Etsy vs Amazon?

About this video

A comparison of Etsy versus Amazon Handmade from a seller who says she sells on both plus Shopify. On customers, Etsy buyers are more brand-loyal and open to seller messages and a distinctive service experience, while Amazon customers are more transactional and sellers have little control over experience or policies. On setup, Etsy is far simpler; Amazon account verification and listing setup can take days or weeks longer, editing feels chaotic, and lifestyle photos cannot be the main listing photo, though Amazon Handmade is less saturated and some categories like wedding have supply-demand imbalance that Amazon account managers actively recruit for. On fees, she states Amazon charges 15% versus Etsy’s 6.5% plus 20-cent listing fee plus 3% payment processing, and describes Amazon’s lowest-price expectation with a workaround: make the Amazon version slightly different so a higher Amazon price is justified. On ads, Etsy ads are optional (off-site ads become mandatory over $10,000/year), while Amazon account managers heavily push ad spend by phone even when organic sales are strong. On returns, she says the loophole that made her join was Amazon Custom: if you fulfil yourself (not FBA) and every listing is customised/personalised/inscribed via a text box, returns need not be accepted. Her plan is to keep Amazon small: only customisable items, slightly different and priced higher, and no ads.

Key takeaways

• Etsy allows brand loyalty, shop policies and seller-buyer messaging; Amazon is transactional with little seller control over experience
• Amazon Handmade setup and listing creation are far more complex than Etsy, and lifestyle photos cannot be the main image
• Counter Amazon’s 15% fee and lowest-price pressure by making the Amazon product slightly different and pricing it higher
• Expect Amazon account managers to push ad spend hard by phone; Dylan says she declines because low saturation gives her organic sales
• Avoid Amazon’s lenient returns by seller-fulfilling (not FBA) and making every listing a customised Amazon Custom listing

Episode details: published February 19, 2023 · 12:00 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dylan Jahraus’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

← Previous: If I Started a New Etsy Shop in 2023, I’d Do This… · Next: How To CRUSH the Big Etsy Shops | Etsy for Beginners →

All Dylan Jahraus videos · Dylan Jahraus profile · Dylan Jahraus on YouTube