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Why your Etsy payout is less than your sales
You sold $500 this month and Etsy deposited $380. That gap almost always comes from the same handful of things. Here they are, in the order they usually matter.
1. Sales tax was never yours
In many places Etsy collects sales tax or VAT from the buyer and sends it to the tax authority. It shows in what the buyer paid, but it is not part of your earnings, so it never reaches your deposit. Source: Etsy Help: What are the Fees and Taxes for Selling on Etsy?.
2. Selling fees
Listing ($0.20), transaction (6.5%) and payment processing (3% + $0.25 in the US) fees come out of every order. See Etsy fees explained for the details and sources.
3. Offsite Ads
One order that came through an Offsite Ad costs 12% to 15% of that order (capped at $100). A few of those in a month can make a visible dent. Source: Etsy Help: What are the Fees and Taxes for Selling on Etsy?.
4. Refunds and cancellations
Refunds are deducted from your Payment account, so they reduce the next deposit even if the original sale was in an earlier period. Source: Etsy Help: How to Manage Your Payment Account.
5. Money still pending or in a reserve
Recent sales, new-seller waiting periods and reserves keep part of your balance pending until it is released. Source: Etsy Help: What is a Payment Account Reserve? and Etsy Help: Why Hasn’t My Money Been Deposited Yet?.
6. Timing
Deposits follow your schedule, not the calendar month. A deposit on the 3rd can include late-month sales from before and leave out sales from the last few days. See how Etsy deposits work.
See your own numbers
Your Etsy monthly statement CSV contains every one of these rows. PayoutPeek reads it in your browser (the file is never uploaded) and shows buyers paid → sales tax → refunds → fees → what you kept, plus which products lose the most to fees. How to download your statement.
See where your Etsy money went
Drop in your monthly statement CSV. Free, private, no Etsy login.
Common questions
Why is my Etsy deposit smaller than my sales?
Usually because of sales tax Etsy collected for the government, selling fees, Offsite Ads, refunds, and money still pending or held in a reserve.
Does Etsy take sales tax out of my payout?
Where Etsy collects sales tax as the marketplace, that tax is collected from the buyer and passed on to the tax authority, so it is not part of your earnings or deposit.
Sources
- Etsy Help: How to Manage Your Payment Account
- Etsy Help: What are the Fees and Taxes for Selling on Etsy?
- Etsy Help: What is a Payment Account Reserve?
- Etsy Help: Why Hasn’t My Money Been Deposited Yet?
PayoutPeek is not affiliated with Etsy. This page summarizes Etsy’s published policies for general information; it is not tax, legal or accounting advice. Fees and rules change, so Etsy’s linked pages are the authority. Last checked October 21, 2026.