Etsy takes a 6.5% transaction fee on every sale, plus 3% payment processing, plus 15% offsite ads if you cross $10K/year. Here's the math that should make you consider your own site.
Etsy used to be the obvious place to sell handmade goods. For a lot of small sellers, it still is. But the fees have crept up — and they're higher than most sellers realize.
The fee stack
Here's what Etsy takes on every sale:
- 6.5% transaction fee on the sale price (including shipping)
- 3% payment processing fee (in the US, UK, Canada)
- 15% offsite ads fee if you opt in (mandatory if you crossed $10K/year)
- $0.20 listing fee per item, every 4 months
Do the math: on a $50 sale, the seller pockets $50 minus 9.5% (transaction + processing) = $45.25. If you're paying for offsite ads, it's $50 minus ~24.5% = $37.75.
What you get for those fees
A page on Etsy's marketplace. Some SEO juice. Their brand recognition. Their payment infrastructure. None of which you own.
Your customer list lives in Etsy's database. Your reviews are on Etsy's domain. If Etsy changes its rules (and it does — regularly), you adapt or you leave.
The alternative
A CLEWY Site costs a flat one-time fee. After that, you only pay the payment processor — roughly 2.5% per sale. That's it.
You keep your customer list. Your reviews live on your domain. Your SEO compounds year over year instead of being rented by the month.
The math isn't subtle. If you're selling $5K/month on Etsy, you're handing them ~$475. A CLEWY Site pays for itself in less than six months, and then it keeps paying.