Where and how to sell handmade products in the UK

Katerina Galkina · EN · 07/10/2026

Match the selling channel to the product

Compare a marketplace, local craft fair and direct orders for a small launch. A marketplace supplies established payment and discovery systems; a fair lets you observe customers’ reactions; your own website requires you to attract buyers. Start with one channel and a manageable range.

Etsy ↗ has product-eligibility rules and several fee types. Check these before setting prices: listing fees are only one cost. For a fair, obtain the organiser’s actual terms, audience information, table dimensions and required documents.

Calculate a sustainable price

Include materials, packaging, delivery, production time, fees, advertising, returns and defects. For fairs, add pitch hire, travel, equipment and attendance time. Compare profit per order rather than revenue alone.

For personalised products, record size, colour, design approval, lead time and change arrangements. Avoid dispatch promises you cannot maintain with several simultaneous orders. Provide scale photographs and clear material descriptions.

Handmade products still need to be safe

Hand production does not remove product requirements. For toys, the official Great Britain guidance ↗ covers safety assessment, documentation and appropriate marking; Northern Ireland has separate rules.

Check the actual requirements for cosmetics, candles, jewellery or your other category before selling. Do not label something as decoration solely to evade toy requirements if it is intended for play. Ask fair organisers about insurance and safe demonstration requirements.

Organise consumer terms and records

Regularly making items for profit may constitute trading: see GOV.UK on working for yourself ↗. Keep sales, refund and expense evidence from the first order.

For online sales, supply business details, the full price, delivery and cancellation information under distance-selling guidance ↗. Standard and genuinely personalised goods may have different cancellation rights; faulty goods are a separate issue. Avoid a blanket “no returns” statement. Test packaging and your complaint process before expanding.