Etsy - the practical guide.

Etsy is the dominant marketplace for handmade, vintage, craft and personalised goods. Founded in 2005, it has 90M+ active buyers and is the default discovery channel for small makers, jewellery designers, print-on-demand sellers and craft suppliers. It also owns Depop (resale fashion) and Reverb (musical instruments).

Independent makers, craft brands, print-on-demand sellers, vintage dealers and small art studios. Strong for personalised and gift categories. Not a fit for mass-produced goods (Etsy enforces handmade/vintage/craft supply rules), commodity products, or brands that want full DTC control.

$0.20 listing fee per item (4-month listings, renewable). 6.5% transaction fee on sale price plus shipping. Payment processing fees (typically ~3% + $0.25 in the US). Etsy Ads optional, paid via daily budget. Etsy Plus subscription ($10/month) adds extra credits and shop features.

Right for handmade, vintage and craft sellers wanting access to Etsy's gift-shopping audience without building a brand from scratch. Wrong fit for mass-manufactured goods or when you need to own customer relationships - Etsy heavily restricts marketing to buyers off-platform.

Fee stack adds up - account for ~10-15% all-in on most sales. Algorithm changes can crater shop traffic without warning. Print-on-demand and dropshipping rules are tightening; Etsy may suspend sellers it judges non-handmade. Customer data sharing is restricted. Build a DTC site in parallel as long-term insurance.