Sell and showcase your work overseas
If you’re ready to think strategically about growing your craft business, it’s time to broaden your horizons. Look beyond the UK border and you’ll find the international market can provide profile-raising opportunities, creative development, sales, networking and regular income from interior designers and retail buyers.
To help you on your way, we’ve designed a free International Toolkit comprising of a PDF guidebook and downloadable resources.
Who is the International Toolkit for?
The resources on this page are designed to support:
- New exporters
- Makers who have lost confidence in trading overseas
- UK craft businesses of any scale seeking up-to-date advice on the international export of craft
What does the International Toolkit include?
Save the resources on this page to demystify business jargon, try out new templates and find useful links. Content includes:
- How to identify if your work is export ready
- How to find the best market for your work
- How to make an export plan
- Templates of documents for exporting
- Research links
- Glossary of Terms
- Case studies from real makers
London-based ceramicist Mia Chuang Brighton-based ceramicist, Eusebio Sanchez
“I realised that architects and interior designers were my target audience. When I visited Maison & Objet, I walked into the Craft Hall and just knew that this was where I wanted my work to be.”
- Sally Burnett, designer-maker
What should I do before exporting internationally?
- Research: Are their makers whose business you admire? Have they sold or shown work overseas? Delve deeper, speak to them, can you emulate a similar journey; if its trade shows, research further into these; if it is showing with galleries, identify what they sell (e.g. UK makers, ceramics), price point (does this match yours?), and application procedure.
- Plan: Next create a step-by-step plan of what you want to do and how you will achieve success. It’s worth creating a vision board and planning backwards from a deadline (e.g an event, an entry submission, deadline or product launch) and contacting a buyer about this.
- Visit: If you plan to invest time and money into selling overseas, it's worth spending upfront to make sure the opportunity (be it a market, trade show, gallery, residency or something else) is the right one for you. You never know, this small spend upfront may highlight opportunities that you had not considered and even save you money in the long run.
“Make sure your business is ready and has enough domestic credibility. Ensure your pricing is at a level that suggests quality”
- Jacob van der Beugel, ceramic artist
Who can I contact?
For further support or to request an alternative format to the information provided, please email makerdev@craftscouncil.org.uk
Good luck on your international journey!
