Etsy has long been a tried and true marketplace for people to sell their handcrafted goods. However, a series of escalating issues have made sellers second guess if they want to keep selling through Etsy, or if they would rather move to a comprehensive eCommerce platform like Shopify. That’s why Fyresite has looked at both to see who the final winner is.
Etsy versus Shopify

Tit for Tat: How Do They Compare?

To decide what platform is better, or when they’re better, we have to look at the whole picture.

Cost

You don’t need a paid subscription to sell on Etsy. When you sign up, you automatically use Etsy Standard, which is completely free. This gives you access to their basic tools and capabilities. However, you do have the option to upgrade to Etsy Plus. Etsy Plus comes with all the basic tools and capabilities, and a monthly budget of credits for listings and ads, access to a discount for a custom web address for your Etsy shop, restock requests for shoppers interested in your items that have sold out, advanced shop customization options, and access to discounts on custom packaging and promotional material like boxes, business cards, and signage. Etsy Plus costs $10/month.

Where Etsy costs the most is in their fees. There are fees for listing, transactions, advertising on and off Etsy, value-added tax (VAT), and Etsy payment and deposit fees.

The listing fee is 20 cents for every listing, regardless if the item sells or not, and is automatically removed after 4 months. If the listing has variations, such as different colors, and a customer buys more than one variation, you will be charged 20 cents for every additional variation they purchase. Private listings also have a 20 cent charge.

Every transaction has a fee of 6.5%, regardless of how much the order was. This amount is taken from the total of the product + shipping and gift wrap (if offered). VAT varies based on location.

The price of the advertisement is determined by where the ad runs. For ads run on Etsy, the fee varies with a daily minimum budget of $1. For ads run off of Etsy, the fee is 15% if you made less than $10,000 on Etsy in the past 365 days, and 12% if you have made over $10,000.

Every payment is made through Etsy Payments, which charges a payment process fee. This is a set rate, plus a percentage of the sale. These rates vary based on location.

Shopify costs between $5/month and $2000/month for plans. The more you spend on the plan, the less that you pay in fees and the more capabilities you have access to. On the starter plan, you pay $5/month and 5% per transaction using Shopify Payments. Shopify Basic costs $39/month and credit card rates of 2.9%+30 cents USD online and 2.7% in person using Shopify Payments. The next plan is the Shopify plan, which costs $105/month and credit card rates of 2.6%+30 cents USD online and 2.5% in person using Shopify Payments. The Advanced plan costs $399/month and credit card rates of 2.4%+30 cents USD online and 2.4% in person using Shopify Payments. Shopify Plus is the highest platform plan for Shopify, and costs $2000/month and 0% fees when you use Shopify Payments.

Products Available for Sale

Etsy allows you to sell only items that are handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. They do have a list of prohibited items and services.

Shopify allows you to sell both physical and intangible items, including items that are handmade, vintage, or craft supplies. They also have a list of prohibited items and services.

Our Opinion?

In our opinion, Shopify is the better platform for eCommerce merchants. Shopify has different tiers to suit merchants at all different stages of their business. Overall, Shopify is the more cost effective option that allows merchants to sell more variety, as well as more plans to make sure you find the one that is perfect for your business.

Made Your Choice?

As you can see, in our expert eCommerce opinion, we believe that Shopify is the ideal solution for many eCommerce merchants. Want to move or start your shop on Shopify? Use our affiliate link to try Shopify today!