Move an Etsy shop to Shopify: import listings and run both during the switch

The decision before the import

Moving from Etsy to Shopify is less a data migration than a change in where buyers come from. Etsy is a marketplace with its own search; a Shopify store starts with the traffic you bring to it. That is why this guide treats "run both" as the default and "close Etsy" as a later decision.

Everything below comes from Shopify's Etsy migration guide, Etsy's Help Center fee articles, the Store Migration app listing and Shopify's pricing page, read on 30 October 2026. We did not run this migration ourselves; the fee example is arithmetic on published rates, not a record of real sales. [1][2][3][6]

Step 1: download the listings CSV from Etsy

In Etsy Shop Manager go to Settings, Options, Download Data, and click Download CSV under Currently for Sale Listings. The file includes title, description, price, currency code, quantity, tags, materials, image URLs and SKUs. [1]

Only active listings are in the file. Sold-out or expired listings must be renewed on Etsy first, which costs the $0.20 listing fee, and renewing a listing with variations sets each option's quantity to 1, so re-check stock afterwards. If you have 40 expired listings you want on Shopify, that is $8 in renewal fees before you start. [1][5]

Step 2: pick an import route

With Shopify's Store Migration app, which its App Store listing shows as free, upload the CSV without editing it, click Import products and read the import report. [8] With the manual route, insert a URL handle column with a unique handle per product, add Option1 name and value columns, add one row per extra variant that repeats the handle and carries its own price, quantity and SKU, and delete Etsy's VARIATION columns. A Variant image URL column lets you attach images to specific variants. [1][4]

Step 3: fix what the import gets wrong

• Listings with 101 or more variation combinations import without variants; rebuild them or simplify the options. [1]
• Products missing a variant option may not import at all; add them by hand. [1]
• Products arrive as drafts at your default inventory location; publish them to your sales channels only after review. [1]
• Shopify's guide does not explicitly confirm images import from the Etsy URLs, so open several products and check images and order. [1]
• Reviews do not move; a third-party app is needed, or download them from Etsy to keep a copy. [1]
• Weights are not in the Etsy export field list, so add them before you set up weight-based shipping. [1]
• Group products into collections; Etsy shop sections are not in the listed export fields. [1]

Should you keep Etsy live?

Keeping both open costs you inventory discipline more than money: Etsy's core fees are charged per listing and per sale. [2] The risk is overselling the same item in two places. Shopify notes that new Marketplace Connect connections are not available, and points to third-party apps such as Shuttle or ShopList for ongoing Etsy sync. [1]

A practical split: keep best-sellers and one-off items on Etsy, put the full catalogue on Shopify, and move repeat customers to Shopify with your own packaging inserts and email list. Close Etsy only once Shopify sales cover what you would lose.

Worked fee comparison: a 50-order month

Hypothetical: 50 orders a month, one item each, $30 item price plus $5 shipping, so $35 per order and $1,750 in total. US seller, US bank, domestic cards, sales tax ignored (it would raise Etsy's processing fee slightly because Etsy calculates it on the total including tax). [2][3]

Reading the fee table honestly

On paper Shopify is cheaper by about $84 to $94 a month at this volume. But the Etsy line pays for buyers who found you on Etsy; the Shopify line does not include any marketing spend, apps or a domain, and a third-party payment provider on Basic adds a 2% transaction fee. Orders attributed to Etsy Offsite Ads add a 15% fee (12% for shops that have reached $10,000 in a 365-day period), capped at $100 per order, which would narrow the gap. If you need to spend more than the difference on ads to replace Etsy traffic, staying on Etsy is the cheaper choice. [2][6][7]

Shopify lists a 3-day free trial, then $1 a month for the first 3 months on most plans, which is enough time to import, fix and test before paying full price. [6]

Switch checklist

• Renew any sold-out listings you want to move, then download the CSV. [1]
• Import with the Store Migration app; read the import report. [1]
• Fix variants over 100 combinations, missing images, weights and collections. [1]
• Decide on inventory sync or a split catalogue before publishing both. [1]
• Place a test order and confirm the payment method and its fees. [6]
• Track monthly fees on both platforms for three months before closing anything.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. Shopify Help Center: Migrating from Etsy Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. Etsy Help Center: Etsy Fee Basics Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Etsy Help Center: Payment processing fees Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. Shopify Help Center: Using CSV files to import and export products Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Etsy Help Center: Fees and listing multiple quantities Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. Shopify pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
7. Etsy Help Center: Offsite Ads Accessed 30 Oct 2026
8. Shopify App Store: Store Migration Accessed 30 Oct 2026