Selling your handcrafted creations: The best online sites and tips

Making crafts is a hobby for many people. But how do you sell your artisanal creations to take full advantage of them?

If you are really talented, you can turn your hobby into a side activity, or even a full time business.

Just ask Alicia Shaffer, who earns  $ 80,000 a month selling handmade clothes on Etsy. Alicia is probably an exception, but since this business is estimated at  $ 44 billion  , there is room for you even if you only spend a few hours in your free time.

In order to sell your handcrafted creations online, you need to create a plan to make sure that you will make money instead of spending more than you earn. Part of that plan involves figuring out where and how to sell your handcrafted creations.

17 of the best sites to sell your craft creations

Selling your designs online is one of the easiest ways to get started. Most successful artisans choose multiple online shopping sites to reach as many customers as possible. Remember this: don't choose more than you can manage on a day-to-day basis.

Etsy

Etsy  is the most popular online craft market. In 2018, over  two million sellers sold their wares to over  39 million buyers  .

The sellers create a "store" which groups all their articles. Etsy allows artisans to sell vintage and even digital items, including printables, but you'll also find plenty of physical, handmade products.

One of the downsides to selling on Etsy is that you have to pay a listing fee of $ 0.20 for each item, whether or not it sells. You will pay an additional 5% transaction fee if it sells. Other charges include advertisements and use of Etsy's payment processing system.

Shopify

Shopify  is not a site where people buy handmade items like Etsy. Rather, it is a set of ecommerce tools that allow you to build your own store. You can customize its appearance and choose a custom domain name to make it look professional.

Shopify charges a hefty fee of $ 29 to $ 299 per month depending on the number of features provided by your account; but you can sign up for a 14 day free trial to see if you like it. It is a good choice for sellers with a large volume of craft creations.

Your own blog

You can also sell creations directly from your blog or WordPress site. It can be a bit tricky as you need to find a payment processing system which is why a lot of people use Shopify . WooCommerce is a popular and cheaper option, but it takes time to learn.

Starting a WordPress blog isn't difficult, but you have to be ready to embrace technology to do so. This is why many people choose a simpler option like Etsy. Selling crafts online through your own website will be cheaper in the long run and give you a professional build.

Handmade Products on Amazon

You can also sell your craft creations on Amazon. You must complete an application which is individually reviewed to ensure that you are actually the one who manufactures the items in question.

There are also a limited number of categories compared to other craft websites, but you will find all the popular categories such as jewelry , clothing, and beauty products .

Amazon Handmade charges a fairly steep fee of 15% (minimum $ 1) per transaction. You can take advantage of Amazon's FBA program, which allows you to take the hassle out of shipping items.

Artfire

Artfire provides a platform to sell their crafts in seven main categories: Jewelry, Bridal, Apparel & Accessories, Kids, Home & Life, Craft Supplies & Tools, and Entertainment. Artfire places your articles in Google search results so if you are an SEO expert you can drive traffic and earn more sales.

Artfire is a market which can be of great interest to already experienced sellers. The lowest fee is $ 4.95 per month with a listing fee of $ 0.23 per item and a 12.75% commission when you make a sale.

If you are selling multiple items, it will be a good idea to pay a monthly fee of $ 40; which allows you to avoid registration fees and only pay a commission of 4.75%. Either way, it's an expensive site to use.

eBay

eBay  attracts a large number of buyers and sellers, but it's not all about crafts. It's a popular place to sell anything, especially if you need a quick buck.

The fees paid on eBay are affordable. There is no listing fee and you only pay a commission if your item sells. There may be an additional charge if you have more than 50 listings per month, but it's still a good option for low volume sellers.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce  is another platform for building an online store, similar to Shopify . BigCommerce allows you to create your own store that you can integrate with your website, instead of having your store hosted on another platform like Etsy or Artfire. You can also use BigCommerce to integrate your store directly with Amazon or eBay.

BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial to get started. The company charges between $ 29.95 and $ 249.95 per month, and that doesn't include payment processing. You need to set up your own payment system, although BigCommerce offers a discount with Paypal on credit card transactions.

Bonanza

Bonanza  is an alternative to eBay, Amazon, or Etsy. You can find all kinds of articles here. Bonanza even has an import function; If you already have products on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, or Shopify, you can import them directly to list the same item on multiple sites.

Bonanza's usage charges are reasonable. There is no listing fee, and if your item sells you will pay a 3.5% commission (minimum $ 0.50) for items under $ 500 and a 4.5 commission. % for items over $ 500.

