Where to Sell Crafts Online
Many crafters end up not selling their work because they just don’t know where to go. Online venues can be the perfect solution! However, in case you aren’t sure exactly how to find websites that will let you sell your handicrafts, I’ve decided to do a review of several places. Please feel free to let me know of any I’ve missed or your experiences with the craft websites listed here.
Etsy
This is a fairly new venue for crafters, but it looks good. Most of the products seem to be of very high quality and the prices are decent, so you won’t be forced to lowball your products. The layout is quite professional and sign up is free. You will need a credit card to confirm identity, they are very strict about security policies.
Fees: Free to sign up, 20 cents per item, plus 3.5% upon sale
Arts Efest
This site is fairly large, so you’ll have plenty of competition. It bills itself as an online craft show. The list of categories in the sidebar is almost too extensive, but will help people find exactly what they are looking for. Some items seem to be a bit on the cheap side, so you might need to drop your prices a little. Payment is through PayPal.
This site offers two options. You can sign up to be listed in their crafters´ directory if you already have a website, or you can sign up to get a webpage on efest.
Fees: Between $14-18 per month if you build a site through them, $8 monthly if you already have a website (discounts are available if you pay for the year)
Handmade Catalog
A nice, clean looking website that offers a very extensive variety. The prices here seem to be very decent, shipping can be included or you can charge separately. Payment is by check or PayPal.
Handmade offers three different memberships. The Basic package lets you try things out, where you can list up to 50 items. The Standard package allows up to 250 products, plus 3 listings per year on the main page. The Professional package is the most expensive and lets you have a special URL, features your business name on their Crafter’s List, plus you can list up to 1,200 products and have up to 5 products per year on the main page.
Fees: Basic is $4.95 per month, plus a 15% commission, Standard charges 7.95 per month, plus a 10% commission, and Professional is $12.95 per month with a 5% commission on top. Each package has a discount if you pay annually.
Craft Mall
This online mall is professionally designed and lets you design your own home page, complete with your own business logo. The nice thing about Craft Mall is that they also allow you to use your own domain name, if you wish.
Selling features are more advanced on this website. You can create your own coupons with expiration dates, set up sales that start and end automatically and sell in bulk or offer special discounts. Using these features can also get you a spot in their newsletter. Payment is through PayPal or your own merchant account.
Fees: Basic accounts range from $7.95-47.95 per month for 15-500 products, Premium accounts range from $14.95-54.95 a month for 25-650 products and include several benefits.
Kinfolk Crafts
This website offers fully customizable webpages where you can upload 10 products to sell. They maintain your site for you and payment is through PayPal. You can add your own domain name if you wish. You can also do an upgrade from a webpage to a website, but they don’t specify how many products this includes or how much it costs.
Kinfolk Crafts seems to lean more toward country style crafting and clothing, so if that is your niche, this may be a good website for you. However, if you are into Goth art, Kinfolk Crafts is not the place to sell your bat pins!
Fees: $75 set-up, $10 per month with a minimum of 6 months required.
Lilly’s Craft Mall
This website is run by a work at home mom who knows what it is like to have all your profits eaten up by auction fees. So, the website is free for listing your crafts. You get a website where you can upload 15 products to start off with (you can add more after 30 days). It is all customizable. Payment is through PayPal.
The only problem I saw with Lilly’s Craft Mall is that it’s not exactly well designed. There are errors on the main page and for some reason the categories are microscopic. If you are looking for a no-cost way to get started, this might be worth a try, though.
Fees: Free
Spsell
Spsell has more of an amateur look to it than the other sites reviewed here, but it is a bit different as well. Instead of categories, it has shops, so the name of your e-store has a lot to do with whether or not people will click on it. Within the shop, you have categories if necessary. Payment through PayPal.
Fees: $10-19 per month (thank you, Super Man, for bringing this to my attention)
As you can see, you have a wide variety of options for selling your crafts online. And of course, you could always set up your own website as well. The advantage of going with an online craft market is that you can capitalize on their popularity.
Have you had any experience selling your crafts online? If so, please share in the comments. Feel free to include a link to your site, too, so we can see your products and website.
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What a great reference summary! My regular life is all about technology - project management and technical blogging - but I metalsmith and make jewelry at my garage workbench when I have spare time. This is a great reference resource for when I actually build enough inventory (and confidence) to start selling it.
I found your blog through Problogger today - I am a fellow low-comment-count blogger and thought I’d say hi.
I’m looking to sell my hand-painted items online. I found your information very helpful and will try selling them using at least 2 of the websites you wrote about.
Thank you, I’m glad I found your blog!!
I´m glad you both found this article useful.
Thanks for doing the research, I have been using Google to find web sites that I can sell my handmade jewelry on and this is a great help. I will be checking them out.
