Even though The Work at Home Wife doesn’t deal in handcrafted items, I have always longed for a referral program from Etsy. There are so many digital sellers over there that there are plenty of things I could be promoting. For starters, I purchase a lot of my media kit templates, logos, marketing materials and more for promoting my blog and virtual assistant business from the site.
In years past, there was no Etsy affiliate program. I’m happy to report, that has changed. And here’s how you can join.
Where is the Etsy Affiliate Program Hosted?
The Etsy program is within a network called Affiliate Window. The good news is there are several other merchants in here as well that you can apply for and promote to increase your earnings.
What are the Program Details?
The standard commission rate is 4%. That’s not a whole lot in comparison to some programs, but people love Etsy. And they have so much to promote as we discussed earlier. They carry not only handmade and vintage items, but also digital goods like blog themes and resume templates.
The Etsy cookie is good for 30 days.
Affiliate Window is a network that allows you to set your own payment threshold. You can choose a minimum amount between $20 and $100. They pay twice per month by direct deposit or check (international payments are also available).
There are a number of ways you can monetize your site once approved:
- Text Links
- Banners
- Link Builder (so you can link to specific products or pages)
- Data Feeds (coming soon)
- Convert-a-Link – this is a piece of script you place on your site that will automatically convert your links for you, similar to VigLink
How do I Sign Up?
You will need to first apply to Affiliate Window. Once accepted you will then apply for the Etsy affiliate program. The acceptance rate for Etsy appears to be around 99%, so don’t be afraid to apply.
In order to get accepted to Affiliate Window, you do need to make a $5 deposit. There are still a few programs around that do this and trust me when I say I have seen worse. That $5 is only taken from your account if you are accepted by Affiliate Window and it is then immediately deposited into your commission account to be paid out with your first payment. I’ve asked, and the only time this is waived is if a merchant personally invites you to their program. Highly unlikely that is happening with Etsy.
For our international readers, Canadian, UK, French, German, Scandinavian (Sweden) and Australian Etsy affiliate programs are also available in here.
To get the process started for becoming an Etsy affiliate, apply to Affiliate Window.
Dana says
I’m trying to sign up for the Affiliate Window/Zanox account, but they require an AdSpace URL How do I get this? How do I sign up for AdSpace?
Thanks.
Angie Nelson says
Did you try the URL of your website, Dana?
Leah says
Hi for the Etsy.com Affiliate program ,
How do you produce an affiliate link to a SPECIFIC Etsy product
Angie Nelson says
Once logged into Affiliate Window go to Links & Tools then Link Builder. You will put the product URL in the Deep Linking URL field.
CLMitchell says
I just applied to the Etsy affiliate program and got rejected through Zanox. I have no idea why I got rejected as my website is a genuine site giving information to people about moving to and travelling around Ireland with no scam or even spam related content. I have been accepted by every other affiliate program that I have signed up on.
Its a shame as I was really hoping to promote and support the Irish based designers on the site.
If anyone can give me feedback, I would appreciate it! I also have no idea when or if I can reapply.
Angie Nelson says
Sorry to hear that. Did you check to see if Affiliate Window accepts affiliates in your location?
CLMitchell says
Thanks for the speedy response. I just went through the Etsy link from their website which took me to Zanox. But I will definitely try the Affiliate Window and see if that works. I’m new to all of this so your website has been really helpful.
Angie Nelson says
Happy to help.
Anastasiya says
Hi) Today I found out that I’ve got rejected too)))
But I wrote an e-mail directly to Etsy euaffiliates@etsy.com as zanox sujested. Will see.
it’s really strange that such big company gets people to make so efforts to participate)))
Angie Nelson says
Best of luck! Thanks for sharing the email address.
CLMitchell says
I have now been accepted into the UK Etsy affiliate program. Originally I followed the online link which took me to Zanox where I applied. However, as I’m in the UK, I needed to apply directly to the UK one via Affiliate Windows instead of Zanox (you can’t see the UK Etsy on Zanox). But this was not clear until the Angie kindly redirected my to go through Affiliate Windows instead.
FYI, once I was approved, the link they sent me to the “getting started guide” didn’t work, but the Etsy rep has just now emailed me a pdf to it, so all resolved.
Anastasiya says
Colleen, I have a question for you if you don’t mind)
Now when you’ve been approved through Zanox, do you have a possibility to use Link Builder (so you can link to specific products or pages on etsy.com)?! Or not? For me it’s the main thing in all Partners Programm cause I use only Social Media so banners are not available for me to promote etsy artists.
CLMitchell says
Just to clarify, I didn’t get approved for Etsy through Zanox, but got approved through Affiliate Windows (which are part of Zanox, so quite confusing). Yes, you can link builder, they also have a Convert-a-link plugin which can convert all your links on a page for you. I haven’t used it yet, as I’m just getting some content together before I get started.
Angie Nelson says
Awesome! Thanks for the followup. And glad I could help.
Liv says
Great article! I have one question – Do we enter anything into the “click ref” field?
Angie Nelson says
Hi, Liv. “Click Ref” is what most networks call a Sub ID. You can put something in there if you are looking to track conversions even further, such as a certain page or an email newsletter.
Liv says
Thanks so much!!
Tracey says
Thanks for the article on the Etsy affiliate program. I have never done an affiliate program before. I have been thinking about creating a store or a list of recommended NJ items on my blog. Can you give me some advice on setting it up and promoting it? What does a 30 day cookie period mean? Does it mean that I would only earn commission on the promoted items for 30 days?
Thanks for your help!
Angie Nelson says
Here is a post that provides additional information, Tracey.
https://theworkathomewife.com/8-things-look-applying-affiliate-program/