Lanternbee vs Etsy

Lanternbee as a Etsy alternative

A big online marketplace for handmade, vintage and digital goods, books included. Its prices and features sit next to Lanternbee’s below, including where Etsy does better.

Not open yet. We’re letting authors in from the waitlist, a few at a time.

What Etsy is

Etsy puts your listings in front of its shoppers, about 88 million of them. You pay a small fee to list each item and a share of each sale, and Etsy handles US sales tax and VAT on digital items for you.

Who it suits

Authors whose books suit Etsy shoppers, such as gift books, children’s books, journals and signed copies, and who want marketplace shoppers more than a store of their own.

What Etsy costs

US prices, checked against the sources at the bottom of this page.

Plan	Price	Fee on sales
Standard	Free	US$0.20 to list each item, plus 6.5% of each sale, shipping included
Etsy Plus	US$10 a month	The same fees, with some listing and ad credit each month

Etsy and Lanternbee side by side

Etsy and Lanternbee, feature by feature
What you need	Etsy	Lanternbee
One book in several formats	PartlyOptions for printed books only, not for downloads.	Yes. Ebook, audiobook, paperback and hardback live on one book page.
Bundles and box sets	Not listed	Yes. Readers who own book one pay less for the rest.
Ebook and audiobook delivery	PartlyUp to 5 files of 20 MB each; no audiobook player.	Yes. Download links by email, and a reader library.
Send to Kindle	Not listed	Yes, from the reader library.
Print on demand for books	PartlyAllowed with a printing partner you name; Etsy doesn’t print.	Partly. Printed formats are set up for BookVault or Lulu; sending orders to the printer is being built.
Your own domain	PartlyPattern, Etsy’s separate website builder, costs US$15 a month.	Yes. yourname.lanternbee.shop or shop.yourname.com.
Monthly cost	Standard: FreeEtsy Plus: US$10 a month	Free: nothing a month. Author: US$39 a month, or US$29 paid yearly.
Fee on sales	Standard: US$0.20 to list each item, plus 6.5% of each sale, shipping includedEtsy Plus: The same fees, with some listing and ad credit each month	None, on every plan.

Etsy prices in US dollars. “Not listed” means we could not find it on Etsy’s own pages or in the sources below, so check with them. Rows we could not check at all are left out. Card fees apply everywhere; on Lanternbee they are Stripe’s, with nothing added.

What Etsy does better

Fair reasons to stay where you are.

Shoppers already on Etsy can find your book while browsing, without you sending them there.
Etsy works out, collects and pays US sales tax for you, and VAT on digital items in many countries. On Lanternbee you are the seller, and you file the tax Stripe works out.
No monthly fee to start: you pay US$0.20 to list an item.
It is open today. Lanternbee is still on a waitlist.

Moving from Etsy

There’s no importer for Etsy. Moving by hand takes these steps.

You don’t have to leave Etsy. Many authors keep it for gift shoppers and use their own store for readers who already know them.
Add your books on Lanternbee: covers, blurbs, files and prices. Put every format of a book on one page and set your series order.
Connect MailerLite or Klaviyo, so Lanternbee buyers who ask for your news join your list.
Point readers from your back matter, website and newsletter to your Lanternbee book links.

Questions about Etsy and Lanternbee

Is Lanternbee an Etsy alternative for authors?

For your own store, yes. Lanternbee puts ebook, audiobook and print editions on one book page, delivers audiobooks, and lets readers send ebooks to their Kindle. Etsy is a marketplace: it brings shoppers, but your listings sit next to everyone else’s.

What does Etsy charge on a book sale?

Etsy charges US$0.20 to list each item and takes 6.5% of each sale, including shipping, plus its card fee. Lanternbee takes no fee on any plan, only Stripe’s card fees.

Can I sell audiobooks on Etsy?

Only as files: each listing can have up to 5 files of 20 MB each, and there is no audiobook player. Lanternbee delivers audiobooks to a reader library on every plan.