There are several ways to bring your handmade crafts to the market. You can go the traditional craft fair route, or choose from many online marketplaces to sell your crafts. I do already participate in local craft fairs and have had some success there. Now Id like to venture into online selling. Two of the biggest selling points about these online marketplace websites is that you can sell your goods from the comfort of your own home, and you can also reach a far wider audience than you might at a craft fair.
I have been researching several popular online marketplaces on the basis of size of marketplace, simplicity of navigation and search, visual appeal, and costs and fees to set up and maintain a store. During this careful and detailed comparison, I discovered an amazing handmade crafts site.
On iCraft you will find a comfortable and easy-to-navigate site where you can sell your handmade crafts online,from knitting to woodworking to jewelry and much more.
And as a buyer, the wide selection of iCraft handmade gifts is sure to please the hardest to shop for person on your Christmas list.
Here are someother facts that interested me and attracted me to iCraft.
- iCraft is based locally for me (Canada, Ontario) and yet has an international reach.
- iCraft is a niche site (Handmade-only), with an active and engaged communityof artists and crafters.
- The subscription plans are competitive and flexible.
- Sellers are encouraged to learn about marketing their stores online, and the site has an excellent learning program called Sellers Bootcamp.
- There is a comprehensive Help section on the site.
- Payment is secure through PayPal, and there is no commission or relisting fees.
- Buyers can contact sellers through the site with questions about their products and requests for custom orders.
- Promotional tools are integrated with the store functionality
- There is a strong customer service focus. Questions from sellers and buyers alike handled quickly and effectively.
Turns out its easy and fast to set yourself up with an online store to sell on iCraft. All you need to do is register, choose a store name, write a short introduction, add an image of you or one of your products (avatar in web-speak), provide your contact info, and set up the currency you use. Also, set up your shipping, payments, and returns and refunds policies. Then write up your store intro, and set up your products. When youre up and running, all you need to do is keep your store and products up to date.
All kinds of backend services come along with the store setup: Search Engine Optimization, statistics, integration with Facebook and Twitter, store management tools for examples.
Its very important to me how the site looks and feels, the comfort level that I have with the design, navigation and search, and the clarity of instructions.
For me, the decision comes down to the size of the online marketplace and the size of its community. If the other requirements are met, i.e. store ease to set up and maintain, fees and costs, customer service, security of payments, etc., its the community that counts for me.
Take advantage of my research, have a look at the iCraft site. To get started with your online handmade craft selling experience right away, click here to sell handmade items.Theres still time before Christmas to set up your store and offer your handmade crafts to online buyers who are ready to buy!