Etsy Alternatives for Crafty Entrepreneurs

13 Etsy alternatives you can join today

Here’s a look at 13 Etsy alternatives that are affordable, easy to use and popular with shoppers.

Amazon Handmade

Yup. That Amazon. Amazon Handmade is for artisans looking to sell their wares to a mass audience of hundreds of millions of people. All products in your store must be made, altered, or assembled entirely by hand – by you (the artisan), an employee, or a member of your collective. 

Once Amazon Handmade approves your application, you can start selling in any of the many categories, including jewelry, artwork, apparel and personal care. Listings are free, and there’s no limit to how many items you can post. 

It will cost you $39.99 per month (minus the first month) to sell on Amazon, and Amazon takes a 15% cut of every sale. Learn more about selling on Amazon.

Big Cartel

Big Cartel prides itself on being “by artists, for artists.” It promotes its crafters’ creativity and wants them to succeed in a world dominated by mass-produced goods. 

With this marketplace, you can easily customize one of the premade themes by changing images, colors and fonts. You can list items such as T-shirts, art, ceramics and stickers. 

There are three plan options, ranging from five products (the free option) to 500 products; the platform offers resources such as Google Analytics and inventory tracking ($19.99 per month). It integrates with four of the best payment processing services, each with its own per-transaction fee, but Big Cartel doesn’t charge a transaction fee. [Related article: Beginner’s Guide to Google Analytics]

eBay

E-commerce giant eBay can be an excellent Etsy alternative, as just about anyone can start an account. You can sell handmade items with an individual or business account, but only a business account offers inventory, order and sales tracking alongside branding tools. 

You’ll pay two fee types on items you sell through Etsy. The first is an insertion fee, which is free for your first 250 listings per month and then 30 cents after that. There’s also a final value fee, which eBay often structures in tiers. For example, if you sell jewelry and watches, you’ll pay 15% on the first $1,000 of your sale. You’ll pay 6.5% on the portion of your sale between $1,000 and $7,500. You’ll then pay 3% on the remainder of the sale plus a flat fee of 30 cents. 

Additionally, you must pay a store subscription fee to sell on eBay. Annual plan prices range from $4.95 per month for a Starter plan to $2,999.95 per month for an Enterprise plan. If you pay monthly, prices range from $7.95 per month for a Starter plan to $349.95 per month for an Anchor plan. Monthly billing is unavailable for Enterprise plans.

eCrater

eCrater is an online marketplace that brings buyers and sellers together. It’s free to register, and you can create customizable online stores. You also get access to the community forum, where you can connect with buyers, and fellow sellers can share experiences. You get 100% of the sales you bring to your store, and you have to pay only a 2.9% fee if eCrater brings a sale through the central marketplace. 

Facebook

Facebook Marketplace for Business users enjoy advertising and inventory features unavailable to regular Facebook users. Some business users may also qualify for Facebook-hosted shops, meaning shoppers can buy your handcrafted items without leaving Facebook. Either way, shoppers can directly message you through your Facebook Marketplace page. [See how Facebook Marketplace compares to alternatives like eBay and Craigslist.]

Listing your items on Facebook Marketplace is free, and Facebook doesn’t always charge fees on your sales. Sales you manage through Commerce Manager – which you can use for both Instagram and Facebook sales – can incur fees.

iCraft

Based in Ontario, Canada, iCraft only allows sellers who hand-make art, crafts and fashion items. You can even let buyers know that you are accepting custom project requests. Setting up a store is easy, and once you do, you’ll have access to small business marketing services, community message boards, and arts and crafts events. 

iCraft has no transaction or listing fees, but it does strictly review all submitted work to ensure it meets the site’s mission and values. You can sign up for a 12-month listing plan for $10 per month. There’s also a six-month plan for $12 per month and a monthly plan for $15 per month. You’ll pay a one-time $25 registration fee. None of the plans place a cap on the number of listings you can upload.

IndieMade

IndieMade is a one-stop shop for artists. The site handles everything needed for marketing, managing, and building an effective website, including photo galleries, web hosting, marketing tools and support. When you sign up for a 30-day free trial, you gain access to all those tools and much more. 

