Moving from Etsy to your own CartOS store gives you more control, better margins, and a direct relationship with your customers. This guide walks you through getting your products, customers, and business set up on CartOS.
Why merchants leave Etsy
Etsy is a great place to start, but many sellers outgrow it. Common reasons for moving include rising fees (listing fees, transaction fees, payment processing fees, offsite ads), lack of brand identity (customers remember Etsy, not your shop), limited customization options, and the constant algorithm changes that affect visibility.
With CartOS, you pay flat monthly pricing instead of percentage-based fees, your store is your brand, and you're not competing with millions of other sellers for attention on the same platform.
Before you migrate
Keep your Etsy shop open (for now)
Don't close your Etsy shop immediately. Run both channels during the transition to maintain income while you build your CartOS store and redirect customers. You can always close Etsy later once your standalone store is established.
Download everything
Export all your data from Etsy before starting:
- Listings – Go to Shop Manager › Settings › Options › Download Data and request your listings CSV
- Orders – Download order history from Shop Manager › Settings › Options › Download Data
- Photos – Etsy's export doesn't include photos at full resolution. Download your original product photos from wherever you stored them, or save images directly from your listings
- Reviews – Screenshot or copy your best reviews. You can't import them directly but can use them as testimonials
Gather your original assets
Hopefully you've kept your original product photos, not just what's on Etsy. Original high-resolution images will look better on your new store. Same goes for any brand assets—logos, patterns, graphics you've used.
Setting up your CartOS store
If you haven't already, sign up for CartOS and complete the basic setup. See Getting Set Up for the full walkthrough.
A few Etsy-specific considerations:
Your store name and brand
This is your chance to establish your brand independent of Etsy. Use your Etsy shop name if customers recognize it, or take the opportunity to rebrand if you've been wanting to. Get a custom domain that matches your brand.
Product organization
Etsy has sections; CartOS has collections. Think about how you want to organize your products. You might replicate your Etsy sections, or restructure now that you have more flexibility.
Importing your products
Using Etsy's CSV export
Etsy's listings CSV contains your product data, but the format doesn't match CartOS directly. You have two options:
Option 1: Use the Etsy Import tool
CartOS has a built-in Etsy importer. Go to Products › Import › From Etsy and upload your Etsy CSV. The importer maps Etsy fields to CartOS fields automatically, handling the conversion for you.
The importer brings in titles, descriptions, prices, variations (as CartOS variants), tags, and SKUs. Review the import preview carefully—you may need to clean up some formatting, especially in descriptions where Etsy's text handling differs from CartOS.
Option 2: Manual conversion
If you prefer more control, download the CartOS product import template from Products › Import, then manually copy your Etsy data into the CartOS format. This takes longer but lets you clean up and improve listings as you go.
What doesn't transfer
- Photos – You'll need to upload images separately after importing product data
- Reviews – Etsy reviews stay on Etsy. Consider reaching out to past customers for reviews on your new site
- Sales history – Your Etsy sales count doesn't transfer (but you can mention "1000+ happy customers" in your marketing)
- SEO ranking – You're starting fresh with search engines, though your content is the same
Uploading images
After importing product data, you'll need to add images. If you have many products, this is the most time-consuming part of migration.
For each product, open it in CartOS and upload your images. Use your original high-resolution photos if possible. CartOS supports larger images than Etsy's 2000x2000 limit, so you can show more detail.
Pro tip: If you have hundreds of products, consider doing this in batches—import and photograph 20 products at a time rather than trying to do everything at once.
Variations become variants
Etsy variations (size, color, etc.) map to CartOS variants. The import handles this automatically, but review your variants after import to make sure pricing and inventory are correct.
CartOS supports up to three option types per product (like Etsy), but with more flexibility in how variants are priced and tracked.
Shipping setup
Etsy's shipping profiles don't transfer directly. Set up your shipping in Settings › Shipping.
If you offered free shipping on Etsy (maybe to stay competitive in search), decide whether to continue that on your own store. Without Etsy's algorithm pressuring you, you can price shipping however makes sense for your business.
Many handmade sellers find that transparent shipping pricing (showing actual costs) works fine on their own store, whereas Etsy's "free shipping" push made it feel mandatory there.
Connecting payment processing
You'll need your own payment processing—Etsy Payments doesn't come with you. Set up Stripe, PayPal, or another provider in Settings › Payments.
The good news: payment processing fees through Stripe are typically lower than Etsy Payments, and you're not paying Etsy's transaction fee on top of that.
Recreating your shop policies
Copy your Etsy shop policies to CartOS. Go to Settings › Policies and add your return policy, shipping policy, and privacy policy. Adjust them if needed—you may have made compromises on Etsy that you don't need to make on your own store.
Telling your customers
Your existing Etsy customers are your best potential customers for your new store. Let them know you've opened your own shop.
Etsy messages
You can message past Etsy customers, but be careful not to violate Etsy's terms. A note thanking them for their purchase and mentioning you now have your own website is generally fine. Don't spam.
Package inserts
Include a card in every Etsy order pointing customers to your new store. Offer a discount code for their first order on your website. This is completely allowed and highly effective.
Social media
Announce your new store on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or wherever your audience is. Share the story of why you're launching your own site—customers often support that independence.
Email list
If you've been collecting emails (you should be!), send an announcement about your new store. If you haven't been collecting emails on Etsy, start doing so on CartOS immediately with the Automation Bolt.
Running both channels
Many merchants run both their Etsy shop and CartOS store simultaneously. This gives you the reach of Etsy's marketplace while building your independent brand.
If you go this route, use the Stock Genius bolt to keep inventory synced between Etsy and CartOS. Sell on Etsy, sell on your website, and manage it all from one place.
Over time, you may find more and more sales come through your own site as customers discover your brand. Some merchants eventually close their Etsy shop; others keep it as an acquisition channel indefinitely.
What you'll gain
- Better margins – No 6.5% transaction fee, no 15% offsite ads fee, no listing fees
- Your brand – Customers remember you, not Etsy
- Customer data – Build an email list and market directly to customers
- Creative freedom – Design your store however you want
- Stability – No algorithm changes tanking your visibility overnight
- Professionalism – A dedicated website signals you're a real business
What you'll lose (and how to replace it)
- Built-in traffic – You'll need to drive your own traffic through marketing, social media, and SEO. It takes time but pays off.
- Etsy search ranking – Start fresh with Google SEO. Write good product descriptions and blog posts.
- Star seller badges – Build trust through reviews on your own site, testimonials, and professional presentation.
- Etsy community – Find other makers in Facebook groups, forums, and local meetups.
Need help?
Migrating a large Etsy shop can be a project. If you want hands-on assistance, contact our support team. We've helped many Etsy sellers make the move and can guide you through the process.