To turn a hobby into a business-Amazon somewhere else?

[Tryingtotaketheleap]

Hello MN,
I’m wondering if anyone can help me turn my hobby into a business?
I like to do arts/crafts stuff, been doing it for a while & wondering if I could start selling….
They are small items, don’t take too long to make but it would be just me.
I’ve looked at Amazon (not yet eBay). I’m finding their fees quite confusing. Does anyone sell on Amazon & would you recommend? I was thinking of starting with the individual plan. Presumably I can upgrade at any point etc. Just wondering if this is the right platform to start? I will compare with eBay too but is there anywhere else that offers low cost sellers fees?
Thank you for any help 😊

I would look on Etsy to buy handmade items.

No idea what their fees are though.

All online marketplaces are expensive. eBay is the cheapest, followed by Amazon Handmade and then Etsy. Regular Amazon is the most expensive.
Etsy is the best place to start for handmade in my opinion, but do your research as of the market is saturated you will struggle to sell.

It's a bit risky isn't it? What happens if 500 people want to buy the item on the same day at the same time?

From friends’ experiences I gather that Amazon are very strict about what you can charge, and where else you can sell your product. They insist on rock-bottom prices, you’re obliged to accept returns, and they will always, always side with the buyer. (Which I know is hard to believe, given their terrible customer service.)

Etsy aren’t much better, their fees are quite steep, and they’ll shut your account down in a heartbeat if they think you’ve contravened their rules, but then you can’t talk to a human to find out why.

Folksy is similar to Etsy, but more UK based, and much friendlier and more helpful. You could also find out about craft fairs and markets in your local area, and start posting your work on social media to start building a following.

@Castlerigg .thank you for your help!

What is your competition like? Most of the arts and crafts space is heavily over subscribed. Is what you’re doing good enough to take priority?