Craft/vintage stuff...

[ButterPie]

I fancy trying my hand at selling online and at craft fairs/flea markets. I'm thinking of making things out of vintage and second hand clothes and house stuff, as well as just selling some stuff on if it is nice enough.

Does anyone have any experience of doing this? Any tips? Which is the best way to sell things online? Any tips for fairs?

What is the tax/legal situation? When do I need to start declaring things? Is it only if/when I make a profit?

I don't have personal experience but my friend sells her crafts on www.etsy.com.

etsy is an american site but you can try folksy.com which is the equivalent in the UK. i have set up a shop on there and am trying to sell stuff. if you add my shop www.folksy.com/shops/effiesdreams to your favs then i'll add yours it's really fun because you have your own page and can make a banner/shop sign etc...good luck!!!

ebay's good for vintage, not really for craft stuff though. List some stuff as a private seller first to test the water- the tax man shouldn't object to that. You can always register as a business seller later on.
I think I read somewhere that you should register as self-employed when you start incurring costs. (Hard to see many people adhering to the letter of the law if that's the case.) Really you should get proper advice and not rely on hearsay from the likes of me!
I'm in the same situation as you, so I'd be interested to hear what works for you.
Best wishes

Craft fairs are really cool to sell at for net working although they really vary in visiters through the door. It can be really hit and miss how much you sell.

You need to register with inland revenue within 3 months of starting trading - it's simple an online form or phonecall. Not scary at all - at least not yet I haven't done a tax return yet

Give every site a go to see what works for you.