Looking for craft insurance which is good value and tailored to your unique craft business needs can feel a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack…or like wading through treacle as you work through each website and insurance package. However, it need not be like that. If you are selling craft items and have landed here looking for insurance and you are short of time, read no further…we are a family business ourselves and communicate directly with our customers. No need for long call queues or anonymous call handlers. Pick up the phone (our number is at the top left of our home page) and you will find either Sam or Naomi at the other end, ready to hear about your business and answer all your questions about the best insurance for selling craft items. If you’d rather message us with your questions, fill in the form on the contact page. We’re here to help and look forward to hearing from you and delving into our decades’ worth of experience in insuring crafters to answer your specific questions.
If you have time to learn more, then read on…
Way back in 1986 we saw the need for crafters to have insurance tailored around their specific work and the risks involved, thus offering purpose-built insurance rather than spattering the target. We were, in fact, the first company to offer dedicated insurance to craft businesses. Over the following four decades we have built on that initial vision, with layer upon layer of experience, thus meaning that our policies are written out of years of first-hand knowledge of the risks involved in all areas of crafting.
While the technology has changed … when we started in the 1980’s applications were written on paper and sent to us in the post … our values and ethos haven’t. In fact, the intervening years have only affirmed and strengthened our initial vision. Our customers are of the utmost importance to us; without you we are nothing. We therefore aim to deliver the highest possible service, with attention to detail and focus on the individual needs of each business or crafter. If we can help, we will do so. Our good reputation has not been built by chance; we listen to our customers and make changes as and when required, improving our policies from the feedback you give us.
At Craft Insurance, we endeavour not to have a list of exclusions. If you are researching craft insurance, it is very important to look carefully at any policy you are considering making sure it doesn’t exclude the very product you make. For example, some policies will only cover the sale of branded soap, but not your own handmade bars. If your products comply with the applicable legislation, our policies cover you for soaps, bath bombs and cosmetics. Home sprays and reed diffusers are also often excluded by other companies and again, as long as they comply with relevant legislation, they are covered by our policies here at Craft Insurance.
Many of our customers have gone around the block or been messed around by other companies before they find us and once here, become part of the Craft Insurance family. Others have found they have overpaid. Because we have been working within the craft insurance arena for decades, we have a very good knowledge of the risks involved and can therefore write targeted policies based on what we know to be the specific, real risks, rather than hiking up the price to cover perceived risks or potential shortfall. Thus, we are able to save you money and make sure you get cover that is tailored to your specific crafting business.
How then, does our insurance work? Our basic package includes public liability insurance, product liability insurance and professional indemnity cover. Between them, this enables you to sell, demonstrate or teach your craft either from your home base or out and about. It covers you from any claims made by a member of the public that harm or injury has been caused by one of your products or because of an incident linked to your business. Even if it is not your fault, it can be costly defending yourself, and the insurance covers you for this and for any compensation required. Thus, you are covered both ways.
We don’t offer blanket insurance for craft fairs, but your own policy with us will cover you for fairs and markets. Our insurance covers you for selling anywhere in the U.K. both online and in person, and for worldwide sales, including USA and Canada (for sales up to £25,000). This basic package also covers you selling your products through other retailers, and rent-a-shelf arrangements. We don’t charge admin fees or cancellation fees, and you can spread your payment over twelve months at 0% interest.
Creating and selling craft items often begin as a kitchen table business, a side hustle to a main job. We always love to hear the stories of our customers, many of whom have grown from exactly this to fledgling businesses and then to sustainable businesses, employing others. At this stage, you will need to add employer’s liability insurance to your basic package. This is a legal requirement and covers you if any of your employees or volunteers, including family members, are injured as a part of their work.
The final add-on is business items and stock cover. This is optional, but as you grow it’s worth considering. You can cover raw materials, finished products, tools and electronic equipment used for your business, e.g. a laptop. For example, if a whole batch of stock was damaged in a flood, or equipment necessary for the running of your business was damaged, this insurance would be your back stop.
If you’re new to selling craft items, or are looking for a new package, take a look at our website. Then, pick up the phone or fill in the enquiry form and Sam or Naomi will be here to answer your questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
