The Honest Comparison
We're not the right platform for everyone. But if you believe merchants should own their customers, their data, and their revenue — read on.
At a Glance
The Real Cost
Every fee below is real, documented, and taken from each platform’s own fee policy. This is what sellers actually pay when the fees stack up.
On a $50 sale, Alkemy (Pro tier) takes $4.25 in total fees — Etsy takes $14.52, Shopify Basic takes $2.92 (plus $189/mo before you sell anything), and Amazon FBA takes $18.07. Every figure below is sourced from each platform’s published fee documentation.
Alkemy shown at Pro tier (best case). Competitors shown with all documented fees that apply to a typical seller.
Deep Dive
Feature-by-feature comparison across all four platforms. No spin — just facts.
| Feature | AlkemyFederated Marketplace | EtsyCurated Marketplace | ShopifyStandalone Store | AmazonMass Marketplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ownership & Data | ||||
| Merchant of record | ✓Always you | ✗Etsy is MoR | ✓Always you | ✗Amazon is MoR (FBA) |
| Customer email addresses | ✓Real emails | ✗Masked by Etsy | ✓Full access | ✗No access |
| Full data export | ✓ | ~Limited CSV | ✓ | ✗Very limited |
| Platform lock-in | None | Moderate | Low | High |
| Costs & Fees | ||||
| Monthly subscription | $0 – $299 | $0$0.20/listing fee | $39 – $399 | $39.99Professional plan |
| Transaction / referral fee | 3–8%Based on plan tier | 6.5%On price + shipping | 0%With Shopify Payments | 8–15%Most categories 15% |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + 30¢Stripe standard | 3% + 25¢Etsy Payments | 2.9% + 30¢Shopify Payments | IncludedIn referral fee |
| Mandatory advertising fees | ✓None ever | ✗12–15% Offsite Ads over $10K | ✓None | ~PPC effectively required |
| Listing / per-item fees | None | $0.20/listingRenews every 4mo or sale | None | $0.99/itemIndividual plan only |
| Storefront & Brand | ||||
| Custom storefront | ✓Site builder included | ~Pattern ($15/mo extra) | ✓Full customization | ✗Amazon storefront only |
| Custom domain | ✓Growth plan+ | ~Pattern only | ✓ | ✗ |
| Brand identity | Full | Limited | Full | Minimal |
| Discovery & Traffic | ||||
| Built-in marketplace | ✓ | ✓92M+ buyers | ✗DIY traffic | ✓300M+ customers |
| SEO / own traffic | ✓ | ~Etsy controls SEO | ✓Full SEO control | ✗Amazon controls rankings |
| Shipping & International | ||||
| Shipping integration | EasyPost | Etsy Labels | Shopify Shipping | FBA / Buy Shipping |
| Landed cost calculator | ✓Zonos (Growth+) | ✗ | ~Advanced plan / app | ✓FBA Global |
| Chargeback protection | ✓Chargeflow | ~Etsy Purchase Protection | ~Shopify Protect (US only) | ✓A-to-z Guarantee |
| Support & Tools | ||||
| Analytics dashboard | ✓Growth plan+ | ✓Etsy Stats | ✓Grow plan+ | ✓Brand Analytics |
| API access | ✓Pro plan | ~Limited / approved apps | ✓All plans | ✓SP-API |
The Difference
On Etsy and Amazon, customers belong to the platform. You never get their real email. You can’t build a relationship, a mailing list, or a brand outside the marketplace walls. On Alkemy, every customer is yours.
Stripe Connect means your money goes directly to your Stripe account. We never hold your funds, we never delay payouts, and our commission is transparent — one percentage, no stacking, no surprise ad fees.
If Alkemy stopped being right for you tomorrow, you’d take your customer list, order history, product data, and storefront assets with you. Try doing that on Amazon. We earn your loyalty — we don’t trap it.
Begin the Transmutation
Start free. Grow at your pace. Leave whenever you want — and take everything with you.