Two obvious places online to sell your handcrafts are Ebay and etsy so let’s start with them, then move on to other sites you may not know to sell your beautiful handmade items.
Good ol’ Ebay
On Ebay.com your handcrafted item will be listed among other similar items–some good, some awful, some made in factories. You will not have the benefit of showing your items in an attractive setting unless you open your own store on Ebay. Your items will just be part of a gigantic list–all jumbled up together. In my opinion Ebay is similar to an online Thrift Store with some great deals if you dig deep enough, but not the best place to showcase your work. Most of the millions of customers shopping on Ebay are looking for super bargains, so you have to price accordingly. You pay their fee if the item sells. Ebay offers free listings if they think you are simply an individual, rather than a business or store.
Etsy for crafts and vintage
The shoppers on etsy.com, the largest online site for handcrafts, vintage items and art/craft supplies, are seeking something unique and appealing. They are less price-sensitive and, better yet, all your handcrafted items will appear together in your own very attractive ‘shop’ instead of a mass listing of similar items. Etsy has a very international flavor these day. It charges a few cents for each listing and a fee when an item sells.
Bonanza for the unusual
Bonanza.com prides itself on being the site for “everything but the ordinary.’ Some items are handcrafted, many are not. As with etsy, sellers set up their own shop and, with a few clicks, can automatically import their listings from etsy and Ebay. There is a monthly fee for the shop, but if you simply list your handcrafted item, it is free. There is a 3.5% fee on items that sell.
icraftgifts is smaller and select
Canadian-based icraftgifts.com is exclusively for handmade items. No vintage. No manufactured goods. That means their shoppers are more likely to be looking for what you are selling on this attractive site.
They charge $5 to $15 per month depending upon how many items you list. (For the $5 monthly fee you can list up to 50 items!) They have some interesting extra features: they give you statistics for your shop so you will know how many people are seeing your items and automatically send out a tweet on Twitter when you list a new item.
Zibbet for international sales
Australian-based Zibbet.com sells to customers around the world. And this very attractive site is a real bargain! You can pay-as-you-go for $5 a month and have your own store with unlimited listings for only $20. They give you statistics, you can transfer listings from etsy, and more. This is especially good if you want to sell in the international market.
And finally…
Amazon now has handcrafted listings, but it may not be a particularly good first choice. As we all know Amazon really focuses on new, manufactured goods, shoes, electronics and books. When someone is looking for handcrafts she is likely to look at etsy or Zibbet or Bonanza long before looking on Amazon.
What you should know about selling handcrafts in independent shops.
How to make money with knitting and crochet
What you need: Your beautifully crafted handmade items. Plus you should have a digital camera to take photos of your items and internet access to post those photos and descriptions on the internet.
Where to find the jobs: This is an example of setting up your own business rather than getting a job working for someone else or some company. You may not get rich, but you probably will be happy with the extra spending money you earn. Always check the reviews of any company you plan to work with or work for.
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