Etsy vs Your Own Shop — When It Makes Sense to Switch
You built something real on Etsy. But between rising fees, algorithm changes, and zero control over your brand — you’re starting to wonder if there’s a better way. There is. And you don’t have to leave Etsy to try it.
The true cost of selling on Etsy
Etsy doesn’t just take one fee — they stack four on top of each other. On a £25 item, you could be paying £3.50 to £6.50 per sale.
Listing fee
£0.16Per listing, every 4 months. Renews automatically whether it sells or not.
Transaction fee
6.5%Of the total sale price including shipping. This is on top of payment processing.
Payment processing
4% + £0.20Etsy Payments — mandatory for UK sellers. You cannot use your own payment processor.
Offsite ads
Up to 15%If you earn over £10,000/year, Etsy forces you into their offsite ads programme. You cannot opt out. 15% of any sale from an offsite ad.
Example: selling a £25 item on Etsy
That’s 12–27% of your sale price
The same £25 item on Haul
That’s 2.3% — you keep £24.42
*Haul is £15/month flat — not per-sale. Spread across your orders, it gets cheaper the more you sell.
“But Etsy brings me customers…”
This is the number one reason sellers stay on Etsy, and it’s a valid concern. Let’s address it honestly.
Etsy gives you visibility — but you're renting it
Etsy's marketplace brings buyers, but those buyers are Etsy's customers, not yours. You can't email them, you can't retarget them, and you can't build a relationship outside the platform. If Etsy changes its algorithm or raises fees tomorrow, you lose that traffic overnight.
You're competing with millions of sellers
Etsy has over 9 million active sellers. Your products sit alongside direct competitors, often on the same search page. Etsy's algorithm decides who gets seen — and it favours shops that pay for Etsy Ads. On your own shop, every visitor is there for you.
You don't own your customer list
On Etsy, you can't export customer emails. You can't send a newsletter. You can't announce a new product line to past buyers. Every sale is a one-off unless the customer remembers to come back. With your own shop, you build a real customer list that grows with your business.
Etsy can suspend you at any time
Etsy regularly suspends shops — sometimes for genuine violations, sometimes by mistake. If your Etsy shop goes down, your entire business stops. With your own shop, you're never at the mercy of someone else's moderation team.
The smart move? Don’t choose. Run both.
Keep Etsy for discovery. Use your Haul shop for direct sales, repeat customers, and building a brand you actually own. Many successful sellers do exactly this.
Etsy vs your own Haul shop
Side by side — what you get and what you give up.
| Etsy | HaulYour shop | |
|---|---|---|
| Branding | Limited — banner and profile pic only | Fully custom — your domain, logo, colours, fonts, page builder |
| Customer data | Etsy owns it — you can't export emails | You own everything — full customer list with email export |
| Fees per sale | 10.5%+ (transaction + processing + listing) | 1.5% + 20p (Stripe only — zero Haul fees) |
| SEO | Competing with 9M+ sellers on etsy.com | Your own domain — rank for your brand and products |
| Email marketing | No access to customer emails | Your customer list — send newsletters, announcements, offers |
| Product presentation | Standardised listing format, limited layout | 33 section types, rich product pages, custom layouts |
| Reviews | Can't remove unfair reviews, limited response options | Full moderation — approve, respond, manage all reviews |
| Offsite ads | Forced for shops earning over £10k (15% fee) | You choose when and where to advertise — no forced fees |
| Shop suspension risk | Etsy can suspend your shop at any time | Your shop, your rules — you are always in control |
| Discount codes | Basic — limited to percentage or fixed amount | Full discount system with codes, group sales, and sale banners |
The hybrid approach: Etsy + your own shop
You don’t have to choose. The most successful independent sellers use Etsy for discovery and their own shop for everything else.
Keep your Etsy shop running
Etsy is great for discovery. Keep your listings active and let new customers find you through Etsy search.
Set up your own Haul shop
Import your products, customise your brand, and launch your own shop at your own domain. It takes an afternoon.
Redirect repeat customers
Include a card in every Etsy order: "Love your order? Shop direct next time at yourbrand.co.uk for exclusive offers." Most Etsy sellers see 20-40% of repeat customers move to their own shop.
Build your customer list
Every direct sale gives you a customer email. Send newsletters, announce new products, run promotions. This is the audience Etsy never lets you build.
Watch your margins grow
As more customers buy direct, your per-sale costs drop dramatically. Same products, same effort, but you keep significantly more of every sale.
