Marketplace comparison · reviewed 23 June 2026
Etsy vs eBay vs Shopify fees for 3D-print sellers
The best channel is not the one with the lowest visible percentage. Compare the full fee base, fixed charges, subscriptions, buyer intent and the cost of bringing traffic.
Current official fee anchors
Check the current terms before quoting a customer. Etsy's official fees policy lists a USD 0.20 listing fee and a 6.5% transaction fee on the order amount, with payment processing, advertising and regulatory fees handled separately. eBay's US selling-fees page says most categories receive 250 zero-insertion-fee listings per month, then USD 0.35 per listing, and shows a 13.6% final value fee for most categories up to USD 7,500 plus a USD 0.30 or USD 0.40 per-order fee depending on order value. Shopify's pricing page is region-specific; the version served during this review showed Australia pricing from A$42 per month yearly or A$56 monthly for Basic, card rates from 1.75% + 30c AUD online, and third-party transaction fees by plan. Shopify's help center also states that third-party transaction fees are in addition to external processor fees when a third-party provider is used.
| Channel | What to put in the calculator | What to add outside the percentage field | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy | Current transaction, payment-processing and ad percentages that apply to the order. | Listing renewals, fixed payment charges, ads that vary by order, shipping subsidies and commercial-license cost. | Demand discovery for giftable, personalized or niche printed products. |
| eBay | Final value percentage for the exact category and seller status. | Per-order fee, insertion fees after the free allowance, promoted listing cost and any shipping you absorb. | Commodity parts, replacement items, collectibles-adjacent products and price-sensitive buyers. |
| Shopify | Card-processing percentage and any third-party transaction percentage. | Monthly plan, apps, theme/domain costs, chargebacks, traffic acquisition and fixed card fee. | Repeat buyers, branded catalogues, B2B orders and owned audience sales. |
Example: one small printed item
Assume the print, packaging and handling cost is 18 in the channel's source currency before marketplace fees and the target contribution margin is 30%. These are not platform promises; they show how the denominator changes.
price = (unit cost + fixed order fees) / (1 - percentage fees - target margin)| Scenario | Assumption used | Modeled price before tax | Why it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etsy base fee only | 6.5% transaction fee plus USD 0.20 listing allocation; payment and ads excluded. | USD 28.66 | The percentage is lower, but the real order may also include payment processing, offsite ads or region-specific fees. |
| eBay most-categories example | 13.6% final value fee plus USD 0.40 per-order fee for an order over USD 10. | USD 32.62 | The fee base can include shipping, tax and other amounts collected from the buyer. |
| Shopify Australia Basic example | 1.75% + A$0.30 online standard card rate from the pricing page served during review; monthly plan and acquisition excluded. | A$26.81 | Per-order payment fees can look attractive, but traffic and subscription costs move the break-even point. |
Do not compare only order fees
For a 3D-print seller, channel economics also depend on product rights, listing effort, failed-print replacement risk, packing time, shipping damage, support messages and the cost of getting the next buyer. A Shopify order from an email list can beat a marketplace order. A Shopify order bought through paid ads can be worse than Etsy or eBay.
Channel decision checklist
- Use Etsy when buyers search for custom gifts, cosplay-adjacent items, mini accessories or personalized objects and you can prove commercial rights.
- Use eBay when the item has existing demand by part number, replacement use, category search or collector language.
- Use Shopify when you can bring traffic through content, repeat customers, B2B outreach, community or an existing audience.
- Use direct invoicing for custom one-off quotes, local business jobs or engineering/prototype work where marketplace search is not the main buyer source.
简体中文要点
不要只看平台抽成百分比。Etsy 更适合有搜索需求的定制和礼品类产品；eBay 更适合替换件、零件号和价格敏感买家；Shopify 的单笔支付费可能较低，但月费、广告、应用和获客成本必须单独计算。报价前，请把平台百分比放进 PrintCostLab 的 marketplace fee 字段，把固定费用放进单件成本。
Primary sources
- Etsy Fees and Payments Policy
- Etsy seller fees help page
- eBay selling fees
- Shopify pricing
- Shopify third-party transaction fees
Disclosure: PrintCostLab is not affiliated with Etsy, eBay or Shopify. No affiliate links are used. Fee examples are simplified planning scenarios before tax and accounting advice. Confirm category, country, payment, advertising and account-specific terms before setting live prices.