7 Etsy alternatives for cashing in on your handmade items
If you sell handcrafted creations, then Etsy probably holds a special place in your heart. You've likely devoted a lot of time learning how to sell on Etsy and building a solid income stream on the platform. But between rising fees and increased competition, you may be looking to expand beyond Etsy and diversify your channels.
Below is a list of several Etsy alternatives where you can sell your handcrafted goods. View the pros and cons of each platform and consider which ones are best for your multichannel selling strategy.
7 alternatives to Etsy:
01. Wix eCommerce
First up (and our personal favorite), Wix’s eCommerce website builder is a great alternative if you’re looking to regain full control over your data, branding, and customer relationships. It offers an easy-to-use solution for managing your backend operations, plus building an online store that’s all your own.
Read Also: How to start a business
With hundreds of responsive and fully customizable eCommerce templates, you can get started without coding. You can also take advantage of built-in tools for inventory management, online payments, print on demand, and more. Not to mention, Wix integrates directly with several marketplaces, allowing you to list your products in multiple places without having to redo all of your work for each channel.
The greatest advantage of using Wix eCommerce? You can reduce your reliance on third-party marketplaces and build a strong foundation for your brand. Nurture your business into a brand that customers recognize outside of Etsy, and accelerate growth with the help of Wix’s automation and marketing tools.
Price: Business and eCommerce plans starting at $27/month, plus processing fees for payments received through Wix Payments
Good for: Sellers looking to build a long-term, defensible business
Pros:
Total control over your branding and shopping experience
Over 500 mobile-responsive store templates
Streamlined inventory management, catalog management, and payments
Built-in marketing tools and automation
Multichannel and global expansion features
14-day free trial
See all Wix eCommerce features
Cons:
Requires subscription to take advantage of all eCommerce features
02. Amazon Handmade
With approximately two billion visits a month, Amazon generates more traffic than eBay, Walmart, Etsy, and Target combined, according to Statista. Amazon, of course, appeals to a broad audience. However, Amazon has designated a specific spot for makers and buyers of handcrafted goods.
Today, Amazon Handmade features products by artisans across more than 80 countries. Unlike Etsy, Amazon Handmade doesn’t charge a listing fee (but it does charge a 15% transaction fee) or de-list products after a certain expiration date. You can also sell your products across both the Handmade and regular Amazon marketplaces, boosting your chances of getting seen. Handmade can be integrated with Amazon FBA too, allowing you to offer Prime shipping on your items.
Read Also: How to sell on Amazon
To sell on the Handmade store, you’ll need to apply for a Professional Selling plan first, then apply for the program (note: Amazon will waive the $39.99 monthly fee once you’re approved for Amazon Handmade). Amazon closely vets and monitors all sellers who apply for Handmade, ensuring a higher quality mix of products.
Price: 15% referral fee, with minimum $1.00 fee
Good for: Crafters who want to tap into Amazon's market share and are able to invest the time into learning how to be competitive on the marketplace
Pros:
Millions of unique monthly visitors
Less competition for handmade items due to a strict vetting process
Waived monthly fee ($39.99) for approved artisans
No listing fees or product limits
You can leverage Amazon FBA to outsource and speed up order fulfillment
Cons:
Limited access to vital customer information
Strict requirements on product quality, product listing, and customer interactions
Overall cost of selling on Amazon may be higher than the cost of selling on Etsy
Lengthy artisan application process—may take weeks to receive approval
15% referral fee on total order value (which includes item price, shipping cost, and any gift-wrapping charges)
03. eBay
As one of the earliest eCommerce marketplaces, eBay flaunts an estimated 159 million active users and nearly one million professional stores, including Adidas, Hanes, and Dyson.
Whether you sell through a personal or business account, eBay offers a relatively straightforward (and flexible) process for listing your handmade pieces for sale. Handmade items are recommended in the same areas as any other item, giving you the opportunity to rank for eBay’s general product categories. On eBay, you tend to have greater control over your listings, pricing, and shipping policies than on other marketplaces.
Generally speaking, items that appeal to a niche market perform best on eBay. Think: fan art, collectibles, and goods for people with certain hobbies. But with a strong SEO strategy and well-branded eBay Store, you could sell and see success across multiple categories.
Read Also: How to sell on eBay
To open up an eBay store, you’ll need to sign up for a paid subscription. Store subscriptions include a certain number of free listings per month, coupons, and other perks.
Price: Store subscription starting at $4.95/month, plus insertion and final value fees
Good for: Professional sellers and retailers that offer handmade items, especially for niche audiences
Pros:
Millions of unique monthly visitors
Greater control over product listings, shipping policies, and return policies
250+ zero-insertion listings each month with a Stores subscription
Low monthly subscription fee
Integrates with Wix eCommerce
Cons:
Requires a monthly subscription to sell as a business
Shoppers on eBay may be looking for a bargain
You may feel pressured to lower your prices
Insertion fees and final value fees apply after you exceed your monthly limit
04. Facebook Shops
Facebook Shops is part of the social commerce movement allowing users to purchase items through social media platforms. With a Facebook Shop, you can gain access to Facebook’s 2.9 billion active monthly users, providing a space for buyers to browse and purchase your products without ever leaving the app.
