Etsy or Shopify

Etsy or Shopify for florists: fees, buyers and which one fits your flowers

Published by FlowerShoot · Updated 11 November 2026 · 5 minute read

Short answer

Choose Etsy if you sell dried, preserved or other flower pieces you can post and want buyers who are already searching; you pay a 20¢ listing fee, a 6.5% transaction fee and payment processing on each sale. Choose Shopify if you sell fresh flowers for local delivery under your own name; you pay a monthly plan and card fees, and you bring your own buyers. Many florists use both: Etsy for posted pieces, their own shop for local orders.

In this guide Jump to what you need

Etsy brings buyers who are already searching; Shopify gives you your own shop under your own name. For florists the answer also depends on what you sell: fresh flowers for local delivery, or dried and preserved pieces you can post. Here are the fees as each company lists them, a worked example and a simple way to choose. Whichever you pick, the photos matter most: FlowerShoot turns a phone photo into a studio product photo for florists.

Phone photo: wrapped tulips, kraft paper and gypsophila — **Illustrative example**The kraft-wrapped bouquet resting on a cream knit, a red-ribboned gift and gold baubles beside it. Room: Christmas gift table. Phone photo: Demonstration photo by Nur on Pexels, not a customer.

Illustrative example: Kraft-wrapped bouquet of tulips and gypsophila on a cream knit with a red gift box and gold baubles — **Illustrative example**The kraft-wrapped bouquet resting on a cream knit, a red-ribboned gift and gold baubles beside it. Room: Christmas gift table. Phone photo: Demonstration photo by Nur on Pexels, not a customer.

The short version

Etsy and Shopify for a flower business (fees checked on Etsy’s and Shopify’s own pages, 11 November 2026)
	Etsy	Shopify
Buyers	Etsy’s own shoppers, already searching	You bring them: Google, Instagram, regulars
Best for	Dried, preserved and posted flower pieces	Local delivery of fresh flowers under your name
Monthly fee	None (Etsy Plus is optional, $10 a month)	A plan fee every month (Basic was CA$49 a month in Canada, or CA$37 a month billed yearly)
Per listing	$0.20 per item, renewed every four months	None
Per sale	6.5% of item, shipping and gift wrap, plus 3% + $0.25 payment processing (US)	Card fee: 2.8% + 30¢ on Basic in Canada; 2% extra if you use another payment provider
Advertising	Offsite Ads: 15% of an order Etsy’s ads bring in (12% once a shop passes $10,000 a year), capped at $100 an order	You pay for your own ads, if any
Your brand	Your shop sits inside Etsy, beside other sellers	Your own address, design and customer list

Etsy’s fees are in US dollars for US sellers; its payment processing fee depends on where your bank account is (for example 3% + $0.25 in the US, 4% + £0.20 in the UK and 3% + CA$0.25 in Canada). Shopify showed us Canadian prices; its plans are priced by country, so check its pricing page where you are. Etsy may also charge a one-time shop set-up fee, shown when you open your shop.

A worked example: one posted wreath

A US seller lists a dried wreath on Etsy at $60 with $10 shipping. Listing: $0.20. Transaction fee: 6.5% of $70 = $4.55. Payment processing: 3% of $70 + $0.25 = $2.35. Total: about $7.10, or roughly 10% of the order. If the buyer came through one of Etsy’s offsite ads, add 15% of $70 = $10.50, about $17.60 in all. On Shopify Basic in Canada, the card fee on a CA$70 order is about CA$2.26, but the monthly plan is paid whether or not you sell, and you have to bring the buyer yourself.

Which one fits your flowers

Fresh flowers, local delivery: your own shop
Local buyers search Google and follow you on Instagram. A shop under your own name, with a delivery-area list and order-by times, suits them. Selling flowers online, step by step
Dried, preserved and wreaths: Etsy first
These travel well and Etsy buyers search for them across the country. Start with a few listings and add your own shop later. Selling flowers on Etsy
Both: one menu, two places
Many florists keep Etsy for posted pieces and their own shop for local orders. Use the same photos and names in both so customers recognise you.

Photos: the same rules help on both

A clean first photo: the whole piece centred on a calm background. Etsy recommends listing photos at least 2000 pixels wide and tall, with a square or landscape first photo.
One unedited photo on Etsy: Etsy requires at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background in most listings. Keep your original phone photo for this.
Say when photos were edited: if an editing tool made or changed part of a listing photo, Etsy asks you to note in the description that the images were edited.
The same setting for every product, so your shop page looks like one collection. How to keep flower photos consistent

Size each photo for Etsy and Shopify with the free product photo resizer, and write listings with the Etsy title generator and Etsy tag generator.

Made only for florists

From a bench photo to your next listing

Your flowers are the product. FlowerShoot makes the photo as lovely as the arrangement, wherever you share it: one phone photo in, a studio photo out.

For social media

Fresh posts and Stories every week, without a photo shoot or moving a single bucket. Download post and Story sizes with your logo and a caption, and let your flowers shine in a calm, professional feed.

For selling on your website

Choose a house style for your collection, then check each result against the piece you sell. Keep a real product photo alongside staged views, with clear size and vessel details.

Skip the photographer. A studio photo from one phone photo, in about a minute.
Standard photos from 19.5¢. One standard photo uses 1 credit. Monthly plans start at $10 for 50 credits. Optional 4K generation uses 2 credits.
Try before you subscribe. Start with 3 free previews, no card. Monthly plans start at $10 for 50 credits.
Your real flowers. Start from your own arrangement. Compare the result with the original before listing it.
200+ rooms made for flowers. Studios, pedestals, homes, weddings and every season.

Try 3 free previews See prices

Quick answers

Is Etsy or Shopify better for a florist?

Etsy suits dried, preserved and other flower pieces you can post, because buyers are already searching there. Shopify suits fresh flowers for local delivery under your own name. Many florists use both.

How much does Etsy charge a florist per sale?

Etsy lists a $0.20 listing fee per item, a 6.5% transaction fee on the item price, shipping and gift wrap, and a US payment processing fee of 3% + $0.25 (checked 11 November 2026). Offsite Ads add 15% on orders they bring in, or 12% for larger shops.

How much does Shopify cost for a flower shop?

A monthly plan plus card fees. On 11 November 2026 Shopify’s Basic plan showed CA$49 a month (CA$37 billed yearly) in Canada, with card fees of 2.8% + 30¢. Prices are set by country, so check Shopify’s pricing page where you are.

Can I sell fresh flowers on Etsy?

Etsy is best for pieces that survive the post. Check Etsy’s current policies and your delivery options before listing fresh flowers.

Can I use edited photos on Etsy?

Yes, beside at least one unedited photo of the actual item, and edited photos must show the item accurately. If you edit photos with a tool that generates images, Etsy asks you to say so in the description.