Tools to Run Your DIY Craft Kit Business
Running a DIY craft kit business means managing inventory, fulfilling orders, communicating with customers, and handling finances—often while working from home or a small workspace. The right software and tools let you automate repetitive tasks, stay organized, and scale without hiring a full team. You don’t need expensive enterprise software; most successful craft kit businesses start with affordable or free tools and upgrade as revenue grows.
Below are the essential categories of tools you’ll need, along with specific options that work well for this business model.
Invoicing and Payment Processing
Square Invoices lets you create and send professional invoices to wholesale customers or corporate bulk orders in seconds. It tracks which invoices are paid and sends automatic reminders for overdue payments. For a craft kit business selling to schools or businesses, this saves hours of back-and-forth.
Stripe processes online payments directly from your website or checkout page. You pay a small per-transaction fee (around 2.9% + 30 cents) but avoid merchant account setup fees. It integrates with most ecommerce platforms and handles both credit cards and digital wallets.
PayPal is the most widely recognized payment option and offers similar transaction fees. Many customers trust PayPal, and it’s simpler to set up than Stripe if you’re just starting out. You can also use PayPal’s invoicing feature for B2B sales.
Ecommerce and Online Store
Shopify is the most popular platform for selling physical products online. You get built-in inventory tracking, automatic order notifications, shipping label generation, and integration with social media. Plans start at $29/month, though you’ll pay transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments. For a craft kit business, Shopify handles the complexity of managing multiple product variations (different kit themes, age ranges, price points).
Etsy is ideal if you’re selling directly to consumers who actively browse handmade and craft products. You pay $0.20 per listing (renewed every four months) and 6.5% transaction fees, but you benefit from Etsy’s built-in audience. Many DIY craft kit sellers use Etsy alongside their own website to capture impulse buyers.
WooCommerce is a free plugin for WordPress websites that turns your site into a store. You control hosting and pay no monthly platform fee, but you’re responsible for security updates and backups. It’s best for sellers who already have web hosting and are comfortable with WordPress.
Order Fulfillment and Inventory Management
TrackStock (or similar inventory management software) helps you monitor stock levels across multiple sales channels. It alerts you when inventory runs low so you never over-sell or disappoint customers. For craft kit businesses with 5+ product variations, this prevents costly mistakes.
ShipStation consolidates orders from all your sales channels (Shopify, Etsy, your website, Facebook) into one dashboard. You can print shipping labels in bulk, compare carrier rates, and automate tracking notifications to customers. At $9.99/month (plus per-shipment fees), it saves time if you’re shipping more than 10 orders per week.
Printful is a print-on-demand and fulfillment partner that manufactures and ships your kits directly to customers. You upload your designs, set your markup, and Printful handles production and logistics. This eliminates inventory risk but reduces your profit margin (typically 20-40% lower than self-fulfillment) and limits customization.
Email Marketing
Mailchimp lets you build an email list and send newsletters, product announcements, and seasonal promotions to customers. The free plan supports up to 500 contacts and unlimited emails. For a craft kit business, email is one of your highest-return marketing channels—repeat customers often buy seasonal kits or gift sets.
ConvertKit is better if you plan to build authority through a blog or content marketing strategy. It’s designed for creators and makes it easy to segment subscribers and automate sequences. Plans start at $29/month, so consider this once you have an established email list (500+ subscribers).
Social Media Management
Buffer lets you schedule Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok posts in advance and track engagement metrics. The free plan schedules up to 10 posts, which is often enough for a small craft kit business. You can build visual content calendars and monitor which kit themes or seasonal products generate the most interest.
Later is specifically built for visual platforms and lets you plan your Instagram feed visually before posting. It integrates with Shopify so you can add shoppable links directly to your posts. This drives more direct sales from social media.
Project and Task Management
Asana helps you organize kit design projects, seasonal campaigns, and supplier communication in one place. You can set deadlines, assign tasks to team members or contractors, and track progress. The free plan works for solo operations; paid plans ($10.99/month) unlock more templates and automation.
Notion is a flexible workspace where you can build databases, checklists, and wikis for your business. Many craft kit entrepreneurs use Notion to track product ideas, supplier contacts, and customer feedback. It’s free for personal use and has a steep learning curve, but it’s powerful once you set it up.
Communication and Customer Support
Freshdesk consolidates customer emails, chat, and support tickets into one inbox. It’s useful once you’re handling more than 50 customer inquiries per month. The free plan supports basic ticketing; paid plans ($15/month) add automation and response templates.
Slack keeps your communication organized if you work with contractors, designers, or suppliers. You can create channels for product development, shipping issues, and seasonal planning. The free plan is limited to 90 days of message history, so upgrade to the Pro plan ($8/user/month) if you need to reference past conversations.
Accounting and Bookkeeping
Wave is free accounting software that tracks income and expenses, generates profit-and-loss statements, and calculates quarterly taxes. You can also invoice clients and track payments. For a craft kit business under $100,000 in annual revenue, Wave is all you need to stay organized for tax time.
QuickBooks Online is the industry standard and offers more advanced reporting, multi-user access, and integration with banks and payment processors. Plans start at $15/month. Consider this once you’re profitable and want detailed financial analysis or plan to hire an accountant.
Cloud Storage and Collaboration
Google Drive is free and lets you store designs, supplier contracts, and customer spreadsheets online. You can share folders with designers or contractors and collaborate in real time. For a craft kit business, Google Drive replaces expensive on-site servers.
Dropbox offers similar cloud storage with stronger version control and file recovery. The free plan gives you 2 GB; paid plans ($9.99/month) add team collaboration features and more storage.
Free vs Paid Tools
Start with free tools: Mailchimp (email), Buffer (social media), Wave (accounting), Google Drive (storage), and your ecommerce platform’s built-in features. This combination costs nothing and is sufficient for your first 3-6 months while you validate your business idea and establish product-market fit. Many successful craft kit businesses operated profitably at this level for over a year.
Upgrade to paid tools when you hit specific milestones: switch to Shopify when your free store slows you down or you exceed transaction limits; add ShipStation when you’re shipping 15+ orders per week; upgrade to Mailchimp’s paid plan once you have 1,000+ engaged subscribers. This approach keeps costs low while you’re learning and scales spending alongside revenue.
The Minimum Tech Stack to Launch
- Ecommerce platform — Shopify, Etsy, or WooCommerce to list and sell kits
- Payment processor — Stripe or PayPal to collect money from customers
- Email marketing — Mailchimp to capture customer emails and announce new kits
- Accounting — Wave to track revenue and expenses for tax purposes
- Cloud storage — Google Drive to organize designs, contracts, and supplier info
These five tools cover sales, payments, customer communication, financials, and organization. You can launch and run a profitable craft kit business with only these, adding specialized tools later as your revenue and complexity grow.