Etsy vs eBay vs Amazon: which marketplace is cheapest for sellers?

Where you sell changes how much you keep. A product that nets a healthy margin on one marketplace can lose money on another once fees are counted. Here's how Etsy, eBay, and Amazon actually compare, and how to decide which one fits your products.

The headline fees

Marketplace	Core selling fee	Other key fees
Etsy	6.5% transaction fee	$0.20 listing + ~3% + $0.25 payment
eBay	~13.25% final value fee	$0.40 per order
Amazon	~15% referral fee	FBA or monthly plan

On the surface, Etsy's 6.5% looks far cheaper than eBay's 13.25% or Amazon's 15%, but the headline rate isn't the whole story.

The same sale on each platform

Take a $40 item with $5 shipping that costs $12 to make:

• Etsy: 6.5% of $45 + $0.20 + (~3% + $0.25) payment ≈ $4.07 in fees.
• eBay: 13.25% of $45 + $0.40 ≈ $6.36 in fees.
• Amazon: ~15% of $40 ≈ $6.00 referral (before any FBA fee).

Etsy wins on pure platform fees here, but it also has the smallest, most niche audience. eBay and Amazon cost more per sale but put you in front of far more buyers. Run your own numbers in the Etsy, eBay, and Amazon FBA calculators to see the exact net profit on each.

It's not just about the lowest fee

The cheapest marketplace on paper isn't always the most profitable in practice:

• Audience & demand: Amazon's traffic can outsell a lower-fee platform many times over.
• Product fit: handmade and vintage thrive on Etsy; commodity goods and electronics move on Amazon and eBay.
• Fulfillment: Amazon FBA adds fees but unlocks Prime conversion; self-fulfillment on Etsy/eBay keeps fees down but adds labor.
• Competition: a lower fee in a saturated category can still mean lower profit than a higher fee where you stand out.

How to choose

1. Match the product to the audience first. That decides demand.
2. Model the net profit on each candidate platform with its fee calculator.
3. Weigh volume against margin, a 50% margin on 10 sales loses to a 35% margin on 100.
4. Consider selling on more than one, many sellers list across platforms and let each one's strengths compound.

The bottom line

Etsy usually has the lowest per-sale fees, eBay and Amazon cost more but reach far larger audiences. The right marketplace is the one where net profit × volume is highest for your specific product, so compare the real numbers in our e-commerce calculators before you commit your inventory.