Can You Make an Offer on Etsy?Complete Buyer & Seller Guide
Yes, you can make an offer on Etsy, but only if the seller has enabled the "Make an Offer" feature on their listings. This optional tool lets buyers propose lower prices, typically 10-20% off. Sellers can accept, decline, or counter with a different price.
💡Quick Answer
What Is Etsy's Make an Offer Feature?
Etsy's Make an Offer is an optional pricing tool that gives sellers flexibility in how they price items and move inventory. When enabled, buyers see a "Make an offer" button on eligible listings, allowing them to propose a lower price without messaging the seller directly.
Key Limitations
- USD only: Currently available only for sellers and buyers with currency set to USD
- Not on mobile app: The feature doesn't work on the Etsy Seller app
- 48-hour window: Accepted offers expire after 48 hours
- No reservation: Making an offer doesn't reserve the item—other buyers can still purchase it
Can You Make an Offer on All Etsy Items?
No. The Make an Offer feature is entirely optional for sellers. Whether you can make an offer depends on seller preferences and listing configuration.
The Feature Works On:
- • Vintage items
- • Handmade items
- • Craft supplies
- • Digital downloads (if enabled)
How to Tell If You Can Offer:
- • Button present: You can submit an offer
- • No button: Seller hasn't enabled it
- • Grayed out: Check your currency is USD
How to Make an Offer on Etsy (Buyer Guide)
Find Eligible Listings
Browse Etsy normally. When you find an item you're interested in, check if the "Make an offer" button appears below the price.
- • Look for the "Make an offer" button on listing pages
- • There's no filter to search only for listings accepting offers
- • You have to check each listing individually
Tip: Some sellers price items 15-20% higher to allow room for negotiation. Research comparable listings first.
Submit Your Offer
Click the button and choose from preset discount percentages.
- • Click "Make an offer"
- • Choose from preset discount percentages (10%, 15%, 20% off)
- • Review the proposed price
- • Click "Submit offer"
Tip: Most sellers expect 10-20% offers. Lowball offers (50%+ off) on handmade items are unlikely to be accepted.
Wait for Seller Response
The seller receives your offer in their Messages section and can accept, decline, or counter.
- • Wait for seller notification (response time varies)
- • Check your Etsy messages and email
- • Be prepared to negotiate if seller counters
Tip: Making an offer doesn't reserve the item—another buyer can purchase it at full price while your offer is pending.
Complete Your Purchase (If Accepted)
If the seller accepts, you have 48 hours to complete checkout at the agreed price.
- • Receive email and Etsy notification
- • Click the link to complete checkout
- • Pay within 48 hours before the offer expires
- • Seller ships as normal
Tip: Not following through after acceptance wastes the seller's time and may result in negative feedback.
How to Set Up Make an Offer (Seller Guide)
Enable the Feature
Log into Shop Manager and navigate to Marketing > Sales and Discounts.
- • Go to Marketing > Sales and Discounts
- • Click "Set up" next to "Make an Offer"
- • Choose: All listings or Specific listings
Tip: Only enable on items where you have room to discount without hurting margins.
Configure Your Discount Settings
Choose how you want to handle offers.
- • Option 1: Set a maximum discount (e.g., 15% off) for auto-accept
- • Option 2: Review all offers manually for full control
Tip: Auto-accept saves time but manual review lets you assess each buyer and situation.
Manage Incoming Offers
Review offers in your Messages section and respond.
- • Receive message notification when buyer submits offer
- • Review the proposed price
- • Accept, decline, or counter with a different price
Tip: Respond quickly—buyers may lose interest or find alternatives if you delay.
Track Profitability
Calculate real margins after all fees before accepting offers.
- • Factor in Etsy fees (6.5% transaction + 3% payment processing)
- • Include listing fees, ad costs, and shipping
- • Use profit tracking tools to see real margins
Tip: A 20% discount can cut your profit by 40% or more on thin-margin items.
Understanding Buyer Psychology with Make an Offer
The best strategy isn't always to enable Make an Offer—it's to price competitively from the beginning.
Price Strategically from the Start
- Research what similar items sell for
- Analyze successful competitor pricing
- Factor in all your costs (materials, time, fees, shipping)
- Set a fair price that moves inventory without constant negotiation
Use Etsy Competitor Analysis to:
- • See exactly what similar items sell for
- • Identify price ranges that convert best
- • Understand seasonal pricing patterns
- • Find the sweet spot between profit and competitiveness
Spy on Competitor Pricing Strategies
Your competitors are already testing pricing strategies—some work, some don't. Learn from their results instead of guessing.
Use Etsy Shop Spy to automatically:
- • Track competitor pricing changes in real-time
- • Get alerts when competitors adjust prices
- • See historical pricing patterns
- • Identify seasonal pricing trends
- • Discover which products competitors push hardest
Real Scenario:
You sell vintage cameras and notice a competitor consistently gets offers accepted at 15% off. Instead of matching their inflated prices, you undercut them by pricing 10% lower than their "offer price"—and you sell faster without the negotiation hassle.
