Why it matters for a shop like yours
A lot of what small CNC shops make can be sold to people who will never drive by the shop: personalized tumblers, carved family signs, cutting boards, printed replacement parts, small machined parts. Selling online puts your work where buyers already shop, and it lets you take orders while the machine is running.
Opening a shop online doesn't guarantee orders. Each platform has its own rules, fees, competition and customer expectations. This page helps you pick where to start and set up listings that are clear, honest and easy to buy from.
Choosing where to sell
| Option | Good fit for | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| Etsy | Personalized and handmade items: engraved gifts, carved signs, decor, printed figures | Has rules about what counts as handmade and requires you to disclose production partners. Listing, transaction and payment fees apply. |
| Amazon Handmade | Handmade and customized items, often in higher volume | Requires an application and approval. Has its own fee structure and strict shipping and customer-service expectations. |
| Facebook Marketplace | Local pickup and larger items like big signs, furniture, and shop-made fixtures | Easy to start. Mostly local; meet safely and settle payment before handing over work. |
| Facebook & Instagram Shops | Showing a product catalog to people who already follow you | Set up through Meta's Commerce Manager. Features and checkout options vary by country and change over time. |
| Your own website shop | Repeat customers, custom orders, and anyone you send from social posts or your Google profile | You control the look and the customer relationship. You handle the traffic yourself. Payment processing fees apply. |
| Manufacturing marketplaces & supplier networks | Machine shops and serious 3D printing shops that make parts to a drawing | Examples include manufacturing partner networks like Xometry's, and supplier directories like Thomasnet. These usually vet your capabilities, equipment and quality process first. |
Check the current rules and fees yourself. Every platform changes its fees, requirements and policies. Before you sign up, read the platform's current seller fee page and seller policies, and work out what a typical order would cost you after fees and shipping.
Start with one. Pick the one platform that fits your best-selling item, get it running well, then add a second. Most one-to-three-person shops can't keep five storefronts up to date.
What you need
- 3 to 10 products you can make the same way every time, with a known cost and time
- Good photos of each (see C2): hero, close-up, scale, and ideally in use
- A price that covers material, machine time, your time, packaging, shipping and platform fees
- Shipping supplies and a scale
- A realistic production time you can meet in your busy season
- Written policies: returns on personalized items, damaged-in-shipping, and proof approval
- A business bank account or payment account for payouts
Step-by-step setup
- Choose your first platform using the table above. Read its seller terms and fee page.
- Create the seller account with your real business name, and match it to your Google profile and social pages.
- Write your shop policies using the templates below.
- Build your first listing for your best-selling item. Get it right before copying it.
- Photos: first photo on a plain background; then close-up, scale, personalization examples, and a photo that shows the options (wood species, tumbler colors, filament colors).
- Title: say what it is plainly. Include the item, the material and the main option. Example: "Personalized Engraved 20 oz Stainless Tumbler, Custom Name or Logo." Don't pile on unrelated words.
- Description: size, material, finish, care, what's included, what the buyer needs to send you, and production time.
- Personalization fields: use the platform's personalization box. Tell buyers exactly what to type and the character limit.
- Shipping: weigh the packed item, set shipping profiles, and set production (processing) time separately from shipping time.
- Test it. Have a friend place an order, or preview the listing as a buyer. Check that nothing is confusing.
- Copy the listing for similar items, changing the photos and details.
Packaging and production time
- Pack for the worst truck ride. Wrap corners on signs, protect engraved faces from scratching, box small parts so they can't rattle through.
- Put a card in the box with care instructions and how to reorder.
- Set production time for your busy season, not your slow week. Holidays, graduation and team seasons can bring a rush of orders all at once.
- Use vacation or pause settings when you're away or backed up, instead of taking orders you can't meet.
Copy-ready templates
Listing description
[Item] made in our [town], Oklahoma shop on our [CNC router / laser / 3D printer / mill].
• Material: [material]
• Size: [size]
• Finish: [finish]
• Personalization: [what you can add, character limit, font choices]
How to order: choose your options, then type your [name / text / date] in the personalization box. [For logos: after ordering, send your logo as an SVG, PDF or high-resolution PNG through messages.]
Production time: [X] business days before shipping. We'll send a proof for [logo orders / orders over X] before we start.
Care: [care instructions].
Personalization field instructions
Please enter exactly what you want engraved, with spelling and capitals just as you want them. Line 1: [ ] Line 2: [ ]. Max [X] characters per line. We engrave what you type, so please double-check it.
Reply to a custom-order message
Hi [name], thanks for reaching out. Yes, we can do that. To give you a price, could you send:
1. A photo, sketch or file of what you have in mind
2. The size you want
3. How many
4. When you need it
Once I have those I'll send a quote, usually within [one business day]. If it works for you, I'll set up a custom listing just for you.
Policy on personalized items
Because each piece is made to order with your personalization, we can't accept returns for change of mind or for spelling entered at checkout. If your item arrives damaged or we made a mistake, message us within [X] days with a photo and we'll make it right.
Weekly routine
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Daily, 10 min | Answer messages. Check new orders and personalization text before cutting. |
| Weekly, 30 min | Add or refresh one listing with new photos. Update stock and production time. Ask recent buyers for a review if the platform allows it. |
| Monthly | Look at which listings get orders and which don't. Improve the photos and titles on the weak ones. Recheck your prices against current fees and material costs. |
Checklist
- Platform chosen; current fees and seller policies read
- Prices include fees, packaging and shipping
- Shop name matches your business name everywhere
- Policies written: returns, damage, proofs
- Each listing: clear title, 5+ photos, size, material, finish
- Personalization instructions with character limits
- Production time realistic for your busy season
- Packaging tested
- Custom-order reply template saved on your phone
Common mistakes
- Pricing without fees and shipping, then losing money on every sale
- Too-short production time that falls apart in December
- Engraving personalization without reading it twice
- Stuffing titles with unrelated keywords so buyers can't tell what they're getting
- Using someone else's trademarked logos or characters. Platforms remove these listings and can close shops
- Taking custom work outside the platform's system when the platform's rules require orders to go through it
- Opening on five platforms at once and keeping none of them up
Notes by shop type
| Shop type | What's different |
|---|---|
| Wood carving & signs | Large signs are costly to ship. Consider local pickup through Marketplace or your own site, and list smaller sizes for shipping. Show wood species options clearly. |
| Laser engraving | Personalization fields matter most here. Use proofs for logos. Ask for vector logos (SVG, PDF, AI) up front. Only engrave logos the customer has the right to use. |
| 3D printing | Be clear on filament, color and strength. Printed items can warp in heat, so say so. Don't sell prints of models whose license doesn't allow commercial use. |
| Machining | Consumer marketplaces rarely fit. Look at manufacturing networks and supplier directories, which list your capabilities, materials, tolerances and certifications. Each has its own vetting, so read their current partner requirements before applying. Your own site with a file-upload quote form (see C5) is usually the core. |
Want Annie's to do this for you? We can set up your online shop or listings, write the product pages and add a shop to your website.