Immibrand: A Marketplace for Immigrant Indie Artisans
What is Immibrand and why did it get started?
Immibrand started in 2017 as a direct response to the rising wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric in the U.S. What began as a personal project—selling my own art as a counter-narrative to fear and division—has since grown into something bigger.
I transformed my tiny personal art site into this marketplace for independent artisans whose work is shaped by migration, heritage, and social change. I know firsthand what it means to navigate identity across borders. I was brought to the U.S. as a child, undocumented, and like many in my position, I grew up balancing two worlds—never fully belonging to either. That experience informs how I’ve shaped Immibrand: not just as a store, but as a space where our stories and craftsmanship hold value on our own terms.
Today, Immibrand is growing into a curated marketplace for makers and small brands that center cultural storytelling in their work. Whether you create handcrafted goods, textiles, or home decór inspired by your roots, this platform exists to help you reach an audience that cares about the meaning behind what they buy and want to hear your story.
This isn’t just about selling products—it’s about reclaiming narratives, celebrating craftsmanship, and supporting indie brands that exist outside the mainstream.
At the heart of my mission for why Immibrand exists, is to speak up of our collective immigrant experience and its intersections.
Etsy was great, until it wasn’t.
For years, Etsy was the go-to platform for independent artisans—a place where makers, small businesses, and creatives could sell their work to an audience that valued craftsmanship. It felt like a home for the handmade, the unique, and the independent.
But over time, something changed.
Try the Etsy VS Immibrand Fee Calculator Below
Find out how much more Etsy charges you for their convoluted fee structure, not even including the 15% fees on off-site ad sale charges.
❌ Endless Fee Increases
Etsy takes more and more of your earnings with every passing year. Their transaction fee jumped from 5% to 6.5%, and that’s on top of their $0.20 per listing fee, forced advertising costs, and additional payment processing fees. You work harder, they take more.
❌ Vague & Unfair Policies
Thousands of artisans have had their work removed without warning. Etsy claims to support creators, but their inconsistent enforcement of rules has shut down Pro-Palestine designs, queer creators, and other marginalized artists while allowing mass-produced junk to flood the platform.
❌ A Flood of Mass-Produced & AI-Generated Designs
What was once a curated marketplace for true artisans has become a dropshipping free-for-all. AI-generated art, print-on-demand knockoffs, and mass-made items now dominate Etsy’s search results, drowning out real handmade work.
Etsy knows you don’t have many other options, so they coerce sellers into staying—trapping you with their built-in audience while stripping away your control, independence, and earnings.
You Deserve a Marketplace That Works for You—Not Against You
This is Immibrand.
✅ No Listing Fees
Unlike Etsy, I don’t charge you to list your products. Your work belongs in front of customers, not behind a paywall.
✅ Lower Commission Rates
Etsy’s fees add up fast. Immibrand starts at 10% (free plan) and goes as low as 4% on paid plans.
✅ No Mass-Produced Junk
his is a real marketplace for real artisans. No dropshipping scams, no AI-generated designs, no resellers copying your work.
✅ No Corporate Boardroom Censorship
Your voice matters. If your art tells a story, I won’t silence you. Unlike Etsy, I actually care about independent creators, because I am one.
✅ Tools to Grow Beyond Any Platform
Etsy wants to keep you dependent on them. Immibrand is built to help you scale beyond the marketplace with tools like your own website, marketing resources, and direct customer connections.
✅ Immibrand empowers you to go beyond the platform
Even though you can stay on the Forever Free (Phase 1) plan for as long as you need, Immibrand will provide resources to help you get your brand to become more self-reliant, even beyond itself.
Comparison Chart
| Feature | Etsy | Immibrand |
|
Listing Fees |
$0.20 per item | $0 |
| Transaction Fees | 6.5% + $0.30 per sale | 10% across the board |
| Membership Fees | Optional $10 per month | Optional $9 to $99 per month |
| Product Limits | Unlimited, but fees apply per listing | 20 products and more with upgrades |
| Brand Visibility | Competes with mass-produced goods | Handmade, with immigrant & artisan focus |
| Search Algorithm | Prioritizes ads & high-volume sellers | Values indie makers & immigrant-intersectional artisans |
| Seller Support | Automated runarounds | Direct support & community-driven help |
| Marketing costs | Mandatory ad fees on high-earning shops | No forced ads; organic & community-driven growth |
| Ownership | Publicly traded, profit-driven | Built for artisans, prioritizing sustainability & fair fees |
This is the reality.
