Sell on Etsy vs Own Website? – Etsy Fees vs Website Calculator
Should you Sell on Etsy or Own Website?
Which is better: Etsy vs own website? Seems like so many sellers have a love/hate relationship with Etsy. One minute your shop is running smoothly: orders are flowing in, customers are leaving you 5-star reviews, and all is good in the world. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, your sales slow to a mere trickle. It’s like Etsy just shut off your shop. Now what?
Whenever Etsy announces a fee increase or your Etsy sales slow down or you hear yet another seller complaining that their shop got shut down completely for no reason, you probably wonder if it’s time to jump ship and get your own website.
I am in a lot of Facebook Groups for handmade sellers and I see the same type of posts come up again and again and again.
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Sellers want to know which is better – Etsy or their own website?
“Should I sell my handmade products on Etsy or my own website?”
The answer to questions like this is not that simple.
It doesn’t have to be an EITHER / OR scenario. I think the best online strategy it to utilize BOTH Etsy and your own website. It’s also difficult to compare because it’s like apples to oranges.
Etsy vs Website – What’s the difference?
Etsy is a marketplace that connects handmade sellers to shoppers looking for unique handmade items. There is already traffic on the site and it’s a great way to get found by new people. But the fees are higher (rightfully so).
Your own website is different. When you launch your site, you’re on your own. That is a pro and a con. There are many great reasons you should have your own website. Your visitors are not 1 click away from your competitor’s shop! Your own website is great for branding, tailoring the customer experience, and for developing customer loyalty. But you have to drive all your own traffic.
Each platform has its own merits and drawbacks. You can compare fees associated with selling on Etsy vs own website and that can help you to understand when it’s the right time to launch your own website.
Stay on Etsy or Launch your own Website? When is the right time?
Here’s a recent video I published to help you figure out if you are better off selling on Etsy only for now or branching out to your own website – because it really depends on where you are in your business. If you branch out to a website too soon, you’ll waste precious time. If you wait too long, you’ll be paying more Etsy fees than necessary.
Etsy Fees vs Your Own Website Expenses – Compare Fees
When it comes to comparing the costs involved, it’s not as simple as just saying one is cheaper than the other. Because it depends. The fees involved with Etsy are extremely variable and depend on many factors, namely your sales volume and average order value.
So being the geek I am, I created a spreadsheet calculator so that I could fiddle around with hypothetical numbers and compare.
For every shop, there is a tipping point where it’s going to be more affordable to conduct your sales on your own website. The purpose of the spreadsheet is to enter your shop’s stats and get an estimate / idea on which platform is going to be more cost effective.
I recently created an updated version of my calculator & video to explain the website vs Etsy calculator. I originally created both back in 2018. Since the recent Etsy Announcement regarding 6.5% transaction fee effective April 11, 2022, I knew it was time for an update. This is a video walkthrough showing you how to compare your Etsy shop fees vs what it would cost you to make those sales on your own website.
My goal with that video is to explain etsy fees vs your own website expenses based on the % of traffic that YOU control and that you currently drive to your shop.
Make sure you grab your own copy of the calculator spreadsheet. I made it using Google Sheets so that you can copy it to your own Drive and then edit your own copy.
🌟 Get the Etsy Fees vs Website Calculator – Click Here 🌟
Shopify or WordPress or Something Else? I got you covered.
This calculator is helpful regardless of which website platform you plan to use. Most Etsy sellers seem to assume Shopify is the best, but there is no one-size-fits-all best ecommerce platform. Use the calculator to compare Etsy vs WordPress or Etsy vs Shopify. Just change the annual website expenses field to reflect those costs.
For example if you want to compare on a per-year basis, here are some basic figures to use:
– WordPress Site 1st year ≈ $57-89/yr ($9 domain + Hosting at the intro rate, paid upfront)
– WordPress Site ongoing ≈ $189-309/yr ($9 domain + Hosting ongoing annual rate)
– Shopify Basic Site annual ≈ $188/yr ($14 domain + Shopify Hosting, paid 1 year upfront)
– Shopify Basic Site monthly ≈ $362/yr ($14 domain + Shopify Hosting, paid monthly)
– Wix Business Unltd 1st year ≈ $384/yr (Wix Hosting, w/ ecommerce sales + tax calc, paid monthly)
Your website hosting expenses will vary depending on which website platform you choose and hosting plan. You may also have other website-related expenses if you choose to invest in premium themes, plugins/apps, etc.
If you have any questions join my FREE Facebook Group for handmade sellers and ask in there! – JOIN: Creative Biz Clubhouse
Post Updated: July 15, 2022
