1. Quiz
  2. Your result
  3. Your plan
  4. Your guide

Step-by-step guide

Selling handmade goods online and at markets: from your first product photos to your first sales

Sell what you make, such as jewellery, candles, crochet, leather, ceramics or clothing, through WhatsApp, Bob Shop, craft markets and later Etsy. This guide covers real 2026 platform fees and market stall fees in rands, pricing that covers your time, scripts and a 14-day plan.

  • 25 lessons
  • 5 modules
  • about 2 hours in total

Is this guide for you?

Good fit if

  • You already make things people compliment and ask to buy.
  • You can make the same item again to a steady standard.
  • You are happy to photograph, pack and talk to buyers.

Think twice if

  • You can only make one-off pieces slowly and need steady income soon.
  • You plan to resell bought-in or mass-produced goods as "handmade". Markets reject them and buyers lose trust.

Honest expectations

  • First sales usually come from people you know and WhatsApp, within the first two weeks.
  • Platform and stall fees are real costs: Bob Shop takes 8.34% to 10.06% (including VAT) of each sale, and a Johannesburg craft-market stall costs about R350 to R450 a day.
  • Profit depends on pricing that covers materials, your time and every fee.

What is inside

  1. Module 1

    Is this right for you?

    What it involves, who pays, and honest expectations.

    1. How selling handmade goods worksFree · 5 min
    2. Honest expectations4 min (in the full guide)
  2. Module 2

    Set up and price

    What you need and what to charge.

    1. Your startup kit, costs and skills5 min (in the full guide)
    2. Set up step by step: ready to sell6 min (in the full guide)
    3. Pricing and getting paid: real 2026 fees5 min (in the full guide)
    4. Your numbers: a worked example in rands5 min (in the full guide)
  3. Module 3

    Your first week

    The first steps, in order.

    1. Your first week, step by step6 min (in the full guide)
    2. Week one, step 2: Photograph your products in daylight on a plain background3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Week one, step 3: Set up a WhatsApp Business catalogue3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Finding your first buyers: where to look5 min (in the full guide)
    5. Your 14-day first-sales playbook6 min (in the full guide)
    6. Messages to copy: your first customers5 min (in the full guide)
  4. Module 4

    Your first month

    A routine that brings in customers.

    1. Your first 30 days: build a routine4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Month one, task 1: List on one marketplace3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Month one, task 2: Book one market stall3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Month one, task 3: Track every sale and fee3 min (in the full guide)
    5. Common mistakes makers make4 min (in the full guide)
  5. Module 5

    Months two and three

    Repeat what works, grow and stay safe.

    1. Days 31 to 90: repeat what works and grow4 min (in the full guide)
    2. Months two and three, task 1: Drop the channel that sells least3 min (in the full guide)
    3. Months two and three, task 2: Ask a local shop to stock you3 min (in the full guide)
    4. Months two and three, task 3: Only try Etsy if your item is light, high-value and unique3 min (in the full guide)
    5. Free courses to fill your skill gaps4 min (in the full guide)
    6. Getting paid safely and spotting scams4 min (in the full guide)
    7. Tax: what to put aside, with worked examples6 min (in the full guide)
    8. Risks, rules, tax and staying safe5 min (in the full guide)

What it costs to start

R0 to get started, from our research

What you will use:

  • Materials for a first small batch
  • Market stall fee

Prices change and differ by area, so check two places near you before you buy.

Try it before you buy

Lesson one is free. If it helps, the whole guide is R149 once-off.

Start the free lesson

Reviewed 26 October 2026 by the Earn Path team. Next review due 26 April 2027.