Amazon is a massive online marketplace where anyone can list and sell products, while Shopify is a platform that empowers businesses to build and manage their own online stores.
Gauneet wants to take its business online to expand its reach and attract more customers. As it explores options, it keeps coming across two popular choices: selling on Amazon or creating a store with Shopify.
So, which platform is the best for selling products online — Amazon or Shopify? In this post, we’ll break down the key differences, pros, and cons of each to help you make the right decision.
What’s the difference between Amazon and Shopify?
Both Shopify and Amazon allow you to sell products online, but they operate in fundamentally different ways.
The key distinction is that Shopify is an ecommerce platform, while Amazon is an online marketplace. With Shopify, you create a stand-alone online store, giving you full control over branding, design, and customer experience. It provides all the tools you need to build and manage your own ecommerce website.
On the other hand, Amazon is a marketplace where you list your products alongside millions of other sellers. Instead of building your own store, you gain access to Amazon’s vast customer base and leverage its established reputation.
So, which is the better choice for selling your products—Shopify or Amazon? Let’s explore the pros and cons of each to help you decide.
Amazon vs. Shopify: Pros, Cons & Fees Comparison
Feature
Amazon
Shopify
Pros
✅ Access to millions of shoppers
✅ No need to drive traffic – built-in audience
✅ Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) for logistics & shipping
✅ Trusted platform with high conversion rates
✅ Full control over branding & store design
✅ No direct competition on your own site
✅ Lower selling fees compared to Amazon
✅ Flexible pricing & product listing options
✅ Direct access to customer data for marketing
Cons
❌ High selling fees & commissions
❌ Intense competition with other sellers
❌ Limited control over branding
❌ Amazon owns the customer relationship, not you
❌ Requires driving your own traffic
❌ Takes time to build brand awareness
❌ Monthly subscription fees
❌ Must handle shipping & fulfillment (unless using third-party services)
Fees
🛒 Individual Plan: $0.99 per item sold
🏮 Professional Plan: $39.99/month + referral fees (8%-15%)
🚚 Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees vary by product size & weight
🛒 Shopify Basic: $39/month
🏮 Shopify Standard: $105/month
🚀 Shopify Advanced: $399/month
💳 Transaction fees (0.5%-2%) unless using Shopify Payments
Which Is Cheaper: Selling on Amazon or Shopify?
When deciding between Amazon and Shopify, cost is a major factor. While both platforms have different pricing structures, the cheaper option depends on your business model and selling strategy.
Amazon Costs
Amazon charges fees based on how you sell:
Individual Plan: $0.99 per item sold (best for small-scale sellers).
Professional Plan: $39.99/month + referral fees (8%-15% per sale).
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Additional fees for storage, picking, packing, and shipping.
Amazon’s high fees can eat into your profit margins, especially if you sell lower-cost products. However, you gain access to a massive audience, which can lead to more sales.
Shopify Costs
Shopify has a fixed monthly subscription:
Basic Plan: $39/month
Standard Plan: $105/month
Advanced Plan: $399/month
Shopify charges transaction fees (05%-2%) unless you use Shopify Payments. Unlike Amazon, there are no referral fees, which means you keep more of your profits. However, you’ll need to handle your own marketing, shipping, and fulfillment.
Which One Is Cheaper?
Amazon is cost-effective for beginners who want instant exposure without spending on marketing. However, its high referral fees can be expensive for high-volume sellers.
Shopify is cheaper for businesses that can drive their own traffic. With no per-sale referral fees, Shopify allows you to maximize profits in the long run.
👉 If you’re selling a few products occasionally, Amazon might be the better choice. But if you plan to grow your brand and sell consistently, Shopify can be the more cost-effective solution.
Can You Sell on Amazon and Shopify at the Same Time?
Absolutely! Selling on both Amazon and Shopify can be a smart strategy to maximize your reach and revenue. Relying on a single platform can be risky, so diversifying across multiple channels helps you tap into different audiences and reduce dependency on one marketplace.
With over 1.75 million merchants using Shopify, many sellers successfully operate on both platforms. Shopify even offers built-in tools to make selling on Amazon easier. For example:
You can create Amazon listings directly from your Shopify dashboard for multiple product categories.
You can list your existing Shopify products on Amazon and manage offers seamlessly.
You can sync your Amazon Seller Central account with Shopify, allowing you to connect product details, variants, and images across both platforms.
By leveraging both Shopify and Amazon, you get the best of both worlds—Amazon’s massive customer base and Shopify’s control over branding and customer relationships.
How Does Amazon Shipping Compare to Shopify Shipping?
When comparing shipping options for Amazon and Shopify, there are a few key differences to consider. Shipping plays a significant role in the Amazon vs. Shopify debate, especially for sellers who prioritize fast delivery and ease of logistics.
