Side Hustle

Marketplace Fee Comparison Calculator

See your net profit on Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, eBay, and Redbubble side by side — and find which platform keeps the most money in your pocket.

FBA fee for Amazon, label cost for others
Used to amortize platform monthly fees
Redbubble Note

Redbubble operates on a different model — you set a markup % above their base price (typically 20%), and they handle everything (printing, shipping, customer service). You don't set the sale price directly; you earn a royalty. This calculator can't compare it directly, but typical royalties are $3–7 on a $25–35 t-shirt (10–20% of revenue).

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Platform Fee Breakdown (2025)

  • Amazon FBA: 15% referral fee + ~$4.50 FBA fulfillment fee + storage. Best for scale and discoverability.
  • Etsy: $0.20 listing fee + 6.5% transaction fee + 3%+$0.25 payment processing. Best for handmade and unique items.
  • Shopify Basic: $29/mo plan + 2.9%+$0.30 processing (no transaction fee with Shopify Payments). Best at volume.
  • eBay: 12.9% final value fee + $0.30 per order. No monthly fee for casual sellers. Best for used/unique items.
  • Redbubble: Artist markup model — you earn ~20% of base price. Hands-off but low control and lower margins.
Net Profit = Sale Price + Shipping Charged − COGS − Actual Shipping − All Platform Fees
Amazon: Fees = (15% × Price) + FBA Fee
Etsy: Fees = $0.20 + (6.5% × (Price + Shipping)) + (3% × (Price + Shipping) + $0.25)
Shopify: Fees = ($29 ÷ Orders) + (2.9% × Price + $0.30)
eBay: Fees = (12.9% × (Price + Shipping)) + $0.30
Which selling platform has the lowest fees?
It depends on your price point and volume. At low volumes (under 50 sales/month), Etsy and eBay typically win because there's no monthly plan fee. Etsy's 6.5% + processing totals about 10–11% of revenue, while Amazon's fees (referral + FBA) often total 25–35%. At high volumes (200+ orders/month), Shopify wins because the $29/month plan fee becomes negligible per order and you keep the processing fee savings. Amazon wins for commoditized products where its built-in traffic offsets the higher fees.
When does Shopify beat Etsy?
Shopify becomes more profitable than Etsy when your monthly volume is high enough that Shopify's $29/month plan fee is smaller than the Etsy fees you'd pay. At a $30 product: Etsy takes ~$3.25/sale (processing + transaction + listing). Shopify at 100 orders/month costs $0.29/order for the plan + $1.17 processing = ~$1.46/sale. Shopify wins at roughly 30–40+ orders/month at that price point — earlier if you're already driving your own traffic and don't need Etsy's marketplace.