Etsy Alternatives for Sellers in 2026: 6 Places to Sell Compared by Fees and Fit

Etsy is a great place to start selling. It brings shoppers to you, and you can open a shop in an afternoon. The trouble shows up later, when you look at your statement and see how many separate fees come out of each order.

At Ecommerce Paradise, I teach people to build stores they own, and a lot of the sellers I talk to started on a marketplace and outgrew it. This guide compares six Etsy alternatives for sellers on fees, plans and fit, using each company’s own pages checked in October 2026. It says “not shown” wherever a page leaves a number out. Some links below are affiliate links, so I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. I have partner links for Shopify, Wix and BigCommerce, and I do not have them for eBay, Ecwid or Big Cartel, so weigh my picks with that in mind. If you are brand new to high-ticket dropshipping, read that first.

The Best Etsy Alternatives for Sellers at a Glance

Here is how the six compare on what each company’s page shows. Prices are US dollars, and “not shown” means I did not find the figure on the page.

The short version is simple. If you want to build something you own, start with Shopify. If you want another marketplace for one-off items, eBay is the closest fit, and the rest of this guide shows how to tell which side you are on.

What Etsy Actually Charges Sellers

Before comparing alternatives, you need a clear picture of what you pay today. Etsy’s fees and payments policy, last updated October 5, 2026, lists several separate charges.

There is a $0.20 listing fee for each item you list, and listings expire after four months. A one-time set-up fee may apply when you open a shop, and the amount is shown during onboarding rather than on the policy page.

When you make a sale, Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee on the listing price plus what you charge for shipping and gift wrapping. On top of that, there is a payment processing fee that varies by the country of your bank account. That rate is not shown on the policy page, so check your Shop Manager for the figure that applies to you.

Then there is advertising. Etsy’s Offsite Ads charge 15% on attributed orders if your shop made under $10,000 in the prior 365 days, and 12% once it crosses that line, capped at $100 per order. Sellers under the threshold can opt out, but once you pass $10,000 the policy says you are required to participate.

Two subscriptions are also on the page. Etsy Plus costs $10 a month and includes 15 listing credits plus $5 in Etsy Ads credits, and Pattern, Etsy’s website tool, costs $15 a month after a 30-day free trial.

Why Sellers Look Beyond Etsy

The fee stack is the obvious reason, but it is not the only one. On Etsy, the marketplace owns the shopper relationship, and the policy says it prohibits any action to move a transaction off its platform. That is a real limit on how you can build a repeat-customer business.

The second reason is control. A marketplace sets the rules for fees, ads and search placement, and it can change them. A store you run yourself is slower to get traffic, but nobody can raise your fee by changing a policy page.

The third reason is catalog fit. Etsy is built around handmade, vintage and craft supplies, and sellers whose products sit outside that lane often find a general ecommerce platform fits better. If you want to stay on Etsy while you grow, my review of EverBee for Etsy sellers covers one tool for finding better listings.

What to Compare Before You Move

Start with the real cost per order, not the plan price. A $29 plan sounds cheap until you realize the card rate comes on top, and a “free” marketplace listing sounds free until the percentage fee arrives.

Next, look at who brings the traffic. A marketplace sends shoppers to you but takes a cut of every sale, and your own store keeps the margin but makes you responsible for marketing. Be honest with yourself about which job you want.

Finally, check the limits. Some plans cap annual sales, product counts or staff accounts, and moving platforms later costs time. Pick one that fits where you will be in a year, not just where you are today.

1. Shopify: Best for Building a Brand You Own

Shopify is the platform I recommend to most sellers who outgrow a marketplace. Its pricing page lists Basic at $29 a month on annual billing or $39 monthly, and Grow at $79 annual or $105 monthly. Advanced is $299 annual or $399 monthly.

Online card rates are 2.9% + 30 cents on Basic, 2.7% + 30 cents on Grow and 2.5% + 30 cents on Advanced. If you use an outside payment gateway, the page lists an extra 2% on Basic, 1% on Grow and 0.6% on Advanced.

The page also lists a 3-day free trial with no credit card required, and most plans are $1 a month for the first 3 months. Dispute fees are not shown on the page I checked. My guide to Shopify pricing breaks down which plan you actually need.

Best for: sellers who want a store they own, with a checkout and customer list that belong to them.

