Hobbystore as a webshop: that's how you do it

Maybe you have also thought seriously about it: making money with your hobby by, for example, setting up a webshop. That is not at all crazy, because countless Dutch people preceded you. Your own webshop does not have to cost much time and money, and it can still provide a nice extra income in addition to your normal income. If you can also combine such a webshop with your hobby, then of course you are completely crazy.

Turning your hobby into extra income

Many hobbies are perfect to serve as the basis for a nice extra income. Whether you like to make woolen scarves or repair electronics, you can hardly imagine that there are webshops for that. For example, have you ever had Diamond Paintings heard? As long as it is creative, there is probably a market for it and you can convert your hobby into extra income.

How to start

Once you have decided to try to make money with your hobby, the trickiest part starts: starting. First of all, ask yourself if you yourself are a little handy with software packages and programming (or want to invest time in learning them). If that is not the case, or if you just want to outsource this, you will initially have to spend a little more money on setting up your webshop.

Which of the two situations also applies to you, setting up a webshop does not have to cost a lot of money and effort. Ready-made web shops can be purchased from countless online parties that offer unlimited aftercare and service. You are then bound to a subscription with recurring costs. That of course does not have to be a problem, because you will also earn money with your webshop.

You become an entrepreneur

Once you have built or purchased your webshop, realize that you are a formal entrepreneur. Even if you only sell one pair of woolen socks a month, the Tax Authorities will soon see you as an entrepreneur if you earn money through an online webshop. So register with the Chamber of Commerce and make sure you meet your obligations: General conditions, a VAT number on all your invoices, and so on. It's not that hard, but make sure you do it right the first time. Here you can read our tips to start as an entrepreneur.

Working on your passion

After all those formalities, the best part starts: getting started with your passion! Just to elaborate on those Diamond Paintings: people will send you their favorite photos so that you can get one Own Photo Diamond Painting can make of, just to mention an example. You are busy with your passion every day, so doing business may not feel like work at all.

What will distinguish you as a hobbyist entrepreneur is that you understand your customers well - after all, you are your own target group, because you sell (the products of) your own hobby - and that you have a great deal of business knowledge. This makes it easy to offer customized service, to ensure a good range and to ask for a fair price.

But is there not much hassle and administration involved in running your own webshop? Sometimes you will indeed have to resolve complaints and a bookkeeping will have to be kept. And yes, you don't do the tax return for fun either. But the majority of the time you are busy with your hobby, and if all goes well, it makes up for everything.