Facebook Shop is free to use. You only have to pay a selling fee once a transaction is made (though Meta is temporarily waiving these fees). Furthermore, opening a Facebook Shop means you can display your products across multiple Facebook surfaces, like Facebook Marketplace, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Ads.
It’s easy to create a Facebook Shop. Simply import an existing product catalog or create a new one from scratch. Or, if you’re using Wix eCommerce, sync your products directly from your Wix dashboard.
Price: Selling fees
Good for: Crafters who sell physical products (the sale of digital products or services are prohibited on Facebook Shops) and who already have a strong following through their Facebook or Instagram accounts
Pros:
Free to list products
Mobile-first shopping experience
Seamless checkout process for Facebook users
Shoppers can reach out to you from Facebook Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp
Simple fee structure (though selling fees are waived temporarily through the end of 2022)
Integrates with Instagram Shops (see our guide on how to sell on Instagram) and Marketplace, as well as Wix eCommerce
Cons:
Facebook user demographics may not suit every business
Limited control over the customer experience
Does not support promo codes or referral programs
Limited analytics
(In normal times) Selling fees apply on every transaction
05. Bonanza
Similar to an Etsy shop, Bonanza’s marketplace offers "booth" space for selling your products, though its catalog spans well beyond handcrafted items. To buyers, Bonanza is best known for having unique, novelty items—true to its slogan “find everything but the ordinary.”
To makers, Bonanza is best known for its plethora of seller tools and resources. Bonanza allows you to sync your listings with other marketplaces and ad platforms. In addition, Bonanza includes marketing tools to help you build customer lists and send targeted promotions to encourage repeat sales.
You can set up a Bonanza Booth for free. There are no product listing limits or listing fees for booths. You’re just required to pay a low 3.5% final value fee (FVF) on each product you sell for under $1,000, plus any portion of the shipping fee exceeding $10. On products sold for more than $1,000, you pay an additional 1.5% on the amount over $1,000.
You can choose to opt into Bonanza’s popular advertising program, where fees range from 9% to 30% per advertised item. Each advertising tier unlocks new channels, like Google Shopping and BingAds.
Price: Final value fees for Bonanza Booth sales, and (optional) membership plans starting at $25/month
Good for: Those who create very unique items and want to supplement their Etsy or website sales with additional marketplace and ad revenue
Pros:
Free marketing and analytics tools
Sync product listings with other marketplaces and ad channels
No subscription required
No listing fees or product limits
Minimal transaction-based fee structure (starting at 3.5%)
Cons:
Limited "booth" page customization
Not as well known as Etsy
Not limited to handcrafted goods
Sellers must have a PayPal account
Final value fees (FVF) apply on each transaction, unless you have a Webstore
06. Aftcra
A much more modest platform, Aftcra is a family-owned marketplace for strictly handmade items made in the United States. It currently draws in around 20,000 monthly visits, according to Crunchbase. However, by prohibiting mass-produced products or items made outside of the U.S., Aftcra maintains a higher quality standard than many of its direct competitors.
Aftcra does not charge a listing fee, though it does charge a commission fee of 7% on any sale. Being a much smaller, highly vetted marketplace, Aftcra has the advantage of offering white-glove customer service for its sellers—promising responses within 24 hours of receiving an email.
Price: Transaction fee
Good for: Sellers of American-made crafts who also have a strong multichannel marketing strategy to drive traffic to their products, since Aftcra doesn't receive high levels of monthly traffic
Pros:
No monthly subscription or listing fees
Niche market for customers that prefer to support U.S. crafters
White-glove customer service for sellers
Cons:
You’ll have to put more effort into driving external traffic to your Aftcra listings to be successful
Small monthly reach
Limited search features (no filtering of results)
7% commission fee on all transactions
Sellers must have a PayPal account
07. Goimagine
Similar to Aftcra, Goimagine showcases products by crafters in the U.S. and has stringent guidelines to ensure that anything sold on its marketplace is truly handmade. Items cannot be mass produced or outsourced—with the exception of some printed goods—and you must handle shipping on your own.
Goimagine currently attracts 72,200 monthly visits, according to Semrush. Selling on the marketplace is affordable, with monthly plans starting at a low $2.50/month and transaction fees ranging from 3.5% to 5% depending on your plan. Goimagine additionally donates 100% of its profits to children’s charities.
Another perk: you can access its Maker Circle for free in order to connect with other markers and artists.
Price: Monthly subscriptions starting at $2.50/month and transaction fees
Good for: Individual or small teams of makers located in the U.S. who want to supplement their Etsy or website sales with additional marketplace revenue
Pros:
Low monthly subscription and transaction fees
Highly vetted marketplace, specifically for handcrafted items
Makers Circle community, where you can learn from other makers
100% of Goimagine’s profits go towards charity
Cons:
Not as well known as Etsy
Relatively small monthly reach
Newer platform that’s still evolving
Discover more marketplaces: How to sell on Wish, How to sell on Youtube
Craft a strong multichannel strategy for your business
While Etsy has its benefits, there are many other alternatives worth entertaining to expand your reach, diversify your risk, and (of course) earn more money. Aim to identify the best channels for reaching your target audience, and fortify your business with a well thought-out plan.
Are you ready to take control of your brand? Create your online store today.
Allison Lee
Editor, Wix eCommerce
Allison is the editor for the Wix eCommerce blog, with several years of experience reporting on eCommerce news, strategies, and founder stories.
