Comparison · general
Etsy vs Mercari
Which marketplace has lower fees for resellers — and when does each one win?
Etsy's curated handmade/vintage marketplace versus Mercari's broad casual marketplace. The fee structures look different but land surprisingly close on small sales.
Net payout at common sale prices
| Sale price | Etsy fees | Etsy net | Mercari fees | Mercari net | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $25.00 | −$2.83 · 11.3% | $22.17 | −$2.50 · 10.0% | $22.50 | +$0.33 |
| $50.00 | −$5.20 · 10.4% | $44.80 | −$5.00 · 10.0% | $45.00 | +$0.20 |
| $100.00 | −$9.95 · 9.9% | $90.05 | −$10.00 · 10.0% | $90.00 | +$0.05 |
| $250.00 | −$24.20 · 9.7% | $225.80 | −$25.00 · 10.0% | $225.00 | +$0.80 |
| $500.00 | −$47.95 · 9.6% | $452.05 | −$50.00 · 10.0% | $450.00 | +$2.05 |
| $1,000.00 | −$95.45 · 9.5% | $904.55 | −$100.00 · 10.0% | $900.00 | +$4.55 |
Net payout = sale price + shipping charged − platform fees. Both platforms calculated with default options and no shipping charged to buyer.
Fee structure
Etsy
Open calculator →Marketplace for handmade, vintage, and craft supplies
- The $0.20 listing fee is charged each time an item is listed or renewed (every 4 months). This calculator counts it once per sale.
- Transaction fee (6.5%) applies to the item price plus shipping the buyer pays. Sales tax is excluded from this fee.
- Payment processing (3% + $0.25 for US sellers) is applied to the total amount the buyer pays. International rates differ.
- Offsite Ads fee is only charged when a buyer clicks an Etsy ad off-platform (Google, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and completes a purchase within 30 days.
Mercari
Open calculator →Casual marketplace for general goods
- Sellers pay a flat 10% selling fee on the item price plus any buyer-paid shipping. That is the entire seller cost — there is no payment processing fee.
- The 2.9% + $0.50 payment processing fee that older guides still list was charged to the BUYER, not the seller, and Mercari removed it entirely on 6 January 2025.
- Buyers now pay a 3.6% Buyer Protection fee on the item price plus shipping. It does not come out of your payout, but it raises the buyer's total — price with that in mind.
- Cashing out by direct deposit is free (the old $2 fee was dropped in January 2025); a failed direct deposit costs $2. Instant Pay costs a flat $3 per cash-out, capped at $600/month.
Audience & fit
If your items are clearly handmade, vintage, or craft-related, Etsy's buyer intent justifies higher prices that more than offset its layered fee structure. For general secondhand goods with no craft or vintage angle, Mercari's broader audience and simpler 10% + processing model is the better fit. Etsy's Offsite Ads can swing its effective rate up sharply on attributed sales — factor that in if you're enrolled.
The bottom line
On paper the fees look far apart, but they land close on small sales — and diverge on what qualifies. Mercari is a flat 10% with no eligibility rules. Etsy layers a $0.20 listing fee, 6.5% transaction, 3% + $0.25 processing, and optional Offsite Ads (12-15% on attributed sales), but restricts listings to handmade, craft supplies, or items 20+ years old.
The deciding factor is whether your inventory fits Etsy's categories. For genuine handmade or true vintage, Etsy's buyers arrive with intent and pay a premium that outweighs its layered fees — and Mercari's casual audience simply won't price those items as highly. For general secondhand goods that don't qualify as craft or vintage, Etsy isn't even an option, and Mercari's flat rate and broad reach win by default.
So route by eligibility: craft and true-vintage to Etsy for the price premium, everything general and faster-moving to Mercari. If you're enrolled in Offsite Ads, factor the added rate into your Etsy pricing on attributed sales.
Already decided? Moving your listings
Neither platform imports the other's listings, so the move is a relist either way. The step-by-step — official routes, which cross-listing tools cover the pair, and what you lose in the transfer — is in the switch guide:
Frequently asked
How do Etsy Offsite Ads fees work?
When Etsy promotes your listings on external sites (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Bing) and a buyer clicks one of those ads and makes a purchase within 30 days, you owe an Offsite Ads fee on that sale. The rate is 15% for sellers under $10,000 in trailing-365-day sales, and 12% for sellers over $10,000. The fee is capped at $100 per order regardless of sale size.
Can I opt out of Etsy Offsite Ads?
Only partially. If your shop has under $10,000 in trailing-365-day sales, you can fully opt out in your settings. Once you cross $10,000, opt-out is no longer available, but you do get a reduced rate (12% instead of 15%) and the $100 cap. Most growing sellers cannot avoid this once they hit the threshold.
How much does Mercari take from each sale?
A flat 10% selling fee on the item price plus any buyer-paid shipping — and that is the entire seller cost. On a $30 item with $5 shipping you pay $3.50 and keep $31.50. Mercari charges sellers no payment processing fee: the 2.9% + $0.50 that most fee guides still quote was charged to the BUYER, and Mercari removed it outright on 6 January 2025.
Does Mercari charge fees on shipping?
Yes. Since the January 2025 change the 10% selling fee applies to the item price plus any shipping the buyer pays, so charging for shipping does increase your fee. Offering free shipping and building the cost into the item price gives the same result — the fee lands on the combined total either way.
More comparisons
See all comparisons →Want to run the numbers on your specific sale?