Online shop for woodworkers: selling your furniture and wooden objects on the internet

You plane, you join, you sand. Then you sand again, because the customer will run a hand over it. And to sell, you rely on word of mouth and trade fairs. An online shop is a shop window that stays open all year round, with no shavings on the counter.

123Ventes is designed for craftspeople who would rather be at the workbench than at the computer. Cabinetmaker, joiner, woodturner, maker of toys or chopping boards: here is how an online shop answers the questions that come with working wood.

One product page per object, options for the rest

The same table can come in oak, walnut or ash, oiled or varnished. No need to create six product pages. You offer the wood and the finish as options, with or without an extra charge. Walnut costs more? The customer sees the extra added as soon as they choose it, and you don’t have to do the sums again.

For one-off pieces, such as a bowl turned from an elm burl, set the stock to 1. Once sold, the piece can no longer be ordered. You can leave it online marked “Sold”: your visitors see what you can do.

Sorted by use, just like the workshop

The customer looking for a chopping board doesn’t want to walk through your chests of drawers. You sort your creations into categories and subcategories: furniture, kitchen, toys, decoration, turned objects. Everyone finds their section in two clicks, and the joiner doesn’t have to play museum guide.

Photos that show the grain

Online, the customer can’t stroke the tabletop. The photo has to do it for them. Each product page takes a main photo and four views: left, right, top and bottom. Show the joints, the edges and the underside of the drawer: that is often where you spot a good craftsperson.

• Take your photos in daylight, without flash, which flattens the colours of the wood.
• Try a low, raking light from the side: it brings out the figure and the grain.
• Add a photo of the object in use, in a room or in a hand: a sense of scale reassures people.
• Give the exact dimensions. “Small table” means nothing, “80 × 50 cm, 45 cm high” does.

A short video of a drawer sliding, or of you at the lathe, can also go with the product page.

Made-to-measure, with an honest lead time

A bookcase built to fit an alcove, a worktop, fitted furniture: the price depends on the project. The customer contacts you by phone or email, and you draw up the quote as usual. For the designs you make often, a product page with options and a making time, for example “8 weeks”, saves a lot of back and forth.

The customer knows that the wood has to be chosen, cut, joined and finished. They won’t chase you after three days.

Assembly instructions in PDF

A piece of furniture delivered flat should go back together without a dictionary. Each product page can carry a PDF leaflet: assembly plan, list of parts, advice on caring for the wood. The customer reads it before buying and finds it again afterwards. You get fewer phone calls on Sunday evenings.

Big furniture, small objects: two ways to deliver

A wardrobe doesn’t travel like a napkin ring. You choose the delivery options according to what you sell:

• Furniture and large pieces: collection from the workshop, or delivery by you in your area. The customer sees the workshop, and you see where your furniture ends up.
• Small objects (boards, spoons, toys, turned objects): Colissimo to the door or to a collection point, or a Mondial Relay pick-up point.
• Shipping costs are worked out by weight band and by zone. Weigh the object packed, not bare: that is the weight the carrier charges for.

The details of the carriers are on the delivery options page.

Toys and chopping boards: the rules before you sell

A wooden toy is not a decorative object like any other. Toys must meet safety requirements and carry the CE marking. Find out before you put them on sale, from your chamber of trades or your consumer protection authority (in France, the DGCCRF).

For chopping boards and kitchen utensils, the question is the finish. Check with its manufacturer that the oil or wax you use is suitable for contact with food, and mention it on the product page. Customers like to know what will be under their ham.

From the workshop to the trade fairs

Trade fairs and markets are still your best places to meet people. The online shop carries them on. Print its address on your business cards, your labels and a small poster with a QR code on your stand. The visitor who hesitates in front of an armchair can order it a week later, once they have measured the living room.

How much it costs

The subscription costs 29 € a month or 319 € a year, with hosting and the security certificate included. 123Ventes takes no commission on your sales: only your payment provider’s fees apply, about 1 € on a 50 € object paid by card. If you would rather stay at your workbench, the turnkey set-up costs 400 €. The details are on the pricing page.

Your questions

Do I need a special business status to sell my woodwork online?

You need a status that allows you to sell: self-employed, registered craftsperson or company. If you already sell at trade fairs or from the workshop, it is the same status. The online shop is simply one more way to sell.

How do I sell a piece of furniture that is too heavy for a carrier?

Offer collection from the workshop or delivery by you, and keep these options for the furniture concerned. The customer pays online, then you agree together on the day of delivery or collection.

Can I offer several types of wood for the same piece of furniture?

Yes. You set up the woods and finishes as options on the product page, with or without an extra charge. The customer chooses, and the price adjusts automatically.

How long does it take to put my creations online?

The shop is created in a minute. After that, allow about ten minutes per object, photos included. Start with ten beautiful pieces, and add the next ones as they leave the workshop.