The marketplace with the lowest commission is rarely the one that makes you the most money. To choose the right marketplace for your business, run four checks in order: access, net margin, buyer behavior and dependence. Commission belongs inside the second check, not at the top of your list.
Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, eBay and Etsy serve as examples below, since most US business owners shortlist from those four.
Quick Summary:
Pick a marketplace by checking whether you can get approved, what you keep per order after every fee, whether your buyers shop there the way you sell, and how exposed you are if the account is restricted. Test one marketplace for 90 days against a written kill number before you add a second.
- Access: Walmart Marketplace requires an application, and Amazon restricts some categories.
- Margin: compare what you keep per order, not the commission rate.
- Buyer behavior: search-led marketplaces reward price and reviews, discovery-led ones reward distinctive products.
- Dependence: you rent the audience, so cap your exposure.
- Pilot: one marketplace, 90 days, one pre-set stop rule.
1. Confirm you can sell there before you compare anything
Eligibility is the first filter, because a marketplace that will not approve you is not an option, however much traffic it has.
Walmart Marketplace is application-based and charges no monthly fee. Amazon lets you register openly, but some categories need approval, and the Professional plan costs $39.99 a month plus selling fees (Amazon’s pricing page). Etsy is built around handmade, vintage and craft supply items, so a reseller of factory-made goods does not fit its rules. eBay accepts new and used goods across most categories. Gather your business registration, tax forms and product barcodes before you apply, since Walmart’s application is selective.
2. Work out what you keep per order, not what the marketplace charges
Net margin per order decides whether a marketplace is viable, because a commission percentage hides fixed fees, fulfillment, ads and returns.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Fee structures differ in shape, so headline rates are hard to compare. Amazon’s referral fees fall between 8% and 15% in most categories, with a few far higher. Walmart publishes a category fee table with no monthly fee, and 15% applies to categories such as home and kitchen and pet supplies. On eBay, most US categories cost roughly 13% to 14% of the total sale, shipping included, plus a per-order fee of $0.30 to $0.40. Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee and, for US sellers, 3% plus $0.25 in payment processing.
Here is the same $40 order, shipping included, in a category with a 15% referral fee on Amazon and Walmart.
| Marketplace | Marketplace fees on a $40 order | Share of sale |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon (15% referral) | $6.00 | 15% |
| Walmart (15% referral) | $6.00 | 15% |
| eBay (13.6% plus $0.40 per order) | $5.84 | 14.6% |
| Etsy (listing, transaction and processing) | $4.25 | 10.6% |
These figures cover marketplace fees only. Amazon’s $39.99 monthly plan fee, fulfillment, advertising and returns come on top.
Etsy looks cheapest on fees alone, which is why the table is incomplete. Fulfillment is the next layer. Walmart Fulfillment Services starts at $3.45 per unit for items up to 1 lb. on Walmart’s published schedule, and Amazon’s FBA fees also scale with size and weight. Then add the cost of marketplace advertising, because visibility on a crowded search-led marketplace is rarely free. Subtract everything from the $40 and compare what is left.
Run this for your three best-selling products, not a catalog average. Fixed fees punish cheap items. Etsy’s $0.45 in fixed listing and processing charges is 4.5% of a $10 order and under half a percent of a $100 order.
3. Match the marketplace to how your buyers shop
Amazon and Walmart are search-led, meaning buyers arrive with a specific product in mind and compare price and reviews, while Etsy is discovery-led, meaning buyers browse for something distinctive.
eBay sits between the two, with deal hunters, used goods and collectibles alongside new items. Your product has to win on the marketplace’s terms. A commodity with thin differentiation fights on price and ad spend in search-led environments. A product with a story, customization or visible craft has a better chance where buyers browse.
Test this before you commit. Search your product and three competitors on each shortlisted marketplace. Count how many sellers offer something similar, note the price spread, and check whether the top results resemble your product and brand. If they do not, the marketplace is telling you something. If you sell to other businesses, the same four checks apply, but the shortlist moves to wholesale and industry-specific marketplaces.
4. Decide how much dependence you can live with
On a marketplace you rent access to buyers, so the real question is what happens to your revenue if fees rise or your account is restricted.
Fees do move. Etsy raised its transaction fee from 5% to 6.5%, and eBay’s most common rate has gone from 12.9% in 2023 to about 13.6% in 2026. Marketplaces also control how you can contact their buyers. eBay, for example, charges a final value fee if you take a sale off its platform. Read each marketplace’s policy on buyer contact before you build any email or retargeting plan around it.
A practical rule: do not let one marketplace account for more revenue than you could replace within a quarter. Build a website alongside it, then use email marketing to keep the buyers who come to you directly.
5. Run a 90-day pilot with a kill number written down
Pick one marketplace and test it for 90 days against criteria you set before the first listing goes live.
- Choose your three best products by margin, so each can absorb ads and returns.
- Set a minimum net margin per order, such as 20% after all fees and fulfillment.
- Set an advertising ceiling as a percentage of revenue.
- Set a review date at day 90 and write down the decision rule: hit the margin number or stop.
- Add a second marketplace only after the first clears the bar.
Judge the pilot on total revenue against total marketing spend, not on the marketplace’s own ad dashboard. This full-funnel ecommerce advertising guide shows how to track it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best marketplace for a small business?
No single marketplace is best. Amazon and Walmart suit products that win on price and reviews, Etsy suits handmade and vintage goods, and eBay suits used, collectible and mixed inventory. Run the four checks to find the fit for your products.
How many marketplaces should I start with?
Start with one. Each added marketplace brings listing upkeep, inventory syncing and its own customer service rules. Add a second after the first clears your margin target.
Do marketplaces charge monthly fees?
It varies. Amazon’s Professional plan costs $39.99 a month, Walmart Marketplace lists no monthly fee, and eBay charges a monthly fee only if you subscribe to a Store. Etsy charges per listing and per sale.
Should I use a marketplace or build my own website?
Use both, with different jobs. A marketplace gives you existing buyer demand in exchange for fees. Your own website gives you the customer relationship, at the cost of acquiring your own traffic.
Pick one marketplace and make it prove itself
Most owners choose by traffic size and commission rate, then wonder why a busy marketplace loses them money. Choose by the four checks instead. The right marketplace is the one that lets you in, leaves you a margin you can defend, puts you in front of buyers who shop the way you sell, and does not sink the business if the account disappears. Until a pilot shows that, treat every marketplace as unproven, including the one a competitor swears by.
