Etsy vs Amazon Handmade vs TikTok Shop Fee Calculator

If you make and sell handmade goods, the platform you choose decides how much of each sale you keep. Etsy, Amazon Handmade and TikTok Shop charge in very different ways. One has several small fees, one has a single larger referral fee, and one has a low referral fee plus optional creator commissions. Headline percentages make this hard to compare.

The calculator below puts the three side by side for a US sale. Enter your price, shipping and costs, and it shows each platform’s fees, your net payout, profit and margin, with the best option highlighted. It runs in your browser, and none of your numbers are sent anywhere.

The fees at a glance (US, verified 14 October 2026)

Fee	Etsy	Amazon Handmade	TikTok Shop
Listing / plan	$0.20 per listing; charged again for each extra item sold and every 4 months on renewal	Professional plan $39.99 for the first month, then waived for approved Handmade sellers	None
Main sales fee	6.5% transaction fee on item price + shipping + gift wrap	15% referral fee, or $0.30 per unit if greater	6% referral fee in most categories (5% for some fine jewelry and pre-owned)
Payment processing	3% + $0.25 for US sellers (varies by bank-account country)	Included	Included: the referral fee covers all TikTok Shop fees except shipping and tax
Seller-country fee	Regulatory Operating Fee for some countries (e.g. UK 0.48%, Canada 0.50%, France 1.14%)	–	–
Optional marketing	Offsite Ads 15% (or 12% for shops over $10k/year), capped at $100 per order	Sponsored ads (cost per click)	Affiliate creator commission you set; ads

Sources: Etsy Fees & Payments Policy, Amazon’s Handmade and pricing pages, and TikTok Shop Academy (US) referral fee pages. Links are at the end.

How each platform charges

Etsy

Etsy’s fees are small but add up. You pay $0.20 to list an item. The listing renews, and is charged again, every four months or when the item sells and auto-renews, and each extra quantity sold in an order is charged too. On each sale Etsy takes a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price, shipping and gift wrap. Payment processing for US sellers is 3% + $0.25, and the base for that fee includes sales tax.

Two extras catch sellers out:

• Offsite Ads. If a sale comes from an Etsy ad on another site, you pay 15% of the order total. Shops with more than $10,000 in yearly sales pay 12%, and these shops cannot opt out. The fee is capped at $100 per order.
• Regulatory Operating Fee (ROF). Sellers in some countries pay an extra percentage: Canada 0.50%, France 1.14%, Hungary 1.97%, India 0.05%, Italy 0.80%, Spain 0.88%, Turkey 1.67%, the UK 0.48% and Vietnam 1.24%. US sellers do not pay it.

Etsy also charges 2.5% for currency conversion if your listings are in a different currency from your payment account. The calculator does not include this.

Amazon Handmade

Amazon Handmade is simpler. A Professional selling plan is required and normally costs $39.99 a month. According to Amazon’s Handmade page, approved Handmade sellers pay only a one-time first-month fee, and the monthly fee is waived after that. On each unit sold, Amazon deducts a 15% referral fee, or $0.30, whichever is greater. Payment processing is included. Amazon’s pricing page describes the referral fee as a percentage of the total price, so the calculator applies it to the item price plus shipping.

Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is optional. If you use it, enter the per-unit FBA fee from Amazon’s own calculator, and set “shipping you pay” to what you spend getting stock to Amazon.

TikTok Shop

TikTok Shop (US) charges a referral fee of 6% per order in most categories, a rate in place since 1 April 2024. A few fine-jewelry subcategories (diamond, gold, jade, platinum/carat gold, ruby/sapphire/emerald) and pre-owned categories pay 5%. Silver jewelry, pearls, home decor and kitchenware are listed at 6%. TikTok says the referral fee “encompasses all TikTok Shop fees, with the exception of shipping and tax fees”. The fee is calculated as rate × (customer payment + platform discount − tax), and that base includes the shipping the buyer pays.

Watch for two costs:

• Affiliate commission. If creators promote your product, you pay the commission rate you set. The calculator applies it to the item price.
• Refunds. When an order is refunded, TikTok returns the referral fee minus a Refund Administration Fee of 20% of the referral fee, capped at $5 per SKU.

New sellers are sometimes offered promotional rates. Check your Seller Center, because we could not confirm a current US promotion.

Worked example

Say you sell a handmade wooden coaster set for $35. You charge $6 shipping, it costs you $10 to make, and shipping costs you $6. You are a US seller with one item, no ads and no affiliates.

• Etsy: $0.20 + $2.67 (6.5%) + $1.48 (3% + $0.25) = $4.35 in fees (about 10.6%). Profit $20.66.
• Amazon Handmade: 15% of $41 = $6.15 (15%). Profit $18.85.
• TikTok Shop: 6% of $41 = $2.46 (6%). Profit $22.54.

TikTok Shop looks cheapest on fees alone. Add a 20% creator commission, though, and it becomes the most expensive of the three. The same happens on Etsy when a sale comes through Offsite Ads. That is why the calculator has fields for these.

Fees aren’t everything

• Traffic. Etsy buyers search for handmade. On Amazon you get huge reach but heavy competition. TikTok Shop sales usually depend on video content and creators.
• Work involved. Amazon and TikTok have their own rules on shipping speed, performance metrics and returns. Factor in your time.
• Payout timing. TikTok settles orders after delivery. Each platform has its own payout schedule.
• Rules and approval. Amazon Handmade requires you to apply and be approved as a maker.

FAQ

Which platform is cheapest for handmade sellers?
On fees alone, TikTok Shop’s 6% is usually lowest, followed by Etsy’s roughly 9.5% plus fixed fees for US sellers, then Amazon Handmade’s 15%. Ads, Offsite Ads and affiliate commissions can change that order, so run your own numbers.

Does Amazon Handmade really have no monthly fee?
Amazon says the Professional plan ($39.99/month) is charged for the first month and then waived for approved Handmade sellers. Check your Seller Central account to confirm.

Is shipping included in the fee base?
Yes for all three. Etsy charges its transaction fee on item price plus shipping (and gift wrap). Amazon charges on the total price. TikTok’s referral base includes the shipping the buyer pays.

Do non-US sellers pay more on Etsy?
Possibly. Payment processing depends on your bank account’s country, and sellers in some countries also pay a Regulatory Operating Fee. Choose your country in the calculator and adjust the processing rate.

Can I avoid Etsy’s Offsite Ads fee?
Shops under $10,000 a year in sales can opt out of Offsite Ads. Larger shops cannot, but they pay 12% instead of 15%, and the fee is always capped at $100 per order.

Are these fees for US sales only?
Yes. The calculator uses US marketplace fees. UK and EU TikTok Shop and Amazon sites have different fee schedules.

Official sources (verified 14 October 2026)

• Etsy Fees & Payments Policy: https://www.etsy.com/legal/fees/
• Amazon Handmade (fees FAQ): https://sell.amazon.com/programs/handmade
• Amazon selling fees and referral fees: https://sell.amazon.com/pricing
• TikTok Shop Academy, Referral Fee Updates (US): https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=5982454398175018&lang=en
• TikTok Shop Academy, Referral Fees by Category (US, page dated 10/08/2026): https://seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=5988482086864682&lang=en

This article is for general information only and is not financial or tax advice. Fees change, so check each platform before you decide. Last updated: October 2026.