Craft fair booth payback
See how many items you must sell at a craft fair or farmers market to cover booth fees, supplies, card fees, miles, and your prep and booth hours.
Own store cash advantage
-$6/mo
Own store ($955/mo net) vs Marketplace ($962/mo net)Example calculationNo, marketplace keeps more profit right now
At 45 orders/month ($1,710/mo gross), the marketplace leaves $6/mo more cash ($81/mo more after 3 hrs of site upkeep). You need at least 54 orders/month ($2,052/mo gross) to cover the $39/mo store subscription in cash.
Monthly cash difference
-$6/mo
-$75/yr cash differenceCash break-even volume
54 orders/mo
$2,052/mo gross salesTime-adjusted break-even
157 orders/mo
$5,966/mo incl. 3h adminEffective fee + ad rate
12.5% vs 12.2%
Own store (w/ ads) vs MarketplaceSide-by-side monthly channel breakdown
| Monthly metric | Marketplace | Own online store |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly gross sales (45 orders @ $38.00) | $1,710.00 | $1,710.00 |
| Product & packaging cost (COGS) | -$540.00 | -$540.00 |
| Monthly store software & app subscription | $0.00 | -$39.00 |
| Commission, listing & payment processing fees | -$208.35 | -$63.09 |
| Customer acquisition ads / traffic spend | Included in fees | -$112.50 |
| Total monthly fees + ad spend | -$208.35 | -$214.59 |
| Effective fee + ad take rate (% of sales) | 12.2% | 12.5% |
| Monthly net cash profit | $961.65 | $955.41 |
| Extra site & ad admin time (3 hrs @ $25/hr) | $0.00 | -$75.00 |
| Monthly net profit after your time | $961.65 | $880.41 |
How monthly order volume changes the winner
See where per-order fee savings overtake the fixed monthly store subscription:
| Monthly orders | Gross sales | Marketplace fees | Own store fees + ads | Own store cash advantage | Net advantage w/ time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 orders/mo | $380 | $46 | $78 | -$32 | -$107 |
| 40 orders/mo | $1,520 | $185 | $195 | -$10 | -$85 |
| 70 orders/mo | $2,660 | $324 | $312 | +$12 | -$63 |
| 100 orders/mo | $3,800 | $463 | $429 | +$34 | -$41 |
| 130 orders/mo | $4,940 | $602 | $546 | +$56 | -$19 |
| 160 orders/mo | $6,080 | $741 | $663 | +$77 | +$2 |
How this calculator works
Sellers on Etsy, eBay, and Amazon often see 11% to 15% of every order disappear into referral commissions, listing fees, payment processing, and mandatory offsite ad charges. Moving to your own Shopify or WooCommerce store cuts payment processing to around 2.9% + $0.30 per order, but introduces two new costs: a fixed monthly software subscription ($29 to $79+ per month) and the marketing cost of bringing your own shoppers to the site.
Why traffic cost per order decides the break-even point
A marketplace charges a high commission because it brings built-in search traffic. On your own domain, if you already drive repeat buyers through social media, an email list, or package inserts ($0 to $2 per order in marketing spend), your own store breaks even at just 30 to 60 orders per month. If you have to buy cold clicks on search or social ads at $6 to $10 per order, the marketplace remains cheaper even at high volume.
Frequently asked questions
Should I close my Etsy or eBay shop when I launch my own store?
Most profitable sellers keep both. They treat the marketplace as a customer-acquisition channel where new buyers discover their products, then include a thank-you card or discount code in the box so repeat orders happen on their own lower-fee website.
How do Etsy Offsite Ads affect the math?
Etsy charges a 15% fee (12% for sellers over $10,000/year) on orders attributed to an Offsite Ad click within 30 days. If 10% to 15% of your orders come through Offsite Ads, that adds roughly 1.5% to 2.2% to your blended fee rate across all orders.
What should I include in the monthly store subscription field?
Include your base ecommerce plan (such as $39/month for Shopify Basic), roughly $1 to $2/month for your custom domain name, and any paid email marketing, review, or shipping apps you pay for every month.
Benchmark sources and dates
Starting assumptions are example benchmarks, not binding quotes. Change any input to match your own bills or offers.
| Assumption / Input | Starting value | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy marketplace seller fees (transaction, payment, listing, offsite ads) | 6.5% referral, 3.0% + $0.25 payment, $0.20 listing, 1.5% blended offsite ads | Etsy Published Fees and Payments Policy | 2026-04-01 |
| eBay and Amazon Handmade comparison seller fee benchmarks | 13.25% to 15.0% combined referral and payment fees | eBay Published Selling Fees | 2026-04-01 |
| Standalone online store monthly subscription and card processing | $39/month plan, 2.9% + $0.30 per online card transaction | Shopify Basic Plan Published Pricing | 2026-04-01 |
| Small business ecommerce customer acquisition cost per order | $2.50/order ad and marketing spend | U.S. Small Business Administration Ecommerce Marketing Guide | 2026-04-01 |