You've been selling your handmade goods at craft fairs, on Etsy, or through Facebook Marketplace. Business is good, and you're ready to take the next step. But before you commit to building your own e-commerce site, there are some important questions to ask yourself.

Time: Your Most Valuable Resource

Running your own online store means adding new responsibilities to your routine. You'll need to fulfill orders, respond to customer inquiries, keep your inventory current, and promote your business. If you're currently spending weekends at markets or evenings creating products, think about how online sales will fit into your schedule.

The good news is that modern platforms handle the technical heavy lifting. Payment processing, shipping calculations, tax setup, and website management are taken care of for you. What you need to plan for is the ongoing rhythm of running your store: packing orders, answering questions, and staying active on social media.

Ask yourself: Can I dedicate time each week to fulfilling orders and connecting with customers?

Your Role as Business Owner

With your own site, you're in charge of the day-to-day operations. When orders come in, you pack and ship them. When customers have questions, you answer them. When you create new products, you add them to your store and let people know about them.

This is different from dropping items off at a consignment shop or having a marketplace handle some of these details. But it also means you're building something that's entirely yours, with direct relationships to every customer who buys from you.

The technical side of running a site doesn't need to be complicated anymore. Platforms like Crafts.ly handle everything from payment processing to shipping integrations to site security, so you can focus on what you do best: creating and selling your products.

Building Your Audience

This is the biggest difference between having your own site and selling through established marketplaces. On Etsy, shoppers are already browsing. At craft fairs, people are walking by your booth. With your own site, you need to bring customers to your door.

This means staying active on social media, building an email list, telling your story, and engaging with your community. You might share behind-the-scenes glimpses of your process, announce new products, or run special promotions. The work isn't technical, but it does require consistency.

Think of it this way: you're trading the effort of hauling your booth to weekend markets for the effort of maintaining your online presence throughout the week.

Costs to Consider

Your own e-commerce site has ongoing expenses, but they're often more predictable than you might think. Look for platforms that bundle everything together rather than charging separately for payment processing, email marketing, reviews, and other features you'd normally need apps for.

You'll still have your regular business costs like shipping materials and product supplies, plus a monthly platform fee. The key is choosing a solution where you're not surprised by hidden costs or paying for multiple add-ons.

Unlike marketplace fees that take a percentage of every sale, many e-commerce platforms charge a flat monthly rate. This means your costs stay consistent whether you have a slow month or your best month ever.

What You Get in Return

Complete control over your brand, your policies, and your customer experience. Your own domain name. Direct relationships with your customers. Higher profit margins since you're not paying marketplace commissions. The ability to collect email addresses and bring customers back for repeat purchases.

You're not competing with dozens of similar products on the same page. When someone visits your site, they're there to see your work and your work alone.

The Day-to-Day Reality

Once your site is live, here's what a typical week might look like:

• Checking for new orders and fulfilling them
• Responding to customer questions
• Adding new products as you create them
• Posting on social media a few times
• Sending an occasional email to your list
• Monitoring your inventory levels

None of this requires technical expertise. It's the natural rhythm of running a business, made easier when the platform handles the complex parts automatically.

The Honest Assessment

Before launching your own e-commerce site, consider:

• Do you have products ready to sell consistently?
• Can you ship orders within a reasonable timeframe?
• Are you comfortable being the face of your business online?
• Do you have or can you build a following through social media or email?
• Are you ready to own customer relationships directly?

When It Makes Sense

Your own e-commerce site is a natural next step when you:

• Have an established customer base that asks where to buy online
• Consistently sell well at markets and want to reach customers between events
• Want to keep more of your profits instead of paying marketplace commissions
• Are ready to control your brand and customer experience
• Want to build something that grows with your business

Making the Leap

The technical barriers that used to make e-commerce intimidating are largely gone. With platforms that handle setup, payments, shipping, taxes, and security for you, the question isn't whether you can figure out the technology. The question is whether you're ready to run your business online.

If you're already successfully selling your handmade goods and you're comfortable with the idea of fulfilling online orders and promoting your business, you have what it takes. The rest is just showing up consistently and letting your work speak for itself.

Your handmade business deserves a home that reflects the quality and care you put into your products. With the right platform removing the technical complexity, you can focus on what matters: creating beautiful things and connecting with the customers who appreciate them.