Shopify vs Etsy
Shopify vs. Etsy 2023: Which Is the Best for Your Online Business?
Shopify offers no listing fees, unlimited products, and more control of your website.
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Why Choose Shopify vs. Etsy
Key features |
Etsy |
Shopify |
|---|---|---|
| No listing fees | No | Yes |
| No transaction fees on Shopify or Etsy Payments | 3–6.5% | Yes |
| Unlimited products | Yes | Yes |
| HTML and CSS editing | No | Yes |
| 24/7 support | Yes | 24/7 in English |
| Buyer facing app | Yes | with Shop |
| Customizable | No | Yes |
| First-party POS system | No | Yes |
| Custom domain name | No | Yes |
| Dropshipping allowed | No | Yes |
| Own customer list | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan | No | Yes |
| Detailed reporting | No | Yes |
| Subdomain included | Yes | Yes |
| Available app store | No | Yes |
| Mobile app for merchants | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in blog CMS | No | Yes |
| Scalable for merchants | No | Yes |
| Built for makers | Yes | Yes |
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9 Things Shopify Can Do vs Etsy
Own your marketing
On Shopify, you can own your own email list, website, and audience whereas on Etsy you don’t. Shopify gives you more control over your marketing as you’re the owner of your website. Since Etsy is a marketplace, you reap the benefits of free traffic but you can’t remarket to that audience after the sale is made. On Shopify, you can run retargeting ads for abandoned carts or even send that user an email. The ability to own your marketing is one of the best features of choosing Shopify over Etsy even at first glance the marketplace seems enticing.
No listing fees
On Shopify, you can upload an unlimited number of products for the same monthly price plan you sign-up for. On Etsy the listing fee is $0.20 USD per product added to your page. However, on Etsy, it’s not a one time fee. The fee renews every four months if it isn’t sold within that period. If you have over 1,000 Etsy products listed on your website for a full year that would equal $800 USD for listings alone. If you plan to grow your product inventory, Shopify may turn out to be more affordable.
Become a unicorn
Shopify vs Etsy: which hosts billion dollar businesses? Since Shopify allows merchants to own their own website, entrepreneurs can grow their business valuation to over $1 billion dollars. Some Shopify stores have already done this.
Made to scale
Shopify businesses are scalable allowing you to start out small and grow into a household brand. On Etsy, you aren’t promoting your brand but your products. Shopify allows you to promote both your business and products to help you build a successful brand. Shopify is built for small, medium, and large ecommerce businesses.
Unlimited products
Shopify allows unlimited products on all price plans. One of the benefits of this is you can test or experiment with different trending products to see which converts the most sales. On Etsy, there are listing fees which limit the number of products you can add based on your budget. Plus, since not all products sell well, you won’t need to worry about losing money with tacked on fees on Shopify.
More control
On Shopify, you can design your product page anyway you like. There are countless theme designs (plus you can also do HTML and CSS editing) to alter your website to improve conversions. On Etsy, you need to adhere to their website’s layout with minimal ability to alter things beyond pictures or copy.
Less competition
When comparing Shopify vs Etsy, it’s clear that competition exists. Though the competition is less visible on Shopify allowing you to find nooks and crannies where you can promote your business away from competitors. You can market your business on any social platform, ad platform, with email lists, and so much more without direct competitors around your listing. On Etsy, when a customer browses a search term, your product blends with hundreds of competitor products making it harder to compete and stand out.
Less price competing
Shopify商人可以设定自己的价格反映ive of the product quality and brand reputation. On a marketplace like Etsy, price competition is more common causing sellers to lower their prices to stay competitive.
More sales
When looking at Shopify vs Etsy you might be wondering which platform generates more sales for merchants. Etsy sellers made over $10 billion USD in sales in 2020. Not bad. But Shopify merchants made $119 billion USD in sales the same year. Shopify even had a 96% increase when compared to 2019. When you compare Shopify vs Etsy in terms of GMV, Shopify merchants outperform.
