How I earned 60,000 FREE listings on Etsy
Many of you will know I have had an Etsy shop for several years, but did you know there is a way to get all your listings for free on Etsy?
Shop owners, especially new ones, probably don’t bother trying to earn free listings on Etsy, but if that’s you – seriously, do this now to ensure you can make the maximum money in your shop.
When I began this tactic, I honestly thought perhaps a few sellers would use my link and guide when they started selling on Etsy. Perhaps I would earn a few listings when they used my link to open a new shop here and there. Little did I know I would earn enough listings to keep my selling fees at zero for years to come.
Lets’ begin
Get your first 40 listings for free on Etsy!
You can gain 40 Free Etsy listings by using a referral link when you open your shop.
Click this link to earn 40 free Etsy listings when you open your first Etsy shop.
If you have already opened a shop, it is impossible to gain the 40 free listings for that shop. It only applies to new shops on Etsy.
How to earn free Etsy listings?
As an Etsy shop owner, you will have a link within your Etsy shop to share with your audience, friends, colleagues, and anywhere you like. This link is called your referral link on Etsy.
When someone clicks this link and goes on to open an Etsy shop – they will receive 40 free listings.
In exchange for this, Etsy will also grant you 40 free listings.
By my calculations, I’ve referred at least 1500 people to open an Etsy shop. In real terms, this is worth 12,000 dollars. Not bad.
Before you run off and start clicking on your masterful plan of starting on Etsy – I want to mention one of the best investments I’ve made in 2023. No – that’s not fair. Actually, this is the only investment I would recommend you invest in if you want to sell on Etsy.
It’s this wonderful, mindblowing and helpful community – providing you with all the help you need to get started on Etsy. With everything from templates, training, Clip art, Base Templates, instructions, Pdfs, literally everything you need to push through to a winning Etsy shop.
Fancy opening a Pet shop on Etsy?
Now it’s worth mentioning that the likelihood of using all of those free listings is very remote. Unless I suddenly start selling everything for 1$.
Hmmm, I might do that.
Goes away to think about this!!
How you can share your link?
Log into your Etsy account
Once you are logged in – copy the following URL
https://www.etsy.com/invites/sell
This will take you to the Etsy page, where your referral link is displayed.
Copy the link and start sharing.
You can view this link to find out How the Policy works for free listings on Etsy
Where can I share my free listings’ link?
Here is a list of places I have placed my free listings’ link to gain maximum exposure. Remember, if you have more than one shop, – you might want to spread your link over several places and use both shop links. So you can earn free listings within each of your Etsy shops.
Your shop link is generated when you are logged into Etsy – so make a note of each link for different shops. You don’t want to have 50 in one shop and 7 in the other.
Why?
Because the credits are non-transferable and non-exchangeable.
Here is a list of places where I have shared my link and succeeded.
- In blog posts such as this, especially blog posts that help you Open an Etsy shop
- On my social media, even on Instagram – you’ll be surprised how many people open shops spontaneously
- In my Etsy profile, such as shop news or my information
- In my listings, on listing images and also as text within the descriptions.
In case you were wondering – where is my link and the screenshot of my free listings as of today.
New Etsy shop owners should read the platform’s fees and payments policy — it is essential to familiarise yourself with your chosen platform before opening a shop. You must see if the policies are agreeable or do not align with your expectations. The first thing you need to check is the listing fee.
Your product listings are essential to your Etsy store — how many items will you need to grow and maintain sales? By being aware of the Etsy listing fee, you get to plan the initial budget breakdown of your store correctly.
Can You List On Etsy For Free?
All listings fees are payable – at the moment it is 0.20C, however, you can earn free listings so you never have to pay this fee. Refer to this guide from Etsy and earn free listings. It would be best to build connections with the people in your community — refer Etsy to aspiring shop owners. Before anything else, the person must open the Etsy store before you both receive the free listing. Don’t just blindly share — look for people planning to open a shop.
How Much Does It Cost To Start a Shop On Etsy
Etsy is undoubtedly a low-cost eCommerce platform — perfect for aspiring and young entrepreneurs. Some additional charges also need to be considered when you open.
Etsy won’t let you on their platform for free. However, these fees won’t be an issue if your store becomes a top seller. You can find a more in-depth breakdown in your Etsy payments account.
Other Etsy fees to consider :
- Listing Fees
- Etsy Transaction Fee
- Advertising and Promotional Fee
- Etsy Ads Fee
- Offsite Ads Fee
- Subscription Fee
- In-Person Selling Fee
- Payment Processing Fee
- Shipping Fees
- Regulatory Operating Fee
- Pattern Fees
Click this link for the complete Etsy’s fees and payments policy guide.
You can also refer to this blog post to learn about starting an Etsy shop. Furthermore, the guide will help you determine if your country also needs to pay sales tax.
Using Social Media platforms
Where else can you connect with a large number of audiences online? That’s right! On social media platforms — you can do free promotions without hassle. It’s a bonus if you have a considerable amount of followers. Do a practical, encouraging post on why they should start selling on Etsy. However, you must ensure that your social media posts won’t be a page full of promotions. Followers might find it annoying and less relatable.
You might encourage them with these reasons why you should sell on Etsy.
