How to Start Selling Online (2026): Where to Sell and What It Costs

Sell used items on eBay, Mercari or Facebook Marketplace, handmade goods on Etsy and designs via print-on-demand, then add your own store later. Selling things you already own is the cheapest way to start, because most marketplaces only charge when something sells. On a $30 sale with free shipping, a US seller keeps about $27.00 on Mercari, $26.70 on Etsy and $25.52 on eBay, before postage and product costs.

How to choose

• What you have to sell: things you no longer need (resale apps), things you make or collect (Etsy and vintage sites), designs (print-on-demand), or products you buy in to resell (Amazon and your own store).
• Startup cost: resale is close to free. Etsy charges $0.20 per listing and some new shops pay a one-time set-up fee. Amazon costs $0.99 per item sold on the Individual plan or $39.99 a month on Professional. Your own store adds a monthly plan, such as £25 a month for Shopify Basic in the UK.
• Time to first payment: Mercari direct deposits usually take up to 5 business days, or minutes with Instant Pay for $3. Etsy deposits daily, weekly, every two weeks or monthly. Amazon pays every 14 days. Redbubble pays once a month.
• Where you live: Etsy Payments is not available in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Nepal, so sellers there cannot open a shop. Shopify Payments works in 40 countries and regions, and stores elsewhere pay Shopify an extra transaction fee. Amazon accepts sellers from most countries, including Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. In South Asia, also see how to start selling on Daraz.

Resale and secondhand apps

Best for clearing out clothes, electronics, books and collectibles with no upfront cost.

• eBay: up to 250 free listings a month, then $0.35 each. The final value fee in most categories is 13.6% of the total sale up to $7,500, plus $0.30 per order ($0.40 on orders over $10). eBay reaches buyers worldwide and suits collectibles and auctions.
• Mercari: a 10% selling fee on the item price and buyer-paid shipping. Direct deposit is free, and Instant Pay costs $3 per cash-out. US and Japan only.
• Depop: removed selling fees for US sellers in July 2024 but still charges a payment processing fee. Strong for fashion and younger buyers.
• Vinted, Poshmark, Facebook Marketplace, OLX and Wallapop are other options, depending on your country. Facebook Marketplace and classifieds work well for bulky items you would rather not ship. Check each one's current fee page before you price.

Check recently sold listings, not asking prices, to see what things are actually worth.

Handmade, vintage and digital goods

Etsy is the main marketplace for handmade, vintage and craft supplies. You pay $0.20 per listing, 6.5% of each sale and a payment processing fee (3% + $0.25 in the US). Offsite Ads take 15% of orders they bring in, or 12% once you pass $10,000 a year, when they become mandatory. Full setup: how to start selling on Etsy.

Etsy's 2024 annual report counted 5.6 million active sellers and $10.9 billion of gross merchandise sales on the Etsy marketplace. That averages about $1,950 per active seller for the year, and a small number of large shops pull the average up, so most shops sell far less.

For higher-value antiques and design pieces, look at Chairish, 1stDibs and Catawiki in the vintage selling section. Digital designers can sell templates on template marketplaces.

Big marketplaces like Amazon

Amazon suits sellers with products to buy in or make at volume. The Individual plan costs $0.99 per item sold and Professional costs $39.99 a month, so Professional is cheaper above about 40 sales a month. The referral fee is 15% in most categories, and Amazon remits your balance every 14 days, although it can hold a reserve. Details: how to start selling on Amazon.

Costs, not sales, are the main worry for established sellers. In Jungle Scout's 2025 survey of nearly 1,500 Amazon sellers and businesses, 38% named higher shipping costs as a top challenge, 34% rising cost of goods and 32% growing advertising costs. Compare other giants on the best big marketplaces list and Amazon alternatives for sellers.

Print-on-demand

Upload designs and the platform prints, ships and handles returns. There is no inventory, but margins are thin.

• Redbubble: you set a markup over the base price. In Redbubble's example, a 20% markup on a $20 T-shirt base earns $4 before fees. A platform fee of 20% (Premium tier) or 50% (Standard tier) comes off monthly earnings, and payouts go out by the 15th once you have $10. See how to sell your first design on Redbubble.
• TeePublic, Amazon Merch on Demand and Spreadshirt are alternatives on the best print-on-demand platforms list.

Live selling

On Whatnot, TikTok Shop and eBay Live you sell by livestream, often in auctions. This works for collectibles, trading cards and fashion if you are comfortable on camera. See the best live shopping platforms.

Your own store

A store on Shopify, WooCommerce or Wix gives you your own brand and customer list, but no built-in buyers. You pay for every visitor through ads, social media or search. Shopify prices plans by country and no longer offers its $5 Starter plan to new stores. Where Shopify Payments is unavailable, Basic adds a 2% fee on each order on top of your payment provider's fee. Setup: how to set up your first Shopify store.

Most sellers open a store after a marketplace has shown them what sells.

Comparison table

First steps this week

1. Walk through your home and pick ten items you no longer use. Look up recently sold prices for each on eBay.
2. Photograph them in daylight against a plain background, including any flaws.
3. List them on one app that suits your country: Mercari or eBay in the US, Vinted across much of Europe, Facebook Marketplace for bulky items.
4. If you make things, check that Etsy Payments covers your country, then list your first five products on Etsy.
5. If you design, upload at least five original designs to Redbubble, which it needs before placing your account in a tier.
6. Set up payouts to your bank or Payoneer, and track every fee and postage cost in a simple spreadsheet so you know your real profit.

What to avoid

• Off-platform payment requests. Buyers who ask to pay outside the app, send "payment confirmation" emails, or overpay and ask for a refund are running common scams. Only ship once the platform shows the order as paid.
• Counterfeits and other people's designs. Selling fakes or copied artwork gets listings removed and accounts closed. Redbubble puts accounts with unmodified clip art, repetitive designs or tag spamming in its Standard tier, where the fee is 50%.
• Ignoring reserves. Etsy's policy example holds 30% of sales for 45 days on higher-risk shops, and Shopify's examples include holding 10% of each transaction for 120 days. Keep a cash buffer for postage and supplies.
• Buying stock before you test demand. Sell a few units, or use print-on-demand, before you order inventory.
• Dropshipping and "Amazon automation" courses. Programs that promise a set monthly income or offer to run a store for you are selling the course, not the result.

Sources

• Etsy: Fees and Payments Policy
• Etsy: Payments Policy
• Etsy Inc. 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K)
• eBay: Selling fees
• Mercari: Selling fees
• Wikipedia: Depop
• Amazon: Selling fees and plans
• Amazon Services Business Solutions Agreement
• Seller Central Help: Countries accepted for seller registration
• Jungle Scout: State of the Amazon Seller 2025
• Redbubble: How does my Account Tier determine my account fees
• Redbubble: How is my payment calculated
• Redbubble: Artist payment threshold
• Shopify: Pricing
• Shopify Help Center: Shopify Payments supported countries
• Shopify Help Center: Reserves