Etsy wins. List products in minutes. Shopify takes a few hours to set up properly.
Etsy wins. 96 million active buyers already searching. Shopify starts with zero traffic. You must drive visitors with ads or SEO.
Shopify wins. $29/month + 2.9% + 30¢ payment processing. Etsy charges: $0.20 listing fee + 6.5% transaction fee + 3% payment processing. Total: 9.5% + 20¢ per sale.
Shopify wins. Complete control over your brand and customer experience. Etsy limits branding. Your shop looks like every other Etsy shop.
Shopify wins. You own all customer data and can remarket to them. Etsy limits customer communication. They can buy from competitors easily.
Shopify wins. Customers shop only your products. Etsy shows competitor listings on your pages.
Etsy: Handmade, vintage, and craft sellers who want quick sales. Shopify: Serious business owners building a brand for long-term value.
Start on Etsy for quick sales. Build your Shopify store in parallel. Drive Etsy customers to Shopify with packaging inserts. Eventually phase out Etsy as your Shopify traffic grows.
