Etsy and Amazon Fees Are Eating Seller Margins
18 posts across 9 communities in the last 90 days; 28% from App Store.
“When I first checked, my Etsy balance said minus 5.88 euros and I had sold nothing. It was 12 listings at 0.21 euros each, plus 3.36 euros of VAT that I hadn't paid yet on the 16 euro set-up fee. I hadn't thought VAT was added on top of the fee itself. So a first sale has to…”
“[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v2.7) — Update: we need to be able to set up weights for different sized items for calculated shipping. Not all items weigh the same, and shipping rates have skyrocketed now. We can’t use calculated shipping on items with different weight variations. For…”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★ 2/5 (v2.7) — Update: we need to be able to set up weights for different sized items for calculated shipping. Not all items weigh the same, and shipping rates have skyrocketed now. We can’t use calculated shipping on items with different weight variations. For…”
Small businesses and individual sellers on ecommerce platforms are experiencing significant and increasing fees, impacting their profitability and forcing them to seek alternative strategies. These fees, often hidden or unexpectedly high, encompass transaction costs, processing charges, advertising expenses, and technical fees across various platforms like Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop, Etsy, eBay, and Lemon Squeezy. The rising costs are creating pressure and uncertainty for online merchants.
SOURCES (53)
“[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v2.7) — Update: we need to be able to set up weights for different sized items for calculated shipping. Not all items weigh the same, and shipping rates have skyrocketed now. We can’t use calculated shipping on items with different weight…”
My dashboard said I'd made $2,000 in sales. After Etsy fees, Offsite Ads, materials and shipping, the real profit was a lot smaller, and I couldn't tell which listings were actually worth…
“ProfitTruth ( https://etsy-profit-truth.vercel.app ) is a free tool for Etsy sellers in beta. Etsy can take up to 5 different fees on a single order and they stack, so most sellers don't know their real take-home. Upload your Etsy payment account CSV and it breaks down every fee per order and shows what you actually keep. All processing happens in your browser, your data never leaves your computer. Looking for beta testers who sell on Etsy: does the math match your books? Happy to return the”
“Is Etsy now start charging one time 20$ fees for Just setuping a Shop Or I'am The Only One. submitted by /u/One-Junket-6785 [link] [comments]”
“When I first checked, my Etsy balance said minus 5.88 euros and I had sold nothing. It was 12 listings at 0.21 euros each, plus 3.36 euros of VAT that I hadn't paid yet on the 16 euro set-up fee. I hadn't thought VAT was added on top of the fee itself. So a first sale has to cover about 6 euros before it counts as money. Is that normal for you, or did I miss a setting? And is anyone else thinking of listing fees as a marketing cost now, since each new listing is another 0.21? submi”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★ 2/5 (v2.7) — Update: we need to be able to set up weights for different sized items for calculated shipping. Not all items weigh the same, and shipping rates have skyrocketed now. We can’t use calculated shipping on items with different weight variations. For example: A t shirt has 6 different sizes that weigh differently, we need to list different weights for each size but cannot. Please add a weight variation to listings under the variation section. The 6.5% shipping transac”
“Could be some or all of: Etsy transaction fee 6.5% Payment processing fee 3% Listing fees Offsite add fees 12 or 15% Regulatory fees Currency conversion fees (Don’t have enough info from you to gauge the last few).”
“Question for fellow Etsy sellers — how do you currently track your real profit after fees (listing, transaction, payment processing, ads)? I'm putting together a simple spreadsheet for this and want to know what's actually missing from what people use today. Genuinely curious what's worked/not worked for you. submitted by /u/Potential_Wind1403 [link] [comments]”
[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v2.3.1) — Fees Fees Fees and then… More Fees
“My shop made over ten thousand dollars, so there's no way for me to ever opt out of this. Etsy gets to take my listings and use them as advertising, and if someone buys something through it, I suddenly make a hell of a lot less money than I thought I was going to. I can understand something like this existing, but the fact that they charge twelve to fifteen percent on top of all the other fees we already pay is like robbery.😑 submitted by /u/Can0n_Fodder [link] [comments]”
“[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v2.3.1) — I had to pay a TWENTY NINE DOLLAR FEE TO START THE POTENTIAL OF A BUSINESS NOT INCLUDING STARTING A LISTING! Like, I get the seller fee and transaction fees, you have to make a profit, yeah. But 20 cents each couple of months just to keep the listing up? Thats just corporate greed, and the thing is, ITS NOT REFUNDABLE like what the hell? And no prior warnings before the first expense? DO NOT GET THIS IF YOU WANT TO START A BUSINESS!!!”
“Recently I’ve found that when I go to a shop on the app I will see much higher prices than expected, I use Etsy a lot to buy indie perfume oils and the usual price is like $10-30 which is around £8-25. When I would look at some shops though the prices were greatly inflated on the app, and on the off chance it was wrong I would check on my desktop and it would be the conventional price on there. I can’t figure it out, yes these shops are international but how can it show one price on the app and”
“Etsy taking the % off the total transaction rather than the actual cost of item is kind of infuriating! I basically made nothing on this (due to cost of item) and Etsy somehow came up making more than me. Mind you I don’t pay to promote offsite ads but probably just have them on through some Etsy system thing. But damn, to make $12 off of an $81 dollar purchase is such a bummer!! I knew I wasn’t going to make much off this transaction anyways but $12 on an item that was $30 is so disheartening e”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★★ 3/5 (v2.3) — I love using the Etsy website to reach people with my art I sew! I just wish as a seller, we didn’t have to pay so much in fees.”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★★ 3/5 (v2.1.1) — The app is easy enough to use but that is likely because I have used it for a long time. I will say all the extra fees are absolutely ridiculous and very frustrating. Items in Etsy have become priced out of most customers budget because Etsy fees are so extravagant.”
