Online shop for potters and ceramicists: selling your pieces on the internet

You throw, you glaze, you fire. And then you wait for the next pottery market to sell. An online shop is a stall that stays open all year round, and it doesn’t mind the rain or the wind.

123Ventes is designed for craftspeople who would rather be in the studio than at the computer. Here is how an online shop answers the questions that come with being a potter.

One-off pieces, sold only once

A hand-thrown bowl has no twin. In your shop, you set the stock to 1: as soon as the piece is sold, it can no longer be ordered. Nobody pays for a vase that has already gone home with someone else.

You can leave the sold piece online, marked “Sold”. Your visitors see your work and how regularly you sell, without being able to buy it. It is a bit like a gallery, on top of your shop.

Do you also make series, such as mugs or plates? Enter the real stock, and offer the variants (glaze colour, size) as options on a single product page.

Sorted by technique, just like the studio

Stoneware, porcelain, raku, earthenware, terra sigillata: your customers are not all looking for the same thing. You sort your pieces by technique, by use (tableware, decoration, sculpture) or by collection. A raku lover goes straight to the raku, without scrolling past your salad bowls.

Photos that do justice to the glaze

Online, the customer cannot pick the piece up. The photo has to do it for them. Each product page takes a main photo and four views: front, side, top and bottom. Show the foot, the signed base and the texture of the glaze.

• Take your photos near a window, in daylight, without flash.
• Use a plain background, light grey or linen, that doesn’t steal the show.
• Add a photo of the piece in a hand or on a table: a sense of scale reassures people.
• Give the dimensions and the capacity. “Small bowl” means nothing, “12 cm, 30 cl” does.

A short video of the piece turning, or of you at the wheel, can also go with the product page.

Shipping without breakage

This is the great fear of every ceramicist who sells online. A few simple rules keep nasty surprises to a minimum:

• Choose tracked home delivery, such as Colissimo, for fragile or expensive pieces. Pick-up points are better suited to small, sturdy pieces.
• Wedge the piece in a double box, with at least 5 cm of padding all round. Nothing should move when you shake the parcel.
• Weigh the piece packed, not bare: that is the weight the carrier charges for. Your shipping costs are then worked out automatically, by weight band.
• Plan for breakage in your terms of sale: a photo of the parcel on arrival, then a replacement or a refund. A customer who is well looked after after a breakage comes back.

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

Collection from the studio

For large pieces, storage jars or full dinner sets, nothing beats collection on site. The customer orders online, pays, and comes to pick up the piece at the studio. No box, no carrier, no breakage. And they discover your other pieces on the way.

Made-to-order pieces

A dinner service in the customer’s colours, an urn, a personalised piece: you show a making time on the product page, for example “6 weeks”. The customer knows that throwing, drying and firing twice takes time. They won’t chase you after three days.

Selling your classes and workshops too

Many potters earn as much from workshops as from pieces. A beginners’ class, a day at the wheel, a raku weekend: each one can become an item in your shop, with the date, the length and the number of places in stock. Students pay online when they sign up, and you no longer have to chase deposit cheques.

And if you have written a book, it sells very well alongside your pieces. Josy Dienot, a ceramicist in Pau, sells her pieces there along with her 608-page book on glazes: see her profile on the references page.

From the market to the shop

The pottery market is still your best place to meet people. The online shop carries it on. Print your shop’s address on your business cards, your labels and a small poster with a QR code on your stall. The visitor who hesitates in front of a vase can order it three days later, from the sofa.

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 € piece paid by card. If you would rather not do anything yourself, 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 ceramics online?

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

What should I do if a piece arrives broken?

Ask for a photo of the parcel and the piece, then make a claim with the carrier if the delivery was tracked and insured. Set out the rule in your terms of sale, so that everyone knows it before buying.

Can I sell abroad?

Yes. You choose the countries you deliver to and the rate for each one. For fragile pieces, start with your own country and its neighbours.

How long does it take to put my pieces online?

The shop is created in a minute. After that, allow about ten minutes per piece, photos included. Start with ten beautiful pieces, and add the next ones as they come out of the kiln.