The 7 Best Etsy Alternatives for Your Handmade Business

If you currently sell your handmade or vintage items on Etsy but are looking for alternatives, you’ve come to the right place! In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explore the top 7 platforms that can help you take your Etsy shop to the next level.

After years of steadily increasing fees, many Etsy sellers are feeling burned and ready to leave the site behind. In 2021 alone, Etsy raised transaction fees from 5% to 6.5%, and in 2022 they bumped up charges again to stake a massive 30% of each sale. While Etsy remains popular with over 7.5 million active sellers, these fee hikes have prompted many to seek out alternatives.

When weighing your options, it’s important to look at the full picture including fees and commissions, features to support eCommerce operations like shipping and inventory management, marketing and audience reach, design flexibility and ease of use, and the overall support experience. The right fit will depend on your business’s specific needs and trajectory.

To help you identify the best Etsy competitor for YOUR handmade business, let’s explore the top 7 alternatives:

Shopify – A Robust eCommerce Platform for Ambitious Sellers

If you‘re looking for a powerful standalone eCommerce store, Shopify is likely the closest Etsy alternative in terms of features and capabilities. The platform is used by over 1 million businesses worldwide and offers a robust set of tools to build and customize a professional online shop.

Some of the key advantages Shopify provides include:

No listing fees – Rather than paying per item like Etsy, Shopify uses a straightforward monthly subscription model starting at $29/month for Shopify Basic. This predictable cost structure helps you budget and control expenses.
Powerful eCommerce functionality – Shopify equips you with the back end tools you need for a polished customer experience including inventory management, shipping calculators, discounts and coupons, collections, and support for multiple payment options like PayPal, Stripe, and over 100 others.
Integrations galore – Shopify offers an App Store with thousands of integrations so you can connect the tools you already use to your store. Popular additions include email marketing apps, accounting software, customer service chatbots, and more.
Control over design – Shopify gives you full control to design a storefront that aligns with your brand. Use one of their professionally designed themes and customize it further, or code your own layout from scratch.
Made to scale – One of Shopify‘s strengths is the platform grows with your business. As you expand, you can upgrade to Shopify‘s higher level plans to access more advanced functionality. Shopify Plus caters to enterprise brands doing over $1 million in annual sales.

As one of the leading eCommerce platforms, Shopify does require more work upfront to drive traffic and build an audience compared to Etsy‘s built-in marketplace of buyers. But with the right digital marketing strategy, Shopify stores can certainly thrive. Sellers looking for a customizable, full-featured eCommerce solution should have Shopify high on their list!

Amazon Handmade – Tap into Amazon‘s Massive Audience

If gaining instant access to millions of buyers is your top priority, Amazon Handmade provides another excellent Etsy alternative.

As a dedicated marketplace for artisans and crafters, Amazon Handmade offers the benefit of letting makers sell their unique, handcrafted goods right on Amazon‘s extremely popular site. In 2021, Amazon accounted for 38.7% of U.S. retail ecommerce sales, so gaining exposure on Amazon can be a huge win.

Specific advantages of using Amazon Handmade include:

Massive buyer reach– According to Amazon, they drive billions of visits to their handmade shops each year. Listing your items on Amazon instantly gives you access to their 195+ million Prime members.
Simplified selling process – Creating listings and managing orders, payments, shipping, and returns can be done easily using Amazon‘s centralized Seller Central dashboard.
Use Fulfillment by Amazon – Opt to have Amazon warehouse, pack, and ship items through their FBA service so you can fully outsource order logistics.
Low fees– To sell on Amazon Handmade, you pay a reasonable 12-15% referral fee on each item sold. There are no additional monthly subscription costs like other platforms.

The main tradeoff is less control over your brand identity since Amazon Handmade doesn‘t provide your own customized storefront. You‘re essentially listing products directly on Amazon‘s site. But if you want high visibility and access to their loyal customer base, Handmade is a great fit.

Weebly – Build an Affordable Online Storefront

If a customized storefront on a budget is your goal, Weebly makes it surprisingly easy and affordable to build a professional looking website and add eCommerce functionality.

Weebly packs an impressive set of features into their free and low-cost plans:

Intuitive drag and drop builder – No design experience needed! Weebly‘s editor lets anyone create a polished site by dragging, dropping, and customizing elements.
A free plan – Weebly‘s basic free tier allows you to create a custom domain site, sell digital downloads, and access surprisingly robust features. Perfect for dipping your toes into eCommerce.
Affordable pricing – To unlock features like selling physical products, the Weebly Personal plan is just $6 per month. Compare that to Shopify‘s $29+ monthly charge.
Integrations – Weebly plays nice with many apps, tools, and payment processors like Square and PayPal so you can connect services you already use.
Great support – Phone, chat, and email support comes standard. Common questions are covered by Weebly‘s extensive self-help options like guides and webinars.

Potential drawbacks are the lack of a native payment gateway and limited inventory management. But for sellers wanting a low-cost, low-commitment way to test an Etsy competitor, Weebly is hard to beat.

Squarespace – Build a Sophisticated Online Presence

For sellers who value aesthetics, Squarespace is one of the most visually impressive Etsy alternatives. The web building platform is famed for its beautifully designed templates that make it easy for anyone to create a polished online presence.

