🛒 Choosing where to sell is a pricing decision as much as a platform decision. Below is a clear breakdown of Shopify and Etsy fees, then a plug-and-play calculator you can use to model your own numbers.
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This calculator estimates monthly fees for both platforms based on your inputs. Defaults reflect common figures, you can change them.
🧪 How to Use the Calculator
- Enter your average order value, monthly orders, and shipping you charge
- For Etsy, set your country’s processing rate and toggle Offsite Ads percent if you expect ad-attributed orders
- For Shopify, choose your plan price, and whether you use Shopify Payments or a third-party gateway
- Click Calculate to compare monthly totals and effective fee percentages
💡 Fee Basics at a Glance
Etsy
- Listing fee, $0.20 USD per listing, active for 4 months
- Transaction fee, 6.5% of item price plus shipping and gift wrap
- Payment processing, country specific percent plus a fixed amount
- Offsite Ads, percentage based fee if the order is attributed to Etsy ads, with a per-order cap
- Optional Etsy Plus subscription, monthly charge
Shopify
- Monthly plan, Basic, Grow, Advanced, pricing varies by region
- If you use Shopify Payments, you pay the card rate for your plan
- If you use a third-party gateway, add Shopify’s extra transaction fee on top of the gateway’s rate
Rates vary by country and currency. Always check your local pricing pages for the exact numbers that apply to you.
📈 When Each Platform Can Cost Less
- Etsy often costs less for low volume or one-off handcrafted items, since there is no platform subscription
- Shopify can become cheaper as you scale, especially if you use Shopify Payments and your average order value is higher, even after factoring in the monthly plan
🔑 Practical Takeaways
If you do not use Shopify Payments, include Shopify’s extra transaction fee in your math
Low volume or test launches, Etsy often wins because there is no platform subscription, however Offsite Ads can materially change the math for attributed orders
Scaling with your own brand and traffic, Shopify plus Shopify Payments can lower the effective percentage cost, but remember to budget for the monthly plan and any paid apps you add