Is free shipping or a percent-off sale better for Etsy during a slow season?

Hi! In most Etsy shops, a percent-off sale tends to “pop” more (and gets more impulse clicks) while free shipping tends to help more with checkout conversion (and reducing “shipping sticker shock”)—so the better option depends on whether your bigger problem right now is getting more people to click, or getting more of the people who already click to actually buy.

Here’s how I’d decide, fast:

Go with percent-off if…

• You need more attention and more clicks from search/browse. Shoppers are really trained to notice a sale badge.
• Your items are giftable or “nice to have” (people need a nudge).
• Shipping varies a lot by item/zone (free shipping could eat you alive on heavier orders).
• You want a clean, easy message: “X% off this week.”

Go with free shipping if…

• Your cart abandonment is likely driven by shipping cost (common with lower-priced physical items).
• Your products are lightweight and shipping is predictable, so you can build average shipping cost into your item price without risking losses.
• You get lots of multi-item orders and free shipping would encourage people to add another item (“since shipping is free anyway…”).

A simple rule of thumb: if shipping is a big percentage of the item price (example: a $12 item with $6 shipping), free shipping usually lifts conversion more than a small discount. If shipping is a small portion (example: $60 item with $6 shipping), a visible percent-off sale often feels like the better deal.

A practical way to choose (without guessing):

1. Pick 5–10 bestsellers and run one promo type for 7 days (same items only).
2. Track: views → visits → orders (and your profit per order).
3. The following week, switch those same listings to the other promo and compare.

If you want a starting point that’s usually safe during a slow season: run a small percent-off sale shop-wide (or on bestsellers) for visibility, and reserve free shipping for items where you can confidently absorb it (lightweight, predictable shipping) or for an order threshold to protect your margins.

If you tell me your average item price, average shipping cost, and whether most orders are single-item or multi-item, I can suggest which option is likely to win for your shop specifically.