Why Merchants Prefer Shopify to Etsy
Fewer product restrictions
When comparing Shopify and Etsy, Shopify has fewer product restrictions. On Etsy, you must personally handmake products, they must be vintage, or need to be a craft supply according to their website. Shopify prohibits certain products under its Acceptable Use Policy.
More flexibility for store design
On Shopify, you can design your website anyway you want. You can choose from dozens of themes, edit code, and brand your website your way. As Etsy is a marketplace, you’re limited at changing the structure of your collection and product pages.
Own your domain name
When comparing Shopify vs Etsy, Shopify allows you to set up your own domain name for your website. This domain name is an asset as you’ll build domain authority by building a brand around it, increasing website traffic, and so forth. Etsy and Shopify also offer subdomains.
Countless integrations
The Shopify App Store has over 6,000 apps that allow you to run an online store with greater efficiency.
First-party POS system
Shopify has a first party POS System called Shopify POS which allows merchants to sell their products in person. Etsy has a Square integration that offers this feature but it is a third party who offers it.
24/7 support
Shopify support is available 24/7, no matter which plan you’re on. You’ll also have access to help docs, webinars, blog posts, and online courses to guide you along the way.
Own an asset
On Shopify, you’ll own an asset that you can sell, such as a domain name, a brand, products, social media accounts, and an email list. On Etsy, you only own your inventory.
No transaction fees
When comparing Shopify vs Etsy, Shopify has lower transaction fees. On Etsy, transaction fees are 6.5% on the sale price or 3-4% when using Etsy Payments. Shopify charges only 0.5-2% on the sale price and it doesn’t charge transaction fees when merchants useShopify Payments.
We’ve been able to build something in 3 years that a lot of brands haven’t actually gotten to in 10 years.
Chioma,Cee Cee’s Closet NYC
Learn More About Shopify
Start your 3-day free trial today
Try Shopify for free, and explore all the tools and services you need to start, run, and grow your business.
Try Shopify free for 3 days, no credit card required. By entering your email, you agree to receive marketing emails from Shopify.
FAQs
What is the difference between Shopify and Etsy?
When comparing the difference between Shopify vs Etsy, Shopify empowers you to build your own website whereas Etsy is a marketplace. Shopify enables merchants to build their own brands, own their marketing, and create an asset. Shopify allows merchants to grow from small to medium to household brands.
How to push my Etsy products to Shopify
You can migrate your Etsy data to Shopify by going to Settings > Options > Download Data in the Etsy dashboard. Shopify also has a Store Importer tool that allows you to export products, customers, orders, and order items from Etsy to Shopify.
How to sell on Etsy from Shopify
Using a third-party app from the Shopify App Store you can also upload your Shopify products to Etsy.
Which is cheaper: Etsy or Shopify?
When comparing Etsy vs Shopify pricing, it ultimately depends on how many products you sell. While Shopify has a monthly subscription, there are no product listing fees and you’re able to sell an unlimited number of products. On Etsy, the quarterly listing fees from unsold listings can add up if you have a large product collection.
Which is better: Etsy or Shopify?
If you’re selling handmade products, craft supplies, or vintage pieces, Etsy has a pre-built audience on their marketplace making them a good choice. However, if you plan to sell products in categories such as fashion, home decor, automotive, kitchen, or any other popular niche, your best bet is Shopify as there’s fewer product restrictions.
Who makes more money Etsy or Shopify Users?
In 2020, Shopify merchants made $119 billion in GMV whereas Etsy users earned $10 billion in GMV. At the end of 2020, Etsy connected 4,400,000 sellers and Shopify powered millions of merchants.
How to dropship from Etsy to Shopify
A third party dropshipping app from the Shopify App store can enable you to dropship from Etsy to Shopify.
Which is Better for selling artwork: Etsy or Shopify?
You can sell your artwork on Shopify with no listing fees allowing you to sell higher quantities of original artwork on your store.
Who takes the most of sales Etsy or Shopify?
Unlike Etsy, Shopify doesn’t charge listing fees or transaction fees (when using Shopify Payments) allowing you to keep more of your earnings.
How to link your Etsy to Shopify
You can find third party Etsy integration apps on the Shopify App store.
Page last updated: May 4th, 2022
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