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What can I sell on Folksy?

About you and your business

You must be a self-representing artist, designer or maker AND resident in the UK to sell on Folksy. 

Sellers of small-scale crafts supplies, who are resident in the UK, are also permitted.

If you are a group, collective, charity, social enterprise or similar, please email us at support@folksy.com before setting up your shop to ensure you are eligible to sell on Folksy.

About Folksy
I'm not in the UK, can I sell on Folksy?


About your products

This page outlines the criteria for what is allowed to be listed on Folksy and also some specific examples of what is not allowed. This content constitutes our policy on "handmade" as referred to in the Terms of Use.

Folksy polices the policy on handmade through a process of moderation - sampling products and reviewing items that are reported.  

Defining 'handmade' is difficult and we continually look for ways to improve this definition so it is easy to understand and workable. If you have suggestions on how to improve our definition of handmade we'd love to hear them - please do let us know by raising a support ticket.  


Handmade goods

At least one of the following criteria must be met to list an item on Folksy:

  • Majority Handmade: The item is handmade by you through a craft practice, for example knitting (either using a pattern you have created or one that you have permission to use) or woodturning or sewing. See or full list of Supported Craft Practices. Jewellery that has been made using mass-produced beads and charms are allowed, however the pieces must feature more than one bead or charm in order to meet our policy on ‘assembled’ jewellery (see Section 2 below).
  • Original Artwork: The item is an original piece of art (eg painting, illustration, sculpture, print) created by you. Digital artwork, decals and reproductions of your own original art (eg on greetings cards, mugs and phone cases) are allowed, even if you have outsourced the printing.
  • Original Design: The item is your own original design. For example, we allow items that have been either 3D printed, lasercut or made by a machine but these must be your original, unique design not somebody else's or a copy of someone else’s. For items that could be considered 'Industrial Design', see Section 3 below. Clothing and accessories that have been designed by you but made by a tailor or seamstress may be allowed if you can demonstrate that the design is unique to you, and that the pattern or print is your own original design. 


Craft supplies

You can sell craft supplies on Folksy, whether the items are handmade by you or mass produced, as long as they don’t break any laws within the country of origin and the sales destination. Supplies can be anything which can be used for crafting. 

Pre-bought items that you are re-selling must be listed in the 'commercial supplies' category.
Supplies that you have made yourself can be listed in the 'handmade supplies' category.

You must list your item as a 'Supply' if it is one of the following:

  • a commercial supply
  • a handmade supply such as buttons, fabric etc.
  • a kit
  • a pattern or tutorial 
  • found items being sold as a craft supply, eg driftwood, sea glass, stones and fossils


Specific examples of things you can’t sell on Folksy

To make things a little easier, we’ve also compiled a list of things that cannot be sold on Folksy, below. Please do read through this list as we won’t be able to refund any items that are listed on Folksy that breach this list of prohibited items. Thanks for looking and helping us keep Folksy the best place for handmade work in the UK.

1. Items which infringe copyright

See our copyright page for information on copyright infringements including a list of known products and terms.

2. Assembled items

We don’t allow items on Folksy that have been simply ‘assembled’ from mass-produced components with little or no original design involved, for example:

  • Nappy cakes, gift baskets etc.
  • Assembled jewellery, where the defining characteristic of the item is the charm or mass-produced piece on it, for example, a mass-produced charm attached to a chain. An exception here would be simple earrings with a single bead or charm.

3. Printed Items

Mass-produced items - like mugs, t-shirts, phone cases, cushions, keyrings or plastic water bottles - that have basic text, clip art or licensed images added are not allowed.  

However, items that feature reproductions of your own original art are allowed, even if you have outsourced the printing. 

Items that feature typesetting or which combine a number of elements that demonstrate original design are also allowed. 

Items that feature a buyer's own photographs must also demonstrate an element of original design. 

4. Industrial Design

Functional items that have been designed specifically for mass production are not suitable for sale on Folksy - even if they are your own design. For example, lamps, chairs, clocks, cutlery or radios and electronic devices that have been designed to be manufactured at scale in factories, rather than by hand, are not allowed. 

5. Vintage Items

Vintage items can only be sold on Folksy if the item is:

  • Upcycled (its original function has been significantly altered)
  • Re-upholstered
  • Painted, printed or decoupaged.

Refurbishing and restoration of an item such as furniture is not classed as a significant change and therefore not suitable for sale on Folksy, and we therefore exclude all simply repaired, cleaned, polished, or waxed furniture.

6. Handmade items that have not been made by you

You must have made the product you are selling (unless it is a commercial craft supply), or you must be able to prove that you designed the product.
Folksy supports individual designers and makers, Folksy does NOT support re-sellers.

7. Adult content, swearing and pornographic items

Items which are deemed to be pornographic or of an “adult nature” (interpretation of which is determined by Folksy) are prohibited. If unsure you are recommended to contact us before listing.

Items featuring swear words are allowed on Folksy but we do ask that item titles/descriptions and the first image of each listing are family friendly in case young children are browsing the site unsupervised. You must remove the first vowel from any use of swear words in the title and description. You must also edit the main product image for these items to cover up (eg with a star), block out or completely blur the vowel. You can have an uncensored image as the second image if you wish.

8. Illegal or hazardous or dangerous Items

Items which have been gained illegally or which are stolen or for which it would be illegal to trade (eg drugs, items sold as toys without the necessary license, copyrighted work or reproductions of copyrighted work without permissions). Hazardous or dangerous such as weapons, knives or chemicals are not allowed - this includes 'craft knives'. Weapon-related items are also not allowed.

9. Non handmade/homemade foodstuffs

Only homemade food can be listed.

10. Found Items

Found items such as driftwood, stones or fossils can be sold on Folksy but can only be sold as a supply, not a handmade item. Exceptions to this would be if the driftwood has been made into something new (eg a chandelier) and the use of techniques such as lapidary when a stone or mineral is formed by carving or polishing and made into a decorative item. These items can be listed as handmade.

11. Human or Animal parts

We do not allow items made using real animals or animal parts [eg taxidermy or real fur].
Human or animal ashes may not be sold, however sellers may create items (for example, jewellery) that incorporate ashes provided by the buyer. 

12. Plants

We do not allow the sale of plants, except where plants, flowers or foliage have been used to create a handmade piece, such as a wreath or a corsage. 

13. Music & Film

We don’t allow the sale of music, film, CDs, DVDs, other music-related or film-related items, with the exception of tutorial DVDs which can be listed under Supplies.

14. Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages (which, by law, require a license to sell) are not allowed to be listed or sold on Folksy.

15. Nicotine, E-cigarettes and E-liquids

Any products which contain nicotine are not allowed to be sold on Folksy. Additionally we do not allow vaping equipment including e-cigarettes or e-liquids, whether or not they contain any nicotine.

16. Hate

We are not willing to host products that promote hatred or bigotry, or support organisations which are involved in campaigns that are intimidating to members of any group or section of the community.

17. AI-generated artwork

We do not allow artwork that has been generated using AI software.

Our intention with this handmade policy is to provide a buying experience that meets or exceeds the expectations of our audience. Folksy customers want to see things that are handmade, and our policy aims to reflect this. If you are still unsure, please contact Folksy Support with examples of your work.

We reserve the right to update or amend this list at any time and without warning.

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