Amazon takes 15-45% of every sale. Your own store takes 2.9%. The math is simple — the execution isn't.
Selling on marketplaces (Amazon, Etsy, eBay) is easy to start and expensive to sustain. Commission fees eat your margins, you don't own the customer relationship, and one algorithm change can tank your visibility overnight. Your own e-commerce store — built on Shopify, WooCommerce, or similar — costs $29-79/month, charges only payment processing fees (2.9%), and gives you full control over branding, pricing, and customer data. The tradeoff: marketplaces have built-in traffic; your store doesn't. You have to bring the customers yourself.
Platform choice: Shopify vs WooCommerce vs the rest
Shopify ($29-79/mo): Best for non-technical founders. Everything works out of the box — hosting, security, payments, templates. You can launch a professional store in a weekend. The limitation: less customizable, monthly fees add up, and you're locked into their ecosystem.
WooCommerce (free plugin, $10-30/mo hosting): Best if you already have a WordPress site or want maximum control. More customizable than Shopify but requires more setup and maintenance. Good for businesses with 50+ products or complex needs.
The honest answer: If you're starting from zero and want to sell fast, Shopify. If you have an existing website and some technical comfort, WooCommerce. Don't spend 3 months comparing platforms — pick one and launch.
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