Where to sell handmade leather goods in 2026: fees compared

2026-10-14T12:31:00Z

There's no single best place to sell leatherwork. On published fees, a $100 sale costs a US seller roughly $9.95 on Etsy before any Offsite Ads fee, $15 on Amazon Handmade, $3.20 in card fees on Shopify plus a monthly plan, and $10, $7 or $5 on The Spool List depending on the maker plan. Fees aren't the whole story, though. Each channel brings a different kind of buyer, and custom commissions (a belt to measure, a wallet with initials, a camera strap in a set colour) need a channel where buyers can brief you, not just a buy button.

Fees compared

These are the published fees for a US seller as of October 2026, in US dollars. Other countries have different processing fees, which are noted below.

Channel	Fixed costs	Per-sale fees
Etsy	$0.20 listing fee per listing, renewed every four months; one-time setup fee shown at sign-up [1]	6.5% transaction fee on item price plus shipping and gift wrap [1]; payment processing 3% + $0.25 in the US [2]; Offsite Ads 15% on attributed orders (12% once you pass $10,000 in yearly sales), capped at $100 per order [1]
Amazon Handmade	Professional plan normally $39.99/month, waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month [3]	Referral fee of 15% or $0.30, whichever is greater [3]
Your own Shopify store	Basic $29/month billed annually, or $39 billed monthly [4]	Online card rate 2.9% + $0.30 on Basic; an extra 2% if you use a third-party payment provider instead of Shopify Payments [4]
The Spool List	Maker Free $0; Pro $14.99/month; Premium $29.99/month [5]	10% (Free), 7% (Pro) or 5% (Premium) per completed order; buyers pay no platform fee [5]

What a $100 sale costs you

Using the fees above, for a $100 order with shipping included in the price:

Channel	Approximate fees	You keep (before materials and shipping)
Etsy (no Offsite Ads)	$6.50 + $3.25 + $0.20 listing = $9.95	about $90
Etsy (order from an Offsite Ad, 15%)	$9.95 + $15.00 = $24.95	about $75
Amazon Handmade	$15.00	$85
Shopify Basic	$3.20 card fee, plus your monthly plan	about $97, minus the plan and your own marketing
The Spool List, Free plan	$10.00	$90
The Spool List, Premium plan	$5.00, plus $29.99/month	$95, minus the plan

This is simple arithmetic on the published rates, not a quote. Taxes, currency conversion and country-specific fees change the totals. Etsy's processing fee, for example, is 4% + £0.20 in the UK and 4% + €0.30 in Germany and most EU countries [2], and Etsy charges a 2.5% currency conversion fee if you list in a different currency from your payment account [1].

Etsy

Good for: finished goods and personalised items with search demand behind them: wallets, card holders, keychains, journals, dog collars.

Etsy has built-in buyer traffic, and personalisation fields make initials and names easy. Watch out for Offsite Ads. For a shop under $10,000 a year, a sale that came through one of Etsy's ads costs an extra 15% [1], and on a high-priced bag that adds up, even with the $100 cap.

Amazon Handmade

Good for: makers who want Amazon's buyers and can keep up with its customer service expectations.

The fee is simple: 15% or $0.30, whichever is greater, and no monthly fee once you're approved [3]. You have to apply and be accepted as a handmade seller.

Your own website

Good for: makers with an audience on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube, or repeat customers.

Your own store has the lowest per-sale fees and no marketplace rules, and your customer list is yours. The catch is that you bring every visitor yourself. A Shopify Basic plan costs $29 to $39 a month before you've sold anything [4].

The Spool List

Good for: custom commissions as well as finished products.

The Spool List is a peer-to-peer maker marketplace. Buyers post a job (a belt to measure, a repair, a run of branded key fobs) and verified makers bid. Makers can also list finished products on Forge, the marketplace for ready-made items. Makers are matched to jobs by the machines they've verified, such as a CO2 laser or a leather sewing machine, within their plan's match radius [5]. The buyer pays when they accept your bid, the payment is held, and you're paid when they confirm delivery. Buyers pay no platform fee [5].

The fee is per completed order: 10% on the free plan, 7% on Pro and 5% on Premium [5]. If commissions are a big part of your work, see how it works, our leather price guide, and the leather craft market on The Spool List.

In person

Craft fairs, markets and shop consignment have no platform fee, but you pay for stall rent or give up a consignment share, plus your time. They're good for products people want to touch, like bags and belts, and for meeting future commission clients.

How to choose

Mostly personalised small goods? Start with Etsy, and plan for Offsite Ads.
You already have followers? Your own site keeps the most per sale.
Mostly custom and made-to-order work? Use a channel built for briefs and bids.
Wide range of products? Many makers use two channels: a marketplace for discovery and their own site for repeat buyers.

Whatever you choose, build the fees into your prices, so a 15% sale costs you the same margin as a 5% one.

Join as a leather maker or post a job free.

FAQ

Is Etsy still worth it for leatherwork?

For many makers, yes, because of the built-in traffic. Price with the full fee stack in mind: 6.5% + processing + $0.20 per listing, and 15% or 12% on Offsite Ads orders [1][2].

Does Amazon Handmade charge a monthly fee?

The Professional plan is normally $39.99 a month, but Amazon says it's waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month [3].

Can I sell leather holsters?

Not on The Spool List. Firearms and firearm accessories aren't allowed. Check each marketplace's rules before listing.

Do I need my own website?

Not to start, but it's worth having one page with your work, prices and contact details, even if you sell elsewhere.

Leather Commission and Selling Guides