How to Set Up a Website for Your Craft Business: Platforms, Costs & Hidden Fees
Do You Actually Need Your Own Website?
Short answer: eventually, yes. A social media page and an Etsy shop are great starting points, but they come with rules, algorithm changes, and fees you don’t control. Your own website is your permanent home online — you own it, you control it, and you’re not one policy update away from losing your storefront.
The good news: you don’t need a developer. Every platform below can be set up by a non-technical crafter in a weekend. The catch is understanding exactly what you’re paying before you commit.
Platform Comparison at a Glance
| Platform | Best For | Monthly Cost (CAD est.) | Ecommerce Included | Technical Difficulty | Free Trial / Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace | Beautiful portfolios + shop | $20–$52 | Yes (paid plans) | Easy | 14-day free trial |
| Wix | Flexible drag-and-drop sites | $20–$45 | Yes (paid plans) | Easy | Free plan (with Wix ads) |
| WordPress.com | Bloggers + growing brands | $10–$55 | Yes (higher plans) | Moderate | Free plan (very limited) |
| WordPress.org + hosting | Full control, no limits | $8–$25/mo (hosting only) | Via WooCommerce plugin | Advanced | N/A (self-hosted) |
| Shopify | Dedicated online shops | $42–$155 | Yes — full-featured | Easy–Moderate | 3-day free, then $1/mo for 3 months |
| Etsy | Marketplace, not a website | $0.30/listing + fees | Yes (marketplace) | Very Easy | No monthly fee |
| Big Cartel | Small indie sellers | $0–$15 | Yes | Very Easy | Free (up to 5 products) |
| Webflow | Design-forward, custom | $20–$50 | Yes | Advanced | Free plan available |
| Format | Portfolio (no shop) | $10–$20 | No | Easy | 14-day free trial |
Pricing converted to approximate CAD. Costs vary with billing cycle (annual discounts of 10–30% are common).
Hidden Fees: What They Don’t Put in the Headline Price
This is where crafters get surprised. Here’s what to watch for on every platform:
| Fee Type | Who Charges It | What to Look For |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fees | Shopify (0.5–2%), Big Cartel (none), Squarespace (none on Commerce plans) | Charged on every sale on top of payment processor fees |
| Payment processing fees | All platforms (via Stripe, PayPal, or their own) | Usually 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction — this is unavoidable |
| Domain name | All platforms | $15–$25/year CAD extra; often “free first year” then renews |
| SSL certificate | Self-hosted WordPress only | Free via Let’s Encrypt, but some cheap hosts charge $50–$100/yr |
| Email hosting | All platforms | Not included — Google Workspace starts at ~$8/user/month |
| Premium templates / themes | Wix, WordPress.org | $30–$200 one-time; free themes often look generic |
| App / plugin fees | Shopify, WordPress.org | $5–$50+/month per app; costs stack fast |
| Storage overages | Wix (free + basic plans) | Free = 500 MB, paid = 2–50 GB |
| Video hosting | Squarespace, Wix | Limited video bandwidth on lower tiers |
| SEO tools | Most platforms | Free basics included; advanced tools $10–$50/mo extra |
| Email marketing | All platforms | Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc. = separate cost unless bundled |
| Booking / scheduling | Squarespace, Wix | Often locked to higher tier plans |
| Staff accounts | Shopify (limits on lower plans) | Additional users may require plan upgrades |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Shopify (Basic+), Squarespace (Commerce Basic+) | Locked behind higher-tier plans |
| Removing platform branding | Wix free plan | “Made with Wix” badge removed only on paid plans |
Squarespace: Best for Visual Crafters
Squarespace is the go-to for crafters who want their site to look stunning without hiring a designer. Templates are polished and mobile-ready out of the box.
| Plan | Monthly (CAD est., billed annually) | Products | Transaction Fee | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | ~$20 | Unlimited (digital only) | Not for physical sales | Portfolio, blog, no commerce |
| Business | ~$32 | Unlimited | 2% transaction fee | Full commerce, promotions, basic analytics |
| Commerce Basic | ~$40 | Unlimited | 0% | Abandoned cart, customer accounts, POS |
| Commerce Advanced | ~$52 | Unlimited | 0% | Subscriptions, advanced shipping, gift cards |
Watch out for: The Business plan charges a 2% transaction fee on every sale on top of Stripe’s processing fee. Jump to Commerce Basic to eliminate it — the math usually favours the upgrade if you’re doing more than ~$200/month in sales.
