How to Move Your Handmade Shop From Etsy to Squarespace (And Why You Should)

If you've been selling on Etsy for a while, you already know the frustration. Listing fees, transaction fees, algorithm changes that tank your visibility overnight. You've built something real — and Etsy takes a cut of every single sale.

The good news? Moving to your own Squarespace website is easier than you think. And the payoff is huge.

Why crafters are leaving Etsy (or at least not relying on it alone)

Etsy charges a 6.5% transaction fee on every sale, plus listing fees and payment processing fees. On a $50 item that's nearly $5 gone before you've paid for materials. Multiply that across hundreds of sales and you're looking at real money leaving your pocket every month.

Beyond the fees, you don't own your Etsy shop. If Etsy changes its algorithm, suspends your account, or raises fees again — your business takes the hit.

Your own website changes that. You own it. You control it. And you keep more of every sale. Check out the numbers below! You can see exactly how much you would save on Squarespace with $10,000 in product sales. 

You will save anywhere from $364 to $1,564 using Squarespace to sell vs. Etsy. The only hurdle is getting your audience to migrate to your Squarespace website from Etsy. If you already have a following on Etsy, you can contact each customer and notify them of the switch. You can also redirect customers in the actual listings. So they find your listings on Etsy, but they are redirected to your website. Either way, it is important to gradually migrate your traffic to your website. It will take some time to start to gain traffic on a new website. But once you do, the benefits are tremendous. You keep all your customers, you can build your email list, and you won't ever have to pay Etsy fees again. Also you won't have to be in fear of being banned from Etsy because you have 100% control of your website. 

What you need before you move

Before you migrate, make sure you have:

• A Squarespace account (their personal or business plan works great for most crafters)
• Your product photos saved and organized
• Your product descriptions written out
• A domain name (you can buy one through Squarespace or connect one you already own)

 

Step 1: Choose a template built for makers

Don't start from a blank page. A template designed specifically for handmade sellers saves you hours of setup time. Look for one that includes a shop page, gallery, about page, and contact form already built in. All you need to do is swap in your photos, colors, and products.

 

Step 2: Set up your shop pages

Squarespace's commerce tools are genuinely beginner friendly. Add your products, set your prices, connect a payment method (Stripe or PayPal both work), and you're ready to sell. For digital patterns and downloads, Squarespace handles the delivery automatically.

Step 3: Write an About page that actually converts

This is the most skipped step — and the most important one. People buy from people they trust. Your About page is where you tell your story: how you got into quilting, what makes your patterns different, why you love what you do. Don't skip it.

Step 4: Don't close your Etsy shop yet

Keep your Etsy shop running while you build traffic to your new site. Think of Etsy as a discovery tool — people find you there, then you direct them to your website for repeat purchases. Over time, as your website traffic grows, you can rely on Etsy less.

 

Step 5: Tell your existing customers

Send an email or post in your social channels letting people know you have a new website. Offer a small discount for first-time purchases on the new site. Your existing fans are your best first customers.

 

The bottom line

Moving to your own website doesn't mean abandoning Etsy overnight. It means building something you own, that grows with you, and that stops handing a cut of your hard work to someone else.

Ready to get started? Browse our Squarespace templates built specifically for crafters and handmade sellers at cafedigitalweb.com.