Answer ยท confidence: partial
How much of a $500 sale is left after fees, shipping, and ads?
Research question: What typically comes out of each $500 sale before the seller keeps anything, including platform fees, payment fees, shipping, refunds, and ad costs?
The records show that Etsy retains approximately $129.50 of a $500 sale as its revenue take, which covers transaction, listing, and payment fees 26. Additionally, the merchant bears interchange fees, which average about 2% of the transaction value, resulting in roughly $10 going to the card issuer 1. The acquiring bank or payment processor then deducts a further, usually smaller, fee from the remaining amount before the merchant receives the funds 5. The provided facts do not specify the costs for shipping, refunds, or ad spending, so a complete breakdown of all deductions cannot be determined from this evidence.
Checked 2026-10-15. Only documented and supported facts are used.
Dig deeper on this questionSources
[1] supported
In the United States, interchange fees average about 2% of transaction value, so on a $500 card sale roughly $10 would go to the card issuer's side of the fee.
"In the United States, the fee averages approximately 2% of transaction value."Interchange fee
[2] supported
Etsy kept about 25.9% of its gross merchandise sales as revenue in the second quarter of 2026, so roughly $129.50 of a $500 sale would go to Etsy's take.
"Take rate remained healthy at 25.9% for the second quarter, up 130 basis points year-over-year, including an approximate 80 basis point benefit from the Reverb divestiture."Etsy ( ETSY ) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (fool.com, 2026-08)
[3] supported
The interchange fees that Visa, Mastercard and card issuers were accused of fixing are also called swipe fees, which are a payment cost merchants bear on each card sale.
"Plaintiffs alleged that Visa, Mastercard, and other major credit card issuers engaged in a conspiracy to fix interchange fees , also known as swipe fees"Payment card interchange fee and merchant discount antitrust litigation
[4] supported
Interchange fees, also called swipe fees, are charged to merchants for the privilege of accepting payment cards.
"Plaintiffs allege that Visa and Mastercard fixed interchange fees , also known as swipe fees, that are charged to merchants for the privilege of accepting payment cards."Visa Inc.
[5] supported
After the interchange fee is deducted, the acquiring bank or payment processor takes a further, usually smaller, fee, and the merchant receives the transaction amount minus both.
"The acquiring bank then pays the merchant the amount of the transaction minus both the interchange fee and an additional, usually smaller, fee for the acquiring bank or independent sales organization (ISO) , which is often referred to as a discount rate , an add-on rate, or passthru."Interchange fee
[6] supported
Etsy's take rate is the share of gross merchandise sales it keeps as revenue, mainly from transaction, listing, and payment fees.
"Take Rate : The percentage of GMS that Etsy retains as revenue, primarily from transaction, listing, and payment fees."Etsy ( ETSY ) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (fool.com, 2026-08)
[7] supported
When a customer returns an item, any credit card surcharge the merchant charged is refunded along with the purchase price of the merchandise.
"In the event of a return, surcharges are refunded along with the purchase price of the merchandise."Payment card interchange fee and merchant discount antitrust litigation
[8] supported
In October 2010, Visa and MasterCard settled with the Department of Justice by agreeing to let merchants decline certain cards, because interchange fees differ, or offer consumers discounts for using cheaper cards.
"The companies agreed to allow merchants displaying their logos to decline certain types of cards (because interchange fees differ), or to offer consumers discounts for using cheaper cards."Visa Inc.
[9] supported
Interchange fees are the largest component of the various fees merchants pay for accepting credit cards, making up an estimated 70% to 90% of those fees, though larger merchants usually pay a lower percentage.
"These fees are set by the credit card networks, [ 1 ] and are the largest component of the various fees that most merchants pay for the privilege of accepting credit cards, representing 70% to 90% of these fees by some estimates, although larger merchants typically pay less as a percentage."Interchange fee
[10] supported
Gross merchandise sales, the base for the take rate, exclude shipping and taxes, so shipping charges are not part of the figure Etsy takes its cut from.
"GMS (Gross Merchandise Sales) : The total dollar value of items sold on the Etsy Marketplace, excluding shipping and taxes."Etsy ( ETSY ) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (fool.com, 2026-08)
[11] supported
Interchange fees are usually a flat fee plus a percentage of the total purchase price, including taxes.
"Further complicating the rate schedules, interchange fees are typically a flat fee plus a percentage of the total purchase price (including taxes)."Interchange fee
[12] supported
In March 2024 a settlement was announced to reduce swipe fees for U.S. merchants, a change expected to save retailers about $30 billion over five years.
"In March 2024, a settlement in the injunctive relief portion of the payment card interchange fee case was announced to reduce what are known as "swipe fees" for merchants in the U.S."Payment card interchange fee and merchant discount antitrust litigation
[13] supported
Etsy's marketplace take rate rose year-over-year mainly because of Etsy Ads, which use machine learning to improve relevance and seller budget pacing.
"Meanwhile, Etsy marketplace take rate also expanded year-over-year, primarily driven by Etsy Ads, where we're using machine learning to enhance relevance and improve seller budget pacin"Etsy ( ETSY ) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript (fool.com, 2026-08)