Do you have a knack for creativity? Are you constantly making amazing crafts for birthday gifts and holidays? Or perhaps you just make them for yourself and folks frequently tell you that you should sell your handmade awesomeness. Maybe you’re starting to wonder about the best websites to possibly sell your crafts.
If this sounds familiar — or you’re a knitter, jeweler, potter or some other craft maker who’s considering selling your goods — this post is for you.
It’s easier than you might think to start your own handmade crafts business. Below, you’ll find some of the best websites to sell crafts, as well as some advice for creating an ecommerce store of your own.
Related: 10 hot crafts to make and sell on the side
Why sell crafts online?
Like all things in business, there are advantages and disadvantages to selling crafts online. Still, there is something to be said about the freedom that comes with selling anything online.
Depending on when you read this, craft shows may or may not be an option at the moment. In the wake of COVID-19, many live shows and large group gatherings ceased to exist. At the time of this writing, there’s still no indication as to when life as we used to know it will get back to “normal.”
Regardless of whether craft shows return sooner or later, learning how to sell your crafts online is a good skill to have so that come what may, you have the ability to continue making money on your handmade items.
Related: Sell crafts online with our start-to-finish guide
Advantages of selling crafts online
- Since you can order your supplies online, you never really have to leave your house (unless you deliver the goods to customers yourself).
- You can make orders (including custom ones) as they come in, which can help save on storage space.
- How hard you work and the hours you put in will be up to you.
- Social media makes it easier to share your work and find new customers.
- Using SEO techniques can also help you grow a new fanbase.
Disadvantages of selling crafts online
- If you make lots of items in bulk, you’ll need to create storage space for them. Keeping track of inventory can pose a challenge for some people as well.
- Though some places are free to post your crafts for sale, there might be a cost associated with some websites.
- You might need to learn new skills like photography and copywriting to stand out.
- Order fulfillment can be time-consuming and overwhelming if you suddenly get a surge in sales.
- Unlike live craft shows, impulse buys won’t be as likely — which can make it more difficult to secure sales.
There may be additional advantages and disadvantages to selling online that are unique to you. Before diving in, I encourage you to make a list of pros and cons to determine whether or not selling your crafts online seems feasible to you.
To help guide you in your decisions, as I mentioned earlier, I’ve rounded up six of the best websites to sell crafts. Look through them, and read the pros and cons to each to make the best choice for yourself.
The best websites to sell crafts
Editor’s note: All prices noted below were current at the time of writing, but please check each site for the most up-to-date pricing.
1. Etsy
Etsy offers low listing costs, and they have a reputation as the go-to source of handmade items. Our list of best websites to sell crafts starts with Etsy because it is hands down the most well-known place to sell handmade goods. But just how good is it for sellers?
Pros:
The site itself claims it has more than 47 million active virtual shoppers, who in the last year alone spent $5 billion on the goods their sellers have listed.
The barrier to entry is literally pennies for each item listed (plus a commission of the final price the craft is sold for). There are no monthly fees as of the time of this writing for standard sellers. The company has created an “Etsy Plus” plan for $10/month, however.
Cons:
With 2.7 million crafty sellers, you’re looking at a lot of competition.
Many sellers have complained in online forums that big name and mass-production manufacturers can list on Etsy, too. This can certainly make it harder for the smaller, mom-and-pop type sellers to ever get noticed.
Related: Sell your products on Amazon, Etsy, eBay and Google using Websites + Marketing Marketplaces
2. Handmade at Amazon
Amazon Handmade is selective about who they allow to sell on their site, but the ecommerce giant does have a handmade goods area for artisans to sell their crafts online. Who knew?
Pros:
Handmade at Amazon is open to a wide variety of handmade goods, including jewelry, home products, beauty and personal care, accessories and much, much more.
People know, like, and trust Amazon already. Who do you know who hasn’t bought something on Amazon?
Unlike Amazon Seller accounts, the monthly fee is waived for Handmade artisans.
Cons:
You have to apply to be a seller, and not all applications are accepted.
It could prove difficult to get your items noticed. As Amazon put it, “Handmade at Amazon is a separate category on Amazon so your products will appear alongside other handmade items for customers to browse, discover, and shop.” It’s critical your descriptions are well-written for anyone to ever find what you’re selling.
The fee for making a sale is higher than some of the other craft websites listed in this post. At the time of this writing, it is 15%.
Related: How to sell stuff on Amazon
3. Artfire
Sell up to 250 items for pennies per listing on Artfire. Artfire is third on our list of best websites to sell crafts. Headquartered in the Tucson Arts District, this marketplace specializes in handmade and vintage goods, as well as digital arts and craft supplies.
Pros:
No ads on shop or item pages.
You can have 250 active listings at pennies per listing.
Cons:
There is a minimum monthly fee to keep your shop open.
To list more items, and to get better features, you’ll need to upgrade to a Popular or Featured shop for a monthly fee.
4. eBay
List up to 50 items on eBay for free, and only pay a commission when something sells.
Yes, you can sell handmade crafts on eBay. Is it one of the best websites to sell crafts? Perhaps, but you’ll have to be the judge.
Pros:
This is another site that people know, like, and trust — they’ve got “more than 183 million active buyers across its various properties“!
It won’t cost you anything to list up to 50 items. You just pay commissions when items sell.
Cons:
You’re competing for sales amid an audience looking for cheap deals. Your crafts might not sell for as much as you’d like.
