warebyetsy vs ebay for handmade and vintage
two big marketplaces with very different buyers: handmade and vintage lovers on etsy, deal hunters and collectors on ebay.
etsy is cheaper on an ordinary $35 sale (about $3.78 vs ebay’s $5.16) and its buyers come looking for handmade and vintage. ebay’s buyers search for specific things, which suits collectibles, used goods and hard-to-find vintage. ebay gives you 250 free listings a month; etsy charges 20¢ a listing. etsy adds a 15% fee when its offsite ads bring a sale. for handmade, etsy usually fits better. for collectibles, ebay often does.
which should you pick?
| if you… | start with | why |
|---|---|---|
| sell handmade | etsy | buyers come looking for handmade |
| sell collectibles, used or hard-to-find items | ebay | buyers search for specific items |
| list lots of items | ebay | 250 free listings a month |
| sell to people nearby | wareby | pickup and local delivery, shoppers within 25 miles |
what does each take from a $35 sale?
| on a $35 sale | etsy | ebay |
|---|---|---|
| listing | $0.20 | $0 (first 250 a month) |
| sale fee | $2.28 (6.5%) | $4.76 (13.6%) |
| processing or order fee | $1.30 | $0.40 |
| total fees | $3.78 | $5.16 |
| you keep | $31.22 | $29.84 |
both count shipping in their percentage. ebay’s 13.6% also counts sales tax. etsy’s offsite ad fee adds 15% (12% over $10,000 a year) when one of its ads brings the sale.
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 ebay better for selling?
for handmade, etsy usually: lower fees on an ordinary sale and buyers looking for handmade. for collectibles and used items, ebay.
does ebay charge listing fees?
your first 250 listings a month are free, then 35¢ a listing.
which has lower fees?
etsy on an ordinary sale: $3.78 vs $5.16 on $35, unless an etsy offsite ad brought the sale.
sources
- etsy: fees & payments policy
- etsy, inc.: 2025 annual report (form 10-k)
- 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 spot something out of date?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, 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
