Etsy raised fees not long ago. The algorithm is getting harder to predict. And sellers are quietly moving, or at least looking around.
That’s what you’ll see in most discussions on the web.
If you’ve been on Etsy for a while, you may already have the same frustrating part.
You don’t own your customers.
You can’t control your shop’s look the way you want. And every sale, Etsy takes a cut of that.
So this post is about what is really worth thinking about if you want to sell your products somewhere else, or even just add another place along with Etsy.
Why Consider Etsy Alternatives?
Look, Etsy is working for a lot of people. I’m not here to say you should stop using it or move away from it.
But if something’s been bugging you, maybe the fees, maybe the fact that customers remember “Etsy” and not your shop name, there are real reasons why sellers start looking around.
Fees
Etsy charges $0.20 just to list something. Doesn’t matter if it sells or not. And listings expire every four months, so if it doesn’t sell, you pay again to relist it.
Then, when you do make a sale, they take 6.5% of whatever price you show, including what you charge for shipping and gift wrapping.
Not just the product price. All of it.
So yeah, it adds up faster than it looks on paper.
For example, if you sell a $40 item, you’re handing Etsy roughly $2.60 just in transaction fees, plus the $0.20 listing fee, plus payment processing fees on top of that.
Add shipping fees to the display price, and that 6.5% applies there too.
On a good month with decent volume, that adds up fast.
Competition
And then there’s the competition problem.
Millions of sellers on the same platform, all fighting for the same eyeballs. Getting noticed without throwing money at Etsy ads is genuinely hard.
Limited Customization
Your shop looks like everyone else’s shop. There’s only so much you can do with the design.
So even when someone buys from you, they remember “I got it on Etsy,” not “I got it from ABC Online Store.”
That makes it really hard to get repeat customers.
Top Etsy Alternatives for 2026
When you look for Etsy alternatives, there are actually two paths you can take.
One is building your own store from scratch.
Platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce, where you own the whole thing, the branding, the customer list, everything.
The other is jumping into a marketplace.
Places where buyers are already looking, and you just list your stuff alongside other sellers.
Both work. They just work differently depending on where you are in your business right now.
So here’s a quick look at all seven before we get into each one.
| Platform | Type | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Own Store | $29/mo | Serious store owners |
| WooCommerce | Own Store | ~$15/mo | Full control, okay with setup |
| BigCommerce | Own Store | $29/mo | Already growing |
| Squarespace | Own Store | $12/mo | Design-focused sellers |
| Wix | Own Store | $29/mo | Simple and fast setup |
| eBay | Marketplace | Free (up to 250 listings) | Instant audience access |
| Amazon Handmade | Marketplace | 15% per sale | Makers who want scale |
Now let’s look at each one so you can understand what works best for where you are right now.
1. Shopify: Best If You Want to Own Your Store
Shopify is the one I’d point someone to if they’re serious about owning their own online store. I’ve played around with it for some personal projects, and the whole setup is faster than you’d expect.
You can create a beautiful online store, sell on different channels, and use advanced marketing and analytics tools.
The app store is also deep, which is good if you want to add features later, , but it can feel a bit too much when you’re just starting.
Key Features:
- Migrate from Etsy by either doing it manually or using an integration app
- Intuitive drag-and-drop store builder with hundreds of customizable templates
- Multichannel selling capabilities, including online, in-person, and social media
- Comprehensive suite of tools for inventory management, shipping, and order fulfillment
- Extensive payment gateway options, including Shopify Payments
- 24/7 support and a wealth of educational resources, including free courses
Pricing: 3-day free trial, then 3 months for $1 a month if you’re a new user. After that, plans start at $29/month billed annually, or $39/month if you go month to month. Worth knowing the difference before you commit.
2. WooCommerce: Best If You Want Full Control (and Don’t Mind Setup)
WooCommerce is the one I’d point to if you want full control and you’re okay with a little setup work. It’s a WordPress plugin, so it’s technically free to install. But you’ll still need a domain name and hosting, which runs around $15 a month.
The only downside is that it takes a bit more time to figure out than a drag-and-drop builder. Once it’s set up, though, you can make it look and work however you want. Nobody else’s store will look like yours.
Key Features:
- Fully customizable with a wide range of themes and plugins
- You have complete ownership and control over your store because it is open-source.
- Effortless integration for blogging and content management
- Robust inventory management and shipping capabilities
- Supports multiple payment gateways and currencies
- Active developer community and extensive documentation
Pricing: The plugin itself is free to install. But you’ll need a domain and a hosting plan on top of that, which usually runs around $15 a month. It takes a bit more time to set up than a hosted platform, but once it’s running, you own the whole thing.
3. BigCommerce: Best for When You’re Already Growing
BigCommerce is more for when you’re already selling, and things are starting to move. It’s built to handle bigger operations, more products, more orders, more complexity.
It’s also got all the features to back it up, too. Inventory, reporting, multi-channel selling, the kind of stuff that starts to matter once your store actually gets busy.
Key Features:
- Powerful site builder with customizable themes and templates
- Advanced inventory management and order processing capabilities
- Seamless integration with popular marketplaces like Amazon and eBay
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools
- Dedicated support and customized solutions for enterprise-level businesses
Pricing: Four plans to choose from. The Standard Plan starts at $29 a month, which is reasonable for a small store just getting started. There’s also a 15-day free trial if you want to test it before paying anything.
4. Squarespace: Best If Design Matters to You
Squarespace is the one I’d pick if I cared more about how the store looks than how it performs technically. Templates are genuinely beautiful. The SEO tools are built in.