Hidden cost: Domain renewal (~$25 CAD/year after the first free year). Email is not included.
Wix: Most Flexible Layout (With Caveats)
Wix’s drag-and-drop editor is genuinely the most flexible — you can place elements anywhere on the page. The trade-off is that free and low-tier plans are visibly ad-supported, and migrating away from Wix is painful (their system is proprietary).
| Plan | Monthly (CAD est., billed annually) | Ecommerce | Transaction Fee | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No | N/A | 500 MB, Wix ads on site |
| Light | ~$20 | No | N/A | 2 GB |
| Core | ~$28 | Yes | 0% | 50 GB |
| Business | ~$35 | Yes + subscriptions | 0% | 100 GB |
| Business Elite | ~$45 | Yes + advanced | 0% | Unlimited |
Watch out for: Wix’s app market. It’s tempting to add apps for booking, reviews, loyalty programs, etc. — but each one adds $5–$30/month. A “starter” site can balloon to $70+/month without realizing it.
Hidden cost: You cannot export your Wix site and move it elsewhere. If you ever leave, you rebuild from scratch.
WordPress.org (Self-Hosted): Maximum Control, Maximum Responsibility
WordPress.org (the self-hosted version) powers about 40% of the internet. You download the free software, pay for hosting, install WooCommerce (free), and own everything completely. No transaction fees beyond the payment processor.
| Component | Cost (CAD est.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Web hosting | $5–$20/mo | SiteGround, Cloudways, or WP Engine; Canadian options: WPX Canada, CanSpace |
| Domain | $12–$20/year | Namecheap, Google Domains, or via host |
| WooCommerce | Free | The most-used ecommerce plugin; free core |
| Theme | $0–$200 one-time | Hundreds of free options; premium = more polish |
| SSL | Free (Let’s Encrypt) | Most good hosts include this automatically |
| Security plugin | $0–$100/year | Wordfence free is adequate for most |
| Caching plugin | Free–$50/year | Improves site speed significantly |
| Payment processing | 2.9% + $0.30 per sale | Via Stripe or PayPal integration |
Total realistic minimum (CAD): ~$150–$250/year for a solid setup.
Watch out for: Updates. WordPress requires regular plugin and theme updates to stay secure. If you ignore it, sites get hacked. Budget 30–60 minutes per month for maintenance, or pay a managed host like WP Engine (~$30–$50/mo) to handle it.
Best for: Crafters who want full control, plan to blog heavily, or want to build something substantial without platform lock-in.
WordPress.com: Not the Same Thing
WordPress.com (with a .com, not .org) is a hosted service by Automattic. Confusingly different from WordPress.org.
| Plan | Monthly (CAD est.) | Ecommerce | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | No | WordPress.com subdomain, very limited |
| Personal | ~$10 | No | Custom domain, but no plugins |
| Premium | ~$16 | No | Some design tools, still no plugins |
| Business | ~$38 | Via plugins | Unlocks plugin access — this is where it gets useful |
| Commerce | ~$55 | Full WooCommerce | Closest to self-hosted WordPress experience |
Watch out for: You don’t get plugin access until the Business plan at ~$38/month. Below that it’s essentially a locked-down blog. Many crafters confuse this with free self-hosted WordPress and are frustrated by the limitations.
Shopify: Best Dedicated Ecommerce
If selling products is the primary purpose of your site, Shopify is purpose-built for it. Inventory management, shipping integrations, POS, and analytics are all better than competitors.
| Plan | Monthly (CAD est.) | Transaction Fee (non-Shopify Payments) | Products | Staff Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | ~$7 | 5% | Unlimited | 1 |
| Basic | ~$42 | 2% | Unlimited | 2 |
| Shopify | ~$105 | 1% | Unlimited | 5 |
| Advanced | ~$430 | 0.5% | Unlimited | 15 |
Watch out for: If you don’t use Shopify Payments (Canada: requires a Canadian bank account), you pay the transaction fee on top of your payment processor’s fee. The fee goes away completely if you use Shopify Payments.
Hidden cost: Apps. The Shopify App Store is enormous, and the average Shopify store uses 6–10 apps. Add $30–$100/month in app fees to any plan estimate.
Best for: Crafters with 20+ SKUs, those doing craft fairs (POS is excellent), or anyone who wants serious inventory and shipping tools.
