Sell Your Knitting And Crochet Online – Without A Website!

Did you know that you don’t have to have your own website to make a profit selling knitting and crochet online? In this post I’ll be revealing the top online craft sites for selling knitting and crochet, and what may surprise you – E-bay isn’t one of them…

But isn’t there heaps of opportunity on E-bay because it’s so huge? (you may ask), isn’t there heaps of traffic and don’t people pay more because it’s and auction? Well I wouldn’t list any knitting or crocheted items on there…ever.

Why not? Most people who are shopping on E-bay are after one of two things – something that is very rare or hard to find, or a BARGAIN. And most people who are shopping on E-bay do not put enough value on the time and effort that goes into making handcrafted items. It  breaks my heart to see such beautiful pieces being sold on there for so little money.

I would much rather see your products listed on quality craft and knitting sites where people appreciate their value and you aren’t paying outrageous listing fees.

So here is a list of quality craft sites with their advertising and selling fees. I have listed them in order of highest traffic first (according to Alexa at time of writing). Try them as a great way to sell your knitted products without having your own online knitting website, and safe in the knowledge that the people who come to these sites to buy are more likely to realise the true value of your skill and time.

www.etsy.com – Probably the most well known craft mall, with a wide range of high quality crafts and lots of traffic (ie customers!). Etsy lets you set up a "shop" with your own URL based on your username, for example, http://niceknits.etsy.com, and a customised banner, profile and shop policy. It’s easy and you dont have to be too web-savvy to set it all up. They also provide secure shopping and an artisans community where you can ask other sellers for advice or tips. Fee: Free to sign up, $0.20 to list each item for 4 months, plus 3.5% comission upon sale.

www.kinfolkcrafts.com – Great for country crafts, this site has a friendly country feel. Created in 2000 as a resource for crafters who want a web presence but don’t have time to maintain their own site. They offer customised service and will design a web page and even a unique logo for you. Fee: The Standard package includes one web page for 10 of your products and costs $75 for set up and design, then $10 per month for hosting, minimum 3 months hosting and no commission fees.  As you grow, there is an option to upgrade your site, and you have the ability to have your own unique URL, eg www.niceknits.com (no mention of kinfolk in the name)

www.handmadecatalog.com – A nicely presented site, designed for crafters to be able to sell online without maintaining their own website. They do national advertising in the US, and marketing to bring in targeted customers. There are there levels of membership, with the premium allowing you to have your own webpage address eg www.handmadecatalog.com/niceknits and list up to 1200 items. Fee: Basic is $4.95 per month, plus a 15% commission, Standard charges $7.95 per month, plus a 10% commission, and Professional is $12.95 per month with a 5% commission on top. Annual payment discounts are also available.

www.craftmall.com – Large online mall, wide range of categories Fee: Basic accounts range from $7.95-$47.95 per month for 15-500 products, Premium accounts range from $14.95-$54.95 a month for 25-650 products. Alexa Ranking (at time of writing): 816,209

www.artsefest.com – Another large online mall with a big range of categories Fee: between $14-$18 per month if you build a site through them, $8 monthly if you already have a website (long-term sign up discounts also available)

www.youcraftylot.com – This is a UK based site created by Hazel Allen, who aim is to create an online crafting community and become the biggest craft sales site in the UK! Fee: Free to join, 10 pence listing fee and no sales commissions!

www.handmadefusion.com – This is a relatively new site offering quality handmade items. Fee: $0.15 c perlisting for up to 4 months, 3% commission on sold items.

www.artisansmarket.com – This site was created by a group of artisans and small business owners that wanted to provide a network for artisans as well as better services and education for the public. It is a clean and well presented site. Fee: $10 a month plus 10% of sales. Annual payment discounts are also available.

Three Quick Tips:

1. When you chose a site, you should take into consideration how much it will cost to list or rent ‘space’, compared to how much traffic they actually get.

2. You should also make sure that the site is relevant for your products, for example, don’t list on a country-craft site if you are trying to sell high-fashion products to young city-dwellers.

3. You may need to test a few different sites to see where your products sell best.

My Knitting For Profit Book has more tips and advice for listing in online malls, and how to sell knitting online without your own website. If you have found another good site for selling knitting or crochet online, let us all know by leaving a reply below!