The High Cost of Etsy

Etsy just flat out takes advantage of creators with it’s high costs. Educating yourself on Etsy platform fees can save you a ton of money!

If you want to get started selling handmade goods online, you have probably considered or are on Etsy.

Etsy is one of the most notable online marketplaces. Founded in 2005, Etsy has provided a shopping platform for over 4.36 million sellers. 

The platform has its pros and cons. The biggest downfall of Etsy is the high selling fees and hidden costs. There are quite a lot of them and some hidden ones that can eat into your profit if you’re not careful. At every turn, it feels like sellers are being taken advantage of. We will break down the costs below.

Besides the high selling fees, keeping up with a platform can be overwhelming for those who are not tech-savvy. A lot of people just don’t have the technical knowledge or patience to upload a shop and set up appropriate tags and keywords.

We designed Cartisan with this in mind. For artisans, makers, and sellers of all kinds, it’s time to sign up for Cartisan. A hassle-free eCommerce platform that doesn’t involve unnecessary fees or tech experience.

So here’s how Cartisan compares to Etsy. First, let’s cover the costs. 

Cartisan Seller Fees:

Cartisan sellers only pay a 2% selling fee. For every sale you make, 2% of the final cost is what Cartisan receives. 

Credit Card Processing Fee:

The only other fee a seller will pay is to Stripe for credit card processing.

Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.35 per order. Cartisan does not make any money off of processing fees. 

No hidden fees or additional costs! 

Cartisan gives you “the seller” maximum profits with minimal selling fees. Our attractive 2% only selling fee means sellers get the most out of every sale.

• The Cartisan fee is only 2%
• Get your store live in 10 minutes
• Pic, Price & Post

In comparison, here is a breakdown of Etsy fees.

Etsy Seller Fees:

To sell on Etsy, you will need to pay a flat fee of $0.20 for each product/listing.

If you sell a product but want to keep the listing up, you will have to pay the $0.20 listing fee each time.

You pay listing fees on every item a customer purchases, so if they buy 5 items, you pay $1.00 in listing fees. If your product does not sell within 4 months, your listing will expire, and you will need to renew the product listing and pay another $0.20 for each product.

Transaction fees: 

Every time you make a sale, Etsy charges 6.5% as a transaction fee to the final price. This is after any discounts are applied and includes shipping, product customizations, and gift wrapping.

So, for example, if your customer’s order total comes out to $67, Etsy just made $4.35 off that transaction fee alone, and this doesn’t include the other fees.

Etsy has increased the transaction fees two times over the years:

July 16, 2018: From 3.5% to 5%

April 11, 2022: From 5% to 6.5%

Payment processing fee:

Etsy has its own payment processing system that most sellers use. The fees vary based on the location of your bank account. For most US sellers receiving money with a US bank account, the payment processing fee is $0.25 + 3% of the final price. The final price includes shipping, customizations, and gift wrapping.

Additional fees that are optional:

Sellers can opt-in to Etsy Plus, which is a $10 monthly subscription package.

Sellers can pay for Ads.

Onsite ads: On average, most sellers pay around $0.2-0.5 per click for an Etsy ad.

Offsite ads: The fee is 12% for sellers who made over $10,000 for the last 12 months and 15% for the rest of the sellers. For sellers who made over $10,000 over the last 12 months, offsite ads are compulsory and cannot be opted out of.

So as you can see, Etsy tacks on fees at every turn. The price you pay to sell on Etsy can make up about 20% of the total costs for most sellers, and you don’t want to overlook those details.

It’s easy to underestimate the amount of Etsy fees. This is especially true after the increase in transaction fees from 5% to 6.5% in April 2022.

Etsy Seller Cost

So, for example, let’s say you are selling a vintage tea set for $80 on Etsy.

 Here is a breakdown of what you will be charged as the seller.

Product price: $80

Shipping: $10

‍Product + shipping: $90

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Listing fee: $0.20

Transaction fee: 6.5% * (Product price + shipping) = $5.85

Payment processing fee: 3% * (product price + shipping) + $0.25 = $2.95

Total Etsy fees: $9.00

% of Etsy fees of total costs: 11.25%

Compare to Cartisan 

Product price: $80

Shipping: $10

‍Product + shipping: $90

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Selling fee: 2% * (product price – does not include shipping) = $1.60

Payment processing fee: Stripe charge 2.9% * (Product price + shipping) + $0.35 = $2.96

Total Cartisan fees: $4.56

% of Cartisan fees of total costs: 5.07%

Cartisan takes out all the guesswork and additional fee surprises. We have made it clear and simple for anyone to get their shop online hassle-free. Cartisan sellers know exactly what to expect, with no hidden costs or unnecessary fees.

Cartisan is not just a better choice for your pocketbook, but it also saves you the frustration of dealing with tech platforms and time-consuming processes.