Etsy 40 free listings promotion

Whether you’re thinking about opening a new Etsy shop or have one already, you might be interested in Etsy’s 40 free listings promotion from their referral program. I spent some time learning about that referral scheme, and thought I’d share my learnings with you all. Here’s all you need to know!

How to use the promotion when opening a new Etsy shop

If you’re about to open your first Etsy shop, make sure to use someone’s referral to do so.

Etsy charges sellers $0.20 for listing an item up front. Your product may never sell, but you will still be charged for placing it on Etsy. It can be discouraging to new vendors to have to pay Etsy for listing their goods before seeing any profit.

However, Etsy runs a referral program in which you can earn 40 credits for free item listings – and it would be a shame not to take advantage of that.

If you start a new shop via an existing seller’s referral link, both of you will receive 40 free listings. This means that you’ll be able to list 40 items without having to pay Etsy up front.

You will still be charged the usual transaction fees if someone buys your items, but that will be deducted from your profits. No up front costs for you though.

You can use my link if you wish: https://etsy.me/46I43XG 🌟

Referring others if you already own an Etsy shop

If you already have an Etsy shop, you can refer others to open their first Etsy shops through your link. You can find your link on this page: https://etsy.me/ (you need to be logged in to Etsy).

When someone signs up to Etsy via your link, you’ll get an email notifying you that they had started the join process.

You won’t get your bonus 40 free Etsy listings yet.

Your friend will need to complete the sign up journey and list their first item before you get the reward. You will get a second email from Etsy once that has happened and bonus listings will be applied to your account.

Etsy 40 free listings – Frequently Asked Questions

I opened a shop through a referral code but didn’t get free listings

Reason 1 – You clicked someone’s link but then closed the tab and joined Etsy from their home page. 

You need to create your account directly from the referral page to be eligible for the 40 free listings.

Reason 2 – Your country isn’t eligible for the promotion.

Apparently, not all countries can participate in Etsy’s referral program. I learnt this after contacting their support for a related issue. Unfortunately, the list of eligible countries isn’t publicly available. 

I opened a shop but forgot to use a referral. Can I still get the bonus credits?

Unfortunately, no. You can only get the welcome free listings if you open your account through someone’s referral page.

I shared my referral link with someone but didn’t get free listings 

Reason 1 – They didn’t complete setting up their account.

You will only get the bonus 40 listings if the invited person fully sets up their shop. They need to complete setting up their account and list their first item.

Etsy will send you two emails. One, when someone starts creating their shop through your referral page. And second, when they’ve completed the process. You will only get the reward after the second notification. 

Reason 2 – They clicked away from your referral page.

If they opened your link but then closed the tab and went back on Etsy’s main page to create their account, you won’t be eligible for the promotion. 

Reason 3 – They live in a country that doesn’t participate in the referral scheme

This one is confusing and I experienced it first hand. You may share your link with someone and they may successfully set up their account, but if their country is ineligible for the program, you won’t receive the reward. You will still get emails from Etsy saying that you’ll be rewarded with bonus listings for referring a new seller, but that’s a lie.

I was in that situation myself. I got two emails from Etsy confirming that someone opened their shop through my referral page, and I could see their store up and running, but I didn’t get the promised 40 free listings. I contacted customer support and was told that the new seller was in a country ineligible for the promotion and therefore I wouldn’t be receiving the additional credits. I asked them for a list of eligible countries, but apparently that’s not public information. 

I shared my referral link with someone but they forgot to use it when opening their shop. Can I still get the reward?

Unfortunately, no.

Do the 40 free listings expire?

No, the bonus free listings don’t have an expiry date.

Can I refer more than one person?

Absolutely! It’s possible to accumulate hundreds of free listings from the referral scheme.