Many savvy Etsy shop owners know that certain items on their shop have gotten old after a while.
This is when sales start to drop.
So what do they do? Well, sellers will often take an opportunity to renew their listings by paying the $0.20 listing fee more often than the required four months.
Does Renewing Etsy Listings Help?
Renewing your listings can help you get older merchandise back on the minds of your customers. While it hasn’t been proven to boost sales, it can get older products better noticed in searches for your category.
Just remember, every time you renew your listings, you will have to pay that fee. This is why renewing monthly or every two months is recommended instead of every week.
Furthermore, if you do forget to renew your listings before the four months are up, you could lose those listings! Consider auto-renewal instead!
Do New Product Listings get a Boost in Etsy?
There are two types of “new” products on Etsy.
- New – never been listed before
- “New again” – renewed or added to the “featured” page for a fee
New Products in Your Shop
A really new product is one that you’ve just introduced to your shop, business, brand, or line of work on Etsy.
This would be an item that your customers will get more excited about because they have never seen it before! This means that they get a boost in sales as a hot-ticket item – and sometimes customers like to have some of your new merchandise right away!
Etsy, too, likes to promote “new” or “this just in” sort of items that sellers are putting out there.
Furthermore, your social media following and loyal customers will be ecstatic to see what is in the works and then to go out and get that final product once you post it!
“New Again” Items
A “new again” item on your Etsy shop may be an older item, model, or design that hasn’t seen many sales in a while.
This happens when you renew your listing or pay to have an item “featured” on the Etsy home page. While this can have a boost in Etsy sales for a little while, long-time customers will either have that version of your product or get bored of it after a while.
Make sure to market these items along with your new items, reminding customers why they fell in love with your work in the first place!
It is okay to liven things up once in a while, even while you don’t forget where your shop began and what items “started it all.”
Should I Renew my Etsy Listings Regularly to Boost Sales?
While it hasn’t been proven to skyrocket sales, many people find that renewing their whole shop will “refresh” their merchandise.
So while your sales may stay the same, customers may finally get a good look at some of your “older” merchandise that hasn’t been sold in a few months.
This also gives customers the opportunity to find your listing that might have been buried under hundreds of other listings that match your Etsy search.
The Benefits of Renewal
Renewing can have a lot of benefits for your shop.
If you renew your listings, you are saved from the potential that they will soon expire, also saving you some heartache later.
Without renewing on a regular basis, you could end up with ten, twenty, or even fifty listings to rewrite onto your site, rather than just click “renew” and get them back on there.
Renewals also get your old items back at the “new” section of your shop, and long-time customers will be excited to see your older merchandise without having to dig for them.
What’s the Difference Between Renewing and Relisting Products?
Renewing and relisting your products will have different processes and consequences if you don’t keep an eye on them.
Consider the differences between these two:
Renewing
Renewing a listing is when you take a preexisting listing on your shop and extend the expiration date by renewing it for four months.
This is a great way to prevent the listing from falling off entirely.
To renew, all you have to do is click on your listing(s) and then “renew.” The site charges you the amount for each listing and then extends the expiration date four more months.
Relisting
Relisting a product on your Etsy store happens when the listing has totally fallen off or expired.
Usually, this means you have to re-setup the listing – whether that’s rewriting or re-filtering that product in your shop.
This can take longer than simply paying another $0.20 to renew your older listings, as you will have to restart that listing once more.
If you can, try to renew instead of re-list, and stay on top of your merchandise!
What Exactly Happens When you Renew a Listing?
When you renew a listing on your Etsy store, you pay a small fee to keep the listing going for another four months.
You also create an opportunity for that listing to jump to the front of your Etsy store and be considered “new” or “renewed” on pop-up listings when people search for your product!
Furthermore, it guarantees that you won’t have to completely start over with that listing should it expire without renewal.
Listings can also be set to “auto renewal” whenever a purchase is made so that you don’t have to restart that listing if you run out of stock.
What’s the Best time to Renew Listings?
You should always preemptively renew your listings or set them to auto-renew before the four-month limit is up.
If you are thinking of renewing more often than once every four months, consider selecting one or all of your listings and renewing them when you have the money to do so.
The best time to renew for your shop is after you’ve accumulated enough to pay for the fees, but right before your expiration date.
For customers, renewing often helps them see your items as “new” again, and it can help you stand out from the crowd in searches!
In this case, consider renewing on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
Need a Boost in Sales? Try having a sale! Check out our article about the use of Etsy coupons!
Are There any Downsides to Renewing a Product Listing?
The biggest downside of renewing your listings on Etsy on a constant basis – or before you have to – is all about cost.
As we’ve mentioned before, listing fees on Etsy are only $0.20, but several renewals later on hundreds of listings can really add up for you.
If you do think you want to renew your listings on a constant basis, consider only renewing the oldest ones in your shop to bring them back to the forefront of sales.
That way, you can still “refresh” your shop and listings, but you’re not paying for all 100 listings each time you renew at once.
Furthermore, a lot of new sellers on Etsy think that renewing their products often will help them get-rich-quick. This is not the case – nor has it been proven that renewing has boosted sales.
However, it is one of many different strategies that Etsy owners use on their shop, so if you have the funds and would like to give it a shot, try it out!
Do Etsy Listings Expire?
If your business isn’t booming the way you thought it would, you may need to restructure how you list your products and items.
Etsy listings DO expire after four months.
At that time, you will have to re-add those listings to your shop and pay the $0.20 cent fee for each listing that goes back on the site.
For example, if you have 100 listings that don’t sell, you will owe $20 every four months to keep them on your site.
This is why many people price their products in a way that will allow them to make enough money to pay any fees, such as listing fees, in their shop.
Make sure to budget yours properly and be wary of these expirations!
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of strategies, tips, and tricks out there that veteran Etsy sellers will use to boost their sales.
While renewing your listings often can get them back in view of your customers, it is no guarantee it will boost your sales.
Furthermore, it does come with some costs and may not be worth it for shops that aren’t making enough to pay off those fees.
One of the best ways to boost your sales and get your name out there is to post some new content!
Keep letting your followers and loyal customers know what is in the works and how you are doing, and you’ll keep people interested more often!