Millions of people are trying to sell their goods, too. You’ll have a lot of competition for eyeballs on your listings. How much competition, you ask? In 2019 alone there were a total of 1.3 billion listings on the platform.
5. Zibbet
While the competition is lower at Zibbet, the monthly fee is higher.
Our fifth entry for the best websites to sell crafts might be new to you. Zibbet calls itself “one of the top marketplaces for buying and selling handmade goods.”
Perhaps the most notable difference between it and the four previous platforms listed in this post is that it gives you access to multiple selling avenues within one dashboard. Using Zibbet, you can sell your goods on Etsy, Amazon Handmade, eBay, a stand-alone website, your Instagram feed and more. But, you will pay additional fees for every channel you add to your account.
Pros:
With just over 50,000 sellers, there’s not nearly as much direct competition as Etsy, Amazon or eBay in the Zibbet Marketplace.
You can access multiple craft selling platforms in one dashboard, and there are no long-term contracts if you choose their month-to-month plan.
Cons:
You have to pay a monthly fee to use the platform, and the monthly fee is per channel. Therefore, if you opt to sell on multiple channels, your subscription could add up quickly.
Any fees that apply with using other platforms will still be charged in addition to your monthly subscription fee. For example, if you pay the fee to add the Etsy channel, you will be charged not only a monthly fee to have access to Etsy within Zibbet, but you will also be charged Etsy’s listing fees for each item you list as well.
6. Bonanza
There are no listing or store fees on Bonanza. Plus it allows you to import your listings from eBay, Amazon Etsy and more.
This 10-year-old service claims to charge 50 percent lower fees than the other craft marketplaces.
Pros:
If you’re already selling your handmade crafts on eBay, Amazon or Etsy, you can import your product listings.
There are no listing fees or monthly store fees for showcasing your handmade goods.
Cons:
You’ll pay a higher commission on sold goods if you want to have your crafts found via Google Shopping pages.
Of course, there are many other sites where you can sell your handmade goods, such as iCraft, Facebook Marketplace, Cratejoy and IndieMade. You might want to do some research on all of your options before committing to one, however.
Then again, you might want to focus on setting up your own online store.
Should you create your own website to sell your work?
The best websites to sell crafts might just be the ones that are owned and operated by the artisans themselves. Sure, you can still maintain listings on the platforms I mentioned above, but having a website you own means you keep all the proceeds.
No middleman? Yes, please!
Here are the steps to take to launch your own crafts store online.
Start with a plan
There’s a saying, “a goal without a plan is just a wish.” You need a plan before you jump in with both feet.
You’ll want to think about things like:
- How much time does it take you to create each item? How much money does it cost?
- What’s your break-even price?
- How much would you need to add to the wholesale price to have a healthy profit?
Related: How to plan a website in 7 steps
Purchase a domain name
Once you’ve created your plan, it’s time to name your virtual store. Not sure which domain name to buy? Check out 10 tips for choosing the perfect domain name here.
By the way, you don’t have to limit yourself to .com, either. There are customized domains available, such as .art, .gifts and .shop. Consider using one of these domain names to put a creative spin on your web address.
See if your domain is available by typing it into this box:
Choose an online store builder
GoDaddy’s Online Store offers pre-built templates that are perfect for crafters.
What does a website with ecommerce functionality typically include? At its most basic level, an ecommerce site:
- Is mobile-friendly, meaning it’s just as easy to view on a smartphone as on a laptop.
- Gives your customers payment options.
- Includes a full-featured shopping cart with which customers can select and buy items.
- Has an SSL certificate to encrypt sensitive information like credit card info.
- Comes with shipping options built-in.
For WordPress users, there are plugins that will quickly turn your existing site into an eCommerce site (the most popular is WooCommerce).
But if you’ve never built a site before, the easier option is GoDaddy’s Online Store. With swipe-to-style editing, intuitive layouts, integrated ecommerce functionality and more, you can have your site up and running quickly — no technical expertise required.
Related: 20 features to look for in an ecommerce website builder
Add awesome photos and product descriptions
Now you’re cooking, my crafty friend. At this point, you’re building your online storefront. Be sure to include killer listing pages with the best pictures to showcase those stunning crafts.
Let your creativity shine here with the details about the product, and don’t forget to include pricing and shipping info.
The goal is to get those digital shoppers to click that Buy button, so make sure your listings entice your visitors to pony up the dough!
Related: Best practices for using images on product pages and How to write product descriptions to increase sales
Bring visitors in with social media, SEO and possibly even some paid ads
Once your store is built, you’ll need to bring people to it and then turn them from browsers to buyers. One good way to do this is to work keywords into your page text and product descriptions. This will help search engines understand what your website’s all about and point the right people in your direction.
Related: Ecommerce SEO — How to boost ecommerce search rankings in 8 steps
Social networks like Facebook and Instagram also are great for starting a buzz with crafters and makers.
Even if you just start with one network, stay active and respond to anyone who mentions you. Many store owners also start blogs as a way to reel future customers in.
Earn, create, earn more — it’s like you’re crafting money, y’all!
That’s the plan, anyway. Creating the crafts, and even launching the virtual store, is all child’s play compared with actually making a sustainable income with your craft website.
Still, with GoDaddy on your team, making money with your ecommerce store can be significantly easier. So get inspired and make the move from hobby enthusiast to pro craft seller!
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Source: Go Daddy Garage
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