How to set up a site to sell homemade products
The common problem for those selling homemade products is this: orders on WhatsApp, recipe in head, money in notebook. As orders grow, which cake is ready and which payment is missing becomes unclear. This guide explains how to set up a site for a homemade business to take orders — works for baked goods, home-cooked meals, handmade items, cosmetics, all the same blueprint.
Four problems your site solves in home production
- Order record — who, what, when, how many, which address.
- Capacity — if you can make 10 cakes a day, you shouldn't accept the 15th order.
- Payment — cash on delivery and card available at the same time.
- Returning customer — who ordered twice, who disappeared.
Three decisions when building your catalog
Portion/size variants. "Small / medium / large," "serves 6 / serves 10" options are defined as variants on one product — no need to create a separate product for each size.
Preparation time. In home production, the product isn't on a shelf. Writing "order 2 days in advance" in the product description ends the argument before it starts.
Don't hide the price. "Price via DM" is the number one customer-losing practice; even a price range increases conversion.
Detail: Add a product · Generate products with AI
Delivery: where most mistakes happen
- Keep the zone tight. Start with your neighborhood and two adjacent districts; expanding is easy, shrinking is hard.
- Write delivery cost. Surprise shipping at checkout is the number one reason for cart abandonment.
- Delivery day/time. In home production, offering a window like "tomorrow 2–6 PM" is more realistic than "shipped."
- Fragile/cold chain items — add delivery notes to the product page if needed.
Detail: Receive cash on delivery orders
Payment: cash on delivery + card together
In home production, a new customer trusts you less — cash on delivery lowers the barrier; a regular customer prefers card. Turn on both.
For high-value custom orders (engagement cake, bulk order) take a deposit: send a payment link in the chat.
Detail: Get paid by card · Create a payment link
Running the order flow
When an order arrives, you see it in the panel; you move it forward as preparing → shipped → delivered. Cash-on-delivery sales count as revenue when delivered — don't count undelivered orders as earnings.
Detail: Manage your orders · Invoice your orders
Photos: in this business, product photography IS the product
- Shoot in daylight, plain background.
- Show scale (cup or hand nearby) — "serves 6" stays abstract otherwise.
- Show cross-section (cake, pastry) — inside stuffing sells.
- Always replace template photos with yours.
Detail: Change images on your site
Common mistakes
Not accounting for capacity. Accepting 40 orders in a holiday week but delivering only 25 costs more reputation than you gained money.
Not writing allergens and contents. In food, this is both trust and responsibility.
Staying only on Instagram. Instagram is your window, but order record belongs on your site. See Move Instagram sales to your site
Not keeping customer list. One message before a holiday is the cheapest sales channel. See Send email to your customers
Frequently asked questions
I don't have a company. Can I still sell? Setting up is no obstacle; tax and food regulations are your responsibility to verify locally.
Can I take prepayment for orders? Yes — via payment link for a deposit, full payment by card, or cash on delivery.
Can I set size/portion options? Yes, as variants on one product.
Can I issue invoices? Yes, branded PDF invoices generate automatically from orders and email to customers.