Etsy: A Marketplace, Not a Website
Etsy is not a website builder. It’s a marketplace. You do not own your Etsy shop in the same way you own a website. But it’s worth including here because many crafters use it instead of a website, and the fees are often misunderstood.
| Fee Type | Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | $0.20 USD per item | Charged when you list, charged again when it sells and you relist |
| Transaction fee | 6.5% of sale price + shipping | Charged on the total amount the buyer pays |
| Payment processing | 3% + $0.25 CAD (Canadian sellers) | Per transaction via Etsy Payments |
| Offsite ads fee | 12–15% | Charged if Etsy advertises your item and it sells; mandatory if you earn over $10K USD/year |
| Etsy Plus | $10 USD/month | Optional; includes listing credits and some customization |
| Currency conversion | 2.5% | If you price in USD as a Canadian seller |
Real example — a $40 sale (Canadian seller, priced in CAD):
- Listing fee: ~$0.27 CAD
- Transaction fee (6.5%): $2.60
- Payment processing (3% + $0.25): $1.45
- Total fees: ~$4.32 on a $40 sale (≈ 10.8%)
Total Annual Cost Comparison
Assuming: 1 custom domain, basic ecommerce, ~50 products, moderate traffic.
| Platform | Year 1 (CAD est.) | Year 2+ (CAD est.) | Lock-in Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squarespace Commerce Basic | $480–$600 | $480–$600 | Medium | Domain extra; no transaction fees |
| Wix Business | $420–$540 | $420–$540 | High | Cannot export site |
| WordPress.org (self-hosted) | $150–$300 | $150–$300 | Low | Own everything; requires maintenance |
| WordPress.com Business | $456 | $456 | Medium | Plugin access at this tier only |
| Shopify Basic | $500–$700 | $500–$700 | Medium | App costs vary widely |
| Shopify Starter | ~$90–$150 | ~$90–$150 | Medium | Link-in-bio sales only; no full website |
| Big Cartel (paid) | ~$130–$180 | ~$130–$180 | Low | Simple; best for under 50 products |
| Etsy only | Depends on sales volume | Depends on sales volume | High | ~10%+ in fees per sale; platform owns traffic |
What You Actually Need (Minimum Viable Craft Website)
Not everyone needs every feature. Here’s what matters at each stage:
| Stage | What You Need | Recommended Platform | Monthly Cost (CAD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | Portfolio + contact form | Squarespace Personal, Wix Core, or Big Cartel free | $0–$20 |
| Selling a few items | Simple shop, 5–20 products | Big Cartel (free–$15), Shopify Starter ($7) | $0–$15 |
| Growing craft business | Full shop, blog, email capture | Squarespace Commerce Basic, Shopify Basic | $40–$45 |
| Serious ecommerce | Inventory, POS, analytics | Shopify Basic or Shopify | $42–$105 |
| Full control, no limits | Blog + shop + custom features | WordPress.org + WooCommerce | $12–$25 hosting |
Canadian-Specific Considerations
| Topic | What to Know |
|---|---|
| Currency | Most platforms bill in USD. Budget 30–38% extra for CAD conversion (varies with exchange rate). |
| GST/HST on platform fees | You may owe GST/HST on subscription fees from foreign platforms (CRA rules apply). |
| Payment processing | Shopify Payments, Stripe, and Square all support CAD and Canadian bank accounts. PayPal has higher fees for Canadian sellers. |
| Shipping integrations | Shopify has Canada Post, Purolator, and UPS built in. Squarespace and WordPress require plugins/apps. |
| Canadian hosting | For WordPress.org, Canadian hosts like CanSpace or SiteGround’s Canadian datacenter option improve load speed for Canadian visitors. |
| Privacy laws | PIPEDA (federal) and Quebec Law 25 apply to customer data. Add a privacy policy — most platforms offer a template. |
Platform Verdict for Crafters
| Priority | Go With |
|---|---|
| Easiest setup, looks beautiful | Squarespace |
| Most layout flexibility | Wix (if you’re okay with the lock-in) |
| Serious selling, inventory, POS | Shopify |
| No transaction fees, full ownership, long-term | WordPress.org + WooCommerce |
| Just testing with a few products | Big Cartel (free plan) or Shopify Starter |
| Budget zero, just want a web presence | Wix free or Google Sites (no ecommerce) |
Your website is the one place on the internet you fully own. Build it on a foundation that matches where you want to be in two years, not just where you are today.