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When it comes to handmade, custom, or vintage items, you should mention Etsy. As of 2020, there were over 4.3 million Etsy merchants.
Even though Etsy is one of the most well-known places to sell unique items, it’s not your only choice. Here, I list out the top 6 Etsy competitors that you should pay attention to in 2022.
What is Etsy?
Etsy is a global online marketplace specializing in handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies. These items include jewelry, bags, clothing, home décor and furniture, toys, art, craft supplies, and tools.
Etsy is a global online marketplace specializing in handmade, vintage items, and craft supplies
In December 2021, Etsy had more than 120 million items in its marketplace. This online marketplace also connected 7.5 million sellers with 96.3 million buyers.
Some common Etsy competitors include Amazon, Big Cartel, Shopify, etc. For more details, you should check out these 2 lists of Etsy’s main rivals.
Top 3 Etsy competitors – eCommerce platforms
If you want full control over your brand, you should build your own eCommerce store. Here are some of Etsy competitors in eCommerce: Shopify, Big Cartel, and Squarespace.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the biggest Etsy competitors. Shopify has more than one million users, so it can easily help businesses build their brand experience from the ground up.
Shopify is one of the biggest Etsy competitors
In addition, Shopify offers a wide range of pre-designed themes. So if you don’t have any web design or development expertise, that’s not a problem. All you have to do is upload your images and text, change your user experience (UX), and you’re ready to go.
Price: Your Ecommerce plans will start at $29/month, plus transaction fees.
However, Shopify has some limitations. One of them is that you won’t be able to reach a market full of potential buyers. As a result, you’ll need to drive more traffic and a customer base – which implies that you’ll need to prepare for some in-depth online marketing.
Luckily, Shopify offers a variety of tools to help you market your business.
Big Cartel
Like Shopify, Big Cartel lets you build an independent online store with your own branding. Its creators have set up its tools to help crafters, artists, and small business owners sell handmade goods.
Big Cartel lets you build an independent online store with your own branding
Big Cartel has lots of templates that you can use to match your brand image. There is also an advanced sales tax tool that reduces the amount of work the store owner has to do on the back end.
Furthermore, the platform has a number of apps for marketing that can help get the word out about your business.
Price: Your plans will start at $9.99 for up to 50 products, and it’s free if you have less than 5 products.
However, Big Cartel has no customer base like Etsy. You have to build your own audience and find ways to retain them.
Squarespace
The third Etsy competitor is Squarespace. If you want your templates to look good on mobile, you should use Squarespace. Plus, they offer lots of stunning templates, which make it easy to stand out online.
The third Etsy competitor is Squarespace
In addition, you can use Squarespace’s strong inventory system and built-in marketing tools to attract customers. Squarespace also allows you to import your Etsy storefront, so you can keep your product URLs and items.
Price: Your Ecommerce plans will start at $18/month, plus transaction fees.
However, you have to spend more time and patience to set up Squarespace. That said, you might outsource web design to speed up the process if you have the budget.
Top 3 Etsy competitors – Marketplaces
Online marketplaces offer a huge audience of people who are ready to buy and they are Etsy’s direct competitors. Here are the top 3 Etsy competitors in the marketplaces.
Zibbet
Zibbet allows you to sell your products across multiple marketplaces. They will help you connect the dots once you’re up and running. Plus, you can import products from your accounts like Etsy, Facebook, and Instagram.
After you’ve linked all your sales channels, you can manage them inside your Zibbet account. This helps entrepreneurs who are selling on multiple channels save time and money.
By using Zibbet, you can also automate the process of publishing listings to several channels with a single update, reducing the amount of time spent updating listings manually.
Amazon Handmade
Amazon Handmade was developed to be one of the Etsy competitors. Amazon says that it is a community for only artisan sellers, which means it has a large number of shoppers who are looking for artisan products.
Amazon Handmade was developed to be one of the Etsy competitors
Amazon Handmade is a booming marketplace for creative people to grow their businesses. It has everything from accessories to personal care products to pet supplies. Note that Amazon Handmade doesn’t yet support digital and downloadable products.
Before joining Amazon Handmade, you have to:
- Sign up for an Amazon Professional selling account ($39.99/month).
- Apply to become an Amazon Handmade seller.
If you are still struggling with these two marketplaces, read Amazon Handmade vs Etsy to better understand the differences between them.
Bonanza
Bonanza gives you the best of both worlds: you can list your products on its marketplace or build your own online store. This is a great way to get new customers and keep the ones you already have, while still keeping control of your brand.
Bonanza offers its users opportunities to generate high-quality customers
The fees on this platform are also surprisingly low compared to other marketplaces: just a 3.5% base fee plus an extra fee if you use Google Shopping ads to promote your products.
On top of that, Bonanza also offers its users opportunities to generate high-quality customers. First, you can link to Bing Shopping and Facebook. Second, you can get featured with Bonanza’s third-party affiliate marketing partners like blogs and review sites.
Finally, you can make use of the customer marketing tool to convert one-time consumers into repeat customers.
Final words
To sum up, this blog has explained what Etsy is. It also lists out the top 6 Etsy competitors that you should know about. Whether you want to build a store from scratch or use the power and reputation of an online marketplace, there are a lot of Etsy alternatives for you to try out.
We’re building something BIG, and it’s called OneCommerce! Stay tuned for any new updates!