Hi…I was a member of Handmade Catalog for almost a year and I tried to sell my handmade baby quilts to make extra money. My only complaint is that no one bothered to tell me I had listed over 50 quilts on the site incorrectly. Every time a search was done on “baby quilts”, my listings were not included. I felt like I had wasted money that I just did not have and so I cancelled. At present I don’t have a website. I don’t know where to go.
Karen, thank you for sharing your experiences with this website. I would like to encourage you to think about setting up a website for your baby quilts, there are plenty of free places where it is fairly easy to do so.
I will also be emailing you to see if we can´t work something out. Plus, I´d love to see your baby quilts!
Hi, I found your blog via a google search. I work outside the home, but stumbled on what appears to be a talent and a very fun past-time several months ago. I started makeing earrings and other jewelry. The response to them at work, and with friends have been really good. I’ve sold more than enough to cover all costs of production thus far. As such I’m wondering whether I should consider creating a site as another outlet for my jewelry in hopes of supplementing my income but don’t know which would be best/easiest..any suggestions?
Valerie, from the sounds of it, you would be mistaken NOT to have a website to sell your jewelry!
Even if you aren´t looking at this as a full-time venture, that doesn´t mean it shouldn´t be expanded and a website is definitely the way to go.
I would suggest starting out with a free site such as http://www.piczo.com or http://www.sitekreator.com until you are earning more than enough to cover costs.
I´m actually working on a book that will help women like yourself start their businesses online, but you will also find plenty of information here on this blog.
There is a cool new site based in the UK. http://www.handcreations.co.uk. You can sell most of your products from this website as long as the products are handmade.
Thank-You so much for this information.I sell Custom nap mats on e-bay for now. But the fees cut into my making a profit. I love making handmade items, especially children’s clothing but,I need to find an avenue where I can sell them to supplement my income,I am a widow, and I don’t relish the fact that I might have to find a job. I would rather sew and sell my products online. I think my sewing is very professional. It’s better than the clothes sold at Walmart. They really look cheap. Anyway, thank-you so much for this information. Rosemary
New site in the UK http://www.youcraftylot.com its all FREE for sellers till Feb 2008, and then only 10p per item listed.
Hello, Was wondering if you know of other sites to sell your handmade wares on like our thread stands we sell.
We are more focused on the crafters themselves, than the public. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Warmest Regards
Debbie
OW meant to give you our web site…
http://www.embroiderythreadstands.com
Thanks
Hey Genesis! I don’t know why I haven’t been to this website before; it’s great. I didn’t know aboout any of the craft sites you listed other than Etsy. I’ll be checking on some of those myself, and I would love to see you write a book to help others do what you are doing now!
I found your blog by AOL search this morning. There is a really nice place to sell crafts at http://www.yessy.com. Listings are free. A small fee if an item sells. You might want to check it out. My favorite so far is etsy but yessy is close. I have sold a few items at http://www.ioffer.com. Listing is free and a small fee if sold.
Gold Leaf Crafters Online Mall is a professionally built mall offering the individual artisans and crafters the opportunity to have their own online store. Our Mall is just like a real Brick and Mortar Mall but online, all stores are individually owned and operated, all orders and payments go directly to the Artists. The artists pay a flat monthly fee. No Commissions
I am looking to sell my scrap book die cuts wholesale to people or business’. If you buy, please let me know!
Thank You
Penny
This is awesome, I new about 4 or so of these sites, but all the info was great.
I have been making jewelry for about a year now, and have made a lot of Money. I never leave my house to sell. I just go around and ask people I meet online if they would like to sell it and give them a % and the result is amazing.
Thanks for sharing
TJ
I have thought about making jewelry for years, there is so much beautiful stuff out there. I’m just not that sure if I have the patience for it.
When I homeschooled my son, we sold some things that we made together at craft fairs and both loved it.
Hi
I will be opening up my new site in about 10 days time check it out. It will be desghned for people like yourself stay at home moms or for those of you who would like to work from home making anything to sell be it handy crafts, quilts, art,music writing,clothing,It will be called inna space a networking space for women It will be a fun exciting site featuring all the things that woman love to do and talk about plus youll be able to sell anything for as little as $75.00 per year membership
Hi,
This is more of a question than a comment. Are there any licensing requirements for selling online?
I just wondered is there any online website which accept international crafter and they will accept other payment method beside paypal, as paypal is not user-friendly in my coutry.
spsell is not free. They charge $10 to $19 a month give or take five cents.
[...] Mom blog run by Genesis Davies. She’s put together a quick run down of the best known sites here. Well worth a look. Like it? Let people [...]
Awesome article. We just joined etsy last month and reaping success.
http://OneDollarSketch.etsy.com