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Etsy is a wildly successful e-commerce platform that offers handmade and vintage items as well as craft supplies. Whether you’re looking for a vintage jacket, a painting, or themed merchandise from your favorite TV show or movie, you can find it on Etsy.
If you’re wondering how to get free shipping on Etsy, the answer can be a bit complicated. Unlike a Target-sized retailer, Etsy is a host for independent sellers rather than a seller itself.
That means that each seller sets their own shipping rates.
Many Etsy sellers now use a $35 minimum for free shipping, but if your purchase is below $35 or if your seller just doesn’t offer free shipping, we’ve got a rundown of all the ways to save on Etsy.
Etsy’s $35 Minimum Free Shipping
In 2019, led by an initiative to stay competitive amidst online retailers, Etsy began encouraging its sellers to offer free shipping for purchases over $35. Etsy encourages its sellers to comply by prioritizing in its search feature shops that offer free shipping guarantee and deprioritizing those that do not.
If you purchase from a participating Etsy shop, you’ll receive free shipping on your purchase if it meets the $35 minimum from a single shop.
Since so many Etsy products are vintage or handmade, they can be on the pricier side, but if for some reason you can’t meet that $35 minimum or if you’re purchasing from a store that doesn’t qualify for free shipping, here are eight ways to save when you shop on Etsy.
#1 Filter by Price
If you’re on a strict budget, you can filter your product search on Etsy by price range to ensure that you’re not tempted by anything out of your budget. It’s an easy process:
- Enter your search term.
- Select “all filters.”
- Choose a standard price range or input a custom price range.
#2 Search for Sales
Just like any other marketplace or store, individual sellers on Etsy sometimes have sales. When you’re searching for your items, add “sale” to the search term to find any available products that also happen to be on sale.
On rare occasions, Etsy will have a sitewide sale—which it did in 2018,—but this doesn’t happen often, so you’re better off looking for an Etsy coupon code or deals promoted by independent stores within Etsy’s expansive.
#3 Look Out for Coupons
Independent sellers will sometimes also offer an Etsy promo code or coupons. These will usually be listed directly on the main page for their store or on the individual Etsy product pages. You can also occasionally find various Etsy coupon codes by searching online or on social media platforms like:
Facebook and Reddit even have dedicated groups for couponers that you can join!
#4 Contact the Seller
One of the best parts of shopping on Etsy is that the e-commerce site connects you directly with artists worldwide. You can easily message the Etsy store or the shop owner to inquire about coupons or discounts. If you’re buying in bulk, consider negotiating a reduced rate.
#5 Shop Off-Season
Did you know that the best time to buy Christmas decorations is January 1st? If you’re looking to score a great deal, try to shop off-season. For instance, consider the below:
- Halloween decorations in November
- Swimsuits in December
- Christmas sweaters in January
Just like any other seller, Etsy shops need to move inventory that is no longer relevant, so you can find great items at bargain prices with a little bit of patience.
#6 Save Your Favorite Products
When you’re on a product page on Etsy, you can click a heart-shaped button to the left of the photo of the product to favorite it. This feature helps you keep a wishlist of all the products you love and might buy. Even better, you’ll receive a notification if that item ever goes on sale.
Etsy’s international sellers can also see when their items have been favorited, so they might even reach out to you to offer you a discount to incentivize you to click buy!
#7 Follow Your Favorite Sellers
If you spend a lot of time browsing Etsy, you’ll start to amass a list of your favorite sellers, whether you love their vintage clothing finds or their art style. These sellers likely also have their own social media pages on platforms like:
Give them a follow to stay up to date with their latest merchandise, and you’ll be the first to know if they have any sales or special promotions! You can also sign up for mailing lists for your favorite Etsy sellers to receive discounts directly to your inbox.
#8 Take Advantage of Cash Back Offers
When you join free websites like RebateKey, you can receive up to 100 percent cashback when you shop at online stores like Etsy, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.
RebateKey partners with sellers on Etsy to help them grow their customer base by providing you with cashback offers. It’s a win-win situation!
Get Cash Back at Etsy with RebateKey
Once you’ve figured out how to get free shipping on Etsy, don’t stop there! Join RebateKey for free to receive up to 100 percent cashback from your Etsy purchases.
You + Etsy + RebateKey = maximum savings.
Sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/etsy-free-shipping-on-orders-over-35_l_5d7a61efe4b06028fd387e01
https://www.themoneymanual.com/etsy-shopping-hacks/
https://mint.intuit.com/blog/consumer-iq/secrets-to-saving-money-shopping-on-etsy-011/