The thing is that you’re a bit boxed in compared to WooCommerce or Shopify if you want to do something unusual.
One thing that is also worth knowing is that it integrates with Etsy, so you could technically run both at the same time while you transition.
But still, the platform brings together selling features and design, so you can make an attractive online shop that displays your products and connects with your audience.
Key Features:
- Visually stunning templates and a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor
- Seamless integration with Etsy for inventory synchronization
- Built-in SEO and marketing tools
- Secure payment processing
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities
Pricing: Plans run from $12 to $25 a month. The main difference between them comes down to eCommerce features, transaction fees, and some of the more advanced marketing tools. The lower tiers are fine for getting started, but if you want to sell without transaction fees, you’ll need to go higher.
5. Wix: Best If You Want Simple and Fast
Wix is probably the easiest starting point if tech stuff makes you nervous. It’s a drag-and-drop builder, so you’re moving things around visually, no coding work at all. What you see is pretty much what you get.
They added eCommerce features a while back, and they work well enough for most sellers starting. Not the most powerful store builder out there, but if you want something that looks decent and doesn’t take weeks to set up, Wix gets the job done.
Key Features:
- User-friendly drag-and-drop website and store builder
- Extensive library of design elements and templates
- Built-in marketing and SEO tools
- Secure payment processing with multiple gateway options
- Mobile-responsive designs for optimal user experience
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities
Pricing: There’s a nice free plan, but it has a few limits that make it not great for serious selling. To use the real eCommerce features, you’ll probably want the Core plan, which is $29 a month.
6. eBay: Best If You Want Instant Audience Access
eBay has been around for ages, and that’s kind of the point. Over 134 million active buyers are already on there, browsing and buying. You’re not starting from zero with traffic the way you would with your own store.
It’s a bit different from Etsy, though. You’ve got auction-style listings mixed in with fixed-price ones, and the vibe is more general marketplace than handmade community.
But still, if you want to reach more people, and the kind of marketplace feel, it’s hard to argue with the audience size.
Key Features:
- Similar to Etsy, but with a larger variety of products and buyers
- Auction-style selling and fixed-price listings
- Comprehensive seller tools and analytics
- Offers shipping integration with eBay International Shipping
Pricing: Listing is free for most sellers, up to 250 items a month. If you have more than that, it’s $0.35 per listing. Then, a percentage of each sale on top of that. Still, one of the good ways to get started on a marketplace.
7. Amazon Handmade: Best for Makers Who Want to Scale
Amazon is Amazon’s own corner for artisans and independent makers. So yes, it’s Amazon, with all the trust and traffic that comes with it, but specifically for handcrafted items that meet their guidelines.
And the big thing here is the fulfillment side. You can plug into Amazon’s shipping system, which takes a lot of the logistics headache off your plate.
The fees are higher than most platforms, but you’re paying for reach that’s genuinely hard to match anywhere else.
Key Features:
- Access to Amazon’s vast customer base
- Free to create a shop when you join Handmade
- Simplify the selling process by using Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
- Comprehensive seller tools and analytics
- Educational resources to help brands, businesses, and entrepreneurs
Pricing: The referral fee is 15% or $0.30, whichever is greater, on every sale. And once you’re approved as a Handmade seller, the $39.99 monthly Professional account fee gets waived. One thing to keep in mind, though: if you also sell non-handmade products on Amazon outside of Handmade, that monthly fee comes back.
So Which One Should You Actually Pick?
It depends on one thing: do you want to build your own brand, or do you want to plug into an existing marketplace?
If you’re just starting things and you want traffic without doing much marketing yourself, eBay or Amazon Handmade makes sense.
The audience is already there.
If you’re ready to build something that’s actually yours, like a real store people can find and come back to, Shopify or WooCommerce are the ones worth looking at.
WooCommerce if you’re okay with WordPress. Shopify, if you want something cleaner out of the box.
Squarespace and Wix are good middle grounds. Not too technical, still looks decent, and not too expensive when you are just starting.
BigCommerce, I’d say, is for later, when you’re already selling and need more horsepower.
Before You Leave Etsy
The best thing most sellers do is start with just one place, not many at once.
Pick the one that matches where you are right now, get used to it, and only add more places once you are getting good sales.
Trying to do too much at the start is how people get tired and see no results.
Start small. One store. One focus.
Then grow from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it worth leaving Etsy for another platform?
- Depends on what’s bugging you. If the fees are cutting into every sale or customers keep forgetting your shop name and just remember “Etsy,” that’s a sign. You don’t have to fully leave either. A lot of sellers run both at the same time while they figure things out.
- Which Etsy alternative has the lowest fees?
- eBay lets you list up to 250 items free every month. WooCommerce doesn’t take a cut of your sales, but you’re paying around $15 a month for hosting. Shopify starts at $39 a month and skips transaction fees if you use Shopify Payments. So it really depends on how you sell.
- Can I sell handmade goods on Shopify or WooCommerce?
- Yes, both work fine for handmade stuff. The difference is you’re running your own store, so you’re not getting Etsy’s built-in search traffic. You bring the audience. That’s the trade-off.
- Is Amazon Handmade good for small sellers?
- It can be. Once you’re approved, the $39.99 monthly fee gets waived and you just pay 15% per sale. The catch is Amazon’s rules are strict, and your storefront looks pretty much like everyone else’s. Not a lot of room to build your own brand there.
- Do I need tech skills to use Shopify or WooCommerce?
- Shopify, not really. Most people get something basic running in a day without touching any code. WooCommerce is a different story. It runs on WordPress, so there’s a bit more setup involved. Not impossible, just takes a little more patience upfront.
