How Much Does Etsy Take From a $25 Digital Download?
A US $25 digital order has about $2.83 in baseline Etsy fees. Compare tax and Offsite Ad effects, then account for support and creation costs.
Follow the three baseline charges
Sources checked September 5, 2026. The example allocates one listing fee to the sold item even though listing and renewal charges can occur at different times from the sale. Listing-fee policy
| Charge | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Listing allocation | One item | $0.20 |
| Transaction | $25 × 6.5% | $1.63 rounded |
| US Etsy Payments | $25 × 3% + $0.25 | $1.00 |
| Total baseline fees | Sum of displayed charges | $2.83 |
| Remaining | $25 − $2.83 | $22.17 |
The unrounded transaction calculation is $1.625. This article rounds the displayed charge to cents before summing. Actual statements can differ slightly due to transaction, currency or account adjustments; reconcile the recorded line items.
The $22.17 is neither a guaranteed deposit nor net business profit. Your payment account can include other listing charges, ads, refunds and balances, while product creation and support also consume resources.
Add Offsite Ads only when applicable
Etsy’s Offsite Ads program uses 15% or 12% depending on shop qualification, and charges attributed orders under its timing rules. Shops below the lifetime qualification threshold can be eligible to opt out; shops that reach $10,000 in a qualifying consecutive 365-day period are generally required to remain enrolled at 12%. Confirm Shop Manager status and the official terms. Offsite Ads rules
For this illustrative $25 US order with no tax:
| Ad situation | Added Offsite fee | Total baseline plus Offsite fees | Remaining before other costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| No attributed Offsite fee | $0 | $2.83 | $22.17 |
| Applicable 12% | $3.00 | $5.83 | $19.17 |
| Applicable 15% | $3.75 | $6.58 | $18.42 |
These rows do not include Etsy Ads spending or assume every sale is an Offsite-attributed order. A shop’s participation status and a specific order’s attribution are separate inputs.
Tax affects processing even on a download
Assume an illustrative order where Etsy collects $2 buyer sales tax. The US processing base becomes $27, so payment processing is $27 × 3% + $0.25 = $1.06. The US transaction fee still uses the $25 item amount. Processing fee base, US transaction-fee tax treatment
With no ads, baseline fees become $2.89 and seller revenue after those fees is $22.11. The buyer paid $27, but $2 tax is excluded from the seller’s $25 revenue. It is not subtracted again from that $25.
Price comparisons: fixed fees versus total fees
Under this same single-item no-tax, no-ad baseline, the unrounded formula is 9.5% × price + $0.45. At $100, that is $9.95, or 9.95%, not 9.3%.
The fixed $0.45 portion alone is 9% of a $5 product and 15% of a $3 product. It exceeds 15% only below $3. Those fixed amounts are additional to the percentage fees; distinguish the two when explaining why a low-priced product has a higher effective fee rate.
Turn the remainder into a product decision
Suppose support and software allocation cost an illustrative $2 per sale. The no-ad $25 product contributes $20.17 before creation and overhead. Recovering a $300 creation investment requires about 15 sales at that contribution. Under the 15% Offsite scenario, contribution falls to $16.42 and the same investment needs about 19 sales.
Use your own expected sales and support burden. A digital file does not have a universally optimal price or zero ongoing cost. See the digital-versus-physical comparison for a broader format decision.
FAQ
What are baseline fees on a $25 digital download?
For a US Etsy Payments seller with one sold item, one $0.20 listing allocation, no tax and no ads, the rounded fees are $2.83 and the amount remaining is $22.17 before other costs.
How much do 12% or 15% Offsite Ads add?
On this $25 US no-tax order, an applicable 12% fee adds $3, while 15% adds $3.75. The respective amounts remaining after baseline and ad fees are $19.17 and $18.42.
Do the fixed fees alone exceed 15% on all products below $5?
No. In the single-item baseline the fixed total is $0.45, which is 15% at $3 and exceeds 15% only below $3. Percentage fees are additional.
Related tools
Estimates only. This article is educational and is not financial, tax, investment, or legal advice. Verify rates and rules with primary sources or a licensed professional. Disclaimer · Verification policy.