Make it, List it, Sell it!

Beginner’s guide to selling your handmade products

Ready to launch your handmade business and wondering where is the best place to sell your handmade products? Whether you love making jewellery, soaps, art, or crafts, turning your passion into a small business can feel both exciting and overwhelming.

But don’t stress, when it comes to selling your handmade products online and offline there are plenty of beginner-friendly options out there.

So let’s get rid of the overwhelm and get you selling with confidence.

In this post, we’ll take a look at the best places to sell handmade items, from well known online marketplaces to craft fairs and even your own online store.

You’ll have all the information you need to help you figure out the best place to start selling your handmade products. 

If you’re starting a craft business be sure to check out my Beginner’s Guide to Pricing your Handmade Products . It breaks things down in a simple, easy-to-follow way to help you feel more confident about pricing your handmade products

Pin it to Pinterest and read it later!

Now let’s get started…

Should you sell your handmade products on Etsy?

When it comes to selling handmade products online, people often ask, is Etsy worth it?

Etsy is usually the first place that springs to mind when we think of selling handmade items.

With more than 95 million active buyers, Etsy must be the best website to sell handmade products, right? 

Whilst I do love Etsy, my opinion of selling on Etsy is mixed. It definitely has a lot of positives: huge investment in brand awareness, super-simple store set up, and masses of lovely customers.

So what are the negatives of selling on Etsy?

Yes, getting started on Etsy is simple. Yes, It has a huge number of active buyers but it also has over 9 million active sellers! 

With so many sellers you will likely find that there are lots of handmade products almost identical to yours being listed slap bang next to yours. You may even find your niche is saturated.

What are you going to do to stand out from the crowd?

Sadly, businesses selling mass produced items at far cheaper prices than handmade have now made their way into the Etsy listings. This makes it even more difficult for handmade crafters to compete.

Overwhelmed by a saturated market, buyers will often choose the cheapest option or buy from stores that show higher in the listings.

Of course there are many profitable handmade businesses on Etsy. If you're going to become one of them you will have to put a lot of time and effort in to marketing your Etsy Store.

While you’re busy marketing 'Etsy's store' why not see this as an opportunity to learn the ropes and build the skills you'll need to eventually drive customers to your very own store.  

Always keep in mind that no matter how successful your Etsy store is it is not your store, it's Etsy's! You have zero control over the actual store.

There are many stories of successful Etsy stores being suddenly suspended or the seller's funds being withheld for months. 

So why not aim to build your own empire? Use the knowledge you gather selling handmade items online to eventually create your dream business.

Your customers will be engaging with your products in your online store instead of a huge competitive market place.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't even try to sell on Etsy. Of course you should - It could be a great success!

Just remember, your handmade business is yours. Protect your brand and your income by building a strong presence outside of platforms like Etsy, so your success doesn’t depend on any one place.

Now let’s take a look at some Etsy alternatives for selling your handmade items.

Is Amazon handmade a good alternative to Etsy?

Is there anyone on the planet who hasn't heard of Amazon?! with 3.1 billion monthly visits, Amazon's market is huuuge!!

Amazon Handmade gives crafters the opportunity sell their handmade products to millions of customers through their own Amazon storefront. 

Setting up an Amazon storefront isn’t the fastest process, unlike Etsy, there’s an application you’ll need to go through.

But that’s actually a good thing! The application helps ensure that the products listed are truly handmade, which helps keep mass-produced items out of Amazon’s handmade space.

While Amazon Handmade doesn’t charge listing fees, keep in mind that the fees are a bit higher overall; Amazon takes a 15% commission on each sale.

Now, Amazon might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of buying or selling handmade goods, and it doesn’t have the same kind of exposure as Etsy.

But that can actually work in your favour! With less exposure comes less competition and, thanks to the application process, you won’t be up against a flood of cheaply made, mass-produced items.

If you want to use Amazon to sell your handmade goods you're really going to have to put in the effort to drive traffic to 'Amazon's' store. As I mentioned earlier, this is a great chance to learn the ropes and build the skills you'll need to eventually drive customers to your very own store.

