Etsy Alternatives for Crafty Entrepreneurs

13 Etsy alternatives you can join today

Crafty entrepreneurs who want to start selling online have excellent options. Here are 13 Etsy alternatives that are affordable, easy to use and popular with shoppers.

1. Amazon Handmade

If you want to start selling on Amazon but don’t think your homemade wares are appropriate, think again. Amazon Handmade is a marketplace for artisans looking to sell their products to a mass audience of hundreds of millions of people. All products in your Amazon Handmade 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 its many categories, including jewelry, artwork, apparel and personal care. Listings are free, and there’s no limit to how many items you can post. 

Selling on Amazon costs $39.99 per month, but the fee is waived for approved sellers after the first month. Amazon takes a 15 percent cut of every sale. 

2. Big Cartel

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

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

There are three plan choices, ranging from five products (the free option) to 500 products. The platform offers resources such as Google Analytics and inventory tracking in its $15 and $30 monthly plans. It also integrates with some of the best credit card processing companies, making payment acceptance seamless. While you’ll pay typical credit card processing fees, Big Cartel doesn’t charge a transaction fee. 

3. eBay

E-commerce giant eBay can be an excellent Etsy alternative because 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, and branding tools. 

You’ll pay several fee types on items you sell through eBay:

• Insertion fee: You can list up to 250 items for free every month, but you’ll pay a 35-cent listing fee for each item beyond that. 
• Final value fee: eBay also charges a final value fee, which is often structured in tiers. For example, if you sell jewelry and watches, you’ll pay 15 percent on the first $1,000 of your sale. You’ll pay 6.5 percent on the portion of your sale between $1,000 and $7,500. You’ll then pay 3 percent on the remainder of the sale plus a flat fee of 30 cents. 
• Store subscription fee: If you have an eBay Store (instead of just listing your products), you must pay a store subscription fee. Annual plan prices range from $4.95 per month for an annual Starter plan to $2,999.95 per month for a yearly 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.

4. 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 its community forum, where you can connect with buyers and share experiences with other sellers. You get 100 percent of the sales you bring to your store. If you get a sale through eCRATER’s advertising or central marketplace, you’ll receive a bill for a 2.9 percent marketplace fee. You’re not required to pay it, although your listings may be promoted less frequently if you don’t. 

5. Facebook

Business users with a Facebook Marketplace presence 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 the platform. Either way, shoppers can directly message you through your Facebook Marketplace page. 

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

6. iCraft

Based in Ontario, Canada, iCraft only allows sellers who make art, crafts and fashion items by hand. You can also let buyers know you are accepting custom project requests. Setting up a store is easy, too. 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.

7. IndieMade

IndieMade is a one-stop shop for artists. The site handles everything needed for marketing, managing and building an effective business 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, online coupons and much more. There are no listing fees, and you can sign up for a free trial. 

8. 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.

9. 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 products, and jewelry. Setting up a shop is free, but there are small listing fees (0.2 pounds, which comes to about 25 cents) and a 3 percent commission on each sale. 

10. Shopify

With Shopify, you get more than just a marketplace. You can create an online store and get a custom domain and website design even without prior knowledge or experience. 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 200 store themes.

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

To save money on postage, you can get shipping labels and estimated shipping costs directly from Shopify. 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.

11. Society6

If you fancy yourself an artist and want to try your hand at selling your work, Society6 is the perfect opportunity. You must have a valid PayPal account 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 that include your art, such as T-shirts and laptop skins. Society6 automatically sets a 10 percent markup on your products, which is the amount you’ll earn. However, you can boost this amount to as high as 999 percent to further increase your earnings.

12. 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 $35 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 (or the highest sellers) has custom pricing and allows for unlimited product listings. There is a no-transaction-fee option if you use Volusion’s payment gateway powered by Stripe, and you can sign up for a free trial.

13. Redbubble

Home to more than 700,000 independent creatives, Redbubble prides itself on helping sellers place their designs on over 70 products to express themselves. To make production easier on the designer, Redbubble prints everything for you — all you have to do is create a design. 

Redbubble has three account tiers for sellers: Standard, Premium and Pro. Redbubble Standard is for new creators, while those who have built a following and a unique brand are classified under Redbubble Premium. Once you become a top seller, you’ll be labeled a Redbubble Pro. You can set your profit margins to your desired percentage to determine your earnings.

Finding the best marketplace for your creative mind

Choosing the right online marketplace for your handmade products depends on various factors, including the type of products you sell, your target audience and your budget. While Etsy is a popular choice, exploring alternatives like Facebook, Volusion, eBay, and others can provide advantages that better align with your business needs. By understanding each platform’s features, fee structures and benefits, you can make an informed decision that will help you reach more customers and grow your craft business successfully.

Amanda Clark contributed to this article.