Online selling lets a Kasuti maker reach buyers far beyond Karnataka – a change the ebook notes has helped artisans reach new buyers and students (ch. 17). There are five main kinds of place to sell. Each has its own costs, rules and kind of buyer, so choose deliberately.

What you’ll learn

  • Five kinds of online channel and what each offers.
  • How to compare channels on fees, effort and fit.
  • What to read before you list anything.
  • How to include fees in your price.

Five kinds of channel

  1. Your own website. The best margins and your own customer list. It needs good photos, a payment gateway, shipping arrangements and your time to bring visitors. It grows slowly but you control it.
  2. Indian marketplaces with artisan programmes. Large marketplaces have run programmes to help artisans and craft businesses list and sell – for example Amazon Karigar and Flipkart Samarth. Check each programme’s current status, eligibility and terms before applying.
  3. International marketplaces for handmade work, such as Etsy. Buyers there look for handmade and are often willing to read a story. You handle international shipping, and possibly customs paperwork (see Module 7).
  4. Curated craft and design stores online that buy from, or list, artisan brands. Fewer buyers, but well matched to hand work. They usually work on wholesale or consignment.
  5. Social commerce. Instagram and WhatsApp catalogues with payment links (see Selling from home: WhatsApp and Instagram). Low cost, personal, but limited to people who already follow you.

Government-run portals for artisans and for selling to government buyers also exist from time to time. Ask the office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) which are open now and whether they suit you.

Compare before you choose

Channel Reach Fees and rules Your effort
Own website Slow to build Gateway and hosting High
Indian marketplace Very large Commission, strict rules Medium
Handmade marketplace International Listing and sale fees Medium–high
Curated store Well matched Their margin Low–medium
Social commerce Your followers Payment fees Ongoing

Read before you list

Each marketplace has its own fees and rules. Before listing, read:

  • The fee page: commission, listing, payment, shipping and any other charges.
  • The seller requirements: registrations, bank details, documents.
  • The returns policy – especially for made-to-order pieces.
  • The shipping rules: who ships, how fast, who pays for returns.
  • The rules on handmade claims and on photos.

Include the fees in your price. If a channel keeps f % of each sale, list at your direct price ÷ (1 − f), as in Pricing your time.

Worked examples

Example 1: what you really receive. For one product on one marketplace, write down: listing price, minus commission, minus payment fee, minus shipping you pay, minus packaging. What is left must cover M + H × R + O and your margin. If it doesn’t, raise the listing price, change the product, or don’t sell it there.

Example 2: a first online plan. Month 1–3: WhatsApp catalogue and Instagram, five products. Month 4–6: one marketplace with the two best sellers. Month 7 onwards: a small website once you have photos, reviews and a customer list.

Example 3: made-to-order on a marketplace. List with a clear “made to order in N days” and check the marketplace allows it. State that made-to-order pieces can’t be returned for change of mind, if the platform’s rules and the law allow it – ask.

Tips, tricks and hacks
  • Start with one channel and do it well.
  • Use the same product codes and photos across channels.
  • Keep stock in one record so you don’t sell the same piece twice.
  • Ask happy buyers for reviews; they matter a lot on marketplaces.
  • Answer messages quickly; response time often affects visibility.
  • Read the fee page every few months; fees change.
  • Keep your own website address on your story card in every parcel.
  • Join seller forums for the platform to learn from others’ problems.
  • Write down why you chose each channel and what would make you leave it; review that note every six months.
  • Keep copies of your listings and photos outside the platform, so you can move them if you need to.
  • Test your own checkout on a phone before telling anyone your shop is open.
Problems and how to fix them

Listings get no views.

  1. Improve titles and first photos (see A listing that sells Kasuti).
  2. Add more listings over time; marketplaces reward active sellers.
  3. Prevention: research how similar handmade sellers describe their work.

Fees eat the margin.

  1. Re-price using the fee formula.
  2. Move low-margin items to direct channels.
  3. Prevention: do Example 1 before listing.

A buyer returns a made-to-order piece.

  1. Follow the platform’s process and keep records.
  2. Check whether your listing explained made-to-order clearly.
  3. Prevention: clear policies and photos of front, back and size.

The same piece sells on two channels.

  1. Tell the second buyer at once and offer a made-to-order copy or a refund.
  2. Update stock immediately.
  3. Prevention: one stock record, updated after every sale.

Your account is suspended.

  1. Read the notice carefully and contact seller support.
  2. Fix the issue named.
  3. Prevention: read the rules before listing; don’t rely on one channel only.
Mistakes to avoid
  • Listing before reading the fees and rules.
  • Same price everywhere regardless of fees.
  • Only one channel for all your income.
  • Claiming “handmade” for anything that isn’t.
  • No made-to-order wording on slow pieces.
What to ask your CA, lawyer or the office
  • CA: “Does selling through a marketplace change whether I need GST registration, and are there other duties for marketplace sellers?”
  • CA: “How should marketplace payouts, fees and any deductions be recorded?”
  • Lawyer: “What must my online listings and policies show under current consumer-protection rules for e-commerce?” (Check current.)
  • Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts): “Which online marketplaces or portals for artisans are currently supported, and am I eligible?” (Check current, including Amazon Karigar and Flipkart Samarth.)

Note: rules on tax, registration and export change. Check the current position with a chartered accountant or the office named before you act – this lesson tells you what to ask, not the answer.

Check yourself
  • Have you read the fees and rules of the channel you chose?
  • Does every listing price include the fees?
  • Do you keep one stock record for all channels?
  • Are made-to-order times clear?
  • Have you asked your CA about selling online?
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