Thinking of Selling Vintage Online? Here’s How eBay, Etsy, and Chairish Compare

So you’ve mastered Facebook Marketplace, and your “collection” of vintage finds has officially outgrown that corner of the basement. If you’re thinking about turning your antique-shopping habit into a selling side hustle, choosing where to sell is just as important as what you sell. Fees, audience, shipping logistics, and even the types of items that perform well can vary widely from platform to platform.

To help you make the smartest choice, we compared the most popular places to sell vintage and antiques online—eBay, Etsy, Chairish, and more—breaking down how they work, what they charge, and who they’re best for.

If you can think of it, you can pretty much sell it in this anything-goes emporium that can see more than 1,200 searches per minute for “vintage.”

Storefront setup costs: The first 250 listings per month are free; for sellers looking for promotion and better brand awareness, subscriptions start at $4.95 per month.

Cost to list an item: Fees range from 10 cents to 30 cents per additional listing.

Other charges: eBay takes a 13% to 15% commission on each sale.

Unique features: Sellers have access to an analytics dashboard and a Discounts Manager tool that helps run sales and coupons; the site also offers paid promotions to help boost listing visibility.

Common headaches: It’s harder to get your product seen because the platform is highly saturated; lowball offers are common, and shoppers aren’t always serious.

How shipping works: Sellers handle their own shipping, either managing it themselves or using third-party fulfillment.

The fine print: You don’t need to be a registered legal business entity, but must comply with state and federal tax laws.

Take it from a user: “eBay allows us to get our more niche items in front of potential buyers. We can reach people who may not walk into our shop but are looking for the exact Trapper Keeper they had in third grade.” —John and Dee Davis of Sarg & Red’s Toys and Collectibles

Curated selections (think coastal collectibles and French linens) tend to dominate this user-friendly platform’s most successful vintage storefronts.

Storefront setup costs: The one-time setup fee varies based on country, ranging from $15 to $29.

Cost to list an item: Listings cost 20 cents each for a four-month period, renewing at the same rate.

Other charges: Each sale is subject to a 6.5% transaction fee.

Unique features: Sellers have access to an online best-practices handbook and an in-depth traffic and performance dashboard; new AI-powered tools help with identifying popular keywords, spotting trends, and planning inventory.

Common headaches: Individual shop customization is rather limited; a modest knowledge of SEO is required in order to target your audience.

How shipping works: Sellers handle their own shipping, either managing it themselves or using third-party fulfillment.

The fine print: You don’t need to be a registered legal business entity, but must comply with state and federal tax laws.

Take it from a user: “I wanted to skip the hassle of owning, updating, and directing traffic to my own site and instead share my finds where people were already shopping.” —Noelle Nicolai Lybbert of @coleville_home

Larger furniture items and pieces with known provenance are the name of the game for sellers on these designer-favorite shopping sites.

Storefront setup costs: No cost for either, but 1stDibs vets sellers heavily before acceptance.

Cost to list an item: No cost for Chairish; 1stDibs offers a range of monthly memberships.

Other charges: Tiered commission rates range from 3% to 40% for Chairish; 1stDibs calculates percentages based on membership plan, type of piece, and item value.

Unique features: Chairish offers listing optimization services and price-negotiation tools; 1stDibs provides analytics tools and listing-optimization guidance.

Common headaches: Buyers are likely to require sellers to meet a higher burden of proof when it comes to a piece’s historical integrity.

How shipping works: Chairish coordinates shipping on the seller’s behalf; 1stDibs facilitates in-home delivery and shipping.

The fine print: Chairish doesn’t require you to be a registered legal business entity, but you must comply with state and federal tax laws; a business tax ID is required for selling on 1stDibs.

Take it from a user: “1stDibs is trusted in the design world. Long before I sold online, I relied on it as an interior designer to find pieces with character, history, and craftsmanship.” —Nicole Kofoed of @andfoundfurnishings

Recently acquired by eBay, Gen Z flocks to this platform for buying and selling vintage clothing.

Storefront setup costs: No charge.

Cost to list an item: No charge for sellers in the U.S. and the U.K., though boosted listings incur a 12 percent fee.

Other charges: No fees for sellers; shoppers are charged up to 5% additional per item purchased plus a fixed fee of $1.

Unique features: Sellers have access to a learning hub that teaches how to navigate the platform and elevate their shop; AI-driven features suggest descriptions, tags, brand, and more based on a single photo; a “Boost Shop” feature automates promotional opportunities; AI-powered photo editing.

Common headaches: Storefront traffic is entirely dependent on Discovery via the Explore page and internal algorithm, which can feel unpredictable; frequent low offers; messages from buyers don’t always turn into sales.

How shipping works: Sellers can use Depop’s prepaid USPS label or choose to set their own rates and ship independently.

The fine print: You do not need to be a registered legal entity to sell on Depop; but, depending on the quantity of items sold per year, you will be required to comply with state and federal tax laws.

Take it from a user: “I always enjoyed Depop’s user-friendly interface and simple steps to selling, which allow me to list pieces efficiently yet with my own style of photography. There is a creative freedom that Depop has for its sellers that allows you to build a business and grow a genuine community.” —Arielle Imena of @lionessvtg

Established sellers caution against using Instagram for direct sales because it isn’t intrinsically built for commerce. Every touchpoint of the sale process must happen manually, via DM; payment occurs off-platform; and there are no built-in protections. “It’s fine for selling a few things here and there,” says Claire Ferrante of Little Dog Vintage. “But for a large volume, I wouldn’t suggest it.”