9 Etsy Alternatives for Selling Custom-made Items

If You are into handmade, vintage and unique goods, Etsy is the platform. Etsy is an online marketplace to buy and sell handmade and craft products. The marketplace is popular for its focus on creativity and individuality. You can only sell creative products on Etsy. Buyers on Etsy can find unique and custom-made products that aren’t available in traditional retail stores. You can find unique clothing designs, books, gifts, jewellery, toys and other items. Buyers come to the Etsy marketplace for meaningful, one-of-a-kind items handcrafted and curated with passion and expertise by our creative entrepreneurs.

Etsy operates globally, allowing sellers from many countries to list their products and buyers to shop. Some of Etsy's main markets include the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, Japan and China.

Key Points on Etsy

Despite being the most popular marketplace for handcrafted items with 100M  users, Etsy has competitors. There are other marketplaces for sellers to list their products. Craft items sellers have options, depending on their specific location and preferences.

Not On The High Street (often abbreviated as NOTHS) is a UK-based online marketplace specialising in unique, handmade, and personalised products. It is a great alternative to Etsy in that it features independent sellers, but it differs in that it focuses more on premium, curated goods that emphasise high-quality craftsmanship, design, and personalisation.

It's particularly known for offering items that are a little more upscale or distinctive compared to what you might find on other platforms. While NOTHS does ship internationally, it is popular within the UK. Sellers based in the UK may benefit from the site's local customer base and branding that appeals to a British audience looking for high-quality, creative products.

Amazon Handmade is a specialised marketplace within Amazon that focuses on handmade goods, similar to platforms like Etsy. It allows artisans, makers, and small businesses to sell their unique, handcrafted products to Amazon’s massive global audience.

While Amazon Handmade offers the same type of products you might find on Etsy, it’s backed by the power, scale, and logistics of Amazon, making it a great choice for sellers looking to expand their reach and take advantage of Amazon’s extensive customer base.

My Community Made is an online platform designed to support and empower local artisans, makers, and small businesses by providing them with a dedicated marketplace to sell their handmade and unique products. The site aims to foster a community-driven approach, emphasising local connections, sustainability, and the value of craftsmanship.

The platform primarily focuses on local artisans and small businesses, giving them a space to showcase their handmade goods. Like Etsy, My Community Made allows artisans to sell handmade items, such as jewellery, home decor, clothing, art, and accessories. Sellers can list their products, manage inventory, and handle transactions directly through the platform.

Bonanza is an e-commerce marketplace designed to make it easy for small business owners and individual sellers to list and sell their products online. It’s often considered one of the alternative marketplaces to more popular sites like eBay, Amazon, or Etsy. Bonanza stands out for its user-friendly platform, relatively low fees, and flexibility for sellers.

Bonanza allows sellers to list products, including handmade items, vintage products, craft supplies, clothing, electronics, home goods, beauty products, and more. While Etsy is heavily focused on handmade and vintage items, Bonanza has a more expansive catalogue, which allows a broader range of sellers to use the platform

Goimagine is a handmade product marketplace that caters to artisans, creators, and small business owners. Similar to Etsy, Goimagine allows makers to sell handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies.

What sets Goimagine apart is its commitment to charity: a portion of all proceeds from the sales made on the platform are donated to charitable causes. This makes it a socially responsible alternative to other popular e-commerce platforms.

Folksy is a UK-based online marketplace dedicated to showcasing and selling handmade and craft items. It's a platform that focuses on the work of independent makers and small-scale creators who produce unique, often one-of-a-kind products. Much like Etsy, Folksy serves as a community and marketplace for artisans, designers, and makers who want to sell their creations directly to buyers.

Folksy is specifically designed for handmade goods, artisanal products, and craft supplies. Sellers are typically individual artisans or small businesses, and every product is made by hand, not mass-produced.

Numonday is a UK-based online marketplace designed for independent sellers and creators to showcase and sell their handmade, vintage, and artisan products. It’s a direct competitor to platforms like Etsy, with a focus on supporting small businesses, artisans, and makers, particularly within the UK market.

Similar to other handmade marketplaces, Numonday provides a platform for creators to build their shops and connect with buyers who appreciate unique, handcrafted products.

Made By Mums is a UK-based marketplace and community dedicated to showcasing and selling handmade, artisan, and parent-made products. It is an online platform that provides a space for mums (and other makers) to sell their handmade goods and creations, offering a more personalized and curated shopping experience for buyers who want to support small businesses, especially those created by parents juggling family life and business.

Made By Mums focuses on curating a collection of quality, handmade, and unique products made by small business owners. Sellers on the platform are often parents who have turned their passion for making into a business, giving the platform a strong sense of community and personal connection to the products.