What Is Craftsmanship? Definition, Examples, and How to Sell
Ecommerce has democratized the world of arts and crafts. If you have a passion for making handmade goods and the drive to promote your work online, you can make a living selling your work. There’s only one problem: Most of the world’s other artisans are also trying to market and sell their products online.
How do you stand out in such a vast and crowded industry? One way is to emphasize fine craftsmanship. Many of your competitors may offer similar products, but if you can beat them on execution, excellence, and attention to detail, you can break free of the pack.
Read on for examples of quality craftsmanship in ecommerce, plus some online marketplaces that reward dedicated craftspeople.
What is craftsmanship?
Craftsmanship refers to the skill, artistry, and meticulous work involved in creating things, frequently by hand. The term often speaks to the precision, expertise, and care employed by the maker. In that way, it can differentiate a high-quality artisanal product from indistinguishable mass-produced goods.
What is the value of craftsmanship?
Craftsmanship signifies value for items like jewelry, furniture, or clothing. When you shop in person, you can feel the value of craftsmanship in a handmade item. But online shoppers don’t have this luxury. As such, they must make a leap of faith when purchasing. Ecommerce businesses who sell well-made goods can anchor their brand in craftsmanship by leaning into these four values:
1. Product durability
The practice of craftsmanship goes beyond sheer beauty and style. Well-crafted products can last for years, if not decades, into the future. No matter what material you work with—from wood to stone to denim—your creation will carry much more value if it lasts a long time.
2. Ties to history and tradition
Do you or your brand’s craftspeople use methods that have stood the test of time? Let’s say you’re a shoemaker who learned from your grandfather how to make leather sandals by hand. If you stick to that tradition, and emphasize it in your brand storytelling, you can stand out in your trade for offering time-honored workmanship.
3. Uniqueness
Mass-produced items may win price wars, but they can’t compete on uniqueness—and many consumers are willing to pay a premium for items that no one else will have. Handmade goods are by nature unique, and some makers even choose to highlight imperfections as distinguishing marks. You might also lean into uniqueness by customizing your products to the buyer’s specifications.
4. Customer satisfaction
Great craftsmanship leads to happy customers, which can contribute to repeat business. This works in a business-to-consumer (B2C) retail marketplace, but it also applies to a business-to-business (B2B) setting, where a productive workingpartnership can last decades. If your customers appreciate your craftsmanship, share that with the world via testimonials or reviews.
Examples of craftsmanship in ecommerce brands
When it comes to expertly crafted goods sold online, there’s no shortage of examples. Here are five ecommerce merchants who take pride in their best-in-class craftsmanship.
Macguire Shoes
Macguire Shoes is a women-led company that makes shoes for women. It ensures quality craftsmanship by cultivating strong partnerships with small-batch factories, which retain oversight of every step in the manufacturing process. Macguire offers transparency to customers by profiling all of the factories—many of them family-owned—that make its shoes. When a customer is out on a walk in a Macguire shoe, they can imagine the full history of the footwear beneath them.
Hiut Denim
Hiut Denim makes made-to-order jeans—and only jeans—under the mantra “Do one thing well.” Hiut’s workers are assigned to a single job, which lets them acquire specific skills that wouldn’t be possible if they were required to multitask. The business is based in a small town in western Wales where a major jeans factory had closed, leaving workers without jobs. Huit created new opportunities for these craftspeople, many of whom had years of experience making jeans by hand, and revamped a broken local economy in the process.
Rothy’s
Rothy’s version of craftsmanship embraces modern tools, such as 3D knitting technology compatible with eco-friendly materials, to create stylish footwear and accessories. The footwear, much of it made from recycled plastic, is meant to last for years. Rothy’s craftsmanship doesn’t stop at its core products; it extends to its packaging, which is made from sustainable materials that can be used for other purposes and take on a life of their own. This extends Rothy’s concept of designing every element of the customer experience with purpose and deliberation.
