Key takeaways
- Marketplaces give you built-in shoppers but less control; your own store gives you control but you supply the traffic.
- Shopify is built for selling, Squarespace and Wix are built for looks and simplicity, and WooCommerce is for people comfortable running a website.
- Compare fee structures, not just monthly prices, because per-sale costs often matter more than the subscription.
- You can start on a marketplace and add your own store later, or run both side by side.
Choosing where to sell is the first big decision in any online business, and it is easy to overthink. This guide compares the most popular options in plain terms so you can pick one and get going. By the end you will know which type of seller each platform fits and what questions to ask before you commit.
One note before we start: prices and fees on every platform change regularly. We describe how each one charges, but check the current pricing page before you decide.
Own store vs marketplace
This is the real fork in the road, and it comes down to a tradeoff between traffic and control.
A marketplace (Etsy, eBay, Amazon) already has shoppers browsing and searching. You list a product and some of those shoppers may find it. The price of that access is that you follow the marketplace’s rules, compete directly against similar listings, pay fees on each sale, and do not own the customer relationship. If the marketplace changes its policies or search ranking, your business feels it immediately.
Your own store (Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, WooCommerce) is yours. You choose the design, the policies, the checkout, and you collect customer emails. The tradeoff is that nobody shows up by default. Every visitor has to be brought in by your marketing, your search optimization, or your social media.
A rule of thumb: if you have an audience already, or want to build a brand people remember, lean toward your own store. If you have a product and zero audience, a marketplace lets you test demand faster. Many sellers do both, using a marketplace for discovery and their own store for repeat customers.
Quick comparison
| Platform | Best for | Ease of setup | Control | How it charges | Growth ceiling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Serious product sellers | Moderate | High | Monthly plan plus payment processing fees, and fees for some add-on apps | Very high |
| Squarespace | Designers, creators, small catalogs | Easy | Medium | Monthly plan, with payment processing fees | Medium |
| Wix | Beginners wanting a drag-and-drop site | Easy | Medium | Monthly plan, with payment processing fees | Medium |
| WooCommerce | Comfortable with websites, want full ownership | Harder | Very high | Free software, but you pay for hosting, domain, and extensions | High |
| Etsy | Handmade, vintage, craft supplies, digital downloads | Easy | Low | Listing fees plus a percentage of each sale and payment processing fees | Medium |
| eBay | Used goods, collectibles, one-of-a-kind items | Easy to moderate | Low | Percentage of each sale, with extra fees for some features | Medium to high |
| Amazon | Products with brand and stock to scale | Harder | Low | Selling fees plus extra charges for fulfillment and advertising | High, but competitive |
Use this as a starting point, not a verdict. Read each section below for the details.
Shopify
Shopify is built specifically for selling products, so most of what you need is built in or available as an add-on app: inventory tracking, discount codes, abandoned cart emails, shipping label tools, and integrations with print on demand and dropshipping services.
Who it fits: Anyone who wants to run a real store and expects to grow it. It is also the usual choice for dropshipping and print on demand sellers building their own brand.
Ease: Moderate. The basics are straightforward, but there are many settings and apps, and it is easy to get lost the first week.
Control: High. You can customize themes, checkout options, and collect customer data.
Fees: A recurring subscription, plus payment processing fees on sales, plus whatever your chosen apps charge. Apps are where costs quietly add up, so tally them before you commit.
Growth ceiling: Very high. Stores of all sizes run on it.
Squarespace
Squarespace is known for polished, design-forward templates. Its store features are simpler than Shopify’s but cover the basics well.
Who it fits: Photographers, artists, designers, and small shops with a limited catalog where the look of the site matters as much as the checkout.
Ease: Easy. The editor is friendly and templates look good with little effort.
Control: Medium. You can customize a lot visually, but you are limited to what the platform supports.
Fees: A monthly subscription, with payment processing fees. Higher-tier plans unlock more selling features, so check which plan includes the ones you need.
Growth ceiling: Medium. It works well for a modest catalog but can feel limiting if you scale up quickly.