2. Wix: Best for Design-First Shops on a Budget

Wix lists a Free plan at $0, Light at $17 a month and Core at $29 a month. Core is the first plan on the page that lists accepting payments and basic ecommerce.

Business is $39 a month with standard ecommerce, and Business Elite is $159 a month with advanced ecommerce. The page says displayed prices are for yearly subscriptions, paid in full at purchase, and it lists a 14-day money-back guarantee.

The plans page does not show a card processing rate, so confirm that before you count on a total. My comparison of Wix alternatives for ecommerce shows where it falls short for bigger catalogs.

Best for: shops where how the site looks matters most and the catalog is small to medium.

3. BigCommerce: Best for Catalogs That Will Keep Growing

BigCommerce lists Core at $29 a month on annual billing or $39 monthly, with a limit of up to $30,000 in trailing twelve-month sales. Growth is $79 or $105 a month with a $100,000 limit, and Scale is $299 or $399 a month.

The page shows card processing starting at 2.89% + 29 cents, with American Express at 3.50%. It also lists an Open Payment Provider Fee of 2.0% on Core, 1.0% on Growth and 0.6% on Scale.

The trial is 15 days with no credit card required. The sales limits matter for planning, so read them before you pick Core. A seller doing about $4,000 a month is already past the Core cap within a year.

Best for: sellers with a growing catalog who expect to pass the entry plan limits.

4. Ecwid: Best for Adding a Store to a Site You Already Have

Ecwid is a store you add to an existing website rather than a full site builder. Its pricing page lists Starter at $5 a month for up to 10 products and Venture at $35 monthly or $29 on annual billing for up to 100 products plus digital goods.

Business is $65 monthly or $49 annual for up to 2,500 products, and Unlimited is $149 monthly or $119 annual. The page states that Ecwid does not charge setup or transaction fees on any plan, though the processor’s own fees are not shown.

I wrote a full Ecwid review if you want the detail.

Best for: sellers who already have a blog or website and want to bolt a store onto it.

5. Big Cartel: Best for Artists With Small Catalogs

Big Cartel’s pricing page lists a free, limited-feature Gold plan, Platinum at $15 a month after a 7-day free trial, and Diamond at $30 a month. Platinum supports custom domains, physical and digital products, shipping labels and a customizable shop design.

Diamond adds abandoned cart recovery, scheduled product drops, password-protected products, a Zapier connection and priority support. Product limits and any transaction fees are not shown on the page I checked, so confirm both before you commit.

Best for: artists and makers with small catalogs who want something simple and cheap.

6. eBay: Best for Used, Vintage and Collectible Items

eBay’s selling fees page lists a final value fee of 13.6% of the total sale amount up to $7,500 per item for most categories in the US, plus 2.35% on the portion above $7,500. The per-order fee is $0.30 for orders of $10 or less and $0.40 for larger orders.

You get 250 zero-insertion-fee listings a month, or more with an eBay Store, and after that the insertion fee is $0.35 per listing. The percentage is higher than Etsy’s transaction fee, but in my experience eBay suits one-off and secondhand items well.

Best for: sellers of used, vintage and collectible goods who want a second marketplace.

What 40 Sales of $100 a Month Costs on Each One

Let’s put real numbers on it. This table assumes 40 sales of $100 each, which is $4,000 a month, with one new listing per sale and no shipping charged. It uses only the fees shown on each page, so anything marked “not shown” is left out and the true total will be higher.

Shopify’s $157 includes card processing, while Etsy’s $268 does not. That means the real gap is bigger than the table shows. BigCommerce’s Growth plan appears here because $4,000 a month is $48,000 a year, which is above Core’s $30,000 limit.

Here is the break-even math against Shopify Basic. Etsy’s shown fees are $6.70 on a $100 sale (6.5% plus the 20 cent listing), and Shopify’s card fee is $3.20. The $29 plan pays for itself at about the ninth sale a month, and that is before counting Etsy’s processing fee.

The catch is traffic. Etsy sends you shoppers, and a new store has to earn its own. Fees are only half of the comparison.

When Etsy Is Still the Right Call

Etsy still makes sense in a few situations. If you are testing a product idea and have no audience, a marketplace gives you shoppers on day one for a small listing fee.

It also makes sense when your products are handmade, vintage or craft supplies, since that is the lane the marketplace is built around. And if you sell fewer than a handful of items a month, the fixed cost of a store plan may not pay off yet.

