Amazon FBA vs Etsy: which keeps more?
Etsy's all-in take (~11%) looks cheaper than Amazon's stack — until you count what FBA's fulfillment fee replaces: your own postage, packing time and storage. This comparison holds the product constant and lets the price move.
Who wins at each price?
| Price | Amazon FBA keeps | Etsy keeps | Winner |
|---|
Canonical profile: product cost 35% of price, inbound $1.20, packaging $0.30, self-shipping $4.80 where relevant, ads 10% of price, returns 5%, 300 units/month, TikTok affiliate 10%. Change the real inputs on each platform's own calculator page.
The structural difference
Amazon charges for distribution and logistics; Etsy charges for distribution and leaves logistics to you. In the table above, Etsy's shipping line is a $4.80 postage assumption — sellers with genuinely cheap shipping (light, flat items) tilt further toward Etsy; sellers shipping anything heavy or fragile tilt toward FBA, whose rates don't care about your negotiated postage.
What the fees don't show
Amazon's buyer pool is several times larger and Prime badges convert cold traffic Etsy never sees. Etsy's buyers arrive with handmade/vintage intent and tolerate prices Amazon's search results would punish. The fee gap — a few dollars per sale — is usually smaller than the price gap the two audiences allow. Optimize fees second; pick the audience first.