Etsy vs eBay: A Comprehensive Buying Guide [7 Factors]

As two leading global marketplaces, Etsy vs eBay are both promising platforms for any who plans to list and sell their products online. However, if you are a seller-to-be, you should know that Etsy and eBay have very different product focus and, therefore, attract very different types of buyers.

In this article, we will compare Etsy vs eBay under 8 vital aspects so you can better visualize their differences and choose the one that best fits you.

 

Pros and cons of selling on Etsy vs eBay

 

Etsy at a glance

Etsy is a leading online marketplace that specializes in handmade, vintage gifts and custom items. With around 93 million active buyers in 2023, Etsy attracts a niche audience that is looking for one-of-a-kind products.

 

 

 

Pros	Cons
✅ Etsy is very easy to set up and start selling ✅ The marketplace has a targeted audience for craft, custom products ✅ Low barrier to entry	❌ The competition can be high ❌ It’s more suitable for handmade products

 

eBay at a glance

On the other hand, eBay is a well-known online marketplace where sellers can list a wide range of products, from new to used items. One of eBay’s unique selling points is that you can list your products for auction besides labeling a fixed price to them.

 

 

 

Pros	Cons
✅ The ability to sell in auction-style ✅ You can sell various product types ✅ The platform has an extensive audience base	❌ The selling fees are high ❌ More difficult to customize your store’s appearance ❌ Less visually appealing store layout

 

Etsy vs eBay: where to launch your online shop?

 

1. Product focus

 

💡 Key takeaways: Etsy vs eBay have completely different product focus. If you want to sell handmade, vintage and original items, Etsy would make a perfect choice. However, if you want to sell other product types and collectibles, eBay would better suit you.

 

Etsy’s product focus

As Etsy claims that they are the go-to place where people can find quality handmade items, products on the marketplace largely fall under handmade, vintage, and DIY items. This means that to list and sell your products on Etsy, you have to meet their handmade policy.

Also, as a typical marketplace, there are certain products you cannot sell on Etsy.

 

✅ Things you SHOULD sell on Etsy	❌ Things you CAN’T sell on Etsy
– Handmade items like jewelry, clothing, and home decor – Vintage items that are at least 20 years old, including clothing and collectibles – Craft supplies and DIY products – Personalized gifts, such as custom mugs, t-shirts, etc. – Digital products like printable art or planners – Eco-friendly products and sustainable goods	– Reselling wholesale items that do not meet Etsy’s handmade policy – Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and drug paraphernalia – Live animals and certain animal products – Hazardous materials and items that pose safety risks – Hate items, illegal items, and pornography – Items that infringe on copyright or trademark laws

 

eBay’s product focus

By contrast, you can list and sell a wider range of products on eBay. This ranges from clothing, electronics,or  furniture to beauty products, automotive parts, and more. And though you can sell your crafts on eBay too, this specific product category would perform better on Etsy.

Similar to Etsy, eBay forbids users to sell certain product categories.

 

✅ Things you SHOULD sell on eBay	❌ Things you CAN’T sell on eBay
– New and used items, including electronics, clothing, and collectibles – Vintage items, such as clothing, toys, and antiques – Home and garden products, including furniture and tools – Sporting goods, including equipment and apparel – Health and beauty products, such as makeup and skincare items – Automotive parts and accessories	– Illegal items, including drugs and counterfeit goods – Food items, especially perishable goods – Live animals and certain animal products – Hazardous materials and items that pose safety risks – Items that infringe on copyright or trademark laws – Stolen property and items that violate eBay’s policies

 

2. Customer base

 

💡 Key takeaways: Etsy’s audience is more targeted. Considering Etsy vs eBay for buyers, though eBay has a larger customer base than Etsy, their customer base is scattered across many other product categories. Therefore, if you want to sell handmade items, it’s much easier to target your customers on Etsy.

 

Etsy’s customer base

According to Statista, Etsy attracts 96.48 million active buyers in 2023. And since Etsy’s main product focus is custom, handmade and gift items, it comes as no surprise that most of Etsy buyers are female from 18-35 year old..

 

eBay’s customer base

“Is Etsy bigger than eBay?” Well, nope actually. In comparison to Etsy, there were 132 million active buyers on eBay in the second quarter of 2024, 61% of them were in the ages of 35 and 64. It’s also noticeable that eBay shoppers are primarily Generation X and Baby Boomers, and 60% are male.

Though eBay has a larger customer base, it doesn’t have a niche, specialized audience like Etsy. Therefore, painting your customer portrait and targeting them on eBay can be more challenging.

 

3. Selling fees

 

💡 Key takeaways: Etsy fees are generally more affordable between Etsy vs eBay selling fees. Comparing the cost of selling on Etsy vs eBay, it’s clear that Etsy’s selling fees are generally more affordable than eBay’s high and complex selling fee structure.

