We are committed to sharing unbiased reviews. Some of the links on our site are from our partners who compensate us. Read our editorial guidelines and advertising disclosure.
The 5 Best Alternatives to Selling on Etsy in 2023
4 min readEtsy has a strong hold on the handmade, vintage, and custom gifts market—but it's far from the only online marketplace, and it might not be the right one for you. If Etsy isn't your golden ticket to selling online, though, what is?
To help you answer that question, Business.org asked over 100 business owners what their favorite Etsy alternatives are. They gave us five fantastic options (plus some honorable mentions) that we wholeheartedly endorse. Check out their recommendations below to find the best Etsy alternative for your online business.
The 5 best Etsy alternatives for online sellers
Compare the best Etsy alternatives
Brand name | Starting price | See Plan Options |
| $29.00/mo.* | Get Started | |
| $39.99/mo. | Get Started | |
| $0.00/mo. | Get Started | |
| $23.00/mo. | Get Started | |
| $0.00/mo. | Get Started |
Data as of 2/1/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*When billed annually
Wix: The affordable business website builder that doesn't skimp on good design
Wix's intuitive platform and beautiful designs make it one of the best choices for any business, regardless of your budget.
Etsy pros and cons
Pros
Wide consumer reach
User-friendly site
Low learning curve
Comparatively affordable fees Cons
Four-month recurring relisting fee
Multiple fees for sellers to juggle Etsy's main strengths
Before we dive into the best Etsy alternatives, let's cover why you might want to choose Etsy instead of a popular alternative.
For starters, Etsy is one of the most popular online sales platforms. As a result, sellers using Etsy have a huge global reach. In 2021, Etsy saw more than 96 million active buyers.1
Plus, Etsy's reach has only continued to grow year over year: Perhaps as a result of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, sales grew over 125% year over year (YoY) during the second quarter of 2020.2 In fact, Etsy counted over $13.491 billion in sales for 2021, increasing its record haul from 2020 ($10.28 billion) by 31.2% and over 171.2% since 2019!3
Etsy's main weaknesses
Although billions of dollars in sales mean more revenue for the over 7.52 million sellers on Etsy, the platform’s fees and payments can be a deterrent for long-term growth.4 Looking at the list of Etsy’s fees in the United States, it’s easy to see why.
Seven Etsy fees in particular impact every seller on the marketplace:
- Listing fee: $0.20 for each listed item
- Auto-renew fee: $0.20 per listing every 4 months
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of the listing price
- Offsite advertising fee: 12%–15% per order
- Etsy payments fee: 3% + $0.25
- Shipping transaction fee: 6.5% of the listed shipping costs
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of the total item costs
Etsy's fees aren't necessarily higher than average, but sellers have quite a few of them to keep track of and budget for.
But here's the main issue with Etsy's fees: sellers are charged a recurring relisting fee every four months. That's relatively short period—which requires you to pay a relisting fee for every item on your site three times a year—can be a massive deterrent for a lot of sellers.
Get Access to Our Research Reports
Provide your email to receive our reports on small-business and industry trends.
By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The 5 top alternatives to selling on Etsy
1. Shopify
Shopify
Starts at
$29.00/mo.*
- Transaction fees starting at 2.9% + $0.30
- Multiple plans for growing businesses
- All-in-one ecommerce management, including ecommerce website creation and sales channels
Data as of 2/1/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*When billed annually
Over 23% of our survey's respondents recommend Shopify as the best Etsy alternative. We agree wholeheartedly—after all, we named Shopify the best platform for ecommerce. In comparison to Etsy, Shopify actually has the largest ecommerce market share in the US at 32% and over 2.7 million online Shopify stores.5
Shopify is a very well-known platform that's being used by millions of sellers worldwide.
Aside from Etsy, Shopify is a very well-known platform that's being used by millions of sellers worldwide. I, myself, utilized this as well, and I can attest that it's a great alternative for an ecommerce platform. It's very easy to operate that even new small-business owners can learn in an instant. Overall, it's a user-friendly platform which is why it's a great alternative.
Lucas Travis
My favorite way to sell items is through Shopify.
Shopify is also an all-in-one solution for your ecommerce website needs with all the tools you need to get your store up and running fast. With a built-in system for accepting credit card payments, it's easy to get started selling right away. Plus, Shopify is designed with ease of use in mind so that even if you have no experience creating ecommerce websites, you can still be successful.
Stacey Kane
With Shopify, you are free to create your own ecommerce website instead of being just a seller in a platform where you’re in direct competition with other sellers.
Of course, this means you get to have your own shop design and buttons, and a lot more room for your creative juices to flow.
Erin Zadoorian
2. Amazon
Amazon
Starts at
$39.99/mo.
- Online marketplace
- Transaction fees vary by product type
- Optional individual product sales ($0.99 per product sold instead of monthly plan base fee)
Data as of 2/1/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Amazon is far from the cheapest player in the online marketplace game. Its transaction fees (which the site refers to as "referral fees") vary by the type of product you sell and can be as high as 45%. Still, Amazon's ease of use, brand recognition, and wide user base can drastically expand your ability to reach customers.
Amazon has a booming creative space, similar to Etsy, for users to sell their handmade products.
Despite what it may seem like at first, Amazon has a booming creative space, similar to Etsy, for users to sell their handmade products. Officially named Amazon Handmade, the site can help push your product in front of more people in a much quicker time frame, and before they settle on a lower quality product. The only issue you will face is your product will stand next to Amazon’s other products as well, which will likely be cheaper alternatives, so it’s not the best idea if you are looking for a stand-alone store.
