When it comes to online sales, every commission matters — and it is the comparison between Shopify and Etsy commissions that can be the key to increasing profits. Whether you're creating designer jewelry, selling vintage treasures, or managing a growing e-commerce brand, it's important to understand how Etsy and Shopify commissions differ and how they impact your financial performance.

Don't you overpay on Etsy for each item's placement and transaction fees? Or maybe Shopify's monthly subscription combined with app spending is eating away at your profits? In this detailed guide, we'll break down Shopify and Etsy commissions by comparing them for different types of sellers. In the end, you will get a clear idea of which platform best suits your goals, helps reduce costs and ensures business growth.

Let's find a commission structure that works just for you! And don't forget to check out our final Shopify vs. Etsy breakdown to see other aspects of this comparison.

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Shopify commissions at a glance

Shopify's pricing structure is more complicated than it seems at first glance. Here's a detailed breakdown to help you understand what you're paying for and how it relates to Etsy commissions:

Monthly Subscription

Shopify offers tariff plans based on the size of your business:

• The Basic Plan: Ideal for beginners — approximately $29 per month.
• Shopify Plan: For growing businesses — close $79 per month.
• Plano avanzada: Designed for large-scale brands with high sales volume — $299 per month.

Hidden costs

While Shopify provides flexibility, additional costs may appear unnoticed:

• Premium Themes: Stylish, customizable designs can cost from $100 or more. Although they are not mandatory, many sellers choose them to enhance the look of the store.
• Third-party applications: Tools for email marketing, inventory management or SEO can cost from $5 to over $200 per month, depending on the functionality.

Transaction and payment processing fees

One of the key points in the Shopify vs Etsy comparison is the cost of handling sales:

• Bank card processing commission: For the Basic plan, Shopify charges about 2.9% + $0.30for every online sale. In higher tariffs, this fee is slightly lower.
• Third-party payment gateway fee: If you're not using Shopify Payments, add more 1%per cada transacción.

Additional costs

Many sellers invest in additional opportunities to improve the operation of the store:

• Plugins and extensions: Tools for analytics, delivery automation, or customer support can cost from a few dollars to hundredsevery month.
• MarketingAdvertising or promotion is an individual expense that can increase rapidly.

Who Benefits Most from Shopify?

Shopify is best suited for the following merchants:

• Vendors with high sales: Fixed monthly payments are more profitable than paying for the placement of each product.
• Brand-focused entrepreneurs: For those who value creative freedom and powerful marketing tools, Shopify justifies the investment.

Understanding Shopify's pricing structure will help you make an informed decision — whether this platform meets your goals, or perhaps another option, such as Etsy, might be better suited.

A Brief Overview of Etsy Commissions

Etsy Commissions: A Complete Overview

💸 Commission for placing goods

Every time you create or update a product, Etsy charges $0.20.

• For sellers with a large assortment or seasonal collections, this can quickly accumulate.
• Ad active 4 monthsor by the time of sale — frequent updates mean more costs.

🧾 Transaction Commission

Etsy takes 6.5%from the total amount of the order, including delivery.

• For products with a high price or high sales volume, this model significantly reduces profits, especially when compared to Shopify's estimated fixed costs.

💳 Payment Processing Fee

System Etsy Paymentsis the main one in many countries. Usually charged about 6% + $0.30per transaction (the rate depends on the country).

• Combined with the transaction fee, the total costs are about 12%from each sale.

🌟 Additional options and advertising

Etsy offers paid tools to increase your reach:

• Subscribe to Etsy Plus— $10/month, gives advanced store settings and promotion bonuses.
• Etsy Advert— internal advertising in the marketplace (pay for clicks).
• Offsite Ads— if the purchase was made after clicking on an outdoor ad, Etsy takes another 15% of the commission(12% for those earning over $10,000 a year).

👉 For a detailed overview, see our Etsy commission analysis.

Who Feels Best on Etsy?

Etsy is great for:

• Masters with a small assortment: The commission on the product is not affordable, and Etsy's internal traffic helps you find buyers without much marketing spend.
• Hobby sellers and newbies: The lack of a mandatory monthly subscription makes Etsy a convenient option for those who are just testing e-commerce.

A simple Etsy model is a plus to start with. But with business expansion transaction fees start to eat up profits, so comparing Shopify vs Etsy is critical to a long-term strategy.

Comparing Shopify vs Etsy: Commission Table

When you choose between Shopify and Etsy, comparative tableThe best way to estimate costs. From subscriptions to payments and hidden commissions, everything affects business margins.

