Selling your arts & crafts online in the UK and Worldwide provides an opportunity to tap into a new, wider customer base. Also, there’s the potential to turn a part-time hobby into a viable full-time business.

It has never been easier to make money selling arts & crafts online. Whether you make jewellery, custom prints or badges, all you need is an entrepreneurial spirit and a WIFI connection. You’re now able to build a business selling your crafts from home.

If you haven’t started already, you’ve probably thought about selling your handmade crafts online. Nowadays there’s plenty of craft selling sites out there, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of choice.

Thankfully, joining the online arts & crafts marketplace doesn’t have to be a daunting prospect. To help you on your journey, we’ve put together a list of where to sell handmade items online.

1. Etsy

Founded in 2005, the U.S based website Etsy is by far the largest and most well-known destination for buying and selling arts & crafts online.

As of 2018, Etsy had over 60 million items in its marketplace, with nearly 40 million customers.

The huge amount of site visitors means that Etsy can be a great platform for selling your handmade items online. However, the size of the marketplace can also be a disadvantage. The sheer number of products can make it hard for yours to stand out from the crowd.

Etsy is well-known for supporting their sellers. You can set up your own Etsy shop with a few simple steps. The fees for listing and selling crafts online is also relatively small. You’re expected to pay 20 cents (around 15p) to list an item, and you’ll pay Etsy a commission of 3.5% of the item’s price when it sells.

2. Not on the High Street

Not On The High Street is a well-known destination for handmade items and crafts. The UK based site has over 5,000 sellers or ‘partners’ as they are called. It’s a popular location for shoppers looking for unique gifts made by skilled independent craftspeople.

The process of setting up on the site is a little trickier when compared to competitors, as you have to apply to become a partner to sell on the site, and Not On The High Street handpicks their partners to ensure the highest possible quality.

Once approved, partners are required to pay a set-up fee of £199 and also pay the site 25% commission on every item sold.

3. Folksy

Folksy, often called the UK-equivalent of Etsy, is ‘the UK’s biggest online craft fair’.

Similarly to Etsy, there is no set-up fee and it is quick and easy to set up your own shop. You are charged 15p to list an item for four months. In addition, you’ll then pay a 6% commission once the item is sold. Folksy also offers three free listings when a seller first signs up. This means that it is technically free to start selling crafts online with Folksy.

Folksy’s dedicated forums and customer support teams will also advise on how to sell your handmade crafts. They’ll also advise on how to run your online shop with tips on photography, pricing and presentation.

4. Amazon Handmade

In 2015, e-commerce giant Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Handmade, a platform for sellers of handcrafted products, which they call ‘Artisans’. An obvious benefit of selling on Amazon is that you have access to a huge market of 300 million customers from around the world.

You can apply to join Amazon Handmade as a seller or ‘Artisan’ and must prove that your products are handmade and of high quality. Once you’re approved on the site, you are required to pay Amazon 12% commission on any products that you sell.

One of the drawbacks of selling on Amazon Handmade was the high maintenance fees of £25/month, however, this fee has currently been waived until the end of December 2019.

5. Depop

Do you make, or upcycle clothes, accessories and jewellery? Then Depop could be the place for you! Depop is a fashion conscious, peer-to-peer social shopping app, with 30 million users worldwide.

Although some people use the site to get rid of unwanted clothes, others set up businesses. You can start selling your own designs and creations through the app. It is free to set up a Depop account and list items. However, the app charges a 10% commission for every item sold.

6. Made By Mums

Made By Mums is a great value community focused alternative to Etsy for UK sellers to consider.

Created in 2018, they cater to mums, dads and carers looking to support their families by selling their creations online. Part of their ethos is helping you to keep more of what you earn, so the costs of being on their platform are low. You don’t pay any account opening or listing fees – in fact the only costs are when you make a sale (7.5% + 35p commission per item sold). That’s great as it means you only pay when you’re successful.

Made By Mums have a vibrant and supportive community of buyers and sellers on social media. They regularly share the items their sellers make every week for free, via their regular ‘Products of the Week’ feature each weekend.

7. Set Up Your Own Site

If none of these options are taking your fancy, you could consider selling crafts online through your own website. Be just like us – ebadges

By selling crafts online through our own website, you will save money by not having to pay commission and membership fees to other sites.

However, there will be added costs involved with running and maintaining your own website, and it is likely to be far more time-consuming. This method would be better suited to more established businesses, as you need to make sure that you have a sufficient customer base and technical know-how to compete with other craft selling sites.

If you wish to set up your own website we recommend wordpress or shopify as our top choices.

When it comes to selling crafts online, there are many different approaches that you can take, which will ultimately depend on what crafts you are selling and your personal preferences. We hope that this article has given you some insight into where and how to sell your handmade crafts online.

Selling Arts & Crafts In A Shop

If you are looking to sell in a shop why not give our other blog a read – Why you should sell personalized items in a gift shop

Happy crafting!