Etsy alternatives for local makers.
Local makers leave Etsy when listing, transaction and processing fees add up on every sale, or when most customers are nearby. Alternatives: bzar, which is free and built for markets, pre-orders and local customers; Shopify for your own shipping store; or a Linktree page pointing to your shop and next market.
Updated
Built for national shipping, not local markets.
Etsy is a large consumer marketplace for handmade, vintage and personalized goods. Sellers pay a listing fee per item, a transaction fee on each sale and payment-processing fees, plus a larger cut on sales that come from Etsy-placed ads. There's no monthly subscription in the sources we read. Etsy is aimed at product buyers; we found no appointment booking, deposit or contract tools described.
If you sell at markets and pop-ups in your area, a marketplace built for shipping to strangers may not be where your customers are.
Three ways to sell beyond Etsy.
Sell where your customers actually are.
- No subscription for vendors, and a storefront page with your products and photos.
- A storefront you can link from your Etsy shop announcement and Instagram.
- Apply to markets and events on bzar and pay booth fees by card.
- Shoppers can pre-order from you for a market and pick up at your booth.
- Keep your licenses, permits and insurance certificates on file and reuse them across applications.
Who should stay on Etsy.
- You sell physical or digital products and want an existing audience searching for handmade and personalized items.
- You want to sell nationally without building a website, with Etsy handling checkout, payments and search.
- You accept per-item and per-sale fees, and optional ads, in place of a monthly subscription.
Common questions.
Can I sell on bzar and Etsy?
Yes. You can keep Etsy for national orders and use bzar to apply to local markets and take pre-orders for pickup.
Does bzar ship products nationwide?
bzar is built for local sales and markets in the DC area. If you want a shipping-focused store, Shopify or Etsy is the better fit.
Why not just use Instagram?
Instagram finds followers but doesn't take pre-orders or booth applications. A storefront link in your bio turns that attention into sales.
Keep reading.
Get booked and sell on bzar.
A storefront, bookings with deposits, quotes and invoices, and market applications. No subscription.