How To Sell Handmade Goods Online
Having the idea to create an online store is the easy part, but selecting the right ecommerce platform to effectively market your product can be a heavy task. The three most important questions to consider when selecting an ecommerce platform are:
1. How Will The Merchandise Be Displayed?
Webstore or Online Marketplace
Should you display your goods in a webstore or an online marketplace? A webstore is a web page that you custom-design where your products are displayed. An online marketplace is a web page hosted by a third party where you and other makers display your wares in the same setting.
Mobile-friendly
Consider whether the site on which your merchandise is displayed should be mobile-friendly or if you don’t expect your customers to shop on their phones and tablets. Not all ecommerce sites are mobile-friendly even though mobile shopping surpassed desktop shopping in total online sales about four years ago.
Prices Set By Auction
Will your products be displayed with set prices, or should the goods be sold auction-style? Most ecommerce sites offer either an auction or set prices, but Hyena Cart offers both.
Social Networking
Is social network integration important to your marketing strategy? Should there be an option for rating or “liking” the products? Will links to the merchandise be included in a blog? Can customers share what they have bought on social media?
2. What Business Tools Are Offered?
Depending on the size of your operation, when you start a business you might need specific tools to make sure that your products are marketed and managed in the most effective way to reach your target audience.
Search Engine Optimization
Does the ecommerce platform consider how search engines look for products such as yours? Does the website edit its content and HTML coding to increase relevance to specific keyword searches?
Application Integration
Does the ecommerce site integrate with other applications like Google Product Search, The Find, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or PayPal?
Inventory Sync/Management
Can you manage your inventory easily through the site? Can you sync your inventory across platforms?
Analytics and Statistics Tracking
Does the platform integrate with Google Analytics or have their own system to track trends in consumer purchases?
3. What Are The Costs Of Each Ecommerce Platform?
The table below highlights the costs associated with each of the big names in ecommerce and online sales of handmade items. Keep in mind that in addition to having different costs, these sites offer different services, tools and display options.
Ecommerce Site Fees
|
Ecommerce Website |
Fee Types |
|||
|
Registration |
Monthly/Annual Subscription |
Listing |
Transaction/ Commission |
|
| ArtFire | $4.95, $20 or $40 per month | $0.23 per listing, unless one of the premium monthly plans is chosen | 9% or 3% | |
| Aftcra | 7% | |||
| Amazon Handmade | $0 or $39 per month | $0.99/item and variable referral fees based on product category | ||
| Big Cartel | $0, $9.99, $19.99 or $29.99 per month | |||
| BigCommerce | $29.95, $79.95 or $249.95 per month; 10% discount for paying the whole year at once | |||
| Bonanza | $0 for first 50 listings per month, $0.30 per listing after that | 3.5%, 9%, 13%, 19% or 30% | ||
| Craft Is Art | $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year | $0 or if not doing a monthly plan, then it’s $0.75 per listing | $0 or if not doing a monthly plan, then it’s 5.5% | |
| eCrater | 2.9% on items sold in the marketplace | |||
| Ebay | 10% | |||
| Etsy | $0.20 per listing | 5% | ||
| Handmade Artists’ Shop | $5 per month or $50 per year | |||
| Hyena Cart | $10 | $5 per month for an individual or $25 per month for shared stores | ||
| iCraftGifts | $25 | $5, $10 or $15 per month; 10% discount for paying the whole year at once | ||
| IndieMade | $4.95, $12.95, $14.95 or $19.95 per month | |||
| Rebels Market | 15% | |||
| Shopify | $29, $79 or $299 per month; 10% discount for paying the whole year at once and 20% when paying two years at once | No fees with Shopify Payments or 2%, 1% or 0.5% for the plans, respectively | ||
| Squarespace | $29 when billed annually/$30 month to month or $40 when billed annually/$46 month to month | |||
| Storenvy | 10% for sales through the marketplace | |||
| Volusion | $29, $79 or $299 per month; 10% discount for paying the whole year at once | |||
| Weebly | $12, $25 or $38 per month | |||
| Wix | $7-$30 per month | |||
| WooCommerce | $69 or $299 per month | |||
| Zibbet | $4, $8 or $16 per month when billed annually or $5, $10 or $20 when billed month to month | |||
There are many avenues to sell your handmade goods online. Use our table as a starting point to narrow your choices, then visit some of these ecommerce sites to get further details on the costs and benefits of each site. A host of customers all over the world are scrolling their devices right now to find quality handmade goods just like yours.