Remember, your Amazon store belongs to Amazon. This can leave you vulnerable to the exact same issues I previously mentioned when discussing Etsy.

This doesn't mean it's not worth testing your products on Amazon, it might be a perfect fit for you. It's free to set up and you'll only pay commission if you make sales, there’s really nothing to lose.

Listing your items on more than one marketplace can help increase your brand’s visibility, just don’t feel like you need to jump into all of them at once. It’s much better to focus on running one store really well, then expand when you’re ready.

Above all, remember your handmade business is yours. Protect it by building a strong brand presence outside of platforms like Amazon and Etsy, so your success doesn’t depend on any one place.

Etsy and Amazon alternatives for selling handmade products online…

You might be considering selling handmade items somewhere other than Etsy or Amazon handmade. There are some smaller online marketplaces that you may also want to explore.

As they’re smaller you'll need to do a little research to find the platforms that operate in your country. In the UK there's Folksy and in the US there's icraft.

The smaller marketplaces obviously don't have the same level of brand awareness or traffic as the online giants Etsy or Amazon Handmade, although the seller's fees are often similar to those sites.

You will have to be creative in your efforts to drive customers to a less well known marketplace. However, there will be much less competition so your products will have more chance of standing out. 

Smaller online marketplaces have more of a community vibe than larger marketplaces. Sellers are often able to connect with one another to provide much needed advice and support.

Depending on the seller's fees, you may want to give a smaller marketplace a try.

Just a quick reminder, if you're putting time and energy into promoting another platform, like Amazon or Etsy, think about how you can use those same strategies to shine a light on your own store too.

It's all about building something that's truly yours!

Should you sell your handmade products at a craft fair?

Thinking of an alternative to selling handmade products online? Craft fairs could be the answer. Interacting with customers in person is a great way to boost brand awareness and see how people interact with your products. 

Listening to your customers can be such a great source of inspiration.

For example, I met a seller at a craft fair who made gorgeous hand-painted greeting cards. While people loved her work, they were hesitant about the price. But several asked if she also made prints or bookmarks, something she hadn’t even thought about offering before!

Sometimes, just paying attention to what people are asking for can open up whole new product ideas. If you take the opportunity to listen to your customers you may gain valuable inspiration.

To stand out at a craft fair you'll need an eye-catching display, clear pricing and a good range of products in different price ranges. 

Selling handmade items at a craft fair isn't a one off thing, it can take a bit of research to find which fairs are most likely to work for you. They can be hit and miss.

One week you may make limited sales, the next week it might be lots. Also, some craft fairs are more food focused, making it difficult to sell handmade items.

Chat to other craft fair sellers, get their advice. Be prepared to try a few different locations and see how they go.

The majority of sellers really enjoy their time at the craft fair. They get to know one another and create a friendly, supportive community.

If selling handmade items at craft fairs is something that interests you I highly recommend you take a look at Made Urban. This fantastic site has all the information you need to make a success of selling at craft fairs.

Remember, don’t let your customers walk away without referring them to your online store. Have promotional materials available to give your customers more ways to purchase your handmade products.

Should you sell your handmade items direct to a retail store?

If there is a store local to you selling gifts and handmade items, you should definitely approach them about stocking your products. 

The store needs to make a profit on your products so you will need to work out a wholesale price. You too also need to make a profit so remember to cover more than just your costs.

If you’re finding pricing your handmade items a little overwhelming, you might find my Beginners Guide to Pricing Your Handmade Products super helpful! It breaks things down in a simple, easy-to-follow way to help you feel more confident about pricing your handmade products

Should you set up your own online store to sell your handmade Products?

Yes! You definitely should. Just don’t rush straight in to it.

Having your own store is a great goal to aim for but it is an investment so it’s smart to do some testing first.

When you’re just getting started, it can be a good idea to use one of the free online platforms to get a feel for how customers respond to your business. You’ll start to see which products are the most popular and what people are willing to pay for them.

This insight can really help you launch your own online store with more confidence and direction.