Folksy

Folksy  is the UK version of Etsy and does not allow non-UK artisans to set up a store on the platform. The site claims to attract over 250,000 buyers each month. If you live in UK or have UK citizenship this could be a very lucrative platform for you.

You can sell your goods through a basic account, with a listing fee of £ 0.15 + VAT and a sales commission of 6% + VAT. If you plan on making a lot of sales, you can choose a Folksy Plus account for £ 5 per month, which saves you the cost of listing each item.

AbsoluteArts

AbsoluteArts  is a platform for people who specialize in creating artistic pieces like paintings or sculptures. You can use AbsoluteArts as a portfolio to showcase your artwork or sell your art directly on the website.

The site is well designed, but sometimes it is difficult to get information. However, the platform has an active artist community.

AbsoluteArts offers three different levels: Free, Intermediate ($ 55 / year) and Premium ($ 100 / year). If your artwork sells, you'll pay a commission of between 20% and 35% depending on your membership level, plus a 5% processing fee.

iCraft

iCraft  is a Toronto-based craft site, but you can open a store even if you don't live in Canada. You can find all kinds of handcrafted creations on iCraft, including jewelry, hand-knitted items, decorations, and more.

iCraft has one of the best fees policies. You pay a one-time registration fee of $ 25 to get started and an ongoing subscription fee ranging from $ 10 to $ 15 per month.

After that, there are no registration, commission or processing fees. All the money you earn after paying the registration and subscription fees is yours.

eCRATER

eCRATER  is an online platform where anyone can open a store, similar to eBay. But this is not an auction site. Anyone can sell whatever they want at a fixed price, with no possibility of negotiation.

eCRATER has a "craft" category, but the subcategories are limited to 17 options, most of which are actually craft supplies and not handmade items.

Setting up a showcase on eCRAFTER is free and without registration fees. If you make a sale through the eCRATER Marketplace, they will charge a 2.9% fee.

Artists’ Shop (boutique d’artistes)

The  Handmade Artists' Shop  is a small artisan market and does not have the same display as Etsy or other sites (currently there are only 17 scarves for sale). The site also appears to have more paintings and jewelry for sale than other types of craft creations, but that doesn't reduce the quality of this site.

The artist shop has a lot of potential due to its affordable fees. You have to pay a monthly fee of $ 5 or an annual fee of $ 50. There is no signup or commission fee after that, so it is a very cost effective way to sell crafts online.

Zibbet

Zibbet  lets you sync your business across four craft selling platforms: Etsy, Zibbet Marketplace, AC Moore Marketplace, and Stitch websites.

If you make a sale on one website, your inventory will automatically update on others so you can avoid selling more than you have in stock.

You can also edit all of your listings at once with Zibbet. Zibbet offers a 14-day free trial and costs $ 5 to $ 6 per month for each platform you sell on, depending on whether you subscribe to a monthly or annual plan.

Indie Cart

Indie Cart sellers  focus on green and family-friendly items, although there aren't as many items for sale as on other websites.

Indie Cart is specially designed for sellers who make popular items that sell quickly or have few crafts to sell. Indie Cart charges a setup fee of $ 10, although they often have promotions where you can start for $ 0.01.

After that, you will pay a monthly fee of $ 5. There are no registration fees or commissions. You will need to pay the standard PayPal processing fee if you allow PayPal payments.

Facebook Market

Facebook has a large number of users that you can reach through  Facebook Marketplace  . The downside is that people on Facebook aren't necessarily looking to buy handcrafted creations; but you can sell to people looking to buy locally.

There is no charge for using the Facebook Marketplace, so you have nothing to lose except the extra time needed to list the items. Be aware that buyers can see your Facebook profile, so it may be a good idea to make it "private".

Social networks

Besides Facebook, other social networks are also showing promise if you want to sell your craft creations online. Some, like Instagram or Pinterest, even allow you to shop on the platform, which can be particularly lucrative if you're good at taking Instagram-worthy photos and have enough followers. Pinterest is a good option for driving traffic to your stores (on other websites, such as Etsy or Shopify).

6 other sites to sell your designs

Selling models and designs can generate significant passive income. You create the design once and sell it multiple times without additional work.

Teespring

If you have some great ideas for T-shirts,  Teespring  might be a good way for you to  earn some quick cash  . Teespring specializes in custom t-shirts, but you can also create designs for other items such as mugs, socks, and home decor.

Teespring items each have a fixed price for creating and fulfilling orders, with different price points based on your monthly sales volume. For example, for people who sell less than 100 t-shirts per month, a unisex t-shirt costs $ 10.57 to produce and ship.