There are four options for listing products on IndieMade, from the Basic option for $4.95 per month to the Plus option for $19.95 per month. Each level offers something different, with the highest tier offering unlimited products and images per product, coupons and much more. There are no listing fees, and you can sign up for a free trial. [Related article: Why You Should Offer Online Coupons]

Instagram

Through the Instagram for Business platform, you can sell virtually any kind of handmade item. To get started with Instagram for Business, create an Instagram account and convert it from personal to business. Then, set up an Instagram shop and create shoppable posts. This way, Instagram users can navigate to your store from the Shop icon at the bottom of the screen. Your account and listings will be entirely free, though you’ll have to pay for ads.

Misi

Misi is a U.K.-based marketplace for handmade and personalized creations. Everything sold on Misi must be handmade by the seller, vintage or a craft supply. Categories include wedding items, baby and child, and homeware accessories. Setting up a shop is free, but there are small listing fees (0.2 pounds, which comes to about 26 cents) and a 3% commission on each sale. 

Shopify

With Shopify, you get more than just a marketplace. You can create an online store and get a custom domain and website design without needing any previous knowledge. Shopify provides resources to help artisans create the best e-commerce site possible. The websites are optimized for mobile and desktop, and you can choose from more than 70 store themes.

Shopify Payments allows you to accept credit cards immediately without going through a third party, but it will cost you 2.4% to 2.9% plus 30 cents for each online transaction. If you opt for a third-party payment system, you’ll still owe Shopify 0.5% to 2% of final sales. 

You can get shipping labels and estimated shipping costs directly from Shopify to save money on postage. A Basic plan is $29 per month, a regular Shopify account is $79 per month, and an Advanced account is $299. You can sign up for a 14-day free trial.

Society6

If you fancy yourself an artist and want to try your hand at selling your work, Society6 is the perfect opportunity. You must be a verified member of Society6 to get paid for your sales. With a Society6 page, you are in complete control of the rights to your work and can post artwork, set prices and add other products with your art on them, such as T-shirts and laptop skins. Society6 takes a 10% fee on all sales.

Volusion

The Volusion marketplace is similar to Shopify in that you can use its resources to build the perfect website with a custom domain; the website is responsive, so your customers can view you on any device. Volusion offers many online selling resources for listing products, processing orders, payment processing, shipping options and much more. With a subscription, you gain 24/7 access to e-commerce experts who can assist you in any way possible. 

A Personal account is $29 per month for 100 product listings, a Professional account is $79 per month for 5,000 listings and a Business account is $299 for unlimited products. A Prime account, for the highest sellers, has custom pricing and allows for unlimited product listings. There are no transaction fees, and you can sign up for a free trial.

Zibbet

Home to more than 55,000 independent creatives, Zibbet prides itself on enabling individual handmade-only sellers to manage several online accounts from one tool. Use Zibbet to access your Etsy, eBay, Facebook and Instagram seller accounts from the same dashboard. You must operate at least two sales channels through Zibbet to use the platform.

Zibbet does not charge listing fees or take commissions. In addition, it offers tons of tools and support opportunities for sellers, including creative business courses and lessons, branding style guides, and craft show tool bundles. A membership will cost you $5 per channel per month if you pay yearly. If you pay monthly, you’ll pay $6 per channel per month.

Etsy FAQs

If you like selling on Etsy but need help navigating the platform, these answers to frequently asked questions should help you out.

How much does it cost to sell on Etsy?

Each Etsy listing costs 20 cents and expires after four months. After you make the sale, Etsy charges you 5% of the total cost, including shipping. You’ll also pay a payment processing fee of 3% plus 25 cents.

How do Etsy offsite ads work?

You’ll be required to post offsite ads if you sell more than $10,000 worth of products in 12 months; otherwise, you can opt out. These ads boost your presence on search engines, social media and Etsy partner sites. Sales you make through these ads incur an additional 15% fee.

How much does the average Etsy seller make?

While your income will depend on what you sell, the average Etsy seller can expect to make $53,140 per year, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Obviously, some Etsy sellers make more than this, but these merchants typically run more extensive operations that don’t involve handcrafted products. If you’re going the crafts route, you may want to prepare for a more modest income. Jennifer Post contributed to the writing and research in this article.