Amazon is the most lucrative, efficient alternative to Etsy.
They have competitive seller rates, excellent customer service, offer businesses the chance to scale operations, and, most importantly, generate massive traffic. Amazon generates 2.45 billion visitors per month—beating Etsy’s numbers by over 600%. To utilize the extra traffic, update your listings. Using competitive, high-ranking keywords will help your product listings jump to the top. As your business grows, you can leave product packing, storage, inventory, and fulfillment to the FBA team. That way, you can focus on mass-producing your products and attracting customers!
Nick Drewe
3. bigcartel
bigcartel
Starts at
$0.00/mo.
- Free plan for low-volume sellers (five items per month)
- No additional transaction fees
- Paid plans starting at $9.99/mo.
- No listing fees
Data as of 2/1/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
If you're comparing bigcartel to Etsy, one clear benefit stands out more than most: bigcartel doesn't have any listing fees. It doesn't have any transaction fees either. The only fees you pay are those charged by Stripe or PayPal. bigcartel itself doesn't take a cut.
Big Cartel is an ecommerce platform for artistic individuals like painters, musicians, and writers.
The platform caters primarily to those looking for an online sales outlet to sell their handmade goods. Unlike Etsy, where shops sometimes blend into a sea of other competitors, Big Cartel gives users plenty of ways to match and fortify their branding with a number of impressive templates right out of the gate, making it easy to stand out and establish a professional presence. Keep in mind, though: unlike Etsy, Big Cartel doesn't offer a global online marketplace. As Big Cartel allows you to build your own website and online store, this makes you solely responsible for driving traffic to your store. Therefore, this option is more appropriate for advanced-level sellers, or those with more resources to put into branding and advertising
Mike Grossman
4. Squarespace
Squarespace
Starts at
$23.00/mo.
- User-friendly website builder
- Low transaction fee (3% per transaction)
- Built-in website analytics to track your site's performance
Data as of 2/1/23. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
If you'd rather sell products using your own domain name, Squarespace is easily one of our favorite options. It's not just an affordable ecommerce website builder—it's also one of the easiest ecommerce sites to build. Its templates actually look good, and they've both straightforward and easily to modify.
Plus, Squarespace's built-in analytic tools help you keep track of user engagement so you can make your site even better over time.
One way I save money selling my goods is by using my website as both my portfolio and ecommerce platform, instead of selling on Etsy.
Creating an online studio through Squarespace has allowed me to keep a higher percentage of my profits. I can add as many products as I’d like without having to pay per listing. It lets me focus on my art and business.
Hannah Vaughn
5. Storenvy
Storenvy gives you two options for selling online: you can either use it to create your own website, or you can sell products on Storenvy's online marketplace. Both options are super affordable. In fact, if you sell just 20 items a month, Storenvy's plans are completely free. Finally, just like bigcartel, Storenvy doesn't have any listing fees, which makes it a great alternative for business owners who don't want to pay Etsy's frequent relisting fees.
For those looking for a fantastic Etsy alternative, I would recommend Storenvy...
For those looking for a fantastic Etsy alternative, I would recommend Storenvy which is described as the best place to purchase from some of the world's best indie brands. In fact, it is essentially built off a tight-knit community of independent artisans and crafters that sell a wide variety of textiles, jewelry, and home goods. Moreover, it also trades in beauty products, books, recorded music, and even tech accessories. And much like other ecommerce platforms like Shopify, it conveniently allows you to create your website, even without any coding experience required, and completely customize its appearance and user experience. It also has two unique ways of going about the selling process in that you can either sell through an online store hosted on Storenvy or through a commission-based marketplace that sorts your items and charges a 15% commission per completed sale.
Eden Cheng
The takeaway
With the ecommerce market growing rapidly, you want to position your goods and services at the top of everyone’s list. And if Etsy is not the place for you, we hope that these other recommendations can help! Business owners around the world have built stores on Shopify and used Amazon Handmade to reach new customers. Now it’s up to you . . . and we at Business.org are here to help every step of the way.
Still wondering if there are other options? Check out our list of top free ecommerce platforms for more choices.
Related reading
Sources
- Statista, “Number of active Etsy buyers from 2012 to 2020” Feb. 2022. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- Digital Commerce 360, “Sales spike 146% on Etsy’s marketplaces in Q2,” Aug. 7, 2020. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- Statista, “Annual gross merchandise sales (GMS) of Etsy Inc. from 2005 to 2020” Feb. 20222. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- Statista, “Number of active Etsy sellers from 2012 to 2020,” Feb. 2022. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- Oberlo, “Ecommerce platform market share in the USA,” Apr. 2022. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- eMarketer, “Worldwide ecommerce will approach $5 trillion this year,” Jan. 14, 2021. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- Oberlo, “Ecommerce sales by country in 2021,” May 5, 2021. Accessed February 1, 2023.
- U.S. Department of Commerce, “Quarterly retail e-commerce sales, 1st quarter 2022,” May 19, 2022. Accessed February 1, 2023.
Disclaimer
At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.
Recent Articles
The 9 Best Payroll Software for Restaurants 2023
We looked at and assessed the top payroll brands’ prices, plans, payroll and HR features,...
Gusto Payroll Review 2023
In our Gusto review, we dive into pricing, payroll and HR features, customer reviews, and...
Best Payroll Software for Small Business 2023
We looked at 20 of the most popular payroll programs in the US, to rate...
The 5 Best Payroll Apps for Small Business 2023
Constantly on the go? Get one of our top payroll mobile apps so you’ll always...
