Launch Your Handmade Business Online

The requirements depend on what you're selling:

• Food products (baked goods, preserves, meat) — register with your local council at least 28 days before starting, follow food safety regulations
• Crafts and handmade goods (candles, jewellery, pottery) — no specific registration needed, but you may need to register as self-employed with HMRC
• Cosmetics (soaps, balms) — products must comply with UK cosmetic regulations and be properly labelled

Once you've sorted the legals for your product type, Shelfkit gets your online store up and running in minutes.

It depends on your product:

• Food businesses — free council registration is required; a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate (£15-30 online) is recommended
• Meat and fish — may need additional approvals from your local authority
• Non-food products — generally no certificates needed, but products must meet safety standards

For any business, you'll likely need to register as self-employed with HMRC once you start earning.

You have several options:

• Your own website (like Shelfkit) — full control over your brand and customer relationships
• Marketplaces (Etsy, Facebook Marketplace) — less control, higher fees, competing with thousands of others
• Social media (Instagram, Facebook) — good for marketing, but limited payment options

Shelfkit gives you your own professional shop—whether you're selling sourdough, hand-poured candles, or artisan sausages—without the complexity or cost of platforms like Shopify.

Yes, significantly. Shopify's basic plan starts at £25/month before you've sold anything, plus transaction fees on top of payment processing fees.

Shelfkit is designed for small makers—you only pay a small percentage when you actually make a sale. No monthly fees eating into your profit before you've found your customers.

Whether you're a potter selling a few pieces a month or a micro-butcher with weekend orders, that makes a real difference.

On Etsy, you're one of thousands of sellers competing for attention. Etsy owns the customer relationship, takes a significant cut, and your products are surrounded by competitors.

With Shelfkit, you get your own branded online store at your own web address. You own the customer relationship, build your reputation under your name, and aren't lost in a sea of similar listings.

When a colleague wants more of your candles or a neighbour wants to reorder your chutney, they come directly to your shop—not a marketplace where they might get distracted.

The best platform depends on your needs, but many small makers find mainstream e-commerce platforms are either too expensive (Shopify), too crowded (Etsy), or look outdated.

Shelfkit was built specifically for this gap—makers who want:

• A simple, professional shop that doesn't require technical skills
• Fair pricing that doesn't penalise you before your first sale
• Features designed for cottage industries (product variants, local delivery zones, inventory tracking)
• Their own brand and web address, not a marketplace listing

You can be up and running in minutes, not weeks.