The Best Etsy Alternative for Ecommerce

With over 9 million sellers on Etsy, many businesses, especially new and upcoming shops, tend to gravitate toward this marketplace. However, there are several alternatives to selling on Etsy that offer businesses better benefits and more competitive advantages. 

Here’s the wide array of alternatives to Etsy for artists, designers, crafters, and more. Discover the best option to build a thriving business.

Selecting the Right Alternative to Etsy for Sellers

While they have branded themselves as an easy marketplace to start a new store, there are many alternatives to Etsy that are better suited for long-term goals and advanced business strategy. 

Most similarly structured as a marketplace are options like Amazon and Facebook. Meanwhile, for a more traditional ecommerce shop, there are several options such as WordPress, Shopify, and Big Cartel. 

For new businesses, selecting which Etsy alternative to sell on is a critical choice that can determine future success. It is essential to choose a platform that offers flexibility and can easily grow to accommodate increasing sales.

WooCommerce: The Best Alternative to Etsy

Don’t let the many alternatives to Etsy for sellers lead to decision paralysis. Instead, trust your business to the tried and true WordPress. Over 400 million shops are built on WordPress, with WooCommerce serving as the leading ecommerce integration of choice. 

While there are several advantages to building on WooCommerce, consider our top three reasons to choose this alternative to Etsy.

1. Full Customization & Branding

One of the biggest benefits to almost all alternatives to Etsy for artists and sellers is the ability to customize. Businesses using Etsy must create their shopfront according to the uniform parameters locked in place, severely limiting branding options and personalization. Basic shop functionality, such as advertising and sales, must also adhere to their specific platform. 

However, choosing an Etsy alternative like WooCommerce gives companies more creative control. Adding new features, changing shipping options, customizing product pages, restructuring the homepage, and full-scale rebranding are all within a business’s power to adjust as they see fit.

2. Payment Freedom

When it comes to ecommerce, the more payment options guests have at checkout, the better. WooCommerce encourages plugins like Payment Plugins to create seamless checkout flows with your preferred vendors, such as Stripe or PayPal. Using alternatives to selling on Etsy empowers businesses to customize their cart flow and improve checkout completion rates. 

Find out more ways to improve your checkout experience.

3. Flexibility and Integrations

As an insular marketplace, Etsy’s platform restricts the ability to add plugins and other useful external features when creating a shop. On the other hand, alternatives to Etsy often welcome the abilities and convenience of plugins. 

Looking to sort massive quantities of inventory? There is a plugin for that. Trying to set up subscriptions, pre-orders, and options like Buy Now, Pay Later? Payment Plugins for Stripe can be added to WooCommerce with just a few clicks. If managing the shop could be made easier, there is most likely a quick plugin that can help.

4. No Additional Fees

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons businesses seek out alternatives to selling on Etsy is their transaction fee structure. Etsy charges fees not only for listing products in a shop, but also for every transaction completed. This fee structure often changes annually, creating additional uncertainty when business forecasting. 

Additionally, even another popular alternative to Etsy, Shopify, charges transaction fees. WooCommerce lets companies keep more of their revenue with no additional fees.

Get Started with Alternatives to Etsy

There may be many alternatives to Etsy for sellers, but the best platform to grow a business is WooCommerce. With endless options to customize, build, and manage, the choice is easy. If you’re already on Etsy, start today by importing your product catalog over to WooCommerce. Or, for those just starting out, set up a shop and use helpful plugins like Payment Plugins to quickly and accurately set up multiple payment methods.

Get Started Now.