Published June 17, 2026
"Should I sell on Etsy or Shopify?" is the single most-asked question from new ecommerce sellers — and most advice online is wrong because it only compares the obvious fees. The truth is that Etsy and Shopify charge fees in completely different shapes, and which one wins depends on your volume, your ad strategy, and whether you bring your own traffic. This guide compares every fee side by side and runs the same $30 product through both platforms.
| Fee type | Etsy | Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 (Etsy Plus optional: $10/mo) | $5 (Starter) / $39 (Basic) / $105+ (higher tiers) |
| Listing fee | $0.20 per listing, every 4 months | $0 (unlimited listings) |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% of item price | 0% (built into the plan, separate from payment fee) |
| Payment processing (US) | 3% + $0.25 | 2.9% + $0.30 (Shopify Payments); 2.4% + $0.30 if using external gateway |
| Shipping fees | 6.5% on shipping charge too | 0% on shipping charge |
| Built-in ads fee | Offsite Ads: 12% (under $10k) or 15% (over $10k) on ad-driven orders, auto-enrolled | None — you control all ad spend |
| App/theme ecosystem | Mostly free, limited | Many paid apps ($5–$100+/mo each), theme $0–$400 one-time |
| Built-in traffic | Yes — large marketplace with internal search | No — you must drive all traffic yourself |
The key insight: Etsy charges you per-sale; Shopify charges you per-month plus payment processing. Etsy is cheaper to start and more expensive to scale. Shopify is more expensive to start and cheaper per-sale at volume.
Run this comparison on your own products.
Get the Profit Tracker — $19Let's say you sell a handmade ceramic mug for $30, COGS is $9, and shipping to the customer is $6 (passed through to buyer). Materials and packaging are bundled into COGS.
| Sale price | $30.00 |
| Listing fee | −$0.20 |
| Transaction fee (6.5% on $30 + shipping) | −$2.34 |
| Payment processing (3% + $0.25) | −$1.15 |
| COGS | −$9.00 |
| Shipping cost (you pay carrier) | −$6.00 |
| Net profit (organic) | $11.31 |
| Net from above | $11.31 |
| Offsite Ads fee (15% on $36 order total) | −$5.40 |
| Net profit (ad-driven) | $5.91 |
| Sale price | $30.00 |
| Transaction fee | $0.00 |
| Payment processing (2.9% + $0.30) | −$1.17 |
| COGS | −$9.00 |
| Shipping cost | −$6.00 |
| Platform fee per order ($39 ÷ 100) | −$0.39 |
| Ad spend per order (you control) | −$3.00 |
| Net profit | $10.44 |
On this single order at 100 orders/month, organic Etsy wins by about $0.87. But Offsite Ads Etsy loses by $4.53. The ad-driven Etsy scenario is the one new sellers forget to model — and Etsy auto-enrolls you once you hit the threshold.
Etsy's Offsite Ads fee turns a profitable product into a marginal one whenever Etsy's algorithm decides to "help" you. On Shopify you decide your ad budget; on Etsy, Etsy decides it for you.
For most beginners, Etsy is the safer start: no monthly fee, built-in traffic, no theme or app costs. Move to Shopify once you're consistently over ~100 orders/month or you've outgrown Etsy's category limits. Many successful sellers run both — Etsy for discovery, Shopify for repeat buyers and brand building.
Yes, if you exceed $10k in 365-day sales, the Offsite Ads fee is 15% on ad-driven orders. Under $10k it's 12%, and it's mandatory once you hit the threshold. You cannot opt out above the threshold — that's why pricing for the worst case matters so much.
Yes, as long as you meet Etsy's handmade/vintage/craft requirements. Multi-channel sellers should track profit per channel separately — Etsy and Shopify have very different cost structures, and what's profitable on one can be marginal on the other.
Comparing Etsy vs Shopify by total revenue is meaningless — the platforms take fees in completely different shapes. Ecommerce Profit Tracker PRO lets you set up per-channel cost structures and see true net margin per product per platform. Built for sellers running multiple channels. Formula-only, no macros, works in Excel and Google Sheets. One-time $19.
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