Consider Why You Want to Sell Your Crafts

There are many benefits to starting a handmade business, from supplementing your earnings to allowing you to spend more time doing something you love. Getting clear on the reasons why you’d like to start selling will help you set goals and create actionable plans for your new venture.

For example, are you just looking for a simple way to fund your hobby and share your creations with others, or would you ultimately like to turn this into a full-time job? To do the latter, you would need to invest far greater levels of time, energy, and money from the outset.

What You Need to Know Before You Start Selling Crafts as a Hobby (UK)

1) Get clear on your niche

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make before opening your handmade business is what kind of products you intend to sell. Although your shop will inevitably evolve, it’s helpful to give yourself direction and structure by narrowing down what items will be the bread and butter of your business.

Aim to find a happy middle-ground by choosing something you not only enjoy creating but that you believe will be profitable and in high demand on the market. Need some ideas? We’ve shared some low-cost handmade business ideas to start from home over on our blog.

2) Review all government guidelines relevant to your product

When starting any new business venture, it’s important to get familiar with all government guidelines and regulations that are relevant to your business. Depending upon your business type and where you intend on selling your products, there are a variety of rules you’ll need to abide by and insurances you may need to invest in (for instance, public liability insurance) to protect both you and your customers. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are compliant with all regulations and meet all requirements associated with your product.

3) Register your business with HMRC

You should also prepare to register your business with HM Revenue & Customs. There are many resources available to handmade business owners on the https://www.gov.uk/ website detailing when and how to register for tax purposes.

4) Choose where to sell your handmade products

You’ve chosen the products you’d like to sell and ensured your business is fully registered and operating per government guidelines; now you’re ready to put your work on the market – but where?

There are many ways to reach customers, but some avenues will work better for your business than others. You could attend markets, reach out to and partner with local boutiques, open your own physical store, or create your own website.

However, if you’d like to start an online business without the stress of building a website or physically running a store/ stall, you may want to consider joining a handmade marketplace. Faber Artisans is a marketplace and marketing platform that takes care of the technical side of running an online store so that you can focus on creating beautiful products. By selling with us, you’ll be able to run your craft business around your own schedule, from the comfort of your home.

Faber is built solely for UK-based craftspeople; we keep competition at a minimum for our sellers by saying no to resellers, wholesalers, and vintage sellers. Interested in joining? To sign up and learn more about selling with Faber, visit our seller information page.