For most handmade sellers, Etsy takes less of your money: about 10–11% of an order versus Amazon Handmade’s flat 15% referral fee. That gap flips in one situation — if a big share of your Etsy sales come through Offsite Ads (adding 12–15%), Handmade can actually cost less while giving you the Prime badge. Here’s the full 2026 comparison, dollar by dollar.
Both platforms let artisans sell handcrafted goods to a huge audience. But their fee philosophies are opposites. Etsy nickel-and-dimes you with small fees that add up. Amazon Handmade takes one clean 15% cut and waives its $39.99 monthly Professional fee for approved makers. Which one wins depends on your price point, your ad exposure, and how you fulfill orders. Let’s run the same product through both.
Start with your Etsy numbers
Use the free Etsy Fee Calculator to see your exact per-sale profit — then compare it against Handmade’s flat 15% below.
Open the Etsy Fee Calculator →The 2026 fee structures, side by side
| Fee | Etsy | Amazon Handmade |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | $0.20 per listing (renews each sale / 4 months) | None |
| Commission on sale | 6.5% of item + shipping + gift wrap | 15% of item + shipping ($0.30 min) |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 (US) | Included — no separate fee |
| Monthly subscription | None required (Etsy Plus ~$10 optional) | $39.99 Professional — waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month |
| Advertising take | Offsite Ads: 15% (<$10K/yr, optional) or 12% (mandatory above $10K), $100 cap | Optional PPC ads — you set budget, no forced program |
| Fulfillment | You ship everything yourself | Ship yourself, or use FBA for Prime (adds per-unit fees) |
| Getting approved | Open a shop in an afternoon (a one-time setup fee may apply by location) | Application + artisan audit; days to weeks |
Sources: Etsy Fees & Payments Policy · Amazon Handmade · Handmade referral fees.
Same product, both platforms: the money
Take a $40 ceramic mug with $6 shipping charged to the buyer ($46 order), shipped by you on both platforms.
| $46 order | Etsy (no ad) | Amazon Handmade (self-ship) |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | −$0.20 | — |
| Commission | −$2.99 (6.5%) | −$6.90 (15%) |
| Payment processing | −$1.63 (3% + $0.25) | — |
| Platform’s total take | $4.82 (10.5%) | $6.90 (15.0%) |
| You keep | $41.18 | $39.10 |
Etsy wins by $2.08 per order. On 500 orders a year, that’s about $1,000 — real money, but not life-changing. Now the two scenarios that flip the result.
Scenario A: the Etsy sale came through an Offsite Ad
Add 15% of $46 ($6.90) to Etsy’s column and Etsy’s take jumps to $11.72 (25.5%) — Handmade now keeps $4.82 more in your pocket per order. If a quarter of your Etsy sales are ad-attributed, your blended Etsy take is ~14.2%: statistically a wash against Handmade’s 15%.
Scenario B: you want the Prime badge
Handmade’s killer feature is FBA. Send your mugs to Amazon’s warehouses and orders ship with Prime speed. On this $46 order, using FBA (large standard ~2 lb) puts Amazon’s total take around $12.80–$13.00 (28%) — referral $6.90 + fulfillment $5.82 + storage — more than Etsy, but conversion rates on Prime listings often run high enough to pay for it. If you go that route, run the numbers with our Amazon FBA Calculator first; the per-unit fee math matters more than the percentage. (Fee details: 2026 FBA fee guide.)
The 10-second fee check
Price, shipping, cost in — profit out. Compare your Etsy margin against Handmade’s 15% before you commit.
Calculate my Etsy profit →The cheap-item test: an $18 order
Fee structures matter most at low price points, because fixed fees loom larger. Take an $14 sticker pack with $4 shipping ($18 order):
- Etsy: $0.20 listing + $1.17 transaction (6.5%) + $0.79 processing (3% + $0.25) = $2.16, or 12.0%
- Amazon Handmade: 15% × $18 = $2.70, or 15.0%
Etsy still wins, but notice its fixed $0.45 (listing + processing minimum) is doing the damage — on an $18 order it alone is 2.5%. Handmade’s pure-percentage model scales down gracefully. Below about $10, though, Handmade’s $0.30 minimum referral fee kicks in, and both platforms start taking a chunky share of tiny orders. Whichever you use, bundle cheap items into $25+ sets — your margin will thank you.