I will be setting up my online store with SquareSpace, it’s the cheapest option for me because I already pay to host this blog on SquareSpace.

However I recently came across the Shopify Starter Plan and it looks like a great way to test out your products and start building a customer base without jumping straight into the full cost of an online store.

The Starter plan is great if you are more interested in selling through social media or anywhere else you might want to share a link to your products. It even has the option to sell in person.

It costs only £5 per month ( +5% transaction fee) and you can create a starter store in minutes.  

This is in contrast to setting up a full retail store on Shopify which will cost you £19 per month (billed annually, 2% + 25p transaction fee) for the basic plan. However, a blog is also included in the price of the basic plan so you wouldn’t have to shell out for the cost of hosting.

Haven’t started a blog yet? You totally should! Check out my post  Start a Blog to Boost your Business to find out why it might just be one of the smartest moves you can make for your business.

Pin it for later!

Like I’ve mentioned before, if you’re putting in the effort to promote your Etsy store or another selling platform, you might as well put that energy into promoting your own store instead, it’ll benefit you more in the long run!

Imagine if all the posts you create on social media feature a link to purchase your products directly from your very own store. The Shopify Starter plan makes this possible.

Shopify has control over the platform that hosts your store but they do not own your content or domain name. 

There are several platforms similar to Shopify that you can use to start your online store. As I mentioned earlier, I’ll be using Squarespace for mine, but other great options include Wix or Hostinger.

It all comes down to what works best for you and your budget. However, if you would prefer to have full control over both content and hosting you may want to consider a self-hosted store.

Should you Use WooCommerce to sell your handmade products?

Prefer having full control over your store and hosting? Then WooCommerce might be right up your alley! It’s an e-commerce platform built on WordPress, giving you the flexibility to customize just about everything.

Unlike Shopify, WooCommerce isn’t a standalone platform; it’s a plugin for WordPress. That means it does take a bit more technical know-how and hands-on involvement, but in return, you get way more freedom to shape your store exactly how you want it.

While there’s no official support team, there’s a huge community and tons of helpful resources online to guide you through.

WooCommerce itself is free, but keep in mind you’ll need to budget for hosting, themes, and any extra plugins you might want. The good news? No transaction fees!

If you're tech-savvy and like having full control, WooCommerce could be just what you need to bring your online store vision to life.

Using social media to sell your handmade products…

You should absolutely use social media selling to increase your brand awareness and reach.

Social media is a great way to showcase what makes your products special and bring them to life. It lets you connect directly with your customers, creating a more personal and engaging experience.

It also gives your audience a chance to really get to know your brand and interact with what you offer. Plus, you can connect with others in your niche to cross-promote and spread the word about your products even further!

And the best part? It’s super easy to add links straight to your online store, so there’s really nothing holding you back.

With Instagram Shopping, you can actually sell directly from your profile by setting up a shop. You can tag your products in posts, reels, and stories, making it effortless for people to shop right then and there.

You can even sell directly on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Pinterest. So many ways to get your products out there!

In my opinion, Pinterest is hands down the best platform for promoting a handmade business. I’ve actually written a whole separate post about it: Power Up your Profit with Pinterest because there’s just way too much good stuff to fit in here!

Seriously, don’t skip it, check out the article so you don’t miss out on all the ways Pinterest can help your business grow.

Pin it to Pinterest and read it later!

Good luck selling your handmade items…

I truly hope you’re feeling inspired to start selling your handmade creations. With so many great options out there, there’s really no reason not to give it a go, it could be the beginning of something amazing!

It might take a bit of trial and error to figure out what works best for you, and that’s totally okay. Just remember: persistence is everything.

The more places your products show up, the more chances you have to get noticed. But take it one step at a time, Don’t overwhelm yourself.

It’s much better to focus on doing a few things really well. Building a business is a journey, not a race.

Go at your own pace, build your confidence, and when you’re ready, you can grow from there. You've got this!

Whatever route you choose, I wish you every success. There are millions of successful handmade businesses out there, you absolutely can create one too.

Believe!

Best of luck, Karen x