bzar vs Etsy for makers who sell at markets
Etsy is a national marketplace for handmade and vintage goods, with fees on every sale. bzar is built for local makers who sell in person: a free storefront, applications to DC-area markets, and pre-orders shoppers pick up at your booth. Choose Etsy to ship to buyers nationwide; choose bzar for markets and local customers.
Updated
When to choose each.
Choose bzar if
- You don't want a monthly subscription: bzar is free for vendors, and Pro is included when you take bookings.
- You want a public storefront with your packages, photos and prices that you can link from Instagram.
- You also sell at markets and pop-ups and want to apply and pay booth fees in the same place.
- You want shoppers to pre-order from you before a market and pick up at your booth.
- You want customer and organizer messages in one inbox.
Choose Etsy if
- You sell physical or digital products (prints, jewellery, custom-made goods, favors) and want an existing buyer audience searching for handmade and personalized items.
- You want to ship or sell products nationally without building a website, with Etsy handling checkout, payments, and search.
- You are happy to accept per-item and per-sale fees (and optional ads) instead of a monthly subscription, and keep services bookings elsewhere.
Features: bzar and Etsy.
"Not listed" means we couldn't find it on their website, not that it definitely doesn't exist.
| Feature | bzar | Etsy |
|---|---|---|
| Public storefront page | Yes | YesSellers operate shops managed through Shop Manager; the storefront itself lives inside Etsy's marketplace. |
| Customers find you there | Not yet | YesMarketplace that connects sellers with buyers and invests in search, discovery and marketing; 2025 filing is Etsy's own statement. Aimed at product buyers, not service enquiries. |
| Online booking | Yes | Not listedEtsy is described as a marketplace for physical and digital goods; no appointment booking is described. |
| Deposits | Yes | Not listed |
| Contracts and e-signature | Yes | Not listed |
| Quotes and invoices | Yes | Not listed |
| Client list | Yes | Not listed |
| Online product checkout | Not yet | YesSellers list items for sale and complete sales transactions on the marketplace; the Shop Manager dashboard is mentioned. |
| Apply to markets and events | Yes | Not listed |
What each one costs you.
bzar
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings. When a customer pays for a booking by card, they pay a service fee on top of your price, and bzar covers card processing from it.
Full details on the vendor page.
Etsy
No monthly subscription found on the sources read. Sellers pay a $0.20 listing fee per item (4-month listing period), a 6.5% transaction fee on each sale (including shipping), and payment-processing fees that 'typically vary between 3.0% and 6.5%' of the sale price plus a flat per-order fee that depends on the seller's country. Offsite Ads adds 12% or 15% on sales it generates.
- Listing fee: $0.20 per item listed; non-refundable; recognised over a four-month listing period unless the item sells
- Transaction fee: 6.5% of each completed transaction, inclusive of shipping fees charged
- Payment processing fee (Etsy Payments): Typically 3.0% to 6.5% of the item total including shipping, plus a flat fee per order that depends on the country of the seller's bank account, plus a fee on foreign-currency payments. The US-specific figure (3% + $0.25) was not confirmed from an Etsy page I could read.
- Offsite Ads: 12% or 15% of the sale value (depending on seller sales volume) when the sale comes from an ad Etsy placed on third-party platforms
- Optional services: On-site advertising and shipping labels are optional paid services; prices not read
Moving from Etsy.
- Create a free vendor account and set up your storefront with your best products.
- Apply to upcoming markets on bzar and keep your licenses and certificates on file.
- Link your storefront from your Etsy shop announcement and Instagram so local buyers can find your next market.
Common questions.
How much does Etsy cost compared with bzar?
Etsy: No monthly subscription found on the sources read. Sellers pay a $0.20 listing fee per item (4-month listing period), a 6.5% transaction fee on each sale (including shipping), and payment-processing fees that 'typically vary between 3.0% and 6.5%' of the sale price plus a flat per-order fee that depends on the seller's country. Offsite Ads adds 12% or 15% on sales it generates. bzar: Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings. When a customer pays for a booking by card, they pay a service fee on top of your price, and bzar covers card processing from it.
When is Etsy the better choice?
You sell physical or digital products (prints, jewellery, custom-made goods, favors) and want an existing buyer audience searching for handmade and personalized items. You want to ship or sell products nationally without building a website, with Etsy handling checkout, payments, and search. You are happy to accept per-item and per-sale fees (and optional ads) instead of a monthly subscription, and keep services bookings elsewhere.
Can I move from Etsy to bzar?
Yes. Create a free vendor account and set up your storefront with your best products. Apply to upcoming markets on bzar and keep your licenses and certificates on file. Link your storefront from your Etsy shop announcement and Instagram so local buyers can find your next market.
Does bzar charge vendors a subscription?
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings.
Where these facts come from.
Competitor details come from each company’s own website, checked on 2026-10-11. Details change; tell us at hello@bzar.app if something here is out of date.
Get booked from your storefront.
Vendors pay no subscription; bzar Pro is included free for vendors who take bookings.