warebyetsy vs amazon handmade: which is better for your handmade work?
the two biggest places to sell handmade online, compared on what they cost, who can sell, who buys, and how much of the customer you keep.
in this post
1quick picks2fees3who can sell4your customers5if your buyers are local6questions7sourceson an ordinary $35 sale, etsy is cheaper: about $3.78 in fees against amazon handmade’s $5.25. etsy has the bigger handmade audience (86.5 million active buyers), and amazon handmade has amazon’s shoppers, a stricter application and the option of amazon shipping for you. amazon handmade costs more per sale but has no listing fees and no ad fee you can’t turn off. neither allows you to send buyers to your own site, and amazon handmade doesn’t allow food at all.
which should you pick?
| if you… | start with | why |
|---|---|---|
| want the most handmade buyers | etsy | 86.5 million active buyers, many searching for handmade |
| want amazon’s shoppers, and amazon to ship for you | amazon handmade | fulfillment by amazon is an option |
| want the lowest fee on an ordinary sale | etsy | $3.78 vs $5.25 on $35, unless an offsite ad brought it |
| sell food | neither | amazon handmade bans food, and etsy isn’t built for homemade food |
| have buyers near you | wareby | pickup and local delivery, shown to shoppers within 25 miles |
what does each take from a $35 sale?
| on a $35 sale | etsy | etsy, ad sale | amazon handmade |
|---|---|---|---|
| listing fee | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0 |
| sale fee | $2.28 | $2.28 | $5.25 |
| offsite ad fee | $0 | $5.25 | $0 |
| card processing | $1.30 | $1.30 | included |
| total fees | $3.78 | $9.03 | $5.25 |
| you keep | $31.22 | $25.97 | $29.75 |
etsy’s 6.5% and amazon’s 15% both count shipping too. amazon handmade also charges its $39.99 professional plan for your first month, then waives it while you’re approved. etsy charges many new shops a one-time set-up fee, and its offsite ad fee becomes required at 12% once a shop makes $10,000 in a year.
who can sell on each?
etsy allows items you made, designed, handpicked or sourced, including work made by a production partner if you say so. amazon handmade has a real application: you describe how you make your work, and amazon only accepts things made by hand, with no outsourced production, drop-shipping or reselling. food isn’t allowed on amazon handmade.
how much of the customer do you keep?
on both, not much. etsy’s off-platform policy bans pointing buyers to your own website or qr codes that lead off etsy. on amazon, you can only message buyers about their order, never to market to them, and buyer details are for shipping that order.
that’s why most sellers on either one also keep a place of their own: a shop link, an email list, a market stall.
what if your buyers live near you?
if your buyers live near you, there’s a third option. wareby only lists verified local businesses, shown to shoppers within 25 miles, with pickup and your own delivery. it’s free to open, with no listing or ad fees, and its fees are on the items only, never on shipping. we make wareby, so weigh that, but here’s how it compares with each.
questions people ask
is etsy or amazon handmade cheaper?
etsy, on an ordinary sale: $3.78 vs $5.25 on $35. when an etsy offsite ad brings the sale, etsy’s fees rise to about $9.03.
can you sell on etsy and amazon handmade at the same time?
yes. neither requires you to sell only there. keep your stock in sync so you don’t sell the same piece twice.
which has more buyers?
etsy has 86.5 million active buyers on its marketplace. amazon handmade sits inside amazon, which says it reaches hundreds of millions of shoppers, though not all are shopping handmade.
is amazon handmade worth it?
it can be if your work ships well and your buyers already shop on amazon. you pay more per sale (15%), but there are no listing fees and no ad fee you can’t turn off.
sources
- etsy: fees & payments policy
- etsy: off-platform transactions policy
- etsy, inc.: 2025 annual report (form 10-k)
- amazon seller central: amazon handmade referral fees
- amazon seller central: amazon handmade
- amazon: sell on amazon handmade
- 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, amazon handmade, ebay, shopify, square online, wix, squarespace, big cartel, hotplate, bakesy, castiron, instagram, facebook marketplace, nextdoor, doordash, uber eats and grubhub 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
