Is Shopify a Good Place to Sell Crafts?

Absolutely! Shopify stands as a powerful platform for selling your crafts. What makes a good Shopify crafts store? Here is why it is an excellent choice:

Statistics Supporting Shopify’s Growth

While exact figures can fluctuate, sources like StoreLeads indicate that craft stores within Shopify’s “Toys & Hobbies” category have experienced remarkable growth. In 2023 Q4, Shopify stores in this category increased by 11.8% quarter-over-quarter and by 39% year-over-year.  

While the “Toys & Hobbies” data includes more than solely craft stores, this impressive growth still indicates a favorable climate for selling handmade goods on Shopify.

Focus on Visuals

Shopify offers a vast array of beautiful themes specifically designed to showcase the artistry of handcrafted goods. Choosing the right theme is essential for crafting a successful online store showcasing artistic creations. Here is a curated selection:

• Craft – This theme prioritizes visual storytelling and is an ample space to showcase images and dedicated sections for your brand’s narrative. This is the top Shopify theme used for craft stores.
• Canopy – Ideal for quick launchers, Canopy boasts features like a store locator, color swatches, and a quick view for a streamlined shopping experience.
• Exhibit – Designed for powerful brand storytelling. This theme gives your pieces center space with versatile grids, carousels, video integration, and plenty of white space for a gallery-like effect.

Specialized Tools

The Shopify app store is brimming with apps tailored to the needs of craft businesses. These apps assist with everything from inventory management and order fulfillment to social media marketing for showcasing your product, and customer relationship management.

User-Friendly Experience

Shopify’s platform is known for its ease of use, both for store owners and shoppers. Intuitive navigation and a streamlined checkout process make it simple for customers to discover, admire, and purchase your crafts.

Can I Dropship Crafts From Shopify?

Yes! Dropshipping is a viable business model for Shopify craft stores. Partnering with drop shipping suppliers and integrating drop shipping apps streamlines the process, allowing you to offer a wider selection of craft items without handling inventory yourself.

The advantage of using Shopify for dropshipping is its focus on ease-of-use and support for growth. With a robust set of tools and resources at your disposal, not only can you launch quickly, but you can also keep up with the business as it grows.

What Kinds of Craft Products Sell Best?

Great Shopify craft store often excels in these popular categories:

• Personalized Items – Custom jewelry, engraved home décor, and other personalized pieces appeal to shoppers seeking one-of-a-kind products and self-expression.
• Eco-Conscious Crafts – Sustainable and ethically sourced materials resonate with environmentally-minded consumers.
• DIY Kits and Suppliers – Tap into people’s desire to learn new skills and create their crafts.
• Unique Home Decor – Eye-catching home decor items with a handcrafted touch add personality to any space.
• Seasonal and Holiday Crafts – Capitalize on festive occasions with themed crafts and decorations.

Despite the trends, your store’s success ultimately hinges on your passion for your products, understanding your target audience, and fine-tuning your marketing strategies.

Your products should reflect your brand, resonate with customers, and tap into current market demand. The beauty of Shopify’s dropshipping model is that it affords you the flexibility to switch products or suppliers until you find what works best for your online craft store.

Is it better to sell crafts on Shopify or Etsy?

In the long run, Shopify is better than Etsy as a platform to sell your crafts.

If you’re deciding between selling crafts on Shopify or Etsy, one aspect to consider is control over your store.

Shopify allows you to have complete authority over your store’s design, SEO optimization, checkout process, and marketing strategies, which is a desirable factor for serious sellers. You’re in the driver’s seat with Shopify and you can shape and modify your store as you please, without limiting customization options.

Etsy, on the other hand, doesn’t provide much room for customization. Your store will have the same layout as all other Etsy stores. You’ll only be able to adjust your logo, banner, and product listing images. From the SEO perspective, Etsy manages your store’s optimization. So, if you’re a beginner in SEO, this might be a silver lining.

Moving on to fees, Shopify charges a monthly subscription which can range from $29 to $299, depending on the plan. On top of the subscription fee, there’s a small transaction fee unless you use Shopify Payments.

In contrast, Etsy doesn’t charge a monthly fee. It has a “Pay as You Go” model which charges $0.20 for each listing and a 5% transaction fee for each sale.

While Etsy’s no monthly-fee model might initially seem like a better deal, keep in mind that the costs can quickly add up as your sales grow. 

Plus, if you want run ads especially at peak seasons, Etsy ads are far more expensive than Facebook or Google ads for your own store.