Etsy Tweaks Insider Buyer Loyalty Program With 5% Credit Back, Minimum Purchase & Shipping Limits
Etsy is rolling out changes to their Insider buyer loyalty program, adding minimum purchase and limitations on shipping savings while introducing 5% Etsy credit rewards on purchases.
The Etsy Insider program was first introduced in 2024 and initially promised buyers the following benefits for $18 for a 3 month seasonal membership or $72 for an annual membership:
Original Etsy Insider perks:
Shipping Benefit: Free domestic shipping up to $20 in shipping cost per eligible item, for the lowest cost shipping classes offered by the seller, from sellers based in the United States to any destination in the United States only. For items with shipping costs over $20, you are responsible for the full cost of shipping.
Only items that take Etsy Payments Items are eligible for Etsy Insider covered free shipping. Some sellers already offer free shipping. Etsy Insider members will see an “Etsy Insider” logo next to items eligible for Etsy Insider covered free shipping. Sellers and items that are eligible for Etsy Insider covered free shipping are subject to change.
Deals & Drops: From time to time, Etsy Insider members will receive first access to merchandise and deals from Etsy sellers. Access and notifications to such promotions may be sent to you via e-mail and/or within the Etsy Insider membership hub. Participating inventory in Deals & Drops is limited and subject to availability from participating Etsy sellers.
Double Donate the Change: Etsy will double the Donate the Change contribution made on each order while you are an Etsy Insider member.
The annual membership also included an annual gift and yearly promotional offer on the buyer's birthday.
But in August 2025, Chief Growth Officer Kruti Patel Goyal revealed changes to Etsy Insider would be rolling out before the holidays, saying the program provided valuable information for the company, as well as an increase in visits and sales - but it came at a cost that is not sustainable long-term.
...As a first step, we're evolving our Etsy Insider beta loyalty program, which has shown excellent results of driving frequency and consideration, yet didn't provide scalable economics in its V1 iteration.
So by this holiday season, we'll launch a V2 program to an expanded buyer set, including our top buyers enabling us to test and iterate on a refreshed set of rewards and benefits.
Liz Morton
Details of Etsy Insider V2 have now been released and it appears buyers are losing out on shipping benefits but gaining credit back rewards, starting November 4th, with plans to expand the program internationally next year.
Per a post in the Etsy community:
In July, we told you we told you some changes to the Etsy Insider program were on the way. Now, we’re ready to share all the exciting details that go into effect November 4.
Please note: You don’t need to take any actions, and these changes will come at no cost to you.
We’re introducing two new benefits–Etsy Insider rewards and Insider perks–and making some updates to which orders are eligible to save on shipping. Here’s everything you need to know:
- Etsy Insider rewards: Members will earn 5% back in Etsy credit on every purchase to use on a future order. More rewards means more reasons to come back and shop again!
- Insider perks: Members will get personalized offers and special savings, which means they’ll have even more reasons to shop your pieces.
- Eligibility for shipping savings: Etsy will now cover up to $6 in shipping costs on the least expensive US domestic shipping option for orders over $15 per shop. This means that many orders will still ship free, but if shipping is more expensive than what we cover, the buyer will pay the difference.
There’s no change to the way that you [the seller] are paid for shipping costs. Plus, we have great news for sellers outside of the US: Starting next year, we’ll expand this benefit to international orders! Stay tuned for more information.
First, it's a little disingenuous for Etsy to say there are two new benefits here - what they are now calling Insider Perks appear to be mostly the same things they previously called Deals & Drops.
Second, the changes in the shipping incentive are massive and point to the fact that Etsy is finding out what sellers have known all along - there's really no such thing as "free" shipping.
Previously, Etsy covered up to $20 worth of shipping for all Insider orders, now they're only covering $6 worth of shipping and the order has to be a minimum of $15 to qualify.
And it's likely no coincidence they set it at $6 - Etsy changed their search algorithm last year to prioritize items which show a shipping cost of $6 or less, saying their data shows that once shipping prices are $6 or above, buyers are less likely to make a purchase.
Liz Morton
Etsy is hoping the loss of shipping benefits will be outweighed by the new 5% rewards offering.
Etsy Insider Rewards: Program members are eligible to earn 5% of their Etsy purchase back in Etsy Credit. Rewards are calculated based on the subtotal of each completed order amount after all discounts, sales, and promotions have been applied and less any applied credits, discounts, sales, promotions, shipping, taxes, gift wrap, or any other fees.
Buyers are encouraged to read the full terms of Etsy Insider, and especially the terms governing these credit rewards which include but are not limited to:
- Etsy Insider Rewards do not expire as long as you have an active Program subscription.
- If you cancel your subscription or your subscription is terminated for any reason, all unused Etsy Insider Rewards will expire at the end of your Access Period.
- Etsy Insider Rewards are earned and available for redemption when posted to your account.
- When you redeem Etsy Insider Rewards, the entire amount will be applied to your next purchase as a discount on Etsy.
- You cannot elect to apply only a portion of your Etsy Insider Rewards to a purchase. If your purchase is less than the amount of the Etsy Insider Rewards you have applied, the remaining amount will remain available as part of your Etsy Insider Rewards balance.
- You cannot earn or accumulate more than $2,000 in Etsy Insider Rewards.
- If you return any or all items from an order that earned Etsy Insider Rewards, the Etsy Insider Rewards earned on the items returned will be deducted from your Etsy Insider Rewards balance.
And finally, the annual subscription cost remains the same at $72 per year (and still includes the birthday promotion but apparently no annual gift), but the cost of the three month seasonal subscription has gone up from $18 to $24.
Do you think Etsy Insider v2 still offers value to buyers with reduced shipping benefits replaced by 5% credit back and is the seasonal subscription worth it even with the price increase? Let us know in the comments below!
