One of the best ways to expand your personal arts and crafts business is to sell your products online using various websites. There are many different ways that you can do this. Two of the best are selling on a collaborative website that gives you all the tools you need and setting up your own website. Here's how each of these options could work for your needs.

The first option, selling on a website that's already there, is definitely the easiest. This is especially true if you're looking at websites that are focused on handmade arts and crafts. Some of these sites give you the scaffolding you need to easily set up your own little only shop or store. Within this scaffolding, building a shop of your own where you can list your items online is really simple.

One of the disadvantages of this option is that the website's administrators will often charge you to use their website and may also take a cut of your profits. You have to remember, though, that even if you set up your own website there will be fees involved. If your get lots of sales and new traffic because of something like this, it's probably worthwhile, even if you do have to lose some of your profit to fees and such.

Setting up your own website is certainly an option, as well. There are plenty of web hosting services out there that can help you register your domain name and set up a website. Many of them even offer site building services. They can build your site for you, or you can put up your own site based on their pre-made templates. Before you use one of these services, be sure to check out its particulars. How much will it cost to set up and maintain your site? Will it cost extra to do things like start a blog, which can be great advertisement, or get a shopping cart?

With your own website, you may choose to have a shopping cart so that people can actually place orders online. It can be expensive, but it can also increase your sales for sure. Another option is to have a print-off of an order form. Customers can order what they want and either email you the form or mail it to you with a check. This can be a more affordable option, but the complication may lose you some business.