 

Etsy’s selling fees

If you plan to list and sell your handmade items on Etsy, there are three main listing and selling fees you need to factor in:

 

Fee type	Definition	How much is it?
Listing fees	These are the fees Etsy charges you for listing products on their marketplace	These fees are charged for each transaction processed with Etsy Payments.
Transaction fees	These are the fees Etsy charges when a shopper makes a purchase on your store	6.5% of the total amount in your listing currency
Payment processing fees	These fees are charged on each transaction that is processed with Etsy Payments.	It varies by country. For instance, the fee is 3% + $0.25 in the US.

Comparing fees Etsy vs eBay, the good thing about Etsy’s selling fees is that you can start an online shop with a very small budget and you only pay Etsy when you successfully process a sales.

 

eBay’s selling fees

Putting Etsy fees vs eBay fees on the same scale, eBay takes a different approach. It charges you a recurring fee (either monthly or annually) to list and sell your products on its platform.

 

	Starter Store	Basic Store	Premium Store	Anchor Store
Monthly price	Billed monthly: $7.95 Billed annually: $4.95	Billed monthly: $27.95 Billed annually: $21.95	Billed monthly: $74.95 Billed annually: $59.95	Billed monthly: $349.95 Billed annually: $299.95
Number of free listings (per month)	From 0.5% – 15% of the total amount, plus $0.30	250 auction-style listings 1,000 fixed-price listings	500 auction-style listings 10,000 fixed-price listings	1,000 auction-style listings 25,000 fixed-price listings
Exceeding listing fees (per listing)	$0.30 for both listing types	$0.25 for both listing types	Auction style: $0.15 Fixed price: $0.10	Auction style: $0.10 Fixed price: $0.05
Final value fees	From 0.5% – 15% of total amount, plus $0.30	From 0.5% – 14.95% of the total amount plus $0.30	From 0.5% – 14.95% of the total amount plus $0.30	From 0.5% – 14.95% of the total amount plus $0.30

 

4. Ease of use

 

💡 Key takeaways: It’s easier to create and customize your store with Etsy. Signing up for an account and start listing products is easy on both platforms. However, customizing an eBay store might require knowledge of HTML, which might sound very off-putting for non-tech, first-time sellers.

 

Etsy’s ease of use

Signing up for an Etsy store is a very quick and easy process. All you have to do is visit https://www.etsy.com/sell, and click Get started. Then, answer a few crucial questions about your shop like your shop name, product category, payment details, etc.

 

 

 

Afterward, Etsy will prompt you to add your first listing and payment information. And since Etsy already provides you with a ready-made store layout, you won’t need to worry about web design, hosting, buying a custom domain.

 

eBay’s ease of use

Creating a store on eBay is pretty simple, like creating one on Etsy. Firstly, you’ll need to sign up for a Business Account via https://signup.ebay.com/pa/crte. After successfully signing up for an eBay store, you can access the My eBay Selling dashboard to start listing your products.

While the initial store setup is easy, it’s noteworthy that eBay takes you more effort and HTML know-how to customize your store layout.

 

5. Storefront customization

 

💡 Key takeaways: Etsy generally offers more design feature tools than eBay. Both Etsy vs eBay allow sellers to add their store’s logo, feature a homepage, etc. However, Etsy slightly offers you more design tools. Not to mention that Etsy’s overall aesthetics is more eye-catching than eBay.

 

Etsy’s storefront customization

Etsy provides a range of storefront customization options that are accessible to all users. The platform incorporates personalization into the initial setup process, allowing you to establish your brand identity from the start.

When creating an Etsy store, you can:

 

• • Select a business name
  • Add a logo as your shop icon
  • Design a banner image or a carousel-style banner
  • Add your shop’s announcement

 

 

 

Personally, we quite like the Etsy store layout because it’s effortlessly appealing and easy for shoppers to navigate.

And if you subscribe to Etsy Plus, you’ll also unlock advanced shop customization. This includes multiple banner options, a new layout option for featuring your listings, and the ability to feature your specific listings or shop sections.

 

eBay’s storefront customization

eBay’s approach to storefront customization differs from Etsy’s. To access customization features, users need to subscribe to an eBay Store, which involves a monthly fee.

With an eBay Store subscription, you can:

 

• • Choose a store name (which determines your store URL)
  • Customize your homepage design

 

However, as I said, while eBay does offer customization options, they are not as readily available as Etsy’s. Specifically, you have to possess basic HTML knowledge to customize your store.

 

 

 

And though eBay’s store layout is also optimized for navigation and user experience, it’s not as visually appealing as Etsy’s.