Track Your Real Profitability on Offers
Accepting a 20% offer feels like a win—until you calculate all the fees and realize you barely broke even.
Example Calculation:
- • Listed price: $50
- • Offer accepted: $40 (20% off)
- • Transaction fee (6.5%): $2.60
- • Payment processing (3% + $0.25): $1.45
- • Listing fee: $0.20
- • Total fees: $4.25
- • Your net: $35.75
- • If COGS was $20, profit dropped from $26 to $15.75
That 20% discount actually cut your profit by 39%.
Use Profit Tracker to:
- • Automatically calculate profit per order including all fees
- • See real margins on discounted vs. full-price sales
- • Track cost of goods sold across all products
- • Compare profitability of different pricing strategies
- • Identify which products can afford discounts
Smart Strategy:
Only enable Make an Offer on products with 50%+ profit margins. Keep the feature off for thin-margin items where discounts hurt your bottom line.
Make an Offer vs. Running a Sale
Both reduce prices, but they work differently.
Make an Offer
- Visibility: Buyer must notice button
- Control: Approve each offer individually
- Urgency: No built-in deadline
- Effort: Respond to each inquiry
- Psychology: Buyer feels they "won"
- SEO Impact: No search ranking boost
Etsy Sale
- Visibility: Automatic badge + visibility boost
- Control: Automatic discount for all buyers
- Urgency: Set start and end dates
- Effort: Set once and forget
- Psychology: Clear value, no negotiation
- SEO Impact: Boosts search ranking during sale
Use Make an Offer When:
• You want to test price elasticity without committing to a sale • You have time to negotiate and enjoy the interaction • You're selling unique vintage items with variable value • You want to avoid devaluing your brand with frequent sales
Use a Sale When:
• You want to move inventory quickly • You need a visibility boost in Etsy search • You don't have time to respond to individual offers • You want a clear, time-limited promotion
Combine Both Strategies:
Some sellers enable Make an Offer year-round for negotiation-minded buyers, then run occasional sales (10-15% off) for urgency-driven shoppers.
Make an Offer Etiquette and Best Practices
For Buyers - DO:
• Research comparable prices before offering • Make reasonable offers (10-20% off) • Respond quickly if seller counters • Be polite and respectful • Follow through if accepted
For Buyers - DON'T:
• Make lowball offers (50%+ off) on handmade items • Submit offers on items already on sale • Ignore seller responses • Make offers you're not serious about • Demand the seller accept your price
For Sellers - DO:
• Respond within 24-48 hours • Be polite even when declining • Explain why you're declining (builds rapport) • Use offers as a chance to upsell • Set auto-accept discounts to save time
For Sellers - DON'T:
• Take lowball offers personally • Feel obligated to accept any offer • Let offers sit unanswered for days • Enable offers on products needing full price • Inflate prices just to allow offers
Advanced Strategies for Sellers
Seasonal Offer Management
High Season (Peak Demand):
- • Disable Make an Offer on best-sellers
- • Only allow offers on slower items
- • Set lower maximum discounts (10% max)
Low Season (Slow Sales):
- • Enable offers on more listings
- • Increase maximum discount (20%+)
- • Use offers to clear seasonal inventory
Inventory Clearance with Offers
- Enable Make an Offer on seasonal items
- Set a generous auto-accept discount (25-30%)
- Move inventory before it becomes dated
- Recoup costs rather than storing unsold items
Using Offers for Market Research
Test pricing hypotheses by listing items at higher prices with offers enabled, then see what buyers are willing to pay.
Example: You're not sure if your handmade leather bag should be $75 or $95. List it at $95 with offers enabled. If you consistently get $75-80 offers that you accept, you've found the real market price.
The Bottom Line
Yes, you can make offers on Etsy—but only on listings where sellers have enabled the feature. It's an optional tool that gives both buyers and sellers flexibility in pricing.
For Buyers:
- • Look for the "Make an offer" button on listings
- • Submit reasonable offers (10-20% off)
- • Be prepared to negotiate or lose out to full-price buyers
- • Remember: offers don't reserve items
For Sellers:
- • Use Make an Offer strategically on slow-moving inventory
- • Don't enable it on high-demand items that sell at full price
- • Track your real profitability on discounted sales
- • Price competitively from the start to reduce negotiation friction
Best Practices:
- • Research competitor pricing before listing
- • Use data tools to find optimal price points
- • Track profit margins on all sales (full price and offers)
- • Respond to offers quickly and professionally
- • Test the feature on select items before enabling shop-wide
The real key isn't whether to use Make an Offer—it's whether you're pricing intelligently from the beginning. Use competitive data, profit tracking, and market research to price items so they sell without constant negotiation. When you do that, Make an Offer becomes a bonus tool for edge cases, not a crutch for uncertain pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Price Smarter with Data-Driven Insights
Stop guessing what buyers will pay. Use competitor analysis, shop spy tools, and profit tracking to price your items for maximum sales and profitability.