Suta
Based in India, the fashion brand Suta makes a point of employing traditional weavers and artisans from throughout the country, including rural areas. Suta’s designs are often casual, showing that craftsmanship is used in more than just luxury goods. Founders Sujata and Taniya Biswas took their company name from the Hindi word for “thread.” Their venture is achieving two things simultaneously: It’s employing artisans, and it’s preserving craft traditions that might otherwise wither away. As Sujata explains: “When we started Suta, we figured that we can touch lives in the villages where the crafts are dying, where the art form is not as appreciated. These artisans quit their craft and take jobs in garages, or they work as drivers.”
Artisaire
Artisaire makes wedding invitations, cards, and more, but it’s developed a reputation thanks to its elegantly crafted wax seals. Each design is individually stamped into real sealing wax using the customer’s artwork. Or, if you’re not an artist yourself, Artisaire can create or draw a design for you. The company’s invitations and cards can also be custom crafted to the client’s exact specifications. All of the company’s products, including custom-blended waxes, are made in-house by the company’s artisans.
Top online marketplaces to sell crafts and art
Are you ready to pitch your finely crafted products online? Selling directly from your own ecommerce store can net you the most money because you don’t pay a sales commission to other platforms. On the other hand, listing your work on those well-established platforms gets you in front of millions of users. Here are four ecommerce options to consider:
Shopify
Shopify is a powerful ecommerce platform that lets sellers design their own online stores with no coding experience—while maintaining full control over branding and sales. For craftspeople who want independence and flexibility in managing their business, Shopify provides seamless integration with payment gateways, customizable templates, and scalability, making it appealing for those looking to build a brand rather than rely on a marketplace’s audience. These features are bundled into monthly subscriptions that start at $29 per month when billed annually.
Etsy
Etsy is a leading marketplace specifically for handmade, vintage, and unique items, making it ideal for artisans. Its global reach and built-in audience of craft enthusiasts offer high visibility for sellers. Etsy provides user-friendly tools for listing, promoting, and selling handcrafted items, making it a go-to platform for crafters. Etsy charges a bevy of fees, including separate charges for set up, listings, transactions, and advertising, but it may be worth it for the sake of reaching its vast client base.
Amazon Handmade
You may not associate Amazon with handmade goods, but the ecommerce behemoth has made a concerted effort to attract such sellers with its Amazon Handmade program. To participate as an Amazon Handmade seller at scale, you’ll need to apply for the platform’s Professional selling account. This costs $39.99 per month, but the monthly fee is waived upon approval as a Handmade seller. Fees are straightforward—15% of each sale, with no additional listing or payment processing fees. Amazon Handmade also streamlines logistics because it gives you access to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), where you store products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers, and Amazon picks, packs, ships, and provides customer service on your behalf.
Big Cartel
Big Cartel is similar to Shopify in that it lets you easily create your own ecommerce website to sell art, crafts, and small-batch items. It stands out for its low monthly fees (with no commission) and its ease of use for beginners. It also offers customization options, which is great if you’re someone who wants a personal touch in your store design but doesn’t want to build a website from scratch.
Craftsmanship FAQ
How do you sell crafts online?
To sell crafts online, create an online shop with Shopify or join an ecommerce platform like Etsy or Amazon Handmade. From there, you’ll need to list your handmade products with compelling descriptions and high-quality images and promote them through social media and other channels to reach potential customers.
What are examples of craftsmanship?
Examples of craftsmanship include handmade furniture, jewelry, ceramics, clothing, and leather goods. What these items share in common is an emphasis on skilled, detailed, and high-quality work. They might also feature customization to the buyer—think engravings, tailoring, and made-to-order.
What is the best site to sell crafts?
If you want to operate your own ecommerce store, Shopify is the best all-in-one solution for building a website, tracking inventory, processing payments, and more. If you want to sell crafts on an existing online marketplace, Amazon Handmade may be the simplest and most straightforward of the major platforms.
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