Powered by Casa vs Etsy: your own store or a marketplace shop?

Etsy's main advantage is discovery. A buyer can arrive with purchase intent, search the marketplace and find a seller they had never heard of. For handmade, vintage and craft-related products, that audience can help validate demand.

The trade-off is that the shop exists inside Etsy. Search results place sellers alongside competitors, the buyer follows Etsy's interface and the marketplace sets rules for how transactions are completed.

Casa does not provide a marketplace audience. The merchant promotes the website through social media, search, email, local customers or advertising. In return, every page centres the merchant's brand and the customer visits a destination the business controls.

Etsy's current fee policy includes a US $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee on the displayed item price and relevant delivery or gift-wrapping charges, and payment processing fees that vary by country. UK sellers may also encounter a regulatory operating fee, advertising fees or currency conversion charges depending on how they sell.

Powered by Casa charges £1 for the first month and £9.99 per month after that. Casa Payments is included and Casa charges 1% on a successful order. Buying a domain and postage labels are separate because their price depends on the selected product or service.

A marketplace's percentage fees may feel inexpensive before sales begin because much of the cost follows revenue. A subscription store becomes more predictable as sales grow, but the merchant must generate the traffic. Calculate both models using your average order value, expected monthly orders and advertising plans.

An Etsy shop can have its own name, banner, product photography and story, but customers still know they are shopping on Etsy. That marketplace trust can help a new seller, especially before the brand has its own reputation.

Casa lets the business connect or buy a custom domain and create Home, Shop, About, Contact and policy pages around the brand. Store colours, sections and content can be edited directly or through conversational design requests. A consistent domain also gives packaging, social profiles and offline promotion a permanent destination.

A direct store can create customer accounts, collect newsletter subscriptions with permission and keep order history tied to that merchant. This makes it easier to build an audience that recognises the business rather than only the marketplace.

Etsy prohibits taking an Etsy-initiated transaction off platform. Sellers should follow Etsy's current rules rather than using marketplace contact to avoid fees. An independent store should be promoted through channels the business controls, not by diverting an active Etsy purchase.

Yes. A seller can keep selected products on Etsy for discovery while building a broader brand through an independent website. Packaging, legitimate social marketing and direct enquiries can introduce the standalone store without interfering with an Etsy transaction.

The operational cost is maintaining stock, product information and orders in more than one place. Start with a small catalogue and a clear rule for which channel owns each order, then expand only when the extra reach justifies the work.

Etsy is strongest as a marketplace. Powered by Casa is strongest as the business's own ecommerce home. If immediate marketplace discovery matters more than brand control, Etsy may be the better starting point. If the goal is an independent brand with a direct customer journey, Casa is the clearer fit.

For many makers the best answer is not an abrupt switch. Use marketplace demand to learn what sells, while steadily giving the business a home that is not dependent on a marketplace search result.