I run a small online store and recently switched from marketplace selling to my own Shopify site, and the difference in profit margins is staggering—fees ate up nearly 15% of each sale on Amazon. But losing that built-in traffic means I'm now fighting for every visitor through ads and SEO. For independent sellers, is building your own e-commerce store truly better than relying on established marketplaces despite the higher fees and discovery costs? I've seen both sides fail and succeed, so I'm genuinely torn.