Your own online shop, Shopify or Etsy: what a small seller actually pays
The fees a small seller pays on each, worked through on a real sale.
See the templatesThe short answer: Etsy has no monthly fee but takes the biggest share of every sale. Shopify charges a monthly fee and a smaller share. Your own shop on our template has a monthly fee and a smaller share per sale than either. The more you sell, the more the per sale fees matter.
The fees, as published
We checked these UK prices on 2 October 2026:
| Monthly | Per sale | |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | none | 10.75% + 20p |
| Shopify Basic | £25 | 2% + 25p |
| Our shop template | £20 (plus £99 once to set up) | 1.9% + 20p for standard UK cards, through your own Stripe account |
Fees change, so check each provider's own pricing page before you decide.
What that means on a £30 sale
| Fees on a £30 sale | You keep | |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | £3.43 | £26.57 |
| Shopify Basic | £0.85 | £29.15 |
| Our shop template | £0.77 | £29.23 |
On a £30 sale you keep £2.78 more than on Etsy and 20p more than on Shopify. Fifty sales a month is £139 more than Etsy and £10 more than Shopify.
What the fees do not show
Etsy
Etsy brings shoppers to you, which is worth a lot when you are starting. The trade off is that your shop sits beside everyone else's on Etsy's own site, and the share of each sale is the highest of the three.
Shopify
Shopify is a full shop system with a huge choice of add ons. Many of those add ons have their own monthly fees, so the £25 is often the starting point rather than the total.
Your own shop
Your shop, on your web address, with your customers paying you directly. Card payments go through your own Stripe account at 1.9% + 20p per sale, so the money goes straight to you.
What our shop templates include
- A basket and secure card checkout
- Product options such as size or colour, each with its own price
- Up to four photos per product, categories and search
- Sold out with one tick, discount codes and delivery rules
- Your own login to add products and change prices whenever you like
- Your web address included and registered in your name
Two designs to choose from: a modern shop in the style of the big shop platforms, and a maker shop for handmade and craft sellers.
Moving your shop over
Selling on Shopify or Etsy already? Send us your product export and we load your products, options, prices and photos into your new shop. On Shopify, Wix or Squarespace you can also paste your web address into our site importer and see your shop with us first.
See the shop templates: your own online shop from £99, or all our prices.