When Etsy Offsite Ads Become Mandatory: The $10k Trailing-365-Day Rule
Yes — Etsy Offsite Ads become mandatory once your shop's sales reach $10,000 in any trailing 365-day window. Past that door the fee is 12% on attributed orders and the opt-out ends; under it, the fee is 15% with an opt-out. This page covers the door — and only the door.
Etsy fee data checked against the Etsy legal fees page and Etsy Help's article on how Offsite Ads work. United States, USD.
Feebrief has no live Etsy calculator — this page explains the rule; it does not simulate it. Feebrief is not affiliated with Etsy.
Short answer: mandatory at $10k in any trailing 365 days, 12% from then on
Yes — but only past the door. Once a shop's sales reach $10,000 or more in any trailing 365-day window, Offsite Ads participation is mandatory, and the fee on attributed orders is 12%; the opt-out is gone. While a shop is under $10,000 in the trailing window, the regime is different in exactly two ways: the fee on attributed orders is 15%, and participation is optional. Both rates are as of 2026-10-31.
That is the whole verdict. The rest of this page pins down what the rolling window actually measures, what flips at the door, and — just as important — what does not.
What "trailing 365 days" actually means
The $10,000 trigger is measured over a trailing 365-day window — a rolling lookback over the last 365 days of shop sales, per Etsy's own terms. Two common misreads, cleared up:
- It is not a calendar year. The window rolls, so sales from two different calendar years can sit inside the same 365-day stretch — a holiday spike last November can count alongside this October's orders.
- It is not lifetime sales. The measure is always what the shop sold over the trailing 365 days, not everything it has sold since opening.
So the number to watch if you are near the line is neither your tax-year revenue nor your all-time total: it is sales in any trailing 365-day window. Crossing $10,000 in that window is the trigger, per Etsy's published terms — no other condition on this page changes that definition.
What changes at the door: two things, exactly
Crossing $10,000 in any trailing 365-day window changes exactly two things about Offsite Ads — and only these two:
- Participation becomes mandatory. The opt-out that exists under the threshold ends; from the moment the door is crossed, attributed orders carry the fee whether or not the seller would have chosen the program.
- The rate on attributed orders drops to 12%, from 15%.
| Trailing 365-day shop sales | Rate on attributed orders | Participation |
|---|---|---|
| Under $10,000 | 15% | Opt-out allowed while under threshold |
| $10,000 or more in any window | 12% | Mandatory — opt-out ends |
That is the entire door. Everything else about the fee — how orders are attributed, the per-order cap, where the fee sits among your other Etsy fees — is the same on both sides of the line.
What stays the same: attribution and the cap
Two mechanics of the fee are untouched by crossing $10,000:
- Attribution. The fee lands only on orders Etsy attributes to an offsite ad — a buyer clicked the ad, then ordered within 30 days; and if the buyer's last click was an Etsy Ads ad, only the Etsy Ads fee applies.
- The cap. The Offsite Ads fee never exceeds $100 USD on an individual order.
Both are identical at 15% and at 12%, before and after the door. This page deliberately stops here: for Offsite Ads rates, attribution, and the $100 cap in full, see the sibling deep dive.
Under $10k: 15% with an opt-out — and where that decision lives
While a shop is under $10,000 in trailing 365-day sales, Offsite Ads runs at 15% on attributed orders, and the opt-out is allowed while the shop is under the threshold. That is the entire contrast: same attribution rule, same $100 cap, different rate, and a choice you still have.
Whether opting out under $10k makes sense is a cost-benefit call this page does not make — it belongs to how to reduce Etsy fees. For what Etsy takes from an average order with every fee stacked, see how much does Etsy take.
Context, one line each: the transaction fee is 6.5%; US payment processing is 3% + $0.25 per order. An attributed Offsite Ads fee stacks on both. For the complete Etsy fee schedule, see Etsy seller fees: the full schedule.
Sources and dating
Every figure on this page traces to two Etsy sources, compiled 2026-10-31: the Etsy legal fees page and Etsy Help's How Etsy's Offsite Ads Work. How Feebrief sources and dates fee facts: methodology.
Etsy Offsite Ads mandatory FAQ
Does Etsy make Offsite Ads mandatory at $10k?
Yes. Once a shop's sales reach $10,000 or more in any trailing 365-day window, Offsite Ads participation is mandatory and the fee on attributed orders is 12%. Under $10,000, the rate is 15% with an opt-out allowed. As of 2026-10-31.
What rate applies after a shop passes $10,000?
12% on attributed orders, once the shop has $10,000 or more in sales in any trailing 365-day window. The fee still never exceeds $100 USD on an individual order. As of 2026-10-31.
Can I opt out of Offsite Ads under $10k?
Yes. While a shop is under $10,000 in trailing 365-day sales, the rate is 15% on attributed orders and the opt-out is allowed. Once the threshold is crossed in any window, participation becomes mandatory and the opt-out ends.
Does the 30-day attribution window or the $100 cap change after the door?
No. On both sides of the line, the fee applies when a buyer clicks an offsite ad and then orders within 30 days — and if the buyer's last click was an Etsy Ads ad, only the Etsy Ads fee applies. The fee never exceeds $100 USD on an individual order.
Is the $10,000 threshold a calendar-year or lifetime figure?
Neither. The trigger is $10,000 in sales in any trailing 365-day window — a rolling lookback over the last 365 days, not a calendar year and not lifetime sales, per Etsy's published terms.
Related doorways
- Etsy fees explained — all Etsy seller fees, fee by fee.
- Resale marketplace fees — how Etsy compares to other resale marketplaces.
- Etsy Offsite Ads vs Etsy Ads: Offsite vs Etsy Ads side-by-side (static guide, not a live calculator).