Etsy isn’t going anywhere—and I’m not here to pretend otherwise. It’s a massive marketplace with undeniable reach, but with that scale comes compromises: rising fees, an algorithm favoring mass-produced goods, and a race to the bottom for small artisans trying to stand out.
That’s why Immibrand exists as an adamant alternative—a space where indie makers and immigrant artisans can sell with intention, without getting buried under factory-made clutter.
Unlike platforms that push for unlimited inventory (which fuels overproduction and marketplace spam), Immibrand sets thoughtful product limits—starting at 20 for the free plan. This isn’t a restriction; it’s a strategy. Curating a focused collection helps artisans refine what sells, find their niche, and build a sustainable brand before scaling up to higher product limits and lower transaction fees.
It also keeps the marketplace free from mass-produced stores trying to game the system.
Here, indie artists don’t have to fight for visibility against factories or pay to compete. This is a marketplace built for artisans, not algorithm loopholes.
Immibrand isn’t an immediate replacement, but an adamant alternative for the outliers who believe that this is how we fight establishment coercion.
Earnings Scenario
Etsy VS Immibrand Cost Breakdown
Assumptions:
- Average product price: $40
- Etsy fees: 6.5% transaction fee + 6% offsite ad fee (if applicable) + $0.20 per listing
- Immibrand Phase 1: $0/month + 10% commission
- Immibrand Phase 2: $9/month + 8% commission
- Immibrand Phase 3: $69/month + 6% commission
- Immibrand Phase 4: $99/month + 4% commission
| Monthly Sales Revenue | Etsy Average Fees (12.5% + listing) | Immibrand ($0, 10%) | Immibrand ($9, 8%) | Immibrand ($69, 6%) | Immibrand ($99, 4%) |
| $500 (13 sales) | $67.50 | $50 | $49 | $102 | $119 |
| $1,000 (25 sales) | $135 | $100 | $89 | $129 | $139 |
| $2,000 (50 sales) | $270 | $200 | $169 | $189 | $179 |
| $5,000 (125 sales) | $675 | $500 | $409 | $369 | $299 |
| $10,000 (250 sales) | $1,350 | $1,000 | $809 | $669 | $499 |
When Does Immibrand Make More Sense?
- If you sell $1,000+ per month, Phase 2 ($9/month, 8%) saves you money over Etsy.
- If you sell $2,000+ per month, Phase 3 ($69/month, 6%) becomes a cheaper, long-term investment.
- At $5,000+ per month, Etsy fees skyrocket, while Immibrand’s fixed fee model keeps costs predictable and Phase 4 plan includes a WooCommerce site to grow independently.
- At $10,000+ per month, you should be moving to your own site—which is exactly why Immibrand helps you scale beyond the marketplace, not trap you in it.
- If you want to be one of my earliest adopters as I learn how to grow and improve the platform to better serve us and the people who support our voice.
Scalability
Immibrand’s pricing structure is designed to scale with your business. As your sales grow, the percentage-based fees decrease, making it more cost-effective for high-volume sellers.
Volume-aligned Savings
Immibrand’s long-term savings trajectory is 55% over Etsy in platform fees.
Platform Growth
Immibrand is actively working to grow its platform and traffic. By joining early, sellers can benefit from increased visibility and sales as the platform expands and lock their pricing on premium tiers as I add more features.
Brand Independence
Immibrand allows sellers to build their own brand identity rather than being just another shop on Etsy. This independence is crucial for long-term growth and customer loyalty.
Predictable Pricing
Immibrand’s pricing tiers are transparent and predictable, making it easier for sellers to plan and budget. Etsy’s combination of platform fees, transaction fees, and listing fees can be harder to predict and manage.
Your artisan crafts deserve better.
I can only share with you, what I believe to be a choice. You have to make it.