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If you sell what you make

Last updated: October 22, 2026

Many readers want to sell what they make and pay for their hobby. This page covers what you need to handle yourself before you sell.

The short version: nothing on Sawdust Smart is a promise that you'll make money, and nothing here is legal, tax, or safety advice.

No promise of earnings

  • We don't promise or predict any income. Nothing on Sawdust Smart means you will earn any particular amount, or anything at all, by building and selling our projects.
  • Most hobby sellers earn modest amounts. Many earn little or nothing after counting materials, fees, and their time, and some lose money, especially at first. Selling takes time beyond building: photos, listings, messages, packing, shipping, and staffing a booth.
  • Your results depend on you and your market. Your costs, skill, speed, tools, wood choice, finish quality, photos, reputation, location, the season, and where you sell all change what you can charge and how much sells.
  • Any example numbers are illustrations. Worked examples (like the made-up numbers in our pricing guide) show how the math works. They aren't typical results, and they aren't what you should expect.

Business rules are your responsibility

Rules for selling vary by country, state, county, and city. Before you sell, check:

  • Business licenses and registration. Many cities, counties, and states require a general business license, a DBA filing if you sell under a shop name, or both.
  • Sales tax. Many states require you to register and collect sales tax on sales you make directly, including at craft fairs and markets. Online marketplaces often collect sales tax for you, but not always for every sale or every kind of tax. Check with your state's tax agency.
  • Income tax. In the US, income from selling things you make is generally reportable, whether it's a hobby or a business. Ask a tax professional how it applies to you.
  • Zoning and home-business rules. Your city or county may limit home businesses, customer visits, signs, noise, or deliveries. HOA rules and leases may too.
  • Event and marketplace rules. Craft fairs, farmers markets, consignment shops, and online platforms (such as Etsy or Facebook Marketplace) have their own vendor rules, fees, and prohibited-item lists, and some require proof of insurance or a tax ID.

The US Small Business Administration's guide to licenses and permits is a good starting point. Outside the US, check your own country's rules.

Product safety: when you sell it, you're the manufacturer

When you sell something you built, you are generally treated as its manufacturer, and you're responsible for making sure it's safe and meets any rules that apply. Our build ideas are starting points for hobbyists building for their own use. We haven't tested any design, and we don't claim any design meets any safety standard. Pay special attention to these:

Children's products (CPSIA)

Under US law, a "children's product" is one designed or intended mainly for children 12 and under. Whether your piece counts depends on how you design, size, decorate, label, and market it, and on how buyers would see it. A plain step stool sold for general household use is usually treated differently from one sized for a toddler, painted with animals, or personalized with a child's name. If what you sell is a children's product, federal rules under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) generally require:

  • Third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab for the rules that apply, and a Children's Product Certificate (16 CFR part 1110 covers certificates).
  • Lead limits: total lead content in accessible parts of no more than 100 parts per million, and lead in paint and surface coatings of no more than 90 ppm (16 CFR part 1303). The CPSC has determined that some materials, including untreated and unfinished natural wood, don't exceed the lead content limits (16 CFR 1500.91), but paints, finishes, and metal hardware still matter.
  • Phthalate limits for children's toys and child care articles that contain plasticized parts, such as vinyl or soft plastic (16 CFR part 1307).
  • Permanent tracking labels on the product and its packaging, where practical, showing who made it, where and when it was made, and batch information.
  • Product-specific rules. For example, toys (including toy chests) must meet the toy standard (16 CFR part 1250), which covers things like small parts and lid supports.

Small batch registration: If you qualify and register each year with the CPSC as a Small Batch Manufacturer, you may get relief from third-party testing for some rules. To qualify for 2026, the CPSC's Small Batch registration page lists two conditions: prior-year gross revenue from all consumer products of no more than $1,480,296, and no more than 7,500 units of the product made in the prior year. Some older CPSC pages still show an earlier revenue figure; go by the registration page. Registration doesn't excuse you from meeting the rules themselves, and some rules (including lead in paint, small parts, and durable infant and toddler products) still require third-party testing. Start at the CPSC's Business Education pages and the Small Batch Manufacturer guidance.

Cribs and other baby and toddler furniture

Cribs, bassinets, cradles, high chairs, toddler beds, baby gates, changing tables, and other "durable infant or toddler products" have their own mandatory federal standards (for example, 16 CFR part 1219 for full-size cribs and part 1220 for non-full-size cribs). They require third-party testing (small batch status doesn't change that) and a product registration card (16 CFR part 1130). We strongly suggest not selling homemade versions unless you're prepared to meet those standards.

Furniture that can tip over (STURDY Act)

Furniture tip-overs injure and kill young children. Under the STURDY Act, the CPSC adopted a mandatory standard for clothing storage units (16 CFR part 1261, which incorporates ASTM F2057-23). It covers free-standing units with drawers or doors meant for storing clothes (dressers, chests of drawers, armoires, wardrobes, and similar) that are at least 27 inches tall, weigh at least 30 pounds, and have at least 3.2 cubic feet of enclosed storage. If you sell one, it must pass the standard's stability tests and carry the required warning label, and you must issue a certificate of compliance.

The standard doesn't cover bookcases and other shelving, but those can tip over too. For any tall or top-heavy piece, include an anti-tip kit suited to the buyer's wall and clear instructions to use it. See the CPSC's Anchor It! campaign.

Anything that touches food

Cutting boards, serving boards, bowls, and utensils touch food. In the US, finishes and coatings used on food-contact surfaces are regulated by the FDA as food-contact substances (for example, 21 CFR 175.300 covers resinous and polymeric coatings, and 21 CFR 175.105 covers adhesives). Keep in mind:

  • A cured finish isn't automatically food-safe. "Food safe once cured" is a common claim, but it isn't a legal standard, and it doesn't mean a finish is approved for food contact. Use products the manufacturer says are suitable for food contact (such as food-grade mineral oil) and follow the label.
  • Glue matters too. Use a glue the manufacturer says is suitable for (indirect) food contact.
  • Don't overclaim. Avoid words like "FDA approved," "non-toxic," "antibacterial," or "food safe" on your listings unless you can back them up.
  • Include care instructions (for example: hand wash, dry on edge, re-oil, no dishwasher).

Everything else

Load-bearing items (stools, benches, shelves, chairs) can fail and injure people. Don't make weight, strength, or safety claims you haven't tested. Use lead-safe paint on anything you sell: the federal lead paint limit also applies to furniture made for consumers (16 CFR part 1303). Check the CPSC recalls site for problems with similar products.

Consider product liability insurance

If something you sold hurts someone or damages property, you could be held responsible, even as a hobby seller. Homeowner's and renter's policies often exclude business activity. Consider talking to an insurance agent about general and product liability coverage. Some craft fairs and shops require it.

We're not your lawyer, accountant, or safety tester

Everything on Sawdust Smart is general information for hobbyists. It isn't legal, tax, financial, insurance, or product-safety advice, and rules change. For decisions about your situation, talk to a qualified professional and check the official sources. You use our build ideas and tips, and decide to sell, at your own risk. See our Terms of Use.

Questions or corrections: hello@sawdustsmart.com.