15 Places to Sell Handmade Items Locally

What better place to sell handmade items than a dedicated art or handicrafts fair?

Most craft fairs are seasonal, so this won’t always be a reliable source of income. Moreover, you’ll usually have to pay to get a stall at one; how much this will cost will vary from place to place.

However, craft fairs attract consumers who love all things handmade, which makes them an excellent choice if you want to reach interested buyers in your area. In addition to building a customer base and making immediate sales, you’ll also get to network with your fellow artisans.

It’s worth noting that many craft fairs, especially more established ones, accept a limited number of participants. You may have to pursue other selling avenues while you wait for a spot to open up.

Selling fees: As noted, craft fairs often charge vendor fees.

Pros and cons of selling at craft fairs

Farmers’ markets are mainly known as places where people buy and sell local produce, but you’ll often see local artisans selling their wares at them, too. Like craft fair aficionados, consumers who attend farmers’ markets tend to prefer locally sourced or unique products that they can’t get at regular stores, making them great prospects if you have high-quality handmade goods to sell.

Farmers’ markets often run on a weekly basis, so you can get a regular spot and build up a customer base over time. Unlike craft fairs, they typically operate all year round.

However, they’re also at the mercy of the weather; they may still open when it rains, but particularly bad weather can close them down, resulting in a day without work or sales.

Selling fees: Like craft fairs, farmers’ markets often charge vendor fees.

Pros and cons of selling at farmers’ markets

Flea markets are street markets where vendors sell secondhand goods. They don’t always accept artisans who want to sell handmade crafts, but they sometimes do (and there’s often a fair amount of flexibility in the types of sellers they allow).

If you can get a spot, a local flea market could be a great source of income for you. They’re hubs for the unique and eclectic, and they attract a diverse range of customers, from tourists to collectors. They often run once per week.

Unfortunately, most require you to have a business license. Furthermore, you’ll probably have to pay to get a booth or a stall. It’s up to you whether the cost is worthwhile or not.

Selling fees: Most flea markets charge vendor fees.

Pros and cons of selling at flea markets

If you have holiday-themed crafts, such as Christmas sweaters or Halloween decorations, holiday markets can be great avenues for selling them. For obvious reasons, this isn’t viable all year, but when the holiday season rolls around, these markets see lots of customers whose festive spirit may make them more inclined to buy items.

Selling fees: Most holiday markets charge vendor fees.

Pros and cons of selling at holiday markets

Craft-related trade shows and expositions bring together a wide variety of artisans and craft-makers.

Opening a booth at one of these is one of the best ways to network with other handicraft makers and businesses, in addition to connecting you with customers who are interested in all things crafty.

The main downside is that getting a spot at big-name events can be fairly expensive. Moreover, trade shows and expos don’t happen very often. They can be great additions to your other selling avenues, but don’t rely on them to make your side hustle viable.

Selling fees: You’ll probably have to pay a participation fee to get space at a trade show or exposition.

Pros and cons of selling at trade shows and expos

Festivals come in many varieties, from music festivals to film festivals. Many draw huge crowds, giving you access to a massive customer base. What’s more, many people who attend festivals have money to burn and are actively in the market for souvenirs.

That being said, shopping isn’t the main attraction of most festivals, and some attendees will be more interested in participating in other activities, so you’ll still have to hustle a bit to draw in customers and make sales.

Selling fees: Virtually all festivals charge vendor fees.

Pros and cons of selling at festivals

Craft stores, particularly independently owned ones (rather than large chains), are often willing to cut deals with local artisans to sell their products.

In many cases, you’ll be able to set up a wholesale agreement to sell multiple items at once—essentially selling items to the store itself rather than to individuals. This is a convenient way to move a large inventory, although it means accepting wholesale prices, which may be as low as 50% of what you could get selling directly to customers.

If you aren’t willing to shave that much off your profits, you’ll need to look for other options. Some craft stores will also sell items on consignment, meaning they’ll pay you after each item sells. This is a slower process, but you may make more from each sale.

Selling fees: You’ll need to pay consignment or commission fees.

Pros and cons of selling at local craft stores

Boutique stores often sell locally made handicrafts. If there are any shops like this in your area, they may already have an arrangement with other local artists, meaning that you won’t have to do much explaining—all you have to do is walk in with a few samples of your work and say that you’d like to set up something similar.

Selling handmade items this way works much the same as selling via craft stores. Usually, you’ll offload items for wholesale prices, although some stores may prefer to start with consignment until they’ve established there’s a market for your goods.

