7 Best alternatives to Etsy for your business in 2024

Updated Jan 15 2024

For years, Etsy has consistently been the top online marketplace for creators selling handmade products, personalized crafts, and vintage items to showcase and sell to interested buyers.

While Etsy remains an extremely popular online marketplace for small businesses selling unique products and goods, it's important to acknowledge that sellers may encounter some limitations with the platform. These include listing fees, limited control over the branding and appearance of each online store, and steep competition.

If you find that your Etsy shop isn't meeting your expectations, you'll be relieved to hear several Etsy alternatives are worth considering to increase revenue, build a loyal audience, and take your business to the next level.

In this post, we'll highlight the best Etsy alternatives and break down the benefits and features of each alternative to help you find a platform that suits your online store's needs.

• Many Etsy alternatives can give sellers more branding control and drive more sales.

• Creating an online store on a new ecommerce platform will help you cast a wider net and grow your business.

• Etsy's limitations have encouraged many sellers to seek alternatives to Etsy that offer better features, improved sales channels, and the functionality to create a personal website for their businesses.

For Etsy sellers, finding Etsy alternatives may be high on your priority list if you've decided to move on from the massive online marketplace. Here are seven of the best Etsy alternatives available to run your online store and leverage your creativity and talents to expand your audience, increase revenue, and build a better business.

If you're ready to increase sales and have complete control of your online store, Shopify is a great choice. Shopify is an ecommerce site that supports small businesses selling their products in their own online store and on social media.

Unlike Etsy, Shopify offers sellers helpful resources, templates, and guides that help them sell online. It's one of the best Etsy alternatives you'll find, regardless of what you're selling. Many sellers migrate from Etsy to Shopify once their business is up and running and they're ready to scale.

Key features of shopify

• Custom domain for your online store

• Templates, tools, and resources for a branded experience

• Flexible pricing plans

• Analytics and marketing tools to scale and grow

• Impressive customer support

Shopify pricing

Shopify's pricing and plans include the following:

• Basic plan - $39 per month

• Business plan - $105 per month

• Advanced plan - $399 per month

These plans include discounts on shipping costs, reporting, a POS system, inventory tracking, and multiple sales channels to sell from within the platform. Each pricing tier has a $0.30 transaction fee on every purchase made.

For those selling handmade crafts and products looking to expand beyond the Etsy marketplace, Amazon Handmade is becoming one of the biggest online marketplaces for handmade craft sellers.

Amazon Handmade is available for sellers of accessories, artwork, pet supplies, clothing, home decor, and more. If you're looking for an extension of the Etsy experience with more convenient shipping options, Amazon Handmade may be the right fit to market and sell your crafts and handmade products.

Key features of Amazon Handmade

• Helpful analytics to expand your reach

• No listing fees or listing expirations

• Shipping completed by Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)

• Your handmade business and products will be featured in Amazon-sponsored ads

Amazon Handmade pricing

The pricing and fees you'll find through Amazon Handmade include the following:

• Monthly fee of $39.99 for an Amazon Professional selling account (although you can apply to have this fee waived)

• 15% transaction fees

• No listing or payment processing fees

• Discounted shipping fees

• No free trial

Long touted as the reselling giant, eBay is an excellent Etsy alternative for those selling more products (often mass-produced) that don't sit in one particular niche. In 2022, eBay had around 138 million active shoppers, making it one of the largest online marketplaces to exist.

If you are in the clothing and jewelry industry or sell electronics and accessories, eBay is a highly lucrative market for these items. As an Etsy alternative, an eBay seller can create and control their own store and sell a diverse line of products. eBay isn't our first choice for selling handmade and vintage items, but you may get lucky if you go this route!

Key features of eBay

• Sellers can create their own online store and build a branded experience

• Advertising and selling fees are lower and more accessible to manipulate than Etsy's

• Seller Levels are rewarded based on the customer experience you provide

• Sales reports, templates, and a mobile app to scale your business from anywhere

eBay pricing

Here are the pricing plans and monthly subscription fee if you choose to create an eBay Store:

• Starter store - $4.95/ month with 250 free listings

• Basic store - $21.95/ month with 1,000 free listings

• Premium store - $59.95/ month with 10,000 free listings

• Discounted shipping costs and coupons

• All sellers pay final value fees depending on what they are selling

• No free trial

Wix is a platform where you can build your own website and add an ecommerce store. As an alternative to Etsy, Wix is an excellent option for new businesses who want more creative freedom and to gain experience working with a website builder.

You'll develop valuable marketing and technical skills if you design an ecommerce website through Wix, which many business owners want.

