How to make money from home in the UK by selling what you make (2026)

The most reliable way to make money from home in the UK is to make something people already buy locally and sell it to your area: celebration cakes and bakes, home-cooked meals, fresh flower bouquets, gift hampers, candles and crafts, or upcycled homeware. Most can be started for under £300. Food needs free council registration 28 days before you sell; non-food products need to meet product safety and labelling rules. The first £1,000 a year is tax-free under the trading allowance. Cravers Eats is a free UK marketplace where home bakers, cooks, florists and makers each get their own shop and keep 95% of every sale.

The options, side by side

Prices are typical local selling prices in 2026 and vary a lot by area, quality and occasion. Start-up figures assume you already own the basic kitchen or tools.

How much can you realistically earn?

A Monzo survey of 2,000 UK side hustlers in 2026 put the average at about £470 a month. For makers, income comes down to three numbers: price per order, orders per week, and how many customers come back. Four £35 bouquets and two £60 hampers a week is roughly £1,000 a month in sales before costs; a home baker doing four celebration cakes a weekend can turn over £1,300–£1,900 a month. Occasional sellers (a few orders a month) usually land at £100–£300. Our guide to what home bakers earn works through the costs in detail; the same method applies to flowers and crafts.

The rules, by type

Selling food (cakes, bakes, meals, food in hampers)

Register with your local council at least 28 days before you start (it is free and cannot be refused) then do a Level 2 food hygiene course, have allergen information for everything, and get insurance. You do not need a commercial kitchen. Full detail: how to sell food from home legally.

Selling non-food products (flowers, gifts, crafts)

There is no licence or council registration for selling flowers, crafts or gifts from home. What applies is general consumer and product law: products must be safe, as described, and labelled with your name and address and any warnings. Some products have their own rules: scented candles (CLP hazard labels), soaps and bath bombs (they are cosmetics and need a safety assessment), toys (UKCA marking) and upholstered furniture (fire-safety labels). See selling handmade crafts from home and selling flowers from home.

Tax, for everyone

Up to £1,000 a year of trading income (sales before costs) is covered by the trading allowance, and usually doesn't need reporting. Above that, register as self-employed with HMRC and file a Self Assessment return. VAT only applies once turnover passes £90,000. Keep a simple record of sales and costs from the start.

Your home

Check your mortgage lender, landlord or tenancy agreement allows a small business from home. Planning permission is not normally needed unless the business changes the character of the property: lots of customer visits or deliveries, for example.

Where to sell

• Cravers Eats: your own shop in a local marketplace for independent sellers. Customers nearby order and pay by card; you keep 95% (card fees covered), joining is free and there are no monthly fees. Customers collect or you deliver locally: you set the area and fee. It suits things that are perishable, fragile, bulky or made to order: cakes, meals, bouquets, hampers, furniture. It does not handle posting items nationwide.
• Etsy, Folksy, Not On The High Street: national marketplaces for items you can post. Bigger audience, higher fees, and you pack and ship everything. See Cravers Eats vs Etsy.
• Instagram, Facebook and local groups: free and where most makers start, but every order is a conversation and payments are by bank transfer.
• Markets and craft fairs: good for being seen and getting feedback; you pay for the pitch whether or not you sell.

Most successful makers combine them: social media to be discovered, a shop link so orders arrive paid, and markets for seasonal peaks.

A four-week start

1. Week 1: pick three to six products you can make brilliantly and price from your costs plus your time. If you sell food, register with the council today: it is the 28-day clock.
2. Week 2: sort the paperwork for your type (hygiene course, labels, insurance, any safety assessment).
3. Week 3: photograph everything in daylight and open your shop.
4. Week 4: tell friends, local groups and your street. Take orders for two fixed days a week and grow from there.

Sources: Food Standards Agency guidance on registering a food business; GOV.UK product safety guidance; HMRC trading allowance and VAT thresholds; Monzo side hustle survey (2026); Cravers Eats seller terms. Last reviewed 2026-11-05.