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

The difference shakes out to about a $125,000 upsell for the V12.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

“AI is deeply embedded in the upsell momentum for cybersecurity vendors” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 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

Salespeople would always tell you—in an effort to upsell you, but it was true—that the system will only sound as good as its worst component.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2025

Pressure from IVC has resulted in him feeling he needed to upsell to pet owners, he tells us.

From BBC ● Apr. 15, 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

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

Had he been relentlessly upsold on the fancy wine?

From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2023

“We don’t really know if any of this is working, if customers are being upsold, if they’re spending more or tipping more, even if they’re liking robots or just tolerating them,” Moreo says.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2022

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

He noted that he was upsold a few items and given a car smaller than the one he reserved.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2016