You’ve spent all year creating your products, preparing for the busiest shopping season of the year. But as the holidays approach, your sales depend on Etsy’s fees, rules, and unpredictable algorithm. That’s a risky way to run your most profitable season.

For many product businesses, the holidays aren’t just a sales bump — they make up a huge portion of annual revenue. Which means every extra fee, every deactivated listing, every competitor’s ad on your product page costs you more than you think.

If you’ve been relying only on Etsy, now is the time to take control with your own Shopify store.

The Realities of Etsy

Etsy has been an amazing entry point for makers and product-based businesses, but it’s gotten harder to rely on:

• Rising fees and costs that chip away at your margins: Every transaction, listing, and marketing tool comes with a fee — and those costs keep creeping up.

• Constant policy updates and surprise rule changes: You’re playing by rules you don’t control, and keeping up with them can feel like a full-time job.

• Competition with knockoffs and mass-market goods: Even on your own product page, you’re competing with sellers undercutting prices or copying designs.

• No control over reviews or ratings: Etsy’s algorithms determine visibility and credibility.

• Limited access to customer information: You can’t easily collect emails or track buying behavior. Note: you can include a link to an email list signup page in your bio and I suggest that you do.

And the biggest Etsy negative of all? You don’t own the customer relationship.

Shoppers often say, “I bought it on Etsy” — not “I bought it from you.” Even worse, you get limited access to customer data like emails and buying behavior, making it almost impossible to build long-term customer relationships.

A Story from a Shop Schooler

One of my Shop School members had several bestsellers on Etsy...until her listings were suddenly deactivated. She spent weeks filing appeals and trying to get her products back online. They'd come back on only to be deactivated again. 

That’s the risk when your entire business is built on a platform you don’t control. And it’s exactly why she decided to launch her own Shopify store.

She built her store as quickly as possible while this was all happening with Etsy.

She launched her store, told her audience on Instagram to go shop there, and they did!

Why You Need More Than Etsy

If you want to make Etsy just one of your sales channels, that means you need another way to sell your products.

You could sell on:

• Social media

• In-person events

• Consignment or wholesale (like Faire)

• Even art licensing opportunities

But here’s the problem: none of those options give you full ownership of your customer relationships. You’re always playing by someone else’s rules.

Make Shopify Your Sales Hub

That’s why it makes sense to center your business around your own Shopify site. With your site as the hub, every other channel supports you — not the other way around.

With Shopify, you can:

• Keep more of every sale — On Etsy, fees add up quickly with each listing, transaction, and marketing tool. Shopify has one predictable monthly fee, so more of every sale stays in your pocket.

• Collect customer emails — build real relationships and repeat buyers.

• Set your own rules — no algorithm decides your visibility or pricing.

• Brand recognition — customers buy from you, not just a marketplace.

Every sale strengthens your reputation, not Etsy’s. With your own website, you’re building a long-term asset rather than renting space on someone else’s platform.

Why Launch Before the Holidays

For many businesses, the holidays are the biggest sales season of the year. If you only sell on Etsy, you’re giving up control of that crucial revenue.

Holiday shopping starts earlier every year, and customers are already browsing for gifts. The sooner your Shopify store is live, the sooner you can capture those sales.

Launching your Shopify store before the holidays lets you:

• Send your customers to a brand, not a marketplace. Holiday buyers are more likely to remember your shop and come back when it's yours, not Etsy's.
  
  

• Capture high-volume holiday traffic: Shoppers are actively searching for gifts — make sure they find your products first.

• Offer your own promotions and bundles: You decide discounts, bundles, gift sets, and special offers — no marketplace rules holding you back.

• Build and leverage your email list: Collect customer emails and create campaigns that drive repeat purchases, not just one-off sales.

• Own the customer experience: From branded packaging to personalized messaging, you create an experience that builds loyalty and brand recognition.

• Maximize margins: Lower fees mean more of each holiday dollar stays in your pocket.

• Set your own shipping and inventory rules: No surprise restrictions from a marketplace — you control stock, shipping deadlines, and fulfillment strategies.

• Test and optimize marketing campaigns: With your own store, you can A/B test promotions, ads, and product placement to see what actually drives holiday sales.

• Diversify beyond a single marketplace: Even if you keep selling on Etsy or other channels, your website is the hub for all holiday sales — providing stability, flexibility, and long-term growth.

The holidays aren’t just about short-term sales — they’re about setting yourself up for long-term growth. If you wait until after the season, you’ve missed the biggest opportunity of the year to attract, convert, and retain new customers.

The bottom line: Shopify gives you control, flexibility, and profitability — everything you need to make the most of the holiday season, rather than leaving your success to a third-party platform.

Imagine sending customers to your site where every order grows your brand, not Etsy’s.

Take Control This Holiday Season

You’ve worked hard to build your shop — now it’s time to own it. Shopify gives you the margins, control, and brand recognition you deserve.

Etsy can still play a role in your business but if you have long-term business goals, it shouldn’t be the whole foundation. The only way to create stability, flexibility, and long-term growth is to build on a platform you own.

And with holiday shopping already ramping up, there’s never been a better time to launch your Shopify store.

The tools and tech have never been easier. Customers are more open than ever to buying directly from small brands. And the sooner you launch, the more prepared you’ll be to maximize this holiday season — and carry that momentum into the new year.

Inside Shop School, I teach you step-by-step how to launch your Shopify store — so you can take control of your business, keep more profits, and capture holiday sales that don’t disappear into Etsy’s fees.

With guidance, templates, and support, you can stop relying on someone else’s platform and start building a brand that lasts.

Don’t let this holiday season slip by while you’re stuck playing Etsy’s game. Shop School will help you launch your Shopify store now, so you don’t miss the most profitable time of the year.