warebyetsy alternatives: where else to sell handmade
etsy is still the biggest handmade marketplace, but its fees have climbed and it won’t let you send buyers anywhere else. here are the alternatives, what each costs on a $35 sale, and who each one suits.
in this post
1why sellers look elsewhere2quick picks3the alternatives4fees on a $35 sale5moving without losing customers6keeping etsy too7questions8sourcesthe best etsy alternative depends on what you want to fix. for lower fees and customers of your own: a store like shopify ($39 a month plus 2.9% + 30¢), big cartel (free for up to 5 products) or square online’s free plan. for another big marketplace: amazon handmade, at 15% a sale. for buyers near you: wareby, free to open with no listing or ad fees, shown to shoppers within 25 miles. most sellers who leave etsy don’t leave all at once. they open a second shop, and bring their regulars along.
why are sellers looking for etsy alternatives?
the same few reasons come up again and again:
- fees. etsy’s transaction fee went from 3.5% to 5% in 2018, then to 6.5% in 2022. add 20¢ listings, card processing, and a 15% fee when one of etsy’s offsite ads brings the sale.
- ads you can’t turn off. once a shop makes $10,000 in a year, the 12% offsite ad fee is required for good.
- competition. 5.6 million active sellers, and reporters keep finding mass-produced goods listed as handmade.
- no way to bring buyers home. etsy’s rules don’t allow links or qr codes that send buyers off etsy.
none of that makes etsy wrong for everyone. it still has 86.5 million active buyers. but it’s a good reason not to keep your whole business in one place. wareby vs etsy, fee by fee.
which etsy alternative is right for you?
| if you… | start with | why |
|---|---|---|
| want the lowest fees, and customers of your own | shopify, or square online’s free plan | store builders charge about 2.9 to 3.3% + 30¢ a sale |
| have a small art or print shop | big cartel | free for up to 5 products, with no transaction fee |
| want another big marketplace | amazon handmade | amazon’s shoppers, for 15% a sale |
| sell vintage or collectibles too | ebay | buyers searching for specific pieces |
| have buyers who live near you | wareby | shoppers within 25 miles, pickup or local delivery, no listing or ad fees |
the best etsy alternatives, compared
in no particular order: each one fixes something different about etsy. we make wareby, so weigh our take on it with that in mind.
amazon handmade
best for: approved artisans who want amazon’s shoppers
- what it costs
- 15% a sale, card processing included, after a $39.99 first month
- who finds you
- amazon shoppers in 8 countries
wareby vs amazon handmadewhat’s good- a real application keeps it handmade
- amazon can store and ship your orders, if you want
watch out for- no food at all
- messages to buyers only about the order, never marketing
shopify
best for: sellers with their own audience who want full control
- what it costs
- $39 a month ($29 billed yearly) + 2.9% + 30¢ a sale
- who finds you
- people you send to your site
wareby vs shopifywhat’s good- your own brand, design and web address
- low per-sale fees as you grow
- local pickup, local delivery and in-person selling included
watch out for- you bring every visitor
- a monthly fee from the start, plus paid themes and apps if you want them
wareby
best for: makers whose buyers live nearby
- what it costs
- free to open, no listing or ad fees. 10% + 3% + 30¢ a sale
- who finds you
- shoppers within 25 miles, plus your own link
wareby vs etsywhat’s good- no listing fees and no ad fees
- your shop link and qr code are part of your shop. on loved, orders through them have no sale fee
- pickup and local delivery, so no boxes or postage for local buyers
watch out for- local reach only: shoppers within 25 miles
- on an ordinary $35 sale, the free plan’s fees are about a dollar more than etsy’s
big cartel
best for: artists and small shops with a handful of products
- what it costs
- free for up to 5 products. $15 a month for more
- who finds you
- people you send to your site
what’s good- no transaction fee from big cartel, just card processing (2.9% + 30¢ with stripe)
- simple, and made for artists
watch out for- product limits on every plan
- your own domain needs a paid plan
- you bring every visitor
square online
best for: market vendors and cafes who already use a square card reader
- what it costs
- free plan: 3.3% + 30¢ a sale. plus: $49 a month
- who finds you
- people you send to your site
wareby vs square onlinewhat’s good- a real free plan, with pickup and local delivery
- online and in-person sales in one account
watch out for- the free plan shows square’s branding and can’t use your own domain
- retail preorders need plus, at $49 a month
ebay
best for: vintage, used and collectible things
- what it costs
- 13.6% of the sale + 40¢ an order (30¢ on orders of $10 or less)
- who finds you
- buyers searching for specific items
what’s good- 250 free listings a month
- buyers who search for exactly what you have
watch out for- the 13.6% counts shipping and sales tax too
- 35¢ a listing after your first 250 each month
what does each alternative take from a $35 sale?
