Start a gemstone jewelry business · Step 10 of 17
Where to sell jewelry online: store or marketplace?
Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, Etsy or Amazon Handmade: costs, control and limits of each option to sell gemstone jewelry online, and how to combine them.
Your product is ready, from the stones to the packaging. Now you need a place to sell it. This step opens Phase 3 of our guide and compares the main options: your own online store, a marketplace, or both.
1. Your own store or a marketplace?
| Your own store | A marketplace | |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors | You have to bring them yourself | Already there, searching for products |
| Brand | Your design, your domain, your customer list | The marketplace’s design, its rules, limited customer contact |
| Costs | Subscription or hosting, payment fees | Listing and commission fees on every sale |
| Risk | Slow start | Dependence on rule and fee changes |
Many brands use both: a marketplace to be found at the start, their own store to build the brand and keep customers.
2. Store platforms compared
| Platform | Best for | Costs to expect | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Selling quickly with an all-in-one tool | Monthly plan (Basic reported at $39 a month, or $29 billed yearly, in 2026) + payment fees + paid apps | Apps add up; you rent the platform |
| WooCommerce (WordPress) | Full control, if you already have a WordPress site | Free plugin + hosting + paid extensions | Updates, security and hosting are your job |
| Wix, Squarespace | A simple brand site with a shop | Monthly plan with e-commerce | Fewer advanced e-commerce features |
| PrestaShop | Larger catalogs, strong in Europe | Free software + hosting + modules | More technical to run |
Prices and plans change often: check each platform’s current pricing page before deciding.
3. Marketplaces compared
- Etsy: the reference for creative and personalized jewelry. Reported 2026 fees include $0.20 per listing, 6.5% of the item price plus shipping, payment processing fees and, on sales from Etsy’s ads, an Offsite Ads fee (see step 4 on pricing).
- Amazon Handmade: reserved for approved makers whose items are hand-crafted, hand-altered or hand-designed. Amazon states a referral fee of 15% of the sale (minimum $0.30 per unit), and the usual monthly professional fee is waived for approved Handmade sellers after the first month. Check that your production model fits its rules before applying.
- Local and niche marketplaces: in some countries, local platforms are more popular than the global ones. Look at where your customers actually shop (see step 13 on selling internationally).
4. Adding personalization to your store
Selling personalized bracelets needs more than a standard product page: customers must choose stones, size and order, see the result and the price. You can:
- use product options and a text field (simple, but customers can’t see their design);
- install a builder app made for your platform;
- add an external bracelet builder that works on any site, such as ours, through a link, a button or an embedded page. Our step-by-step guides cover Shopify and the other platforms.
5. Checklist before opening
- Legal pages: legal notice, terms of sale, privacy and cookie policy, returns (see step 17).
- Clear shipping costs and delivery times (see step 15).
- Product pages with stone names, treatments, size guide and care.
- A test order from start to finish, including payment and the confirmation email.
- Analytics and Google Search Console set up.
Frequently asked questions
Is Etsy or Shopify better for selling jewelry?
Etsy brings buyers quickly but takes fees on each sale and keeps you inside its rules. Shopify gives you your own brand and customer list but you must bring the visitors. Many jewelry brands start on Etsy and add their own store.
Can I use WordPress to sell jewelry?
Yes, with WooCommerce. It offers full control and no platform commission, but you manage hosting, updates and security.
Can I sell personalized bracelets without a builder?
Yes, with product options and a notes field, but customers don’t see their design before ordering, which leads to more questions and fewer sales.
Sources
NerdWallet — Shopify pricing and plans 2026 · Amazon — Amazon Handmade · Checkout Page — Etsy fees in 2026
