Why Don’t Refund Totals in ProfitTree Match What I See in Etsy?
It’s common for refund totals in ProfitTree to differ from what you see in Etsy. This difference is expected and is caused by how and when refunds are recorded.
How Etsy Records Refunds
In Etsy:
Refunds are reported based on the date the refund is issued
Etsy dashboards group refunds into the period when the refund occurred
Sales tax or VAT credits may be displayed separately
This approach focuses on refund activity, not when the original sale happened.
How ProfitTree Records Refunds
In ProfitTree:
Refunds are associated with the date of the original sale
Refunds are applied back to the original Order ID
Sales tax and VAT credits are included in refund calculations
Only refunds recorded in the Etsy ledger are shown
This method preserves historical accuracy for profit and performance reporting.
Why the Totals Can Look Different
Because Etsy and ProfitTree group refunds differently:
Etsy may show a refund in the period it was issued
ProfitTree may show that same refund in the period the sale originally occurred
Comparing the same date range across both platforms can result in different totals
This does not indicate missing or incorrect data.
Important Notes
ProfitTree reflects ledger-based financial data from Etsy
Seller Protection refunds may not appear if they are not recorded in the seller ledger
Differences are expected when comparing dashboards using different timing logic
Summary
Refund totals may differ between Etsy and ProfitTree because Etsy groups refunds by refund date, while ProfitTree associates refunds with the original sale date. This ensures accurate historical profit reporting.