Shopify or Etsy

Topic summary

The poster is reconsidering their e-commerce platform strategy after using Shopify mainly as a showcase rather than for active sales.

Key considerations:

  • Shopify offers stability as a consistent anchor point despite frequent relocations between countries
  • Recently opened an Etsy store, creating uncertainty about where to direct customer traffic
  • Etsy has a significant limitation: relocating to another country requires closing the existing store and opening a new one

Current dilemma: Deciding which platform should be the primary sales channel given the mobility constraints and platform-specific restrictions.

Summarized with AI on October 30. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.

I’ve primarily used Shopify as a showcase rather than a main sales platform, but I’m starting to think that might be a mistake. Since I move between different places, Shopify provides a stable anchor. I also recently launched a store on Etsy, and I’m debating where to direct user traffic—Shopify or Etsy—because with Etsy, relocating to another country requires closing the original store and opening a new one.