Do you have to have insurance to sell at a craft fair?
If you wish to regularly attend craft fairs and have your own stall, you will also need stall insurance. This will protect you and stall against any incidents, and you can enjoy the event knowing your craft business is thoroughly protected.
If you are making and then selling your work at craft or other fairs, you will need to consider both public and product liability insurance. As well as other insurance to protect your business. You will want to be covered for things like, damage and loss, legal costs, expenses etc.
There are some types of cover that all crafters should have – Public and Products Liability insurance is definitely one and, if you employ anyone, the law says you have to have Employers Liability cover too.
If you are attending an organised Craft Fair, it is likely that the organisers will have obtained a licence to cover the event itself. However, if you are trading at a market for example, you may need a market stall or street trading licence. Contact your local council to understand what requirements there might be.
Regardless of what you craft, you will likely benefit from having public liability insurance. We cover a wide range of crafts which many other providers do not. These include, but are not extensive to: Cosmetics, such as Bath and Shower Products.
What insurance do I need for a craft fair or farmers market?
What insurance do I need for a craft stall?
Public liability insurance for craft fairs and craft stallholders is incredibly important, as it covers you against any liability or claims made by the public in connection with your craft fair.
As touched on above, you do not legally require public and product liability insurance to sell at a craft stall. However, it is a good idea. If, for example, a member of the public trips over your stall and becomes injured, this cover will protect you.
FACT SHEET - STREET TRADING ART AND CRAFT EXHIBITIONS DO I NEED A LICENCE? With few exceptions, any form of selling of goods or the provision of services which takes place either in the street, or on the public footway, or up to 7 metres from any street, requires a licence.
Do I need to register as a business to sell crafts?
When it comes to crafting, there are very few areas in which a licence is essential. If you are working with and selling alcohol, food or have a business premise that isn't your home, you may need a licence. Otherwise, it is mostly acceptable for a small business to simply register with HMRC and begin trading.
What is the Law for Selling Handmade Items in the UK? To register as a sole trader, you must be self-employed and have your own business. You don't have to register the name you are going to trade under, but if you want to stop people from trading under your business name you'll have to register it as a trademark.
Do I need business insurance to sell on Etsy? Put plainly, no. You are not legally required to take out any form of insurance before selling your handmade crafts on Etsy. That being said, it is generally a good idea to at least consider purchasing online retailer insurance before selling on this platform.
To run a fully protected craft workshop, you'll need Public Liability Insurance. This type of cover will allow you to be covered from legal action and large costs due to damages.
If you're running a craft fair as a market trader, you're also working a lot with the public – and accidents can happen. Public liability insurance can help protect your business in case of third-party injury or damage, maybe caused by a trip or slip over your stall, or injury caused by one of your products.
As long as you have public liability insurance and a valid and clear DBS we'd love to hear from you. We give free stalls to workshops to encourage a range of creativity at our events. Please email us with information of what you do.
With single day public liability insurance, you can get the coverage you need without committing to a long-term policy. Short-term public liability insurance is a flexible and cost-effective option that can provide coverage for a range of events and activities, including trade shows, exhibitions, and one-off gigs.
You can sell handmade online via your own store built with a platform like Shopify, on third-party marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, with niche sites like Etsy and Big Cartel, and on social media sites like Instagram and Facebook.
Do I need to register my craft business with HMRC?
As a new business owner, you'll also need to deal with HMRC. It's important that you register as self-employed so you can pay your taxes. Then you'll need to keep up with tax deadlines for your business, filing your tax return and paying your bill on time (including corporation tax if you establish a limited company).
Many craft business owners sell at local craft markets or through partnerships with local merchants. Others join an online marketplace like Amazon Handmade or Etsy. You can also start an online craft business by launching your own online store. You don't need an expensive and complicated website to get started.
You need an alcohol licence from your local authority to sell alcohol at an event. You may also need a temporary event notice. Check for any restrictions on selling alcohol in: your charity's governing document.
Etsy doesn't require sellers to have a business licence to sell on Etsy. However, when selling on Etsy you're required to follow any laws that apply to you as a small business selling online.
If you want to sell handmade crafts, at a specific site on municipal land, you need to have an artisan vending license. The availability of municipal sites will vary from year to year.
Do you need public liability insurance for selling on Etsy?
In a word, no, selling your products on Etsy, there is no requirement to have insurance; that doesn't mean you should sit back, relax and hope everything is good.
Etsy's marketplace includes handmade items, vintage items, and craft supplies. Reselling is only allowed in the vintage and craft supplies categories. Everything listed in our Handmade category must be made or designed by you, the seller. Reselling is not allowed in Handmade.
Simply take the number of hours it took you to make the product, multiply it by your hourly rate, and that's how much you should charge for the item! For example, let's say that you spend 2 hours making a pair of earrings. Using an hourly rate of $12.50, you would charge $25 for the earrings ((2 x 12.50) = 25).
