How Hard Is It to Run a Craft Business in Ireland?
People often imagine running a craft business as the dream job — doing what you love, setting your own hours, and selling beautiful handmade pieces at your own pace.
In reality, it’s a juggling act of creativity, logistics, paperwork, and the occasional mild panic when a courier goes missing with half your stock.
I’ve been at this long enough to know the truth: operating a craft business in Ireland is equal parts stubbornness, passion, and learning to stretch every euro until it squeaks.
The Myth of the “Easy Life”
From the outside, it looks peaceful — a tidy workshop, a few market stalls, maybe an online shop ticking away in the background.
What people don’t see are the twelve-hour days spent sanding, photographing, packing, updating websites, replying to messages, and still finding time to sweep up the mess before you lock up for the night.
It’s not just making things. It’s making things work.
The Real Costs Nobody Sees
Every handmade item carries more hidden costs than most customers realise.
There’s the timber or raw materials, the finish, packaging, website fees, card-payment fees, insurance, petrol for markets, and the power bill that makes you flinch every month.
By the time everyone else has taken their cut, there’s not much left.
Sometimes I joke that I’d earn more stacking shelves — but at least this way I get to decide which mistakes are mine.
Competing With Cheap Imports and Algorithms
The online world hasn’t made life easier. Type “handmade gift Ireland” into Google and you’ll find thousands of mass-produced imports claiming to be handcrafted.
Trying to stand out as a genuine maker feels like shouting into the wind while everyone else has a megaphone and a warehouse.
Even social-media algorithms play favourites — rewarding trends and reels instead of real craftsmanship. But you keep showing up, because you know someone out there still values the difference between handmade and machine-made.
Paperwork, Taxes & The Joys of Revenue.ie
Then there’s the admin.
Invoices, spreadsheets, stock control, tax returns — none of it creative, all of it necessary.
Revenue.ie is a wonderful website on the days it works, and a test of patience on the days it doesn’t.
You learn to speak fluent “bureaucrat,” because nobody else is going to fill out those forms for you.
Related Reads You Might Enjoy
If you’re self-employed — or thinking about taking that leap — you might enjoy these two:
● Why I’m Still Self-Employed (Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense) – an honest look at the ups, downs, and daily decisions that keep me doing it my way.
● The Madness and Freedom of Working for Yourself – because some days it really is both, often in the same hour.
Why I Still Do It
So why bother?
Because there’s nothing quite like handing someone a piece you’ve made and seeing them light up.
Because the world still needs real things, objects that last, that have a bit of soul.
And because, for all its chaos, this life still feels like freedom.
It’s not easy, and it’s definitely not glamorous, but it’s honest work.
Everything you see on my woodcraft site started as a rough block of wood, and every sale, no matter how small, keeps the lights on for another day.
Thanks for Reading,
David
More Titles for You to Read:
LEGO Star Wars Collector Sets That Deserve a Place in Your Display
Learning Irish the Wrong Way Leaves All Irish People Embarrassed
LEGO Star Wars Helmets Every Collector Should Own (and Where to Find Them)
Useful Amazon Tools and Gadgets Every Maker or Handyman Should Have
About the Author
I’m David Condon, a small business owner and blog writer based in Tralee, Co. Kerry. Running my own woodcraft business means I’ve seen first-hand how much confusion there can be around shipping times, delivery dates, and what “business days” actually mean. That’s why I wrote this post — to share a bit of what I’ve learned and hopefully save you some frustration.
Every so often I step outside the workshop to write about wider business topics like this one. If you’d like to know more, you can follow the link in the Note from the Author section below.
Every so often I step outside the workshop to write about wider business topics like this one. If you’d like to know more, you can follow the link in the Note from the Author section below or visit my About Me page to learn more.
💬 Note from the Author
This post was written specially for David Condon Finds. If you enjoyed it, you might also like my other projects:
Phoenix DVD Blog – where I write about DVDs, Blu-rays, and life as a collector
David Condon Woodcraft – my main site focused on woodturning and handmade Irish pieces
If you’d like to support my writing, you can do so through the Buy Me a Coffee button below. It helps keep these side projects going — thank you!
Like what you're reading? You can buy me a coffee — sure it’s cheaper than a pint!
Original content © David Condon Finds — Written by David Condon. Please credit and link if shared.
Comments
Post a Comment