Wix
Wix offers a drag-and-drop builder with a lot of flexibility in where you place things on the page.
Who it fits: Beginners who want to build their own site visually and may sell a handful of products alongside other content.
Ease: Easy to start. Because you can move elements almost anywhere, it is also easy to end up with a messy layout, so stick to a template and resist over-customizing.
Control: Medium.
Fees: A monthly subscription with payment processing fees. As with Squarespace, selling features depend on the plan tier.
Growth ceiling: Medium. Fine for a small to mid-sized shop.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free plugin that turns a WordPress website into a store. The software costs nothing, but you are responsible for hosting, security, updates, backups, and any paid extensions you add.
Who it fits: People who are comfortable managing a website, want total ownership, or need custom behavior the hosted platforms do not allow.
Ease: Harder. You are the one keeping the site running, and problems after an update are yours to fix.
Control: Very high. You own everything and can change nearly anything.
Fees: No platform subscription for the software itself, but you pay for hosting, a domain, premium extensions, and payment processing.
Growth ceiling: High, as long as you or someone you hire can handle the technical side.
Etsy
Etsy is a marketplace built around handmade items, vintage goods, craft supplies, and digital downloads. Shoppers go there with a gifting or creative mindset, which helps if your product fits.
Who it fits: Makers, artists, vintage sellers, and anyone selling designs or digital files. Our guide to selling on Etsy walks through setup in detail.
Ease: Easy. You can have a shop live in a day.
Control: Low. Etsy sets the policies, the page layout, and the search rules.
Fees: A small fee to list each item, a percentage of each sale, and payment processing fees. Check their fee page, and see our guide to pricing your products for profit to make sure the math works.
Growth ceiling: Medium. You can build a real business, but you are dependent on the marketplace.
eBay
eBay is the place for used items, collectibles, electronics, and one-of-a-kind finds, with both auction and fixed-price listings. If you plan to resell items rather than make them, start with our eBay selling guide.
Fees: A percentage of each sale, with additional charges for optional listing upgrades and promotion.
Control: Low, and sellers have to meet performance standards on shipping speed and customer service.
Growth ceiling: Medium to high, since many full-time sellers operate there.
Amazon
Amazon offers enormous reach, but it is the hardest marketplace for a beginner. You compete on price and reviews against established sellers, and costs include selling fees, optional fulfillment fees if Amazon stores and ships your product, and advertising, which is often necessary to be seen.
Who it fits: Sellers with a product they can source reliably, some starting capital, and patience for a steeper learning curve.
Control: Low. Amazon controls the customer relationship.
Growth ceiling: High, but the competition is stiff and margins can be thin.
How to choose
Ask yourself these questions in order:
- What am I selling? Handmade, vintage, or digital items point toward Etsy. Used goods point toward eBay. A branded product line points toward Shopify or a similar builder.
- Do I already have an audience? If yes, start with your own store. If no, a marketplace gives you faster feedback.
- How technical am I? If not at all, choose Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, or a marketplace over WooCommerce.
- How much do I want to own? If you want customer emails and full branding, own your store. If you mainly want to test an idea quickly, a marketplace is fine.
- What is my realistic budget? Add up the subscription, app costs, per-sale fees, and your payment processor before you decide. A cheap plan with expensive add-ons can cost more than an expensive plan with everything included.
If you are making print on demand products, our print on demand guide explains how these services connect to most of the platforms above.
Common mistakes
- Choosing on price alone. The cheapest plan is not cheapest if it lacks a feature you must buy elsewhere.
- Switching too early. Moving platforms resets your progress. Give your first choice a few months.
- Building on a marketplace only. If all your sales come from one marketplace, collect customer emails wherever allowed and keep a small off-platform presence as a backup.
- Skipping free trials. Most hosted builders offer a trial. Build a few sample products before paying.
Next steps
Ready to put this into practice? Our step-by-step guide to starting an online store takes you from idea to launch. For more on photography, marketing, and pricing, browse the guides hub.