Building Regina Creates™ has been a journey of constant learning and, lately, a lot of technical pivoting. Scaling a handmade business in 2026 means being present where the customers are, and simultaneously building a digital footprint for discoverability.
Let’s “just” say, it’s a lot of work and analytical thinking for one woman with a creative mind.
Finding the right vendor stalls for my Regina Creates™ brand and handmade business.
As you may remember from a previous post, I started offering all of my beautiful handmade treasures via my section in the Shopify Creative Hub, “Owl Hour Creative Studio.” It’s a beautifully designed webstore built on the Shopify platform. The Digital Dreamweaver, Noctedea, as she calls herself, did a wonderful job. The downside is that, just like my handmade business, it is new. Translation: no built-in traffic.
Being a new business owner and digital website creator, she has tweaked it more than a dozen times by now. In fact, at this point, she is planning on moving platforms while retaining the business name and URL, Owl Hour Creative Studio. Naturally, that affects me and my brand, Regina Creates™, as well.
Time for some analytical thinking.
Sub-domains and URL redirect time!
Building a brand like Regina Creates™ requires consistency. That means I can’t keep switching platforms and links around every time a “wild hair” pops up. I need to keep one link steady to point to my “Boutique Shop.” Not only that, but the URL needs to be reasonably short and fairly easy to remember.
For that reason, I created a sub-domain: https://shop.reginacreates.com (got to love the simplicity here). I have it set to forward and redirect to the long-tail URL of my vendor stall inside the creative hub. Once she flips platforms, all I have to do on my end is change the forwarding address, and everything else—including my business cards and marketing materials—stays the same for my customers.
Expanding my handmade business market options!
Don’t get me wrong, I really like my “Boutique” vendor spot, but right now it doesn’t have much targeted traffic yet. It has the whole “Oasis in a beautiful desert” feel to it. I can create magnificent handmade jewelry, cozy crochet wearables, adorable crochet stuffies, or even my hand-drawn greeting cards and mixed-media art —and list them for sale—but if nobody finds them, Building Regina Creates™ stays just a dream.
I needed an online marketplace with already existing traffic. Enter eBay!
My second sales lane, aka the handmade business vendors’ stall on eBay!
eBay may not be traditionally for handmade businesses, but it does have a section for them. More importantly, it is a mega-marketplace with millions of visitors ready to buy. Right now, an active and bustling online marketplace is what I need to get discovered, and help me build brand recognition, earn positive feedback, and—let’s not forget—make sales!
For that reason, I have decided to start listing some of my original handmade treasures in my little section on eBay! Currently, I am in the process of adding product listings. Even my OOAK crochet Elf hat has been transitioned with a new Title out of its original place inside the hub to its new home on eBay, complete with better product photography and listing info (but that’s a topic for another day). You can find my listings on eBay here!
Pros and cons for my eBay vendors’ spot at the moment!
Pros:
User-friendly listing setup and navigation.
Massive built-in traffic looking for a wide variety of goods.
Highly established and globally known platform.
Reasonable fees for the seller.
Current Cons for me personally:
Breaking the ice: Building trust and brand recognition from scratch to make those first sales.
The “No Sales / No Feedback” loop: Starting from zero on a new platform.
Steep competition: Competing with mass-produced products and low-price sellers.
Bargain hunters: Navigating a platform known for discounts while maintaining artisan value.
Learning curve: Figuring out sustainable price points, Auctions vs. “Buy It Now,” etc.
Future plans for my handmade business and building Regina Creates™ on eBay
The name “Regina Creates” was already taken by another vendor’s “About Me” on eBay, so I had to make a small change to it, but the profile clearly identifies me and my brand.
Update Edit April 17th 2026: As of last night I have an actual eBay Store set up and it looks great! You can find it at: ReginaCreates | eBay Stores. I believe that I even have a Newsletter and mini-blog feature there. Still trying to figure that out. If I am correct, i’ll be able to tell you about the products I list in that section. Fingers crossed.
Why make myself so much extra admin work? The answer is simple. I am building a whole digital ecosystem around my handmade business and brand. That includes, but is not limited to:
Flagship Blog: https://reginacreates.com
Boutique Vendor Stall: https://shop.reginacreates.com
eBay Vendor Stall: https://www.ebay.com/usr/reginalcreates/
Social Media Presence: My various community outposts.
Each piece is circling around the other and looping back into the center.
My current Social Media Presence in the building and fine-tuning stages!
I want to be really honest with you here: social media in 2026, with its constant algorithm shifts and platform-specific rules, is my personal nightmare! I am an artisan building her handmade business one bead, one stitch, and one brush stroke at a time—and I love it—but a professional marketer or influencer I am NOT!
There, I said it. It’s the truth. This is one of the hardest parts for me, but since I am building Regina Creates™ on sweat equity (due to not even having a shoestring budget for things like marketing), I must go through the slow learning process here, too.
At the moment, my social media presence consists of:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/reginacreates — This is only a few months old and currently sits at 179 followers and one review. I’m working to build engagement and community, but Facebook is notorious for wanting to keep traffic on its own platform.
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@reginacreatesArtisan — This one is less than a month old. I have a few shorts and videos up, and I’m even verified as a “human being” now! At this point, I have one lonely subscriber (want to help me out and subscribe?), and I am slowly learning how to navigate the YouTube Channel Jungle! (Say that 10 times fast—I dare you! :P)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reginacreates/ — Repurposed from a past incarnation, this is one of my two “dark horses.” I have 16 posts and 15 followers, but zero traffic. It’s a source of confusion and frustration, but as you know, I’ll end up turning this into a strong part of my handmade business ecosystem in due time.
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ReginaLCreates/ — My second dark horse, which I should probably call “the graveyard” at this point. With only one follower and no movement, this is another nemesis I must configure and conquer eventually.
I was planning on adding TikTok to the list, but honestly, right now, I just need to get everything else fully set up and working properly. TikTok—I am sorry, my future friend—you must wait!
Final thoughts and a question for you!
As you can see, there is a lot of analytical thinking required for such a creative person. I am starting to feel like a one-woman army here, and honestly, I still wish I could turn into Kali Ma with her multiple hands! Since that won’t happen anytime soon, I guess I just have to keep chipping away at the admin, marketing, and other backend tasks.
My question for you—I’d love to read your responses:
Which part of the handmade business aspect is or was the hardest for you starting out, and which of the social media platforms is your strongest lead or conversion funnel?
Bonus question: Do any of you happen to be in the hobbies and crafts industry? Would you be willing to help a woman in her 50s who is starting over? I would love the chance to earn a backlink from your website, directory, or blog as I continue building Regina Creates™.
Well, darlings, I have “talked your eyes off” enough for today.
Until next time! Have a fabulous weekend and upcoming week! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list, follow me on social media, share, like, and all that jazz!
Artisan Regina L.