How to Sell Crafts Online

Set Up a Way to Accept Payments

In order to sell your arts and crafts online you need to be able to accept payments. You can do this either using a merchant account or Paypal. A merchant account requires you to set up accounts with a credit card company and your bank. My site has been using Paypal and I've found it easy to set up and use. Paypal also allows you to accept credit cards through their account.

Take High Quality Pictures of Your Crafts

Very few arts sell online without very high quality pictures. Get a good camera, learn to use it, get good lighting, learn about contrast (Don't lay brown wood clocks on a brown wood table, instead cover it with a black or white table cloth and see which makes the clock stand out more). Make sure that you can see the details of your items in your pictures. Take a picture showing the whole craft, then zoom in and take close-ups of those details that shouldn't be missed.

Set Up a Way to Sell Your Crafts

There are several ways you can sell your crafts online including online craft shows and boutiques like Etsy, ArtFire and Artsefest, auctions like ebay, building your own website, or publishing your own blog using WordPress, Blogger or BlogSpot.

Click here for detailed instructions on building your own website.

Places to Sell Your Crafts Online

ArtFire
ArtFlock.com
Artsefest
Big Cartel
CraftIsArt
Craft Mall
DaWanda
Etsy
Free Craft Fair
Gold Leaf Crafters Mall
Handmade Catalog
Kinfolk Crafts
Lilly's Craft Store Mall
Lovli
Made It Myself
ShopHandmade.com
Silkfair
Tiger and Lily Boutique
wink elf
Yessy Art Gallery
Zibbet

Market Your Online Store

Work your online craft stores into your marketing plan. Put you website and an online coupon code on your business cards (See our article Craft festival vendors make your business card do double duty). Advertise your show schedule online. Put a coupon in your online store that customers can print and bring to craft shows you attend. Remember to make each contact with your customer a relationship building experience that gently guides them to making a purchase.