Here‘s a look at some of Squarespace‘s best features:

Gorgeous designs – Squarespace is celebrated in the web design community for its gallery-worthy templates. The layouts look spectacular right out of the box while still offering ample customization.
Built-in commerce – Squarespace‘s eCommerce tools provide total control over your product catalog, promotions and discounts, taxes and shipping rates, and inventory.
Integrated payments – The Squarespace Commerce plan includes Stripe integration so you can accept payments right on site. Transactions are securely managed by Stripes with competitive processing rates.
Robust blogging and SEO – Squarespace makes it easy to launch a beautiful blog to provide content that attracts new customers. SEO tools help drive search traffic.
24/7 real person support – Squarespace‘s stellar customer service team is available around the clock via live chat or phone. The company prides itself on helpful people-powered support.

Potential downsides are the lack of a free plan and extra transaction fees ( typically 3-4%) in addition to credit card processing on eCommerce transactions. But for sellers who want a truly first-class online presence, Squarespace delivers.

Big Cartel – An Intuitive Platform for Small Shops

Big Cartel appealingly targets small shops, boutiques, designers, and artists. The platform keeps things streamlined and affordable.

Some of Big Cartel‘s advantages include:

Very affordable – Big Cartel offers a forever free plan allowing you to sell up to 5 products. Paid subscriptions start at just $9.99/month with no transaction fees.
Quick setup – Listing your first products and customizing your theme can be done in under an hour. The interface is praised for its simplicity.
Built-in payments – Big Cartel handles your checkouts and payments by integrating with Stripe. Transactions are securely processed on site.
Promotion tools – Seamlessly connect and showcase products on Instagram, Facebook, and other social networks right from your Big Cartel dashboard.
Top-notch support – Friendly and knowledgeable email support is standard on all Big Cartel‘s paid plans.

Downsides are the lack of robust features for managing large inventories. But for sellers with smaller collections, Big Cartel strikes an ideal balance of affordability and simplicity.

Wix – Extensive Free Plan

Wix is a popular all-in-one web development platform used by over 200 million people worldwide to create websites, stores, and blogs.

For sellers seeking an Etsy alternative, Wix provides:

A fully-featured free plan – Wix‘s Free Connect plan supplies a custom domain, 500MB storage, 2GB bandwidth, and many features unavailable for free on competitors.
Intuitive editor – Wix uses an easy drag and drop editor so you can build exactly the store you envision without needing to know code.
Professionally designed templates – Use one of Wix‘s templates or start fully from scratch using their customizable layouts and design elements.
Scalable pricing – As your store grows, you can upgrade to Wix‘s eCommerce plans to unlock additional features like shipping discounts and abandoned cart recovery.

The one major limitation is the inability to process payments at the free level. But Wix‘s generous free offering makes it one of the most affordable ways to test the eCommerce waters after Etsy.

IndieMade – Sync Your Store Across Etsy and Your Own Site

For sellers not quite ready to fully jump ship from Etsy, IndieMade offers an interesting middle ground. The platform lets you create your own independent online store that you can sync seamlessly with your existing Etsy shop.

Some of the advantages of IndieMade include:

Automatic Etsy sync – Product listings, inventory, and orders all stay automatically updated across both your Etsy shop and IndieMade store.
30 day free trial – Test drive IndieMade for a month risk-free, no credit card required. Paid subscriptions start at an affordable $4.95/month.
Turnkey setup– Pick a design template, connect your Etsy shop in a few clicks, and your synced storefront is ready to roll.
Built-in analytics – IndieMade provides reports and insight into your sales, revenue, traffic and more so you can optimize your shop.

For sellers wanting to maintain their Etsy presence while also testing the eCommerce waters, IndieMade is a unique solution. The platform aims to provide a more affordable alternative to Shopify particularly for handmade businesses.

Evaluating Etsy Alternatives Based on YOUR Goals

When surveying the Etsy alternatives landscape, first get crystal clear on your priorities:

Audience reach – If tapping into existing buyer traffic is key, Etsy competitors like Amazon Handmade can instantly provide that. Otherwise more marketing effort may be required.
Cost factors – Consider monthly subscription fees if applicable plus transaction costs. Etsy alternatives range from Shopify‘s $29+/month to Big Cartel‘s $9.99 plans or Wix‘s generous free tier.
Must-have features – Determine which eCommerce functionality like shipping, tax calculation, and inventory management is essential to operate your business efficiently.
Design flexibility – Look at themes and customization options to evaluate if you can create a storefront suiting your brand vision.
Ease of use – Factor in your appetite and ability to learn new technology. Platforms like Weebly, Big Cartel, and Wix are extra user-friendly.
Seller support – Review available support channels like email, chat, forums, and knowledge bases. Good customer service can save the day when issues arise.

The ideal Etsy alternative depends entirely on your business‘s unique situation and aspirations. By carefully weighing pros and cons against your needs, you can confidently choose the best home for your handmade shop.

I hope this overview provides a helpful starting point to explore your options beyond Etsy. Wishing you success as you grow your handmade business!