Door cost page · fees checked October 2026
This is the door Etsy was built for: things made by hand, and genuine vintage (at least 20 years old) found and resold. The fees are the same small Etsy numbers as the other doors. The real cost here is your materials batch — and, if you let it be, your unpaid hours.
If you make things, this is usually your door. If you make things and refuse to ship them, it is not — read the don't-start line twice.
The fees, dated
| Fee | Amount | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Shop set-up fee | $15–$29, one time | Charged at signup since 2024; the exact amount is shown when you open the shop. |
| Listing fee | $0.20 per listing | Each listing lasts 4 months, then renews at another $0.20 if it has not sold. |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% | On the total the buyer pays, including the shipping you charge. |
| Payment processing (US) | 3% + $0.25 | Etsy Payments. Other countries differ slightly. |
| Regulatory operating fee (US) | Under 1% | A small country fee Etsy adds on top; it varies by country. |
| Offsite Ads | 12% or 15% | Only when a sale comes through Etsy's ads. Optional under $10,000/year in sales; required above it. Not a cost to open. |
Worked example, checked October 2026: on a $25 sale, the always-on Etsy fees (listing share, transaction, processing, regulatory) come to about $2.97. Fees recorded from Etsy's published Fees & Payments policy.
| Shop set-up fee | $15–$29 |
| First 20 listings | $4.00 |
| Starter materials batch | About $75 |
| Shipping supplies (boxes, tape, labels) | About $15 |
| Total cash before your first sale | $60–$175 (materials move this more than fees do) |
Worked basket at October 2026 prices. Your basket moves with your listings and materials — the calculator below uses your numbers.
Pricing your time at $0. Materials $8, fees $3, price $25 — looks like $14 of margin until the item took two hours to make, and the shop is paying you $7 an hour on its best day. Price the making time into the first listing, not after you burn out at month three.
Don't start with this door if you will not ship physical goods, or your budget cannot cover one batch of materials.
2–8 weeks is a normal planning range for a first sale. Finished, giftable items with a clear occasion land fastest; custom work takes longer to list but competes with fewer copies.
See every door's fees in one dated dataset · Compare doors with the finder
The verdict is step one. The First Door Kit carries the launch checklist for this door, the first-10-listings worksheet, and the budget sheet that keeps the basket above honest when your real numbers replace ours.
Included in the $39 First Door Kit
Go deeper · Sister site
The full Etsy pre-flight — the specificity rubric and the guided demand check — lives at ShopPreFlight.
Yes — genuine vintage (20+ years old) is a core Etsy category, and sourcing it is a real skill. Describe condition like a pessimist: the buyers who pay vintage prices are the ones who trust conservative descriptions.
The 6.5% transaction fee applies to the total the buyer pays, including the shipping you charge. Price shipping honestly and fold it into your math from the start — the calculator above uses the total.
Fine — Etsy does not require exclusivity. Many makers start here because the shoppers are already searching, then add their own store later when an audience exists.