| Etsy | Etsy Pattern | Shopify | Zazzle | Wix | Storenvy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web Address | ||||||
| Monthly Costs | N/A | $15.00 (First 30 days free) | $29 (Basic package) | N/A | £12.44 (If pay monthly) | N/A |
| Annual Costs | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | £10.10 per month if pay annually up front Note – look out for regular 50% off deals to get your site for just £5.05 per month (plus VAT) when you pay up front, annually |
N/A |
| Listing Costs | $0.20 USD every 4 months | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Transaction Fees | 3.5% – taken from item price, not shipping | 3.5% of the item price | 0 – or 2% if using external payment gateways | N/A | N/A | 10% Commission on marketplace site 0% Commission on custom site but $5 per month charge Custom site may be subject to 10% commission if product found through marketplace |
| Payment Options | Direct checkout | Direct checkout | Shopify Payments | N/A | PayPal
Stripe |
PayPal
Stripe |
| Additional Costs Associated with Payment Options | 4% + 0.20 GBP – taken from total sale price – including shipping fees No separate PayPal fee charged when you use direct checkout Note – no charges for stand alone PayPal, but once you turn direct checkout on, you cannot go back to stand alone PayPal There are PayPal fees associated with stand alone PayPal however. 2.5% transaction charge for currency conversion |
4% + 0.20 GBP – taken from total sale price – including shipping fees No separate PayPal fee charged when you use direct checkout Note – no charges for stand alone PayPal, but once you turn direct checkout on, you cannot go back to stand alone PayPal There are PayPal fees associated with stand alone PayPal however. 2.5% transaction charge for currency conversion |
2.2% + 20p if sale online 2.7% + 0p if in person |
N/A | PayPal: From 3.4% + 20p to £1500 2.9% + 20p to £6000 2.4% + 20p to £15000 1.9% + 20p to £55000 based on total sales volume Stripe: 1.4% + 20p for European cards. 2.9% + 20p for non-European cards. |
PayPal: From 3.4% + 20p to £1500 2.9% + 20p to £6000 2.4% + 20p to £15000 1.9% + 20p to £55000 based on total sales volume Stripe: 1.4% + 20p for European cards. 2.9% + 20p for non-European cards. |
| Features | Easy product uploads; Free online store – with banner and image to personalise; Order fulfilment; Inventory management; Apps and integrations; Mobile optimised; Built in analytics; Promoted listings available for extra fee; Shopping engine ads – free of charge; Discount coupons – free of charge |
Extensive stats; Mobile; SEO; Unlimited listings; No storage limits; Connect custom domain – but you need to purchase it |
Unlimited products; Unlimited file storage; Fraud analysis; Manual order creation; Discount codes; Bespoke website; Blog; SSL certificate – for extra security |
Add your designs to hundreds of different products; You do not manufacture or ship the products; You set your own royalty rate; Customisable store front; Store comment wall; Real time reporting; Free set up; Unlimited design storage |
Includes free domain for 2 years; 10 GB Bandwidth; 20 GB storage; Customised favicon; Easy to use website builder and template options; $75 ad vouchers, $48 form builder app and $60 site booster app value; Free app builder |
Upload products in minutes; Free customisable online store; Order fulfilment; Inventory management; Apps and integrations; Mobile Optimised; 500 free product listings; Free Facebook store; SEO; Easy share; Built in analytics; Coming soon / on sale labels; Shipping labels |
| Community | Etsy local; Local teams; Etsy events; Get reviews and favourites |
Etsy local; Local teams; Etsy events; Get reviews and favourites |
N/A | Fan club for your store | N/A | Works like social network for shopping – envies and watch |
| Who Keeps Stock | You do | You do | You do | Zazzle | You do | You do |
| Who Sends Products | You do | You do | You do | Zazzle | You do | You do |
| Returns | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| When Get Paid | When payment cleared | When payment cleared | When payment cleared | Up to 15 days following the 30 clearance day period after the month of your sale | After payment processed | |
| Own Branded Website Available | See Etsy Pattern | Yes | Yes | Own banner and store front on Zazzle website | Included | Yes – own domain for $5 per month |
| Currency | Select your currency | Select your currency | Select your currency | Select your currency | Select your currency | US$ only |
| Popularity | 26.1M Active buyers |
26.1M Active buyers |
30 million shoppers worldwide | |||
| Additional Costs | Advertising (optional) | Advertising (optional) | $49 for a retail package – so you can sell in store | $9 discount feature |
The Ecommerce Comparison Table
We have put together this table for anyone trying to earn extra money from their hobby, or anyone wanting to start a new career selling their own items.
Putting together your designs and products is only half of the battle. You also need to have a platform through which you can sell your creations, and setting up a store online will help you to reach a wider audience.
The table helps you to compare the different services, so you can discover which platform is best for you. This will very much depend on what you are wanting to sell. If you have designs, and want to see them on different products, the easiest route may be a store like Zazzle, as they allow you to easily apply your designs to hundreds of products, they manufacture them and send them out, so there is very little work on your part, except creating and uploading your designs.
If you want access to more of a community to help you reach more people and boost your sales, then an offering such as Etsy may be preferable. They have local teams, Etsy gatherings, and all kinds of other ways for you to reach out and get your products noticed.
If you are more about setting up your own store, with your own branding, and your own unique image, then a platform like Shopify or Wix may be the best solution.
The table is designed to be impartial, so you can make up your own mind about which will suit you best. More ecommerce platforms will be added to the directory in the future.