Are you looking for a few great places to sell handmade products?
If you run a business selling handmade items and craft fairs aren't your thing, then check out this list of 10 of the best places to sell homemade goods online. The online marketplace is a great way to run a business from home and connect with potential customers.
One of my favorite memories as a kid was traveling around to craft fairs with my artist mom to sell her handmade items. We would load up the car with her robes, purses, pillows, and tapestries and travel to the most exciting locations to participate in craft fairs selling her beautifully crafted handmade items. Nowadays, there are so many options that traveling across the country isn't really necessary but it is lots of fun! Here are my favorite online ways to sell homemade products!
Here are the top 10 places to sell your handmade items online
1. Set up your own website
Good news! Selling handmade items from your own website has never been easier! Selling from your own website is a good idea because you won't have as many transaction fees.
There are several choices for designing your own website. Most have no special computer skills required to make your website. In about a weekend, you can make your own website!
Promote your handmade items on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook, and direct viewers to your website to make a purchase.
2. Use the Facebook marketplace to sell online
If you’re not ready to start your own website yet, or want an additional way to create online sales, you can use Facebook Marketplace to sell your handmade items.
There are plenty of handmade sellers using Facebook Marketplace to sell online. Facebook Marketplace is a great idea because it doesn’t take much time to set up. All you need to start selling on Facebook Marketplace is an active Facebook account.
3. Facebook Groups are a great place to sell handmade goods
To get started selling your handmade items in a Facebook group you’ll need to follow a few simple steps.
- Look for Facebook groups for handmade/homemade goods
- Each group is different, so read the rules of the group
- Request to join the group if it meets your criteria
- Create a Facebook post with your items for sale
- Monitor your account for comments and questions
Facebook groups are a great place to sell because they help you reach your target market and you don't have to have your own shop!
4. Amazon Handmade is a great option for selling to a lot of people
Amazon handmade allows you to sell your handmade products all around the world. In order to sell on Amazon handmade, you need to apply for an account and wait for them to decide if you’ll be approved.
If you are selling food items, you’ll need to check your cottage food laws to be sure that you are allowed to sell across state lines. Amazon Handmade has really grown in recent years and can be a good fit for sellers who can ship their items worldwide.
5. Sell your homemade crafts on your Facebook business page
Do you have an existing Facebook page? You can use it to tap into an existing customer base full of potential buyers. Wondering how to get started selling from your Facebook page? Start by sharing your process. Build a relationship with your followers by sharing the process of how you make your items. Talk about what you make and why you make it. Remember that you are not only selling, you are building a following of fans who support your brand and what it represents.
6. Try selling your handmade items in subscription boxes
Subscription boxes are more popular than ever! Subscription boxes are a great way for your buyer to discover handmade items they might not have discovered otherwise. Customers can discover a sampling of your handmade items risk-free and decide what they like. Cratejoy is a marketplace for subscription box entrepreneurs. You can become a merchant with Cratejoy and list your subscription boxes for sale on their website. Click here to learn more about how to sell on Cratejoy.
7. Etsy is a well-known place to sell your handmade items online
An Etsy shop is easy to set up and relatively inexpensive. It offers built-in analytics and is easy to maintain. Depending on your niche, you may find that there is a lot of competition with vendors selling similar items to yours. Etsy does charge a listing fee, which can cut into your profit margin, so price accordingly. Overall, Etsy is a good option to get your products listed and sold online.
8. Shopify is an online platform for small businesses
Shopify is an e-commerce platform that helps small businesses run online stores. Like many e-commerce platforms, you can expect to have payment processing fees and transaction fees on Shopify. While it does cost to create a shop, Shopify is an excellent way to launch your handmade store. It is a great alternative to opening a brick-and-mortar shop. It's easy to use and helps beginners start small and grow their businesses online.
9. Sell your handmade items on TikTok
Tiktok has so much potential for creators of handmade items! Independent creatives should get good at recording videos because videos are what sells more than anything else right now.
A great way to get ideas is to go to the “Discover” page on TikTok. Type in the keyword for your niche and see what comes up. You can add the hashtags “#handmade” “#arttok” and “#crafts” to find relevant videos. Watch a few creators to see how they show the process of making their items. Use your bio to add a link to purchase wherever you are hosting your items for sale online.
10. Sell homemade items on your Instagram account
Instagram is a great way to reach new buyers who don't know about your products yet. Be sure to optimize your Instagram bio with a link to your online store. Try creating stories with your product links so that you can build a shoppable Instagram feed. Instagram is a highly visual platform so create a signature look and don't slack on the photos!
I've just shared my top 10 places to sell your handmade items. Are you ready to learn a few more tips to help you get great results? Keep reading to see how to attract customers and create raving fans of your handmade products.
Clever tips and tricks to find people who will buy your handmade products.
Now that you have an idea of where to sell online, check out these tips for how to attract the right buyer!
Online marketing tips for creatives
- Focus on showing how to use your product and not on the features that it has.
- Fit your product into a scene or create a feeling.
- Get your follower's attention by creating entertaining posts.
- Engage with your ideal customer and make genuine connections.
- Be strategic about when you are promoting and create a sales campaign.
- Add a link in your bio to make an easy shopping experience.
What you want to sell is the feeling that followers will have, not the product itself.
Create your own online shop with a landing page app
A landing page app is a clickable link in your social media bio that create a shopable experience for your followers. It works by using the one URL link that Instagram allows and re-directs your followers to a landing page with multiple links.
Here are some of the most popular landing page apps
Get clear on who will buy your unique products
Ask yourself why someone needs your product. What solution does your handmade product solve for them?
To help you answer this think about these things:
- How does having this improve their lives?
- How will they use it?
- What occasion do people buy this for?
Let’s use freshly baked bread as an example. Freshly baked bread improves someone's life because:
- They are looking for food with a clean ingredient list
- They like to buy local and support small businesses
- Fresh bread is nostalgic and makes them feel good
Once you get clear on what your product can do for someone, you can talk about the solutions that your product provides.
Using the bread example again, you could find your potential customer by saying:
“Are you missing the taste of freshly baked bread? Our healthy 5 ingredient English muffin bread makes great toast and supports a local small business”
I hope you enjoyed these tips to sell handmade crafts and find potential customers
By now you should have a good idea of how to make extra money selling your homemade goods. You can learn more about your niche market to create high demand one of a kind items that sell. There are so many good reasons to sell your items online! Which online marketplace will you choose? Let me know in the comments below!
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