upsell

American  

[uhp-sel] / ˈʌpˌsɛl /

verb (used with or without object)

upsold, upselling

1. to try to persuade (a customer) to buy more, or to buy something more expensive.

   I don’t like aggressive salesmen trying to upsell me or tack on expensive warranties.

2. to sell (something) in this way.

   Want to upsell merchandise or VIP experiences on your website? No problem.

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noun

1. an act or instance of making such an attempt (often used attributively).

   Unlike other software companies, we don't have complex pricing tiers or upsells.

   If one of your other products would solve a customer's problem, it's a great opportunity to send an upsell email.

Etymology

Origin of upsell

First recorded in 1975–80; up- ( def. ) + sell ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upsell upselling upsold

She bristles when she realizes some dentists are using AI images to upsell patients—deploying color-coded overlays to dramatize borderline findings and justify questionable treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

“The acquisition follows SoundHound’s recent playbook to acquire key customer relationships that SoundHound can cross-sell and upsell driven by interest in its best-of-breed voice-AI platform,” Luria said.

From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026

“It is also the volume that allows Microsoft to upsell data fabric and other infrastructure software, thus getting growth leverage and lifting AI margins overall.”

From Barron's ● Dec. 4, 2025

"There are positives, as traders don't have to rely on customers having available change. They may also have the opportunity to upsell items at higher prices," he says.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025

“We’re creating personalized experiences to upsell based on context,” Khosrowshahi says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

Service companies often reject the suggestion that diagnostic or investigation fees are simply a form of upselling.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

Its strategies include upselling and expanding value-added services such as cybersecurity and IT solutions, while strengthening efforts to retain higher-value customers, it adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

When parents arrive at the end of the school day, the children spring into action; holding customer's bags, totting up totals and, in Edward's case, upselling a tin or two.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

The only other downside was the relentless upselling throughout the cruise — from drink packages to spa treatments, it felt like someone was always trying to sell us something.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2025

Her secret to such impressive numbers — upselling when people just wanted one box, the girl said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2021

Still, there’s a difference between being tricked and being upsold.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

They were upsold facial filler for places they did not initially request it, and after the treatment were left with extreme swelling and fluid pooling under their eyes.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025

If you regularly use an Alexa device, you’ve probably been upsold by Amazon’s assistant at some point.

From The Verge ● Dec. 23, 2021

My sticker shock came when I decided they were annoying to carry and went to buy the carrying cases, and was somehow upsold on ice packs to slip into said carrying cases …

From Slate ● May 31, 2021

But regardless, it’s alarming that a signal designed to warn that your plane may be about to pitch toward the Earth was upsold like a free checked bag.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 22, 2019