Etsy continues to prove that they are a budget-friendly online marketplace. One of the best things about the platform is that it connects sellers to work with each other. The Etsy community is one of the best things the platform has introduced to its sellers — connections are essential in the marketing industry.
It may be a small fee, but it helps the platform give the best accommodation for sellers — and potential customers. Sellers are responsible for paying a particular fee to keep the business going, and Etsy will return it with innovative features and an even more friendly user interface.
Don’t forget to check out the amazing community of Etsy shop owners to help you get started here.
I hope you enjoyed this post on how I earned over 60,000 free listings on Etsy (and you can too).
Make a note of your free Etsy listings link and share it with your audience. Anyone using your link to open a new Etsy shop will receive 40 free Etsy listings from you. Etsy will also grant you 40 free listings in your shop to use when you create a new listing or renew an old listing. This method has earned me over 60,000 free listings in one shop.
Thanks for reading today.
If you enjoyed our post, please consider pinning it to your Favorite Pinterest boards.
Trina
START SELLING DIGITAL PRINTS ON ETSY
FREE EBOOK
Download a FREE Ebook of everything you need to start selling digital prints today. I’ve included how I got started, the sizes required and what tools you need to become a successful seller.
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Hello Trina,
Thank you so much for all the information on your website, I was reading them and the download the whole week. Although there’s a page on the Etsy website for the 40 free listing for the new seller, but I still like to use your link to register, yet I tried to registered with vpn but couldn’t get through, twice. They gave me a link for support, I emailed them but no response at all.
Due to the pandemic and for health reason I am currently in Vietnam, but my bank account & paypal account (opened for decades), so as my SSN and Visa card are all linked to my U.S. addresses.
What should I do to open a shop in compliance with Etsy policies? Can I use my U.S. mailing address even if I am not there? Which mailing address do I fill in registration?
I am interested in opening up an Etsy store to sell digital prints only to avoid shipping from VN. I have created a whole bunch of graphic design over the years but never thought of selling them. Sigh！With the Covid unemployment I really need some income…
Thanks for your advice…
Linh
Hello Linh
Thank you for your comments. I’m so glad you found it helpful. Please don’t worry about using my link – I have over 60,000 free listings, so honestly- just use any link that works. But thank you for thinking of me.
With regards to location, open your shop in Vietnam and get a bank account there.
I lived in Hong Kong and had an address in the USA – but I would say keep it in your own country if you can. Once you open an account or shop in another country it can not be transferred to a new bank elsewhere. So you have to close your shop and begin again.
Keep it simple if you can
Thanks again Trina
Thank you so much Trina for your prompt reply; it shows that you really put your readers in heart, the univers will reward you multiple returns…
Does it mean that even my IP address is in Vietnam I can still register using the U.S. location with U.S. bank account? For I will return to the U.S. once the pandemic and asian attacks issues calm down…
I received your newsletter for reminding us open a shop on Etsy or elsewhere is not easy… since there are gazillion youtubers lure us that anyone can earn easy money for doing nothing, if so; why are they working so hard to pose videos constantly? Because there are no free dumplings falling on our lap with no effort.
Just think about the effort you put to write all these articles while taking care of your family, we, as readers should be grateful and spread the words wherever we can.
With blessings to you and your family,
Linh
Hello Linh
Still – even if you are moving back to the USA. Maybe wait until you are living there before you start your store then. Or contact Etsy support, who will advise you – which is probably best.
Thank you for your comments. – I’m glad to help you
Trina
Hi,
How long does it take for the free listing to show on your account, I have had 3 people accept my referral so far but I haven’t received any listing credits.
Thanks
Jess
Hi Jess
Log into Etsy and use the chat service to contact them. I had to contact them twice before they added the money and not the credits to my account. But since then it’s worked ok.
Also keep the emails that say you have earned 40 credits because you will need them.
Thanks
Trina
Hi Trina,
I opened my shop through your link but I didn’t receive my 40 free listings 🙁
But thanks for all the info you build up here!
Hi,
Sometimes it can take a day or so to credit your account.
If you still don’t see them, use the chat bot on Etsy and ask them. Usually if you’ve used a genuine link, they will credit them.
Thank you
Trina
Hi,
I want to open my second etsy store, but still want to get 40 free listings.
Can I refer myself or use your link?
Hi
If you open a second shop you will need a new email. I just add a dot in my gmail and Etsy sees it as a new email.
I wouldn’t use my own referral because if it’s disallowed- you won’t get your free listings in your new shop.
Maybe you have a friend or someone in a Fb group who can give you a link – of course you are welcome to use mine.
Thank you
Trina
I started the process of opening an Etsy store but never completed it. I never listed a product or posted a picture. Then I found out that I can get free listings but cannot seem to go back to being just a user. The store name still shows up when I log in as a seller. Is there any way to clear the store name and start over using a link? I have deleted it repeatedly but it still opens to the page asking for listings or photos.
Hello Jeff – no sorry, once you’ve clicked open and it’s live, you can’t actually go back and collect the 40 free listings. The only way to do that is to click on the FREE listings link and then create a new account in Etsy using a different email address and begin the shop opening process again. However, you will not be able to recover the shop name you had – that will not be used on any other etsy account. So you’ll need to have an idea of a new shop name. – you can change this once on your own, but the next time you have to ask etsy to change it for you.