Amazon Shipping Options
Amazon offers two main shipping choices:
Fulfilled by Merchant (FBM): You handle all the shipping, storage, and fulfillment yourself.
Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA): Amazon takes care of storage, packing, shipping, and customer service for your products. With FBA, your products are eligible for Amazon Prime, which can greatly increase your sales potential due to the appeal of fast, free delivery for Prime members However, FBA comes with additional fees for storage and fulfillment.
Shopify Shipping Options
Shopify provides more flexibility when it comes to shipping. You can set your own shipping rates, rules, weight-based pricing, and more. If you don’t want to handle fulfillment yourself, you can integrate your Shopify store with third-party fulfillment services like Amazon FBA or other providers. Alternatively, you can also consider dropshipping as an option, where you sell products without managing inventory.
Do Both Amazon and Shopify Offer Dropshipping?
Both platforms support the dropshipping business model, though in different ways:
Shopify: Shopify gives you the ability to create a fully customized, independent ecommerce store. You can build your unique brand, integrate with various dropshipping suppliers, and have complete control over your store.
Amazon: While Amazon also supports dropshipping, it requires that you follow specific policies. You can quickly start selling, benefit from Amazon’s established audience, and gain access to its trusted reputation. However, you have less control over branding and customer experience compared to Shopify.
Ultimately, both Amazon and Shopify offer strong dropshipping potential, but Shopify provides more freedom to customize your store and brand, while Amazon offers immediate exposure and an existing customer base.
How Do Shopify and Amazon Differ Regarding SEO?
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), both Shopify and Amazon provide opportunities for visibility, but they work in different ways. Understanding how SEO works on both platforms can help you decide where to focus your efforts for maximum reach.
SEO on Amazon
Amazon is primarily a marketplace, and its search engine (A9) works differently than traditional search engines like Google. Amazon’s SEO focuses on product discoverability within the Amazon platform. Key factors include:
Product Titles: Including relevant keywords in your product titles can improve your chances of appearing in search results on Amazon.
Backend Keywords: You can add hidden keywords (backend search terms) to your product listings, which help Amazon understand your product better.
Customer Reviews: Positive reviews and high ratings are critical for ranking well on Amazon. Customers’ feedback signals quality and relevance.
Sales History: Products with higher sales are more likely to appear at the top of Amazon’s search results.
Amazon’s A9 Algorithm: Amazon’s A9 algorithm is highly focused on conversion rates (how often people purchase the product after viewing it) and sales performance rather than traditional SEO factors like backlinks or on-page content optimization.
Pros of Amazon SEO:
Quick access to a massive customer base.
Focuses on product relevance and performance, rather than content creation.
Cons of Amazon SEO:
Limited control over your product listing’s visibility compared to Shopify.
Harder to build brand awareness as the marketplace focuses on product listings rather than individual stores.
SEO on Shopify
Shopify, on the other hand, is an ecommerce platform, giving you full control over your website’s SEO. Shopify allows you to optimize not just your product listings, but also the overall structure and content of your online store.
On-Page SEO: You can fully customize page titles, meta descriptions, and URLs for product pages, blog posts, and landing pages to improve organic search rankings on Google.
Content Marketing: Shopify enables you to create a blog, which can help drive organic traffic to your store by ranking for keywords related to your niche.
Backlinks: You can actively build backlinks by getting other websites to link to your store, which improves your store’s authority in Google’s eyes.
Technical SEO: Shopify ensures your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and structured in a way that’s easy for search engines to crawl. You also have control over your site’s code, which allows you to implement advanced SEO strategies.
Product Reviews & Rich Snippets: Shopify allows you to include structured data for rich snippets on Google’s search results, which can improve click-through rates.
Pros of Shopify SEO:
Full control over your website’s content and SEO strategy.
Easier to build a brand identity and drive traffic from Google.
Cons of Shopify SEO:
Requires more effort to drive traffic, as you must rely on external sources like Google search, social media, and email marketing.
Key Differences in SEO
Amazon SEO is all about visibility within Amazon’s platform. It’s driven by product sales, customer reviews, and algorithmic ranking factors. It’s faster to get results, but you have less control over branding.
Shopify SEO focuses on driving traffic from external search engines (like Google). While it takes longer to see results, you have more control over your content, structure, and long-term brand growth.
Conclusion
If you want to tap into Amazon’s massive traffic and focus on product sales, its SEO can quickly boost visibility. However, if you’re looking to build a unique brand and long-term growth with Google traffic, Shopify offers more control with its SEO tools. Whether you’re selling on Amazon or Shopify, both platforms provide great potential for growth. Turn your Shopify and Amazon business into a profit-generating machine with Kleverish Digital Marketing Agency, specializing in SEO optimization, traffic generation, and increasing conversions for both platforms.