You choose the price of the t-shirt, and anything over the price is yours. If you sell a unisex t-shirt for $ 15, for example, you'll keep $ 4.43 ($ 15 minus $ 10.57) from the sale.

Company6

If you like to create smart designs, you can work on   Society6 , which lets you draw on pillows, murals, quilts, and smartphone cases. You retain the rights to your achievements, and every time someone makes a purchase, Society6 will fulfill the order. So you just have to worry about receiving a paycheck every month.

As an artist on Society6, you will only get 10% of each order. However, it is a completely passive source of income; and you don't have to deal with item returns, shipments, or talk to customers.

Zazzle

If you are looking for a large platform to place your craft creations on,  Zazzle  is a good option. Zazzle has hundreds of categories where you can sell your personalized creations, including skateboards, baby pacifiers, duvet covers, puzzles and more.

Zazzle offers a fairly original distribution of earnings; you choose your percentage. For example, you can choose to make a profit between 5% and 99% of the sale price, although Zazzle recommends a percentage between 10% and 15%.

The higher your cut, the higher the sale price will be, which may drive buyers away. If you own a particularly popular item, you can increase the price of the royalties in order to earn more.

CaféPress

CafePress sells its handcrafted creations in several categories such as mugs, cell phone covers and water bottles. CafePress is one of the most well-known sites where people go to buy original items with cool illustrations. So you can find more customers on this website.

CafePress offers two options for selling your own designs. You can sell your designs on CafePress Marketplace and earn between 5% and 10% of each sale, or you can create your own store and quote your prices for each product. Each item has its base price, so by setting your price you can basically choose how much profit you receive.

Spoonflower

If you are good at creating repeating patterns,  Spoonflower  might be a good option for you. This website specializes in selling designs that can be printed on items such as fabric and wallpaper. This allows other artisans to make their craft creations using your creations.

Spoonflower offers you a 10% to 15% commission on the sale of your designs. You can even opt for its "free design distribution services" which allow your model to appear on other websites like Amazon or eBay so you can attract even more customers.

Redbubble

Redbubble  is an Australian company, but you can still use the platform if you live in the United States or Europe. Anyone, regardless of where they live, can use Redbubble.

It works like other websites, giving you the option to upload your designs for people to order. While you can sell any design, Redbubble is especially popular for selling pop culture related items.

Redbubble sets your default commission rate to 20%, although you can change it at any time. Redbubble also has a payout threshold of $ 20, so you have to wait a bit for the payout if you're selling low cost items like stickers.

How to sell your handcrafted creations online with the right strategy

It's very interesting to turn his pass - time in business  , but you must treat it like a business to make profits and make it a viable secondary activity.

Take high quality photos of your items

People cannot physically see and manipulate your items to judge their quality before purchasing them, so good photos are essential. If you don't provide multiple, high-quality photos, people are less likely to buy your designs.

“Good photos can launch your product, but I don't think you need professional-level photos to promote your product,” said Jessica Underwood, who sells an average of $ 500 per month with her business Stitching Together  .

“Good lighting and staging are paramount, and the truth is, I always take pictures with my phone, not with a fancy camera..”

Use your time well

Crafting can keep you busy for hours. But when you're a businessman, time is money; and the more time you waste, the less return you will see.

For example, if it takes you 20 hours to knit a sweater and you sell it for $ 50, that equates to an hourly wage of $ 2.50 an hour, and that's not including taxes and charges.

“I have to constantly assess what I'm spending time on and whether it benefits my clients and the business,” Underwood said. “Trello is my favorite management tool besides my giant desk calendar.”

Request customer reviews

Social proof is a powerful motivator for people to trust you and buy from you. There is no better way to prove to the public that you are selling great products than a five star rating.

You can find ways to ask for opinions. For example, include a hand-stamped label attached to each of your items to ask people to leave a review, or include a handwritten thank you note with every purchase.

Share your craft creations on social networks

Some think that after having created their shop, customers will come by the hundreds; e-commerce doesn't work that way. Instead, you need to be marketing and sharing your products on social media to help buyers find them.

There are all kinds of things to craft and sell while staying in your bed

Selling handicrafts online is a multi-billion dollar market to tap. You can sell sewing patterns, personalized sportswear, printable diaries, religious items, ready-made craft kits, and more.

“Making Money Online Looks Like Snap - Put Some Articles On A Website And You Are Ready To Become A Millionaire !! It's not easy, ”Underwood said. “It takes time, dedication and a lot of learning and creativity. There is work you won't like, like social media for a lot of people. But you are your own boss and you can create something great out of nothing.