| on a $35 sale | fees | you keep | monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| shopify basic | $1.32 | $33.68 | $39 |
| big cartel, free plan | $1.32 | $33.68 | $0 |
| square online, free plan | $1.46 | $33.54 | $0 |
| wareby, founding shops | $3.45 | $31.55 | $0 |
| etsy | $3.78 | $31.22 | $0 |
| wareby, free plan | $4.85 | $30.15 | $0 |
| ebay | $5.16 | $29.84 | $0 |
| amazon handmade | $5.25 | $29.75 | $39.99 first month |
| etsy, when an offsite ad brought the sale | $9.03 | $25.97 | $0 |
etsy’s fees are the 20¢ listing, its 6.5% transaction fee and 3% + 25¢ processing. big cartel’s card processing is stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢. ebay’s 13.6% also counts shipping and sales tax, so on a real order it’s a little more. the store builders are cheapest per sale, but they don’t bring you a single buyer. and unlike etsy’s, wareby’s fees are on the items only, never on the shipping you charge.
how do you leave etsy without losing your customers?
- don’t close your etsy shop on day one. open the second shop first, and run both for a season.
- put your new shop link everywhere etsy doesn’t control: instagram, your market sign, your business cards, your email signature.
- tell regulars in person, at markets and pickups. inside etsy itself, follow its rules on links that lead off etsy.
- move your best sellers first, with the same photos and descriptions, so returning customers recognize them.
- watch where your orders actually come from for a few months, then decide what to keep.
should you keep selling on etsy?
if it still brings you buyers you couldn’t reach otherwise, probably yes. plenty of makers keep etsy for shipping across the country and use a second shop for everything else. wareby doesn’t ask you to sell only on wareby, so it works as that second shop for your own town.
questions people ask
what is the best alternative to etsy?
it depends on what you want to fix. for lower fees and customers of your own, a store builder like shopify or square online. for another big marketplace, amazon handmade. for buyers who live near you, wareby.
is there a site like etsy with lower fees?
store builders cost less per sale: about 2.9 to 3.3% + 30¢ on shopify, square online and big cartel, with a monthly fee on some plans. among marketplaces, etsy’s fees on an ordinary sale are among the lowest, until an offsite ad brings the sale.
is amazon handmade better than etsy?
it’s different. amazon handmade takes 15% a sale with card processing included, reviews every maker’s application, and doesn’t allow food. etsy costs less on an ordinary sale and has more handmade buyers.
can i sell on etsy and my own website at the same time?
yes, many sellers do. etsy’s rules limit what you do on etsy, like linking buyers off etsy in listings or messages.
is there a local alternative to etsy?
yes. wareby is only for verified local makers, shown to shoppers within 25 miles, with pickup, local delivery or shipping. it’s free to open, with no listing or ad fees.
sources
- etsy: fees & payments policy
- etsy: off-platform transactions policy
- etsy, inc.: 2025 annual report (form 10-k)
- etsy, inc.: 2018 transaction fee change
- techcrunch: etsy sellers strike over fee increase (2022)
- modern retail: sellers worry about the “amazon-ification” of etsy (2024)
- amazon seller central: amazon handmade referral fees
- amazon seller central: amazon handmade
- shopify: pricing
- big cartel: pricing
- big cartel: the gold plan
- big cartel help: processing fees explained
- square: online store plans
- square support: the square online website footer
- ebay: selling fees
- wareby: seller plans
we checked every fee and fact about other companies on october 12, 2026, on their own pages. fees change, so check theirs before you decide. spot something out of date? email hello@shopwareby.com and we’ll fix it.
etsy, shopify, square online, hotplate, amazon handmade, ebay, big cartel, wix, squarespace and facebook marketplace are trademarks of their owners. wareby isn’t affiliated with any of them, and we make wareby, so weigh our opinions with that in mind.
we started tandoco, a small bakery in minneapolis, and sold under a blue tent at farmers markets before we built wareby. our story
