Etsy Affiliate Program Review – Is it Worth Joining? (2024)

Welcome to my Etsy Affiliate Program review for 2024.

In this article, I will tell you if I think joining the program is worth it. If you stick around, you'll also find out how to join, how much money you could potentially make, and how to achieve success as an Etsy affiliate.

Affiliate marketing is what I do so this is gonna be an easy one to write!

Let's dive right in.

Etsy Affiliate Program Requirements

In order to be eligible for the Etsy affiliate program, you must follow certain requirements. But don't worry, for the most part, most people can easily meet them.

There's no point repeating them here, so click here to see the full requirements right from the Etsy Affiliate page.

Just to summarize the key requirements, you need to be at least 18 years old, have either a website or active on social media (a Facebook page, Insta, YouTube, Tiktok, etc.), and have a good amount of content on those channels.

What Type of Etsy Products Can You Promote?

Etsy has a lot of different categories and products within those categories to choose from. For example, you can promote items you'd find in homes, tech, stuff for weddings, DIY crafts, women's clothing, and accessories.

A lot of the items you'll find on Etsy are original because they are homemade. So, chances are, you can't find these on Amazon which means less competition. You can also find a lot of vintage items to promote as well.

How Much Money do Etsy Affiliates Make?

Etsy affiliates can make very little money to a lot. I know that's not a very concise answer because it's impossible to tell you how much money you can make on the platform.

However, as a general rule, the more expensive the item, the more affiliate commissions you can make. On the flip side, it's easier to sell items as an affiliate that don't cost as much.

From my experience, it's much easier to sell an item that costs $10 than $100. So, if you sell a lot of $10 items, you could end up making more money than just selling a few $100 items. Makes sense? Many affiliate marketers focus on the wrong strategies and fail because of this.

There are other factors to consider like the amount of traffic your blog gets or how big your social media channel is. You won't really know until you try.

How Does the Etsy Affiliate Program Work?

Etsy does not have its own in-house affiliate program. They use an affiliate platform called Awin. You will need to join Awin in order to be an affiliate of Etsy.

The downside is that Awin charges $5 to join their platform. My guess is they do this to avoid spam sign-ups. However, this charge is refundable.

If for some reason you can't join Awin, you can also be an affiliate for Etsy by signing up with FlexOffers.

How to Become an Etsy Affiliate

After you join Awin, you will need to apply to the Etsy Affiliate program.

To find the program, look for the "Advertisers" button at the top of the page on Awin. From there, click on "Join Programs".

When you are there, search for Etsy, and will look something like this:

You simply just click on "Signup and Join Program" in the left-hand pane. Go through all the prompts and then wait to see if you get approved.

Etsy Affiliate Program Commission Rates

The standard publisher rate is a 4% commission. So for example, if you got someone to click on your affiliate link for a product that costs $50 and you made a sale, your commission would be $2. While that doesn't seem like a lot, it can really add up the more sales you make.

It's comparable to the Amazon affiliate program, which also has low commission rates.

Etsy used to have a 2% commission rate for "User Generated Content". This is basically when you post an affiliate link to a product on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, etc. This rate has been discontinued, so the 4% commission is across the board now no matter how you do your promotions.

If you sell a product that was purchased by a gift card, money order or some other form of payment, you won't earn a commission. So do take note.

How and When Are Affiliate Payments Made?

If you earn commissions, you'll get paid from either Awin or FlexOffers, depending on the network that you are using to promote Etsy products.

As far as when you will get paid, if you use Awin, the minimum payment threshold for commissions is $20. As far as frequency goes, you can choose between monthly or bi-monthly payments.

As for payment methods, you can choose between Payoneer, international wire transfers or bank transfers.

How Long Does the Etsy Affiliate Cookie Last?

The Etsy Affiliate Cookie lasts for 30 days.

What is a cookie? This is a small piece of data that is stored in your visitor’s browser. It will track whether they purchase an item on Etsy within 30 days of clicking on your affiliate link. 

This means if they don't purchase the item right away, but come back later and make a purchase, you'll still get credit for it as long as it's within 30 days.

Does the Program Provide Creatives?

Yes, you can get creatives for Etsy within Awin. Creatives are things like banners, text links and product images that you can use on your blog or website. It’s a great way to make your affiliate promotions more eye-catching.

To get the creatives for Etsy, click "Links & Tools" when you are in Awin. From there you will see all the available creatives that you can use.

Here's a small sample:

Etsy Affiliate Support

The Etsy affiliate support is pretty awesome. They are active in the Awin community and answer questions quickly. You can reach out to them directly if you have any specific concerns or questions about their program.

You can contact support by live chat which is great if you need an answer quickly. There's also a form available to submit questions and plenty of helpful videos on a variety of topics. 

Pros and Cons of The Etsy Affiliate Program

Pros:

Can Etsy Sellers Join the Affiliate Program?

If you're a seller on Etsy already, yes you can join the affiliate program. However, you won't be able to link to your own listings or promote them in any way. You can only promote other Etsy sellers' products and not use any of your own.

This is to protect the integrity of the affiliate program and make sure that it's fair for all affiliates. It also helps ensure that Etsy sellers are not taking advantage of the program to promote their own products. 

The Best Way to Make Money With the Etsy Affiliate Program

Because the commission rates are only 4%, you need to steer clear of paid ads. (PPC). Instead, focus your efforts on organic marketing methods like content marketing and SEO.

You can use SEO keywords and longtail keywords to create blog posts or reviews that target customers who are looking for Etsy products in your niche.

If you have a large social media following, you may be able to monetize it by sharing Etsy products with your followers and adding your affiliate links.

With social media, you're on a constant hampster wheel trying to push products over and over again with new posts. So just start a blog already! 😀

If you have a blog or website, you post once and people will find your articles through the search engines like Google. It's a great way to earn passive income because you post once, and then do updates maybe twice a year.

So, the best way to make money with Etsy is to start a blog and find Etsy products that are a good match for your audience.

Check out my post on how to start a blog.

If you really want to accelerate your chances for success, consider investing in a course.

You'll learn not only how to promote Etsy affiliate products, but other products as well.

Conclusion

In wrapping this up, while Etsy only gives you a 4% commission, its affiliate program is still a great option for anyone wanting to start affiliate marketing. The key is to focus on organic methods like content creation and SEO.

It's also a good idea to invest in an affiliate course so you can learn the fundamentals of how to promote products successfully as well as other strategies.

Related Articles