Where to sell handmade items online and locally: 7 channels

"Where do I sell what I make?" is the question almost every maker asks when they start. The short answer: in several places at once, with a different job for each. Some channels give you reach, some give you sales on the spot, and only one is truly yours.

This guide walks through the seven most common channels, what they ask of you and when they are worth it.

1. Handmade marketplaces (Etsy and similar)

A specialized marketplace gathers people who are already looking for handmade pieces. That is its big advantage: you do not have to bring the customer yourself.

• Pros: an audience searching for exactly what you make, with payment and shipping built in.
• Cons: you compete on the same page with hundreds of similar pieces, fees add up on every sale, and the customer belongs to the marketplace, not to you.
• When: if your pieces ship well and you want to sell beyond your town.

Before deciding, work out how much you keep from each sale. The numbers are in Mercader vs Etsy and the fee calculator.

2. General marketplaces (Amazon Handmade and similar)

The big marketplaces have sections for handmade products. They reach a huge audience, but buyers come to compare price and delivery time, not to discover your studio. They work best for repeatable products with stock and fast shipping.

3. Resale apps (Vinted and similar)

Many people try them because they are familiar and easy. They are built for second-hand goods: check their terms before listing new items you made, and do not count on them to build a brand.

4. Social media (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp)

This is where most makers sell today. Instagram shows your process and builds trust; a direct message closes the sale. The problem is that your catalog ends up scattered across expiring stories, old posts and chats. If this is your main channel, read how to sell on Instagram without a website.

5. Craft fairs and markets

Still the channel that converts best: people touch the piece, meet you and buy on the spot. Holiday markets are coming, so it is a good time to prepare your stall with our market day checklist.

The weak point of a fair is what happens afterwards: the person who takes your card and does not buy that day needs somewhere to see your pieces again.

6. Shops and consignment

Many gift shops, concept stores and cafés sell local handmade work, either buying it outright or on consignment (they pay you when the piece sells). To get in, bring:

• a short selection of pieces with retail prices;
• your terms in writing (percentage, payment timing, restocking);
• a link to your full catalog so the shop can see the rest.

7. Your own storefront

It is the only channel that does not depend on someone else's rules. A storefront like Mercader's gathers, at one address (your-brand.mercader.app), your products with prices, your upcoming fairs, reviews and a button for people to message you on WhatsApp or through a form.

It does not replace the other channels: it connects them. The link goes in your Instagram bio, on a QR code at your stall, on each product tag and in the message you send to a shop. Mercader takes no commission on sales: the customer contacts you and you close the sale the way you already do, by bank transfer, payment app or cash at the stall.

You can see one in action at Mirasol.

How to combine them without burning out

You do not need all seven. A mix that works for most makers:

1. One discovery channel: Instagram or a marketplace.
2. One in-person channel: one or two fairs a month, or a shop on consignment.
3. One place of your own that all the others point to.

The rule is that every channel leads to the same link. That way the person who saw you at a fair, the one who found you on Instagram and the shop that wants to place an order all see the same up-to-date catalog.

Before you sell: what not to leave for later

• Prices: if you sell on a marketplace and in person, your price has to absorb the fees. See how to price your products with confidence.
• Photos: on any online channel the photo is judged first. Follow the product photo checklist.
• Legal requirements: they depend on your country and what you sell. Cosmetics and food have their own rules. Check with an accountant or the official body before you start invoicing.

Start with the place that is yours

If you sell at fairs and on Instagram today, the step with the biggest impact is having your own link with your products and your next fair. Create your storefront with a 14-day trial, no card needed, and make it the destination for all your channels.