As an online seller deciding where to set up shop, two of the most well-known marketplaces—Etsy and Poshmark—likely top your list. But with distinct specialties in handmade/vintage goods and secondhand clothing, respectively, should you choose one over the other? Or sell on both?
This in-depth feature comparison examines everything from fees and target markets to customization options and community engagement across the two e-commerce platforms. The goal? To help sellers determine which site offers greater money-making potential for their business.
Let’s weigh the pros, cons, and key differentiators—from both the seller and buyer perspective.
Etsy vs. Poshmark: At-a-Glance
Etsy positions itself as "the global marketplace for unique and creative goods", specializing primarily in handmade, vintage, and craft supplies.
Poshmark focuses on “connecting sellers with buyers of stylish new or secondhand clothing", attracting users interested in fashion, both new and pre-owned.
| Metric | Etsy | Poshmark |
|---|---|---|
| Total 2021 Sales | $12.2 billion | $1.7 billion |
| Active Buyers | 90 million+ | 80 million+ |
| Active Sellers | 5.3 million | 7 million+ |
| Top Categories | Jewelry, Home & Living, Clothing, Craft Supplies, Paper & Party Supplies | Women’s Clothing & Accessories, Shoes, Men’s Clothing, Home Goods |
While the two platforms share similarities—from mobile apps to robust communities—their differences set them distinctly apart. Sellers must understand these nuances when evaluating which site best matches their products and brand.
Side-by-Side Comparison
How exactly do Etsy and Poshmark stack up across factors impacting sellers? Here’s an in-depth feature analysis.
Fees
As a seller, fees eat into your profit margin so reviewing each platform’s commission structure is imperative.
Etsy charges a 5% transaction fee when items sell, plus payment processing fees of 3% + $0.25 per order. Sellers also select a monthly fee depending on desired shop features:
- Basic: $0.20 per listing (free for up to 40 listings/month)
- Standard: $0.40 per listing
- Premium $0.60 per listing
Poshmark takes a flat commission of 20% from each sale over $15. Items under $15 pay a $2.95 flat fee.
For perspective, if you sold a $50 item, you’d earn $45 on Etsy (with basic store) versus $40 on Poshmark after fees. While Poshmark‘s 20% sounds steep compared to Etsy‘s 5%, for higher priced items, Etsy‘s additional payment processing fees further eat into profits.
Verdict: Lower cost overall for Etsy assuming you price items sufficiently high, but Poshmark offers simpler flat-rate structure.
Target Market
With very different product specialties, each platform also attracts distinct buyer demographics.
The typical Etsy buyer is 39 years old with an annual household income of $76k, according to Statista. Top reasons for purchasing include supporting small shops, finding unique items, creativity/artistry in products, and personalized service.
Poshmark’s core demographic spans Millennial and Gen Z women interested in fashion and socially-driven shopping. An estimated 80% of Poshmark users are female, per Marketplace Pulse.
Crafting your target customer avatar helps direct where you choose to sell items. Those selling handmade woodwork might not resonate on Poshmark as well as a Gen Z seller hawking thrifted Y2K tees.
Verdict: Know your niche. Etsy for artisans, crafters and vintage. Poshmark for fashionistas buying/selling secondhand apparel.
Customization
Do you want tools to convey your small business’ unique brand and story? Etsy offers sellers far greater ability to customize their shops—from fonts and layouts to color schemes and logos. Extensive options exist to refine search placement, run sales promotions, create coupon codes and tailor email marketing. Sellers can also build an “About” page showcasing their story.
By contrast, customizing a Poshmark seller profile is limited to choosing a cover photo or profile pic, adding a short bio and sharing personal measurements (important for clothing buyers). While you can still craft a cohesive vibe via images and text, Etsy provides a fuller suite of branding and merchandising options.
Verdict: Etsy takes the win for sellers wanting maximum creative control in conveying their brand identity visually.
Shipping Process
Handling logistics for online orders is often one of the biggest pain points cited by ecommerce sellers. How do Etsy and Poshmark compare when it comes to shipping management?
An interesting distinction is that Etsy empowers sellers to determine specific shipping policies and costs, while Poshmark enforces a flat rate commission and standardized label process across transactions.