Packaging insert tip
The easiest way to move Etsy customers to your own shop: include a small card or sticker in every package. Offer a 10% discount code for their first direct order. It costs pennies and builds your direct customer base with every Etsy sale.
See what Etsy is really costing you
Adjust the sliders to match your business. The numbers speak for themselves.
£25
50 sales
Monthly revenue: £1,250
Etsy (minimum)
£149.25
/month in fees
£2.98 per sale
Etsy (with offsite ads)
£336.75
/month in fees
£6.73 per sale
Haul
£43.75
/month total
£0.57 per sale + £15/mo
Switching to Haul could save you
£1,266 – £3,516
per year
That’s £106–£293 back in your pocket every month
Etsy fees: listing (£0.16) + transaction (6.5%) + payment processing (4% + 20p). Offsite ads: 15% on attributed sales (mandatory over £10k/year). Haul: £15/mo Starter plan + Stripe (1.5% + 20p). No Haul transaction fees.
Moving from Etsy? Here’s how.
Most sellers are up and running in an afternoon. No technical knowledge needed.
Export from Etsy
5 minutesGo to Shop Manager > Settings > Options > Download Data. Export your product listings as CSV. This includes titles, descriptions, prices, and variants.
Sign up for Haul
2 minutesCreate your Haul account and choose your subdomain (yourbrand.myhuskai.co.uk). You can add a custom domain later.
Import your products
10 minutesUpload your Etsy CSV export into Haul. Product titles, descriptions, prices, and variants are imported automatically. Review and adjust as needed.
Add your product photos
30 minutesUpload your product images directly in the Haul admin. Drag and drop — no file size limits to worry about. Images are served from a global CDN.
Customise your brand
1 hourChoose your colours, upload your logo, and use the page builder to design your storefront. 33 section types available — no coding needed.
Connect Stripe
10 minutesLink your Stripe account (or create one for free). Payments go directly to your bank. Apple Pay and Google Pay are enabled automatically.
Set up shipping
15 minutesConfigure your shipping zones and rates. Haul supports weight-based shipping for UK, EU, and international deliveries.
Go live
Ready!Preview your shop, then publish. Start sharing the link with customers. Add a packaging insert to your Etsy orders pointing to your new shop.
Questions Etsy sellers ask
Will I lose my Etsy reviews?
Your Etsy reviews stay on Etsy — they're tied to the platform, not to you. You can't transfer them. But you can start fresh with Haul's built-in review system, and over time your own shop will build its own review history. Many sellers screenshot their best Etsy reviews and display them as testimonials on their new shop.
Can I run both Etsy and my own shop?
Absolutely — and we'd recommend it, at least initially. Keep Etsy for discovery and new customers. Use your Haul shop for direct sales, repeat customers, and better margins. There's no conflict. Many of the most successful independent sellers run both.
What if I don't have my own traffic yet?
That's completely normal. Most Etsy sellers start with zero direct traffic. The hybrid approach works precisely because you use Etsy to find new customers, then redirect them to your own shop for repeat purchases. Packaging inserts, social media, and building an email list all help grow your direct traffic over time.
How do I get customers without Etsy?
Start with your existing Etsy customers — include inserts in every order. Then build from there: share your shop link on social media, start an email newsletter (Haul gives you customer emails), and your own domain builds SEO over time. You don't need to replace all your Etsy traffic on day one.
Is Haul harder to set up than Etsy?
Etsy is simpler to list on because you're filling in their template. But setting up your own Haul shop is straightforward too — most sellers are live in an afternoon. You get far more control over your brand, your customer experience, and your margins. If you can use Etsy, you can use Haul.
What about Etsy Star Seller?
Star Seller status stays on Etsy. It's an Etsy programme that rewards sellers within their platform. On your own shop, you don't need badges from a third party — your brand, your reviews, and your customer service speak for themselves.
Do I need to handle my own payments?
No. Haul uses Stripe Checkout, which handles everything: cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, 3D Secure authentication, and PCI compliance. Payments go directly to your bank account. You never see or store card numbers. It's actually simpler than Etsy Payments.
What does Haul cost compared to Etsy?
Haul is £15/month (Starter) or £35/month (Pro) with zero transaction fees. The only per-sale cost is Stripe's processing fee: 1.5% + 20p in the UK. Compare that to Etsy's 10.5%+ per sale. For most sellers doing 20+ sales a month, Haul works out significantly cheaper.
Ready to own your shop?
Haul is launching soon. Register your interest to get early access — and keep your Etsy shop running in the meantime.