 

6. eCommerce tools

 

💡 Key takeaways: It’s a tie. Thanks to their various eCommerce features, Etsy vs eBay both empower sellers to list, sell and promote their products efficiently.

 

Etsy’s eCommerce tools

Etsy provides several sales features to help you sell your products and manage your orders and inventory effectively. Here are the notable sales features Etsy offers:

 

• • Seller Dashboard: You can see how your shop is doing at a glance. It shows your sales, orders, and views over time.
  • Shop Manager: This is your main control center. Here, you can add items, handle orders, change your shop look, and talk to customers.
  • Marketing Tools: You can make your shop more visible using these. They let you promote listings, share on social media, and send marketing emails.
  • Analytics: This helps you understand your shop’s performance better. You can see where your visitors come from, how many buy, and which products are popular.
  • Seller Handbook: You can learn a lot from this guide. It has tips on taking good photos, serving customers, and making your shop better.

 

eBay’s eCommerce tools

eBay also gives you various eCommerce functionalities to manage your online store operations effectively. Below is a list of the highlight eBay’s sales features the platform offers:

 

• • Seller Hub: Similar to Etsy’s seller dashboard, this is your main control panel.], where you can manage listings, orders, and sales.
  • Listing Tools: eBay allows you to make your listings look attractive using Listing Designer, list multiple items at once with Turbo Lister, and upload bulk listings using a CSV file through File Exchange.
  • Sales Reports: With eBay’s sales reports, you’ll get an overview of your sales, access to detailed reports, and information about your visitors.
  • Promotions Manager: You can create sales and marketing campaigns like offering discounts, free shipping, and other deals to attract more buyers.
  • International Shipping Program: With this program, eBay handles shipping and custom, enabling you to sell to other countries with ease on the platform.

 

7. Shipping and fulfilment

 

💡 Key takeaways: It’s a tie. Thanks to Etsy’s subsidized shipping labels, calculated postage tools, and streamlined shipping profiles, the shipping process is more cost-effective with Etsy than eBay. Not to mention that shipping cost is more expensive with eBay because you’ll need to offer free shipping to buyers to offer more competitive pricing. Nevertheless, Etsy doesn’t provide fulfillment services. Hence, some sellers might find handling orders more convenient with eBay.

 

Etsy’s shipping and fulfillment

Etsy has implemented several features to make shipping and fulfillment more manageable for its sellers. One of the most significant advantages is their offer of subsidized postage labels, which are typically less expensive than shipping directly with most carriers like USPS, FedEx, and Canada Post.

To further streamline the shipping process, Etsy allows sellers to create shipping profiles, making it easier to manage shipping for multiple items. The platform also provides tracking updates to keep buyers informed about their purchases.

With that being said, bear in mind that Etsy doesn’t provide fulfillment services. So this means you’d have to take care of picking, packing, and shipping your own orders.

 

eBay’s shipping and fulfillment

One of eBay’s unique shipping and fulfillment features is its Global Shipping Program, which can be particularly beneficial for sellers focusing on international sales. With this program, eBay takes responsibility for customs formalities and shipping delays.

In 2020, eBay even launched Managed Delivery to help sellers fulfill orders more conveniently.

However, it’s worth noting that eBay may pressure sellers to offer free shipping, which can impact your pricing strategies and profit margin. For instance, eBay offers a filter where buyers can sort products with lowest shipping fees.

That explains why most of the shipping for eBay purchases is free. Well, you can choose not to offer free shipping, but this might make you less competitive than other eBay sellers.

 

 

 

>> Check our list of the 13+ best Etsy alternatives to learn how Etsy stacks up against popular names like Amazon Handmade, Shopify, Big Cartel, etc.

 

Is Etsy or eBay better?

 

• • Who should sell on Etsy?

 

Etsy is perfect for sellers who focus on handmade, vintage, and custom items. If you create unique products such as jewelry, clothing, home decor, or personalized gifts, Etsy has a very targeted audience whom you can instantly sell to.

The platform’s low selling fees and ease of use make it an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses and individual artisans looking to reach a niche market.

>> Explore our step-by-step guide on how to sell on Etsy for beginners. 

 

• • Who should sell on eBay?

 

eBay suits sellers with a wide range of products, including electronics, automotive parts, collectibles, and fashion items. If you have a large inventory or deal in both new and used goods, eBay’s extensive customer base and auction-style listings can be advantageous.

However, be prepared for higher and more complex fees, as well as the need for some technical know-how to customize your store effectively.

 

Final thoughts

All in all, selling online is still a thing in 2024. Hence, the battle between Etsy vs eBay is still as fierce and heated as ever.

And Masstic team believes after reading this side-by-side comparison between the two biggest global marketplaces, you can now know which better aligns with your product focus, target audience and model.

 

Selling Etsy vs eBay: FAQs