On Etsy, sellers can choose their own carriers, set individual shipping profiles for locations, enable free shipping thresholds, and determine if they fulfill orders themselves or use third-party fulfillment services. This autonomy provides tremendous flexibility catering to individual seller preferences and product types. However, the work falls completely on the seller for purchase fulfillment.
In the Poshmark selling experience, every sale over 5 lbs incurs a flat $6.79 fee for shipping, while lighter items ship free. Sellers print Poshmark-provided prepaid shipping labels with tracking, placing the onus on Poshmark to handle delivery. The standardized process makes fulfillment simple for sellers. Yet they also have no control over enhancing speed or cost options.
Verdict: Etsy offers sellers maximum shipping flexibility, while Poshmark simplifies the fulfillment process via uniform rates and labels.
Tools & Analytics
From inventory management tools to sales dashboards and search analytics, both Etsy and Poshmark provide robust platforms to run the backend of your online business.
Etsy equips sellers with an abundance of data like views to conversions metrics and trends graphs to identify best-selling items. Sellers gain helpful intel to actively monitor shop performance and capitalize on opportunities. Third-party integrations further augment capabilities for shipping, accounting, email marketing and more.
While more streamlined, Poshmark also supplies easy-to-use tools for organizing, sharing and tracking listings. Sellers receive daily email digests highlighting status changes and can analyze historical metrics like average price point and brands that move quickest to tailor sourcing and merchandising strategies accordingly.
Verdict: Etsy dominates for sellers wanting granular data and customization, while Poshmark efficiently delivers just the need-to-know stats in simplified fashion.
Making the Choice: Etsy vs. Poshmark
While no universally “best” option exists across seller types and product offerings, evaluating a few key factors helps dictate what platform makes sense for your business.
Product Type & Audience Match
At its core, assessing marketplace viability centers around whether a seller’s goods align with platform specialties and target buyer tastes.
Handmade leather wallets or upcycled vintage dresses? Etsy provides that specialized customer base valuing artistry and individuality driving such purchases.
Gently used Free People boho dresses or new with tags Anthropologie tops? Poshmark draws the fashion lovers seeking deals on coveted styles building wardrobes reflecting personal style.
Building out buyer personas both demographically and psychographically helps steer appropriate platform selection aligning to a seller‘s inventory.
Growth Potential
For sellers specifically evaluating Etsy vs. Poshmark in pursuit of full-time income streams, assessing size of opportunity also proves prudent.
In 2021, Etsy facilitated over $12 billion in sales, demonstrating tremendous growth potential for sellers able to effectively compete in a global handmade/vintage goods marketplace also attracting Amazon Handmade and eBay. However, competition runs high with over 5 million active sellers currently on Etsy.
Poshmark represents a smaller pond in terms of annual sales, nearing just $2 billion. But with 80 million registered users now and an app driving high buyer engagement, ample room still exists for sellers to develop fiercely loyal niche followings buying up coveted fashion labels resold at attractive prices.
Startup Effort Required
Ease of entry and onboarding also impact where sellers begin their ecommerce journeys. Both Etsy and Poshmark offer relatively easy signup processes, with Poshmark fast-tracking first-timer sellers especially.
Listing an item on Poshmark requires simply snapping a few smartphone photos and adding a description. Share your closet with existing followers or make use of Poshmark’s sophisticated recommendation engines to expose items to potential buyers matching aesthetic interests.
Alternately, while still straightforward, establishing an Etsy shop presents more upfront effort—especially for sellers wanting higher visibility within search results and various marketplace taxonomies. Strong SEO optimization, keyword research and properly tagging and photographing creations all prove imperative.
Particularly for new ecommerce sellers less focused on securing instant sales vs. methodically building durable brands, Etsy may present a steeper learning curve but with valuable skill-building included.
While Etsy and Poshmark each bring unique opportunities and advantages, analyzing item types, growth objectives, startup bandwidth and target customer alignment help steer savvy sellers to optimal platforms fitting their ecommerce visions.
The most successful sellers ultimately consider diversifying across multiple marketplaces, reducing reliance on any one channel while multiplying income streams. But in the early days, match your products to equally matched buyers using this comparison as your guide.