The best setup for many sellers is both. Keep Etsy for discovery, and build your own store for customers you can email and sell to again. Just read Etsy’s off-platform rules before you point its buyers anywhere else.

Which Alternative Fits Which Seller

If you want to build a brand, pick Shopify. Most of the guides on this site assume you are using it.

If design matters most and your catalog is small, try Wix. If you expect to cross a few hundred products and a six-figure sales year, look hard at BigCommerce.

If you already have a website you like, Ecwid lets you add a store without rebuilding. If you make art in small runs, Big Cartel keeps it simple.

If you sell used or collectible items, add eBay as a second channel. I would not make it your only one at a 13.6% fee.

How to Choose Step by Step

Start with your numbers. Write down your average sale, your monthly order count and how many products you list.

Then price each option on that sample, the way the table above does. Add the percentage, the fixed fee, the plan cost and any ad fees.

Next, run a free trial or a free plan. Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix and Big Cartel all list a trial or a free tier on their pages, so you can build a few listings before you pay.

Finally, decide how you will get traffic. A store with no traffic plan earns nothing, so pick the channels before you pick the platform.

How to Move Without Losing Sales

Do not close your Etsy shop on day one. Open the new store alongside it, add your best sellers first and test the checkout with a few real orders.

Export your product data and photos, then rebuild listings with fresh titles and descriptions written for your own site. Plan your shipping rates and returns policy before launch, since marketplace defaults will not carry over.

Once the new store takes orders reliably, start collecting emails on every sale. Keep Etsy running for discovery until your own channels can replace what it sends.

Common Mistakes Sellers Make When Leaving Etsy

The first mistake is comparing plan prices only. The percentage on each sale is usually the larger cost, as the table shows.

The second is moving everything at once. A staged move lets you learn what works while the old shop keeps paying.

The third is ignoring how disclosure works. If you earn money from recommending tools, the FTC’s endorsement guidance explains what you need to tell your audience.

The fourth is skipping the books. Etsy’s policy says it issues 1099-K forms to certain US sellers, and the IRS explains what records to keep in its recordkeeping guidance.

Building Something Bigger Than a Craft Shop

If you want to go beyond small handmade items, high-ticket products change the math. A single sale can carry real margin, and a marketplace fee on a large order costs far more in dollars than it does on a $20 print.

Pick a category from my high-ticket niches list first. Then line up reliable fulfillment with my guide to finding dropshipping suppliers.

Set up the company properly with my business formation guide.

A formation service like Bizee helps keep your personal and business finances separate. The SBA’s guide to managing your business covers the basics.

To see how big online retail has become, the US Census Bureau publishes quarterly ecommerce figures. When your order volume grows, I recommend OnlineJobs.ph for finding a virtual assistant to handle customer messages.

If you’re brand new, start with my free mini course.

When you’re ready to go deeper, the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass covers the full model.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to Etsy for sellers?
For most sellers who want to build a brand, I recommend Shopify. eBay is the closest marketplace alternative if you sell used or collectible items.

How much does Etsy take from a $100 sale?
The fees policy lists a 6.5% transaction fee, which is $6.50, plus a 20 cent listing fee and a payment processing fee that varies by country. Offsite Ads add 15% or 12% on attributed orders if they apply.

Can I sell on Etsy and my own store at the same time?
Yes, and many sellers do. Etsy’s policy prohibits moving transactions off its platform, so read it before you point Etsy buyers to your own shop.

Which Etsy alternative has no transaction fees?
Ecwid’s pricing page says it charges no transaction fees on any plan. Payment processor fees are separate and not shown on that page.

Is eBay cheaper than Etsy?
Not on the fees shown. eBay lists 13.6% on most categories plus a per-order fee, while Etsy lists a 6.5% transaction fee, though Etsy’s other fees add up.

Want me to build the whole store for you? Check out my done-for-you store service → and skip the setup work entirely. Prefer to build it yourself with a guide? Join my coaching program →.

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• Best Squarespace Alternatives in 2026: 6 Platforms Compared
• 5 Best Wix Alternatives for Ecommerce in 2026
• EverBee Review 2026: Worth It for Etsy Sellers?
• Alura Review 2026: The Best All-in-One Etsy Toolkit?