What is Etsy used for?

Etsy is an online marketplace where independent sellers list handmade, vintage and craft items and shoppers buy from many small shops in one place. It is a good fit for selling handmade products and reaching buyers without running your own store.

No. Etsy is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Etsy include Medusa, Bagisto and Spree Commerce.

What are some alternatives to Etsy?

Etsy competes with eBay and Faire. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Etsy alternatives.

Etsy: features, pricing and alternatives

About Etsy

Etsy is a commercial online marketplace where independent sellers open shops to list handmade items, vintage goods and craft supplies, while buyers browse listings from many sellers in one place. Rather than running its own storefront software, a seller uses Etsy's shared marketplace, which provides search, checkout and payments.

Etsy also provides seller tools for managing listings, orders and shop presentation. It is a hosted service operated by the vendor, so there is nothing to install or self-host, and it is relevant to makers and small sellers weighing a marketplace channel against running their own store.

Key features

Marketplace for handmade and vintage goods
Individual seller shops with listings
Seller tools for listings and orders
Buyer search and checkout

Good fit for

→Selling handmade products
→Reaching buyers without running your own store

Tags: marketplace; handmade; vintage; ecommerce; crafts; sellers

Etsy: questions and answers

What is Etsy used for?: Etsy is an online marketplace where independent sellers list handmade, vintage and craft items and shoppers buy from many small shops in one place. It is a good fit for selling handmade products and reaching buyers without running your own store.
Is Etsy open source?: No. Etsy is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Etsy include Medusa, Bagisto and Spree Commerce.
What are some alternatives to Etsy?: Etsy competes with eBay and Faire. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Etsy alternatives.