“I've been reading about how selling on Amazon and Flipkart works in India and the fee structure seems insane when you add everything up. Commission 5-20% Shipping charges FBA/warehouse fees TCS 1% TDS 0.1% Return shipping GST filing costs CA fees For someone doing say ₹5-10L/month in sales — what's the actual take-home after ALL deductions and compliance costs? Is it actually profitable at that scale or do you need ₹50L+ monthly before it makes real sense? Genuinely curious because from”
“I run a candle and home fragrance shop on Etsy. Two years in, decent revenue, but 6.5% transaction fees were quietly eating $130 a month. I kept telling myself I'd build a branded site eventually. Finally got a quote from a local web agency. $2,400 for five pages with a three week timeline. That didn't include copy or product photos. I already had both sitting in Google Drive. They were literally charging me $2,400 to put my existing stuff into a Squarespace template. So I didn't do”
“[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v1.122) — I have been selling on Etsy for years, but will be leaving soon. The fees are so high that I hardly turn a profit on sales anymore. It’s no longer just for handmade things, drop shoppers and AI have taken over. It’s very sad”
“Lately all my orders are coming in through Off site ads, so that’s another 12% fees on top”
“Etsy adds "Offsite advertising fees" if someone finds your item through one of their ads. I can't opt out of this feature because years ago I sold a lot of items overall one year. You get stuck with it forever if you have a good year. I don't want to cancel the sale when someone buys thru an offsite ad, but may be forced to start cancelling orders placed thru them. With my last "Offsite ad" sale my fees were over 40% of the item cost. I sold an $8.99 item and pa”
“Trying to set up a shop and got to the fees and am confused. It says it autobills monthly but it didnt explain why very well. This is the only explanation I can think of.”
“[Etsy Seller] ★ 1/5 (v1.121) — Do ANY OTHER PLATFORM before Etsy seller. Terrible customer service, HIDDEN FEES. People check your bank account! Etsy will constantly pull 20¢, 50 ¢ for helping “advertise” your listings. Would be fine if I agreed to this or it was extremely CLEAR but I’m sure it was in the fine print of terms and conditions. Horrible horrible horrible. Greedy thieves.”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★★ 3/5 (v1.121) — I don’t like the surprise of $12+ in fees for sale of a $20 item. I’m going to rethink having an Etsy store. I’m disappointed due to high fees.”
“[Etsy Seller] ★★★ 3/5 (v1.121) — The selling fees and listing fees are high and it adds up quickly. Over $10 for an order and then paying for shipping. I’m out over $20”
Vietnam's three largest e-commerce platforms, including Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Lazada, are simultaneously raising fees, placing mounting pressure on online merchants and small businesses.
Every eBay fee a seller pays in 2026 — final value fees, regulatory fees, international surcharges, promoted listings and store discounts — explained with worked examples.
“Compiled a deep comparison of Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop seller fees across Southeast Asia (Q2 2026). **The actual numbers, before ads and logistics:** | Country | Shopee | Lazada | TikTok Shop | |---|---|---|---| | Singapore | 4-18% | 4-8% | 6-10% | | Malaysia | 17-20% | 5-8.5% | 10-18% | | Indonesia | 7-15% | 2.7-7.7% | 6-12% | | Thailand | 8-15% | 10-18% | 6-10% | | Vietnam | 4-16% | 5-7% | 8-17% | | Philippines | 7-14% | 4-10% | 5-10% | These ranges include base commission + transaction”
Shopee's new 5% technical fee, TikTok Shop's 12.5% Vietnam commission, Lazada's 3.99% base rate — the full seller cost stack across Southeast Asia's six major markets in 2026.
Etsy takes 9.5–10.5% of every sale in standard fees alone. See every fee you'll pay in 2025 — listing, transaction, payment processing, and ads — with real doll
Etsy fees can consume 13.6%–19.5% of every sale. Here's every charge broken down with real dollar amounts so you can price profitably before you list.
Etsy sellers are facing rising fees, sudden suspensions, and shrinking control. This blog breaks down the real challenges and why smart sellers are shifting to multi-platform strategies.
Etsy can take 18%+ of every sale once all five fees stack up. Here's every charge, with real dollar amounts on a $47 sale, for 2025.
takes a 6.5% transaction fee on every sale, plus a payment processing fee of 3% + $0.25 for US sellers, plus a $0.20 listing fee per item. That puts mandatory fees at…
Master the 2026 eBay fees with our ultimate seller's guide. Learn to cut hidden costs, choose the right store, and maximize your profit margins.
Menu Home Pricing Guides Head-to-Head Best Of About Contact Etsy Fees 2026: Every Hidden Cost from Listing to Offsite Ads March 26, 2026 by StackCompare Editorial About 8; min