Selling your crafts online via third party sites is a great way to supplement your income as a crafter, or it may even be your primary method of selling. Platforms such as Etsy, Folksy, Amazon Handmade, Not on the High Street, and many more allow you to list your handmade goods for transaction fees.
However, it’s important to consider your craft insurance needs before you start selling in order to protect yourself and your business financially. Get protected with a third-party site specific insurance policy with CraftCover today.
Third party websites to sell crafts on
There are a number of third party sites which allow you to sell your crafts:
-
-
- Etsy One of the most popular platforms which encourages sellers to list handmade or vintage items, as well as craft supplies.
-
- Folksy – A UK-specific Etsy alternative exclusively for selling handmade crafts.
-
- Amazon Handmade – An artisan-only marketplace within Amazon, specifically for selling handmade goods.
-
- Not on the High Street – A marketplace ideal for high-quality creative/handmade products.
- eBay – Not specifically for crafts, but still useful as it’s quick and easy to list items and upload photos to showcase your creations
The ideal scenario is that you list your crafts across as many online platforms as possible, particularly if you have enough stock to justify doing so. However, make sure you’ve considered product liability and, in some cases, public liability insurance where necessary.
-
Get in Touch for Craft Insurance Enquiries
Types of insurance to cover selling crafts on third party websites
Selling crafts on third-party websites necessitates specific insurance to protect against common issues. Many of these sites explicitly state that you must have certain insurance types before you even list an item, but even for those that don’t, you still need to be covered.
-
-
- Product liability insurance – The most important coverage type for selling your crafts online. Product liability insurance covers legal costs resulting from damage or injury caused by a product you created.
-
- Public liability insurance – Protects against claims made by members of the public for damage or injury caused by your business. Whilst normally for in-person events such as craft fairs or farmers markets, it still has important applications, and is often included in craft insurance packages.
-
- Employers’ liability insurance – A legal requirement if you have any staff or volunteers helping to make or ship products.
-
Without the protection of these insurance types, you may find yourself facing large claims, being held liable for damage or injury as well as the resulting legal costs.
Why you still need cover even if a third party marketplace offers protection
Many third party marketplaces offer protection as part of their services. Whilst this is helpful, it’s rarely an adequate substitute for a comprehensive insurance plan.
Most of these protection packages are limited in scope and the level of protection they offer. For example, they may cover items lost or damaged in transit, but won’t typically cover public liability or product liability, meaning you won’t actually be protected if a customer makes a claim against you.
On top of this, marketplace-provided protection often comes with high excess, and much stricter requirements for paying out. This increases your risk of being held financially liable even when ‘protected’.
How craft insurance protects you when selling on third party websites
A bespoke, comprehensive craft insurance policy protects you when selling on third party websites by essentially ‘covering all bases’ in terms of claims you are likely to face.
When selling online, there are more ways than you realise in which your products could cause damage or injury. Even if crafted to a high-standard, damage during delivery could lead to sharp edges or other faults which may inadvertently cause harm.
Craft insurance is designed to account for all of these possibilities, covering legal costs no matter how problems arise. This gives you absolute peace of mind that your business activities are protected under all circumstances.
CraftCover offers insurance designed specifically for selling on third party sites. This includes the level of protection you need, including aspects such as product and public liability, as well as employers’ liability if required, without ‘extras’ which end up costing you more money for no reason.
Use our quote calculator for a fast, free quote for your insurance needs.
