Places to Sell Your Art & Creations Online

1. 1000 Markets - US sellers only at the moment. Opening a shop is free. No fees for listing, either. 1000 Markets takes 5.5% of the sale price, including shipping, plus a $.50 fee. They use Amazon Payments.


2. ArtBaay - An online arts and crafts marketplace. No listing fees or monthly fees. ArtBaay takes a 15% commission of the sale price.


3. Artfire - Basic membership is free. No listing or selling fees with a basic membership. Pro membership is $15.95 a month or $36 quarterly and you are allowed unlisted listings with no additional fees.


4. ArtisansMarket - A marketplace for artisans and craftsmen. Membership is $10 a month and 10% of sales.


5. Blujay - 100% free to buy or sell. You can list unlimited items and listings stay up for 6 months.


6. Bonanzle - Opening your store and listing is free. You only pay a fee if it sells. Fee scale is here.


7. Craft Is Art - An online marketplace to buy and sell handmade. Stores are free and there are no listing fees. 3.5% sales commission is charged.


8. DaWanda - A European marketplace for handmade goods. Listing is currently free and selling fees are 5% of sold items. They plan on instituting listing fees at a later date.


9. eCrater - Completely free to list, sell, and own a store.


10. Etsy - An online marketplace for handmade goods, vintage, and supplies. Listing fees are $.20 for 4 months and selling fees are 3.5% of the selling price.


11. Folksy - A UK-based marketplace for artists and designers. Items are listed for 6 months and sold items are charged a 5% commission.


12. Funky Finds - Offers several options for shops from $1.99 a month to $7.99 a month. No sales fees, only the monthly fee.


13. Handmade Catalog - A marketplace for crafters. Three options for opening a store: basic ( $4.95/mo + 15% commission), standard ($7.95/mo + 10% commission), and professional ($12.95/mo + 5% commission). 


14. iCraft - A Canadian marketplace for handmade items. One-time fee at registration ($25 CAD) and other fees can be seen here.


15. MadeItMyself - An online marketplace for handmade items. While it is in beta testing, listing and selling is completely free.


16. RubyLane - A community of individually owned shops. Each shop falls into one of these categories: antiques, vintage clothing & accessories, dolls, fine art, glass, antique & vintage jewelry, artisan jewelry, porcelain, postcards, pottery and silver. Set-up fee is $75. Listing fee is $.30 and after that, you pay maintenance fees. Fee structure is here.


17. Shop Handmade -  Advertiser sponsored and dedicated to handmade. Free store and free listings with sponsorship. 


18. Shopit - Completely free to buy, sell, list, or trade.


19. Silkfair - Opening a seller account, store, and listing are free. 3% commission of sale price. You can import your eBay rating to SIlkfair.


20. Trendy Indie - A new marketplace for handmade creations. No set-up fees or sale commissions. Only a monthly subscription:  $5 for listing 25 items, $10 for listing 100 items or $20 per month for unlimited number of items.


21. uShops - Currently free to open a shop, list items, and sell items. There are plans to institute fees in the future but with warning.


22. Zibbet -  Handmade, art, vintage, and supplies. Basic account is free for up to 25 items and a Premium account is $9 a month for unlimited items, and I hear there are a limited number of Premium accounts left.

New to Selling?

Are you new to selling? Have you been wanting to sell for a while but were afraid to try? Do you find the idea of writing item descriptions daunting? Do you already sell but constantly look for ways to improve your descriptions? Maybe this can help!




First of all, the best advice I can ever give to a seller: Describe your item like there are NO pictures at all, and take pictures like there is NO description at all. Then, when you put them together, you've got magic.




In this blog post, I'm going to cover most of the things you will need to include in your description, whether you sell on Etsy, eBay, Zibbet, ArtFire, or your own website. And don't worry; they're easier than you think!




1. The item itself. This seems obvious to most of us, right? But it goes beyond just the basic shirt, jewelry, card. What kind of shirt is it? What kind of jewelry? Is it a silk tie-dyed tunic? Turquoise wire-wrapped earrings? What else is included with the purchase? Does your photo show the item on a table with a few other things? You should crop the photo, but that's a blog post for another day. In the meantime, make sure your buyer knows exactly what is being offered for sale and what is not included.




2. Color. Keep in mind that all monitors are different and that everyone can have different settings which can change how color is viewed. I find it's easiest to be as specific as possible when describing color. Not very color savvy? Grab a big box of crayons and match it up!




3. Size. How big or how small is your item? Be specific here. You can't list a bracelet and say it's smaller than a breadbox. Get a cheap tape measure at the dollar store and include measurements. If you're selling jewelry, make sure you let your buyers know how long the item is. Pictures can't always convey length properly. If you're selling clothing, make sure you include bust, waist, shoulders, and hip measurements along with the length. Remember, buyers can't hold your item or try it on! Let them know if it will fit them by being as specific as possible.




4. Material. What is your item made from? What kind of cloth/stone/metal/paper is it? How is it made? Is it serged/quilted/wire-wrapped/etc?




5. Care instructions. Let your buyers know how they can keep your item clean, if necessary. If this is a clothing item or a purse, they will want to know. Can it be tossed in the washer or is it a dry-clean only item?




6. Weight. This can be helpful, and sometimes necessary. Are you selling gorgeous vintage earrings that weigh a ton and can only be worn by people with strong ears? Are you selling a heavy wool sweater? Let your buyer know.




7. Usage. How will the buyer use this item? If it's a bracelet, how does it stay closed and how can you put it on? The same goes for anything, really. Describe the buttons, the clasps, the zippers, ear wires, etc.




8. Feel. This is kind of subjective but I like to include this information when I can. Is something faceted or smooth? Is it soft, rough, textured, or silky? Lightweight, thick, comfortable?




9. Allergens. Make sure you include this information somewhere, whether it's in your profile, your bio, your policies, or the listing itself. Does someone in your house smoke? If yes, this needs to be disclosed. Do you have pets? Lots of potential buyers are allergic and would need to know this. You never know when a stray hair can end up in a package. Do you include dryer sheets when shipping? You probably shouldn't, but lots of sellers do, and this should be disclosed.




10. Packaging and shipping. How is the item going to be shipped? Do you use First Class, Priority, USPS? Or do you use UPS or Fed-Ex or another option? Buyers love to know this. How do you package the item? Do you lovingly wrap it in a gift-box, tie it with a coordinating ribbon, toss it in a baggie? Do you recycle packaging materials? I do, and lots of buyers love that. Lots more sellers are doing this, but make sure you disclose it somewhere so no one gets annoyed or offended. Are your packaging materials eco-friendly? Mention it!