In this section we will present a clear table Shopify vs. Etsythat will help you determine which platform is best for you. It takes into account:

• Monthly Fee
• Transaction fees
• Payment Processing
• Hidden and additional costs

📊 Keep reading — and you will be able to choose the platform that suits your e-commerce goals and minimizes costs.

How do Shopify and Etsy commissions affect your profits?

Understanding how Shopify vs Etsy commissionsaffect margins — a critical step in choosing a platform for your business. The cost is not always on the surface — it depends on whatand howyou sell.

🔹 Expensive Goods: Shopify Advantage

For sellers of high value goods fixed Shopify subscriptionturns out to be more profitable than Etsy, where commissions depend on a percentage of sales.

Example: Selling an item for $1,000 on Etsy = $65 commission (6.5%) + commission to pay.
On Shopify Basic — only $29/month+ payment processing fee (~ 2.9% + $0.30).
📌 Conclusion: Shopify leaves you with more profit from each big sale.

🔹 Large catalogs: Shopify without limits

If you often add new products or have a large number of positions — $0.20 for each position on Etsyquickly accumulates.

Example: 500 items = $100 every 4 months.
Shopify allows unlimited number of goodswithout additional payment.
📌 Ideal for large-scale or dynamic online stores.

🔹 Marketing: Balance of costs and profits

• Etsy Adverthelps inside the marketplace, but Offsite Adscan shoot up to 15%from sale.
• Shopify.comallows you to run ads through Google, Meta, Pinterest, etc., but spending on apps and services should be controlled.

🔹 Hidden costs

• Shopify.com: Paid templates, third-party applications — can add hundreds of dollars every year.
• Etsy: Etsy Plus subscription, outdoor advertising fees — also affect profitability.

📌 The main: Knowing where additional costs are hidden is already half the success in optimizing them.

📈 Bottom line: Which platform is more profitable?

• If you sell expensive goodsor have a large number of positions---- Shopify.comwith projected costs more profitable.
• If you Beginner, do you work in a hobby mode or have a limited directory — Etsywith built-in traffic and no monthly payments perfect for a startup.

🛠 Firebear Import & Export Tool

💡 Ready to switch from Etsy to Shopify?
Use Firebear Import & Export Tool— import your products, customers and orders in just a few clicks, without errors and delays.
Save time — focus on scaling your business.

💡 Tips: How to reduce commissions on Shopify and Etsy

1. Group Products (Etsy)
   Combine colors and variations in one ad to save $0.20 for each option.
2. Use Shopify Payments
   This avoids +1% for third-party gateways.
3. Control advertising and app spending
   — On Etsy — test ads with a small budget.
   — In Shopify — use only the apps you need or choose multifunctional ones.
4. Choose the right tariff plan
   — Shopify: on high sales, switch to a higher tariff will reduce the% of fees.
   — Etsy Plus: make sure $10/mo really does bring in more sales.
5. Monthly cost audit
   — Shopify: check app subscriptions.
   — Etsy: track the performance of advertising campaigns.
6. Use free tools
   — Shopify has free templates and basic analytics.
   — Etsy — gives access to traffic statistics for free.

🧭 Conclusion: Which one to choose — Shopify or Etsy?

🔹 Etsy— ideal for beginners, hand-made designers, testing ideas.
🔹 Shopify.com— for those who build a brand, want to scale and control everything from A to Z.

🤔 Frequently asked questions

Is Shopify more expensive than Etsy?
Not always. For small sales, Etsy is cheaper. But Shopify is more profitable with high turnover.

Can I sell at the same time on Shopify and Etsy?
Yes! Many sellers use Shopify as a basis, and Etsy for extra traffic.

Why switch from Etsy to Shopify?
Due to greater flexibility, brand control and No placement feesgoods.

Can I migrate from Etsy to Shopify?
Yes, easily — with the help of Firebear Tool.

The main thing — analyze costs, compare performance, and choose the platform that will give the maximum result just for your business.
Be flexible, choose wisely — and let your business grow 🌱

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🚀 Need help choosing a platform or launching a store?

Our agency Ecom-Xspecializes in the development, promotion and optimization of stores on Shopify.comand Etsy. We will help you:

• determine the most profitable platform for your business
• make a competent migration from Etsy to Shopify,
• optimize commissions and increase margins,
• customize advertising, analytics, apps, and everything you need to grow.

📩 Contact us and we will help make your business more profitable.
Write now for a free consultation!

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