can take the 15% ad fee and divide it by 5, which gives you a 3% increase you need to cover the ads when they occur.  A 3% rise won't even be noticed by most buyers, and those that do notice will likely not be deterred by such a  small increase.  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@TechUpcycle 

Etsy's TOU's say everyone is opted in by default

If you want to opt out, you opt out here

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/settings/offsite-ads?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

You cant get the money back.

.....

you need to read about selling online, I would remove the EU and UK asap, as you don't have the legal policies for selling there,

to sell legally to the EU/UK you need

Address, e-mail address and phone number in sellers details, for everyone to see
a 30 day return policy on all listings
a GDPR - Privacy policy

and for the EU/EEA you need to pay an economic operator to hold the manufacturer information on each listing, and on each listing, publish safety information on each listing
the economic operator has to be listed here, second one down
https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/me/partners?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Also, for many EU countries you have to pay for recycling of the packaging you use, for offering for sale - so you need to register and buy the licences now

This is where you put the Germany Lucid number, and the French EPR number, scroll down a bit
https://www.etsy.com/your/account/taxpayerid?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

If you do not want to sell to the EU/EEA, until you decide if it's worthwhile, then you can turn that off here...scroll down to
Choose how you sell to GPSR states

click no and save

[BeJeweledByDEBORAH]

Unfortunately, you cannot recoup that loss because, as others have stated, new shops are automatically enrolled in off-site ads. You can turn this feature off, but once your shop reaches orders totaling $10,000.00, you will, once again, be automatically enrolled, and this will be permanent. Keep this in mind when setting your prices. My sales have been subject to off-site ad fees for about 3 years, and only about 20% of my sales are impacted by the fee. Others may experience more or less impact. On another note, the sale you referenced apparently included two items that totaled $600 which means you have no seller protection since the order was more than $250. The issue is that the buyer left a 1-star review stating that their package hasn't been received. Hopefully, you've resolved this matter, but if not, the buyer can open a case, and Etsy will more than likely rule in their favor and take the funds from your account. If it is resolved, but the buyer declines to change the review, you should (after waiting a reasonable period of time) respond to it keeping in mind that your response is for future customers. Once you respond to a review, the buyer cannot change or delete it.

[TechUpcycle]

I'm not a new shop, been here for years. I should not have been enrolled at all.

[TechUpcycle]

I never understand why buyers use feedback as a messaging tool. The item is in transit, I was not in town when the item sold. 

[TheButtonista]

@TechUpcycle everyone is/was auto-enrolled. People that were already here before it was brought in were all automatically enrolled in the programme on its inception. Those of us who were over the permanence threshold were never allowed to opt out, but those under it were allowed to opt out. All new sellers from then on were automatically opted in when they signed up to start selling on the site. You would have had to have opted out yourself manually if you didnt want to use the service.

[audreytherese]

Everyone was opted in when they started the program. Even if you have been here for years, it looks like you only had 5 sales prior to this one, so it's quite possible that you've been enrolled the whole time but this was the first sale made after someone clicked on an offsite ad. 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@TechUpcycle 

Offsite ads started in March 2020 - all sellers that had a shop were enrolled

We didn't have to start paying for them until 4th May 2020

Also, all those that opened a shop after March 2020, were also auto-enrolled.

You only pay, when you get a sale as a result of an offsite ad

So unless you turned them off, you have always been enrolled since at least March 2020....or from when you opened your shop , if that was later.

[cindylouwho2]

@TechUpcycle "I'm not a new shop, been here for years. I should not have been enrolled at all." Every shop was opted in when they introduced it in 2020. You joined since then, so were also opted in. 

[PrimFun]

@TechUpcycle   Your shop is new compared to many other sellers.  It is incomplete with many important details lacking.

As to the review, first Etsy does remind them so if the item did not arrive at the date it should have the ability to leave a review opens.  The second is many buyers think that is the way to communicate with a seller.

Etsy told everyone that they were enrolled when this began which was about the time you started.  Sadly you missed that piece of information. 

If the buyer sent a Help request make sure to correspond with the buyer.  Once a Help request is open a buyer can open a case at any time. 

[mommawhazelsquilts · Accepted solution]

@TechUpcycle    I should not have been enrolled at all.

Everyone is automatically enrolled until they opt out.

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

I think your bigger issue is that the item you sold has a 1* review as it hasn't been received - and you haven't responded. You risk losing the total amount if the buyer opens a case.

[TBQSC]

"- and you haven't responded."

WHY would the seller need to respond to that 1 star right now?  That would just lock in the review where the buyer could never edit their review and change it to a 5-star if/when they actually receive the item and are happy with it?

[TBQSC]

@TechUpcycle 

So sorry you got hit with an OSA, and a bad review!  If you are not already aware ... there is NO Etsy seller protection for ANY orders over $250 (including shipping & tax).  Since your item sold for $299 + ship & tax, your buyer can file a case against you for ANY REASON and Etsy will fully refund the buyer and then Etsy will recoup those funds directly from your Etsy account ... if no funds are available in your Etsy account, then your CC on file will be charged!  All the while, the buyer never has to return any items to you.  Again, sorry this happened!  

Purchase Protection Program for Sellers 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

Tsats is not true,

Etsy only refunds, if they find in the sellers favour, and they do NOT always find in their favour, based on price alone.

And as the seller is selling illegally on so many fronts, it won't matter what the value is, if they lose the case.

[TBQSC]

It is true … there is no seller protection for items over $250!

”Sellers are responsible for refunding costs for orders that fall outside of these requirements, are over the $250 threshold (including shipping & taxes), or are damaged in transit following the first case covered by Etsy. Etsy strongly recommends purchasing insurance when fulfilling your order for these reasons.”

[SugarTaffySoap]

@TechUpcycle  How much did you charge for the glass rooster? 

[TheVintagePineapple]

The fee was most likely charged on one of the grandma/grandkids figurine sales.  At $299 + shipping, the add fee amount lines up.

[TechUpcycle]

$80

[PrimFun]

The offsite ad fee would be 12% if permanently enrolled or 15% if not and using the ads.  $47 sounds a bit too high for an $80 dollar item.    Even if the total cost was 100 dollars the offsite ad fee would be 12 dollars or 15 dollars. 

[audreytherese]

The $80 item sold after this post was made. It was applied to the item before that that sold for $300. 

[TrinketDrawersUK]

Don't forget the 15% is charged on the total transaction including postage, so if sending overseas can mount up.