How much does it cost to have an online store?
We break down what it costs to sell online, platform by platform
Selling things online is not free. Whether it’s Etsy’s product listing fee, Shopify’s monthly fees, or every credit card processor’s percentage they take off the top.
For a lot of would-be store owners, the fees are a deal breaker.
Depending on your margins, the types of products you sell, how often you sell them, and who you sell to, each platform has advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the wrong platform could sink your business.
Here’s a breakdown of the fees popular ecommerce platforms charge and how they charge them.
Etsy
Listing fee
$.20 per item, every four months.
If you sell more than one of the same item, it’s $.20 to list and $.20 every time one is sold until the quantity is 0.
Transaction fee
3.5% of sale price.
Payment processing fee
3% of sale price + $.25.
More info: https://www.etsy.com/legal/fees/
Amazon
Monthly fee
Free for the “individual” plan and $39.99/mo for the “professional” plan.
Per item fee
$.99 for the “individual” plan and free for the “professional” plan. Per item, not transaction.
Referral fee
Referral fees vary by product type, and they are either of a percentage of the price or Amazon’s minimum fee (per item) for that product type (whichever is greater.) Percentages range from 8% — 20% and minimums are $1 — $2.
Amazon also has several other fees for specific situations. More info: https://sellercentral.amazon.com/gp/seller/registration/participationAgreement.html/ref=asus_soa_p_fees?itemID=200336920
Shopify
Monthly fee
$29/mo for the basic package, $79/mo for the mid-level package, and $299/mo for the advanced package.
Transaction fee
0% — 2% of sale price, depending on the plan and payment processor.
Payment processing fee
2.4% — 2.9% of sale price (depending on the plan) + $.30.
More info: https://www.shopify.com/pricing
Squarespace
Monthly fee
$26/mo (billed annually) or $40/mo (billed annually), depending on the package.
Transaction fee
Free
More info: https://www.squarespace.com/pricing/#commerce
Really Simple Store
Monthly fee
$15/mo
Payment processing fee
2.9% of total price + $.30.
Features and upgrades
À la cart. Ranges from $1 — $100 (one time charges).
More info: https://medium.com/really-simple-store/really-simple-pricing-195fd95265b6