Key features of Wix

• Templates and a custom domain to create a branded online store

• Email marketing tools and SEO analytics

• Resourceful community forums and customer support

• Small businesses can accept online payments through Paypal and credit card payments

• Wix offers a free trial

Wix pricing

Here are the three pricing plans for businesses looking to run their own site and store via Wix:

• Business Basic - $27/ month

• Business Unlimited - $32/ month

• Business VIP - $59/ month

Depending on the product, location, and subscription plan, wix transaction fees are between 1.9% and 2.9%. There are also payment processing fees based on location and the type of payment used.

Bonanza is a great Etsy alternative and is considered one of the largest online marketplaces but with much more emphasis on providing buyers for handmade craft sellers.

If Etsy has become too challenging or saturated to make a substantial profit, Bonanza offers a similar setting where shoppers know what they are looking for and are ready to buy.

Key features of Bonanza

• Create your own store

• Sellers are willing to negotiate prices

• Built-in audience ready to buy

• Every listing is automated on Google Shopping and eBay

• Analytics and marketing tools

• Sellers can pay for advertising to promote their stores

Bonanza pricing

• No listing fee

• Final value fee based on the sale price of the product (3.5% to 5%)

• A flat-rate transaction fee of $0.25 on every sale

Big Cartel shows significant promise as one of the best Etsy alternatives for artists. If you have a few products you're selling, you can set up an online store for free, use the website builder to create the look and feel you want, and develop marketing skills to drive traffic to your store.

Big Cartel's audience base is much smaller, unlike Etsy, which may challenge some creators. However, if selling art or handmade goods is your passion, it's worth exploring Etsy alternatives that give you more freedom to build a brand and a business you're proud of, and that brings in the profit you need to keep going.

Key features of Big Cartel

• Custom domain and free templates and themes

• Shipment tracking and inventory tracking

• Marketing tools, Google Analytics

• Sellers can offer discounts and promos

Big Cartel pricing

• Free for up to five products

• $9.99/ month - 50 products

• $19.99/ month - 500 products

Squarespace is one of the fastest-growing ecommerce platforms because of its user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop website builder, and many convenient features for any ecommerce business.

As an Etsy alternative, Squarespace empowers creators to run their own stores, whether they're selling handmade goods, digital prints, or custom hoodies. Etsy sellers can even import products from their existing Etsy store if they want to migrate to Squarespace and build a custom ecommerce site.

Key features of Squarespace

• Learn to create a website and online store with an easy-to-use website builder

• Free domain, built-in marketing tools, and social media integrations

• Inventory tracking and advanced website analytics

• Powerful merchandising tools to drive sales

Squarespace pricing

• Business - $23/month with 3% transaction fees

• Commerce (basic) - $27/ month with 0% transaction fees

• Commerce (advanced) - $40/ month with 0% transaction fees

Many creators opt to utilize the Etsy platform because the setup is so easy and affordable, allowing them to launch a store and start selling their products quickly.

While the ease of setting up a shop can be enticing for many Etsy sellers, the platform's limitations may encourage creators to seek other online marketplaces for a better experience selling their handmade items.

Selecting a suitable Etsy alternative means you'll need to consider the various facets of your business. From your budget to your goals as an online business, your skills and confidence in creating an ecommerce store, there's a lot to think about as you browse various ecommerce platforms to find the right fit.

Are you looking to launch an ecommerce site creating and selling high-quality custom products? Gelato is here to help. We offer premier print on demand services for businesses of all sizes, and we conveniently offer an Etsy integration, along with Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace, for a seamless experience, no matter your skill level.

Several other Etsy alternatives are worth exploring depending on your business goals and the products you sell. Unlike Etsy, many ecommerce platforms support businesses selling crafts, white-label products, and everything in between.

If your Etsy shop is not bringing in the profit and sales you want, you'll enjoy branding control and increased sales channels from Etsy alternatives like Squarespace, Wix, and Shopify.

Amazon Handmade is likely Etsy's biggest competitor in the online marketplace setting.

Amazon can easily compete because it's the largest online retailer in the United States, with over $300 billion in annual sales. While Etsy has long since established itself as the leading handmade goods marketplace, Amazon is a close second.

Unlike Etsy, Amazon does not charge listing fees, which appeals to those selling crafts or handmade items in bulk. However, Amazon takes a flat 15% commission on every sale, which is hefty. On the other hand, Etsy charges 6.5% selling fees (with payment processing fees as well).

The user interface of both these platforms is simple to use and provides analytics and metrics that are helpful for business owners. Sellers need a professional selling account to operate on Amazon Handmade for $39.99 monthly. Amazon offers shipping and fulfillment once an order is made, unlike Etsy.

When it comes to the best Etsy alternative, Shopify checks many boxes for creators and sellers. Ultimately, deciding if Shopify is the better option for your online business will depend on your business goals, profit margins, marketing budget, and staffing within your company.

However, if you're looking for a platform that offers unique customization options, additional sales channels, intuitive ecommerce, and merchandising features, Shopify will grow alongside your business and help you scale.