Selling fees: You may need to pay consignment or commission fees.

Pros and cons of selling to boutique stores

Consignment stores usually take pre-owned items and sell them on people’s behalf. However, many are also willing to sell handmade goods from local craftspeople, much the way craft and boutique stores will.

As with both of those businesses, consignment stores will take a cut of your profits—often 30%–50%, although the exact amount depends on the agreement you make with them before selling.

People who frequent consignment stores aren’t always willing to spend as much money as other customers, which makes this type of arrangement potentially less lucrative than the others we’ve listed. On the plus side, consignment stores tend not to be very picky about the goods they try to move, so this can be a good option if none of the boutique stores in your area are willing to take a chance on you (or if there simply aren’t any nearby).

Selling fees: You’ll need to pay a consignment fee on each item you sell.

Pros and cons of selling through consignment stores

Depending on the kind of work you do, you could try selling your handmade goods in the gift shops of local art galleries. If your crafts are more artistic than practical (think of sculptures rather than candles), you’ll have a better chance of being accepted.

Generally, galleries will sell your products on commission and in relatively small amounts—after all, most don’t see a ton of traffic. This avenue probably won’t be a huge earner for you, but it can be a great way of getting your name out there, and even people who don’t buy your work on the spot might seek you out in the future.

Pros and cons of selling at art galleries

Facebook Marketplace is one of the world’s largest online marketplaces. What differentiates it from many of its competitors, such as eBay, is that it focuses on local transactions.

Facebook has a huge user base, which is an advantage for sellers, and it doesn’t cost anything to post listings. Moreover, you can easily advertise in local Facebook groups.

However, the turnaround on items can be slow on Facebook Marketplace. They may take much longer to sell than with other methods.

Selling fees: Free for cash payments; 2.9%–3.49% processing fee for card payments.

Pros and cons of selling on Facebook Marketplace

Note: Selling on Facebook Marketplace often entails meeting up with strangers, which can be risky. It’s best to meet with new customers in public places, and, if possible, have someone accompany you when you make sales.

Craigslist has been around for a while, and has earned a reputation as one of the go-to platforms for local selling. Each area has its own Craigslist page, and you don’t pay anything to sell on the platform.

Craigslist has a large user base, and posting listings on it is very easy. However, Craigslist also has a reputation for scams. When you make a sale, it also won’t do anything to help facilitate the transaction; you’ll have to arrange a payment method yourself.

As on Facebook Marketplace, be cautious when interacting with potential customers on the platform, and be especially careful when meeting strangers in person.

Pros and cons of selling on Craigslist

Etsy is one of the best-known online marketplaces for selling handmade items. Most sellers ship items to their buyers, but you can also offer local pickup for orders.

Etsy’s large user base, highly customizable storefronts, and reputation as a great place to find unique and eclectic items make it a great choice for selling your handmade goods. However, the high selling fees make it a somewhat less profitable venue than the other online platforms on this list, at least on a sale-by-sale basis.

Selling fees: Unfortunately, Etsy has multiple fees:

• $15 shop setup fee
• $0.20 listing fee
• 6.5% transaction fee
• 3% + $0.25 payment processing fee

Pros and cons of selling on Etsy

If you want more control than the other venues and platforms we’ve listed give you, consider setting up a temporary pop-up store.

This won’t require the same level of commitment or investment that starting a permanent brick-and-mortar store will, but will still give you the opportunity to build your brand and test the viability of your business.

With that said, starting any business carries a high degree of risk, and if you’re just looking to sell handmade items locally as a side hustle, the initial investment needed to set up a pop-up store might be too high. This option is best if you see this as a long-term gig and potentially your new career, not just a way to monetize a hobby you spend a few hours on every week.

Selling fees: Starting a pop-up comes with significant expenses, including rental fees plus other startup costs.

Pros and cons of selling in a pop-up store

If you’ve ever been to a tourist hotspot, such as Times Square in Manhattan, you may have seen vendors selling their wares from small stalls. If you live near a place like that, you can get in on the action yourself.

One advantage of selling in tourist hotspots is the huge volume of people that visit them, giving you constant access to fresh customers. Moreover, many tourists are in the market for handmade crafts as souvenirs.

That said, you’ll almost certainly need to get a special license to sell in tourist areas, which can be costly, especially if you’re looking to set up a semi-permanent stall. Contact the nearest branch of the Small Business Administration and ask them what sort of licensure you need to do this in your city.

Selling fees: Most cities charge license fees to sell products as a street vendor.

Pros and cons of selling in tourist hotspots