Etsy or your own website for handmade products?
Choose between Etsy and your own online shop. Compare how buyers find you, what you control and the selling costs, with checked sources.
Your shop
How you present what you make
Selling costs
What you pay to start and sell
Finding buyers
How people discover your products
Your next order
How you organise products and orders
Who each one suits
Choosing Etsy vs your own website comes down to where you want to sell and how people will find you. Etsy gives you a shop inside its marketplace. Your own website gives your brand a separate place to buy. Consider Etsy for marketplace discovery, and your own shop when you want a shop link to share with your audience. Neither guarantees sales.26
Etsy can suit a maker who wants to join an existing marketplace. Formahand can suit a maker who wants a separate shop and no monthly fee to start. You still need to help people discover your products.12
Features
Swipe the table to see both options.
| What matters | Your own shop on Formahand | Etsy marketplace shop |
|---|---|---|
| Where you sell | A separate storefront for your brand6 | A shop within Etsy's marketplace2 |
| How buyers find you | Share your shop link and build your own audience6 | Buyers can browse or search Etsy; visibility is not guaranteed2 |
| Design | Choose and edit your shop's theme6 | Use Etsy's shop and listing format2 |
| Best starting point | You want a standalone shop with no monthly fee to start1 | You want to sell within a creative-goods marketplace2 |
A practical choice: start where you can explain your products clearly and reach likely buyers. Having both shops can be useful, but it also means keeping stock and orders organised in two places. Do not assume they stay in sync.
Pricing
Swipe the table to see both options.
| Cost | Formahand Free | Etsy marketplace |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly plan | $01 | Etsy Standard does not require a monthly subscription; optional paid services exist3 |
| Card payment | 3.9% + 30¢1 | Payment processing fees depend on your bank account's country3 |
| Listing and sale fees | Check the full included tools and fees on the pricing page1 | $0.20 USD per listing, plus a 6.5% transaction fee; these do not include payment processing3 |
| Other costs to check | Postage, your domain registration and any services you choose16 | A setup fee may apply; advertising, currency conversion and country-specific charges may also apply3 |
This is a comparison of Etsy's marketplace with a Formahand shop, not Etsy Pattern. The Etsy transaction fee also applies to shipping and gift wrapping. Read the fee rules for your country before deciding. Prices and policies were checked on 6 October 2026.3
Moving your store
- Download your active Etsy listing information from Shop Manager, under Settings → Options → Download Data. Keep the original file.4
- Use the listing export to prepare your product information. In Formahand, choose Import products (CSV) on Home and match the name, price and other columns. Review the import before confirming.5
- Check photos, product options, stock and delivery settings in the new shop. Customers, orders, discounts and redirects are not brought across by the product import.5
- Share your standalone shop through your own channels. Etsy prohibits moving Etsy transactions off its platform.3
See the moving your store guide for the import steps, or start with your first handmade collection. You can also add a small collection by hand instead of importing everything. A finished shop with a few clear products is easier to launch than an unfinished shop with a large catalog.
Questions
Is Etsy or my own website better for a first shop?
Does opening my own shop bring customers automatically?
No. A shop gives people a place to buy. You still need to help them find it, through your own audience, useful content or other channels.
Can I keep Etsy and open a separate shop?
You can plan for both, but keep their orders and stock organised separately. Follow Etsy's rules, including its prohibition on moving Etsy transactions off the platform.3
Sources
- Formahand plan prices and card ratesChecked on
- Etsy is a marketplace for creative goods; shop setup and selling toolsChecked on
- Etsy listing, transaction, payment, setup and advertising fees; off-platform transactionsChecked on
- Etsy listing exportChecked on
- Formahand product import and what is not transferredChecked on
- Formahand shop design and domain settingsChecked on