Beyond fees: what actually differs
Traffic and discovery
Etsy is a destination: buyers type “personalized cutting board” into Etsy’s own search, and good photos plus reviews can rank you without ad spend. Amazon Handmade rides Amazon’s search, where you compete against mass-produced alternatives on price and delivery speed — the handmade story gets less oxygen. Sellers coming from Etsy are often surprised how much more “retail” their listings need to feel to convert on Amazon.
Payouts and cash flow
Etsy deposits to your bank on a schedule you set (daily, weekly, etc.), with funds from a sale typically available within days. Amazon pays on a ~14-day cycle with a reserve, so new Handmade sellers feel a cash-flow lag — plan material purchases around it if you switch.
What you’re allowed to sell
Etsy allows handmade goods, vintage items (20+ years old), craft supplies, and digital downloads. Amazon Handmade is stricter: genuinely handcrafted items made by you or your small team, after an application and audit. No vintage, no supplies, no printables. If your catalog is digital or vintage, this decision is already made for you.
The shoppers
Etsy’s ~90 million active buyers come specifically looking for handmade, personalized and gift-able items — they’re primed for what you make. Amazon’s audience is vastly bigger, but Handmade is a small corner of it, and Amazon shoppers default to price-and-speed thinking. Personalized work (names, dates, custom colors) fits Etsy naturally; Amazon’s customization tools exist but the buyer mindset is less patient with made-to-order lead times.
Operations
Etsy: you ship everything yourself, set your own processing times, and talk to buyers directly. Handmade: same, unless you opt into FBA. Amazon also holds sellers to tighter performance metrics — late shipments and defects can suspend you faster than Etsy’s equivalent system.
Who should pick which
- Pick Etsy if you’re starting out, sell custom/personalized work, sell digital or vintage items, ship low volume, or want to be selling this afternoon. Cheaper take on organic sales, friendlier to slow handmade lead times.
- Pick Amazon Handmade if you have an established product line, want Prime via FBA, sell standardized (not customized) items at healthy margins, and can pass the artisan audit. The flat 15% is predictable and there’s no forced ad program.
- Sell on both if you’re past ~50 orders a month. List your bestsellers on Handmade for incremental reach, keep Etsy as home base for custom work. The fee difference matters less than the audience you unlock.
Whichever you choose, price from your costs up, not from the platform down — our Etsy pricing guide has the formula, and the 2026 Etsy fee breakdown covers every line item.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to sell on Etsy or Amazon Handmade?
On a typical sale, yes — Etsy is cheaper. A $46 order costs about $4.82 (10.5%) on Etsy versus $6.90 (15%) on Amazon Handmade. But if the Etsy sale came through an Offsite Ad, Etsy’s take jumps to ~25%, making Handmade the cheaper option.
Does Amazon Handmade charge a monthly fee?
Amazon Handmade requires a Professional selling plan ($39.99/month), but the fee is waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month. Etsy has no mandatory monthly fee.
Can I sell on both Etsy and Amazon Handmade?
Yes, and many established artisans do. Keep your full catalog and custom work on Etsy, and list your best-selling standardized items on Handmade — optionally with FBA for the Prime badge. There’s no exclusivity requirement on either platform.
What can I sell on Amazon Handmade that I can’t on Etsy, and vice versa?
Amazon Handmade only accepts genuinely handcrafted items made by you or your team, after an audit. Etsy additionally allows vintage items (20+ years old), craft supplies, and digital downloads — none of which are allowed on Handmade.
Which platform is better for beginners?
Etsy. Setup takes hours instead of weeks, there’s no monthly fee, the buyer base actively searches for handmade goods, and per-sale fees run about 4–5 points lower on organic sales. Apply to Handmade once you have proven bestsellers and healthy margins.
Run both scenarios before you decide
Price your item in the Etsy Fee Calculator, then compare against Handmade’s 15% — and FBA costs if you’re considering Prime.
Try the free Etsy Fee Calculator →Sources: Etsy Fees & Payments Policy · Etsy Help: Fees and Taxes · Amazon Handmade · Amazon Handmade Referral Fees · 2026 US FBA Fee Changes. Rates verified for 2026.