Marketplaces & Website Options for UK Sellers

Selling Online

Let’s Talk! We all know selling online is tough right now. Heck times are tough full-stop. You will all have seen how badly Etsy has been doing in the press lately and as a long-term seller on the platform I have become disillusioned by what Etsy is becoming both as a seller and as a buyer. In May I started looking at other options for UK sellers and here is what I have found. 

There are a lot more choices now which can be overwhelming for sellers as well as buyers but thankfully the choices are all good ones. 

TOP 3 MARKETPLACES

The British Craft House (TBCH) - an amazing website for The Home of Artisan Gifts - handcrafted gifts made around Britain by the best of British Creatives. TBCH is application only and has relatively high fees but is still an affordable option for many larger sellers. It also has significantly higher traffic numbers of buyers too. 

There are a whole host of different monthly plans to suit your needs and budget. The cheapest is £12 per month, plus 7.2% (inc VAT) commission per sale, plus Stripe processing fee of 1.5% plus 20p per transaction. Head over to TBCH website for all the amazing plan details. 

Buyindie - A new fresh and exciting marketplace to sell handmade crafts, art and supplies. Much smaller (at the moment) but growing and the fees are affordable and could be better than hosting your own website. 

Costs £6 per month or £60 for the annual package (so 2 months free). 0% commission on sales and only 1.5% +20p Stripe Payment Processing fee. Head over to Buyindie UK Marketplace for more details. 

Folksy - The marketplace for makers. Also much smaller (at the moment) but also growing and again the fees are affordable and better than hosting your own website. 

There are 2 plans available. Basic - 3 Free Listings, then 18p per item plus 7.2% (inc VAT) commission per sale, plus Stripe (1.5%+20p) or Paypal (2.9% +30p) processing fees. The Monthly plan account costs £7.50 a month - or £75 a year for the annual account. This amount is payable by direct debit payment though GoCardless and is non-refundable after you have listed an item (i.e. once the service has commenced) or after 7 calendar days, whichever is soonest. You get Unlimited listings, Free relisting and still pay 7.2% (inc VAT) commission fees plus the payment processing fees with either PayPal or Stripe as mentioned in the Basic plan. 

We Need to Support the Smaller Sites.

Let's stop complaining that everywhere else is smaller than Etsy. Obviously they are. These sites are younger and still growing but you have to remember that Etsy was small once too and although Etsy are large now, there are over 5 million shops, many of which are sadly now resellers and drop-shippers.

If we want to see true alternatives to Etsy then WE ALL need to start supporting the smaller sites both as sellers and as buyers. Share the site you are on, work to drive the traffic yourself. Promote each other. The only way these smaller sites can grow is if we help support them and help drive the traffic to them so that buyers learn about them too. Etsy only took off because sellers in the beginning were doing the work of promoting the site to their friends and family. We need to do the same now with TBCH, Buyindie & Folksy.

Use these smaller sites as your own stand alone website with the chance of organic traffic. The fees are comparable and often better than website hosting fees. If you want your own standalone website though that is not a marketplace with other sellers then here are some options for you to consider. 

STANDALONE WEBSITES

Shopify - The basic package starts at £25 per month plus 2% + 25p for each sale. You can get this down to £19 per month if you pay annually up front. 

Wix - You can have a basic ecommerce shop for £14 per month plus payment processing fees for whichever provider you choose, such as PayPal, Stripe, etc. 

Wordpress - There is a whole range of plans to suit your budget. Please note though that the monthly fees are billed ANNUALLY UPFRONT. 

• No monthly fee with 10% commission per sale, plus payment processing fees.

• £3 monthly fee with 8% commission per sale, plus payment processing fees.

• £7 monthly fee with 4% commission per sale, plus payment processing fees.

• £20 monthly fee with 2% commission per sale, plus payment processing fees.

• £36 monthly fee with 0% commission per sale, plus payment processing fees.

Ko-Fi Shop - No set up fees, unlimited items, 5% commission per sale plus Stripe (1.5%+20p) or PayPal (2.9% +30p) processing fees per sale. 

SumUp Online Store - No set up fees, unlimited items and only 2.5% transaction fee per sale. See graphic below showing my pros and cons list for deciding between, Sumup & BuyIndie. 

Squarespace - Starting from £17 per month with 3% transaction fee plus card payment processing fees or you can opt for the basic ecommerce plan at £23 pm with no transaction fees but card payment processing fees will still apply.

Etsy - Now I haven’t mentioned Etsy at all after my first paragraph and I appreciate that it is still the largest marketplace by far for small sellers so if you are interested in setting up a shop on the platform then I have a separate blog post titled ‘A Beginners Guide to Selling on Etsy’ that will help you to get started. 

Whatever you choose, let’s support each other. We rise by lifting others. 

Over to you…

Has this post helped you with some options for your small business? Do you have more questions? I am happy to help. Join the discussion on Instagram & Threads tagging me @SarahLouCrafts.

Instagram Posts: Join the Discussion - Selling Platforms for UK Sellers  and Let’s Talk! Online Selling

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