Selling on NOTHS

[DreamyMeisme]

Hi all,

Hope you had a good weekend.

I'm thinking of applying to sell on "Not on the high Street". I wonder if any of you is selling there and could tell me what is like. Is it worth the high rates? Could you also give some tips on how to make a successful application?


Thanks
xelena

[ButterscotchBeesting]

Hi Xelena,

I'm not actually on Not on the High Street, but I have heard lots of positive things about it from makers who are. Quite a few NOTH sellers have told me they sell really well, especially around Christmas. You're right that the costs are high, but it might be worth asking them if there's a possibility of a better rate?

Sorry not to be more help, but I'll ask around and see if I can find out more.

Camilla x

[Former_Member]

Hi Elena,

I have been invited by notonthehighstreet to sell on there website so I will be joining them in the next few months (once I save up the ridiculous joining fee!).

Due to the amount of promotion they put into the site I think it will be a good for my business and less "promotional legwork" than it seems to be with Etsy.

Should you be successful I wish you all the very best of luck and of course once I'm joined up with them I'll return and report my findings!

Tori :)

[cecilyvessey]

Hi Xelena,

I've been selling on NOTHS for a year now and it brings in the bread and butter of my online sales. Other friends of mine who sell through there say the same. Especially at Christmas, it was crazy busy.
In terms of your application they will only accept you if they think your items are going to sell well. It's worth noting they put in time and effort to help you getting your storefront, items and descriptions to meet the NOTHS brand level and they won't do that unless they think they can make money form you!
It may also be worth adding products to your range directed at selling through there. Things like personalised items are a big hit if you are set up to do that. I see that you sell cards and prints so it might be worth thinking how you can tweak designs to meet their criteria. I hear that directing products at items for kids, with their names on etc sell really well too. Before applying spend a bit of time on their site and think how and where you items would fit in. Find sellers who sell things similar to yours and try and work out why they work and how you can fit alongside them.
Once you have applied, and if you are accepted it's a good tactic to say no at first for a reason like 'my business isn't quite ready' then keep you eye out for e-mails with discount offers as when they want you they send out offers for up to £100 off the membership fee. They also offer a slightly smaller one off fee for a higher percentage cut of each sale.

Some other Crafty Foxers sell through there so it might be worth messaging them or if you are coming to the market asking sellers on the day.
I hope that helps a little bit!

X

[LucyLovesThis]

Hi Guys,

I've been selling with them for just over a year and it was the best decision I've ever made for my business. Like Cecily said, Christmas time is just insane - nothing can prepare you for just how busy it gets.

Yes its a big upfront fee, but I think I made it back in a couple of weeks, and I really do feel the amount they invest in marketing and growing your brand makes the commission worth it. Although it very much depends on the prices of your products, I think if you mainly sell cards it would make it very difficult to make the margins work once you lose the commission - so you have to price items wisely!

Lucy x

[StormTeacup]

Hello!

I would echo what the guys above have said - joining NotOnTheHighStreet was the best move for my business so far.

I actually applied about 3 years ago and was turned down but I can now say that's a good thing and I know why they did it. One reason is my product photos weren't up to scratch.
NotOnTheHighStreet have high standards but that means it's renowned as a trusted place to buy truly beautiful items and subsequently I feel they attract customers who are looking for something truly special, not just a cheap bargain. Their customers are happy to pay for quality items.

I then reapplied, was accepted and had my shop up and running by May last year. The fee is expensive but I would say that I had made that back in under 3 months of selling with them. They take 25% commission per sale too but it is still profitable due to the sheer volume of sales they generate, especially at Christmas. And you can price your items to take the commission into account.

It takes some time to get the shop up and running to the right level but they give you plenty of help and I find the user-interface really easy to use with all information, statstics and financial figures readily available.
They are also market leaders in doing research, promoting and advertising (they're even advertising in TV and London Underground now!) and they help vendors create listings that will be easy for customers to find.

One piece of advice for a successful application is to make your photographs as luxurious as possible. They're big fans of "lifestyle" shots and products in-situ and in beautiful surroundings. Take a look at other vendors on there for inspiration!

And Cecily is right, they do sometimes have seasonal promotions where the membership fee is reduced!

Hope that helps!
Jennifer x

[WildMoonCrystalShop]

Hi Lucy, 

Thanks for your advice. As this is such an old feed, I was wondering if you still think this is the case for 2025? Do you still sell successfully on NOTHS and is still worth selling on? 

Many thanks!

Kristie x

[DreamyMeisme]

Ey, thanks for all those details. I feel quite excited about applying now -and ready to do some preparation work.

I have also enjoyed looking at your shops on NTOHS. They are fantastic and very inspiring.

Please feel free to join in, anyone with more experiences to share.

Elena xx
This time the kisses go after to avoid confusions -my entire fault!! :))

[Former_Member]

Hi Elena!

Nice to find you here as well. I'm a much newer seller on NOTHS (I think I mentioned it to you at the Studio 73 market at Christmas). I joined in December 2012. Because it was right before Christmas I didn't quite get there in time for the Christmas rush, but even so I made a lot of sales. I was going to the post office every day with something!

I've not had as much experience at the guys above, but I will say that it's been great to get a bit of income from them every two weeks. It's tough getting everything set up on the site - lots of work and they are really strict, so just be prepared for that work. I am selling individual cards on there and I really need to stop - after NOTHS take their percentage and I post it I make so little. So I'd recommend focussing on selling your prints and calendars and not smaller items.The personalised things are a real hit and so I think it's well worth thinking about how you can do that like Cecily said above.

Your stuff is beautiful and I think would sell really well - go for it, I say! I've heard lots of positive stories. I'm yet to see massive sales, but I hope I will once my new range comes out in March.

See you soon!

Rachel

[DreamyMeisme]

Hi Rachel,

Great to see you here too! I was wondering if you were in the team.
Yes, I'm going to give it a try. I can't wait to get my stuff ready for the application.

Thanks a lot everyone.

Elena

[Former_Member]

Great! Go for it :)

See you soon,
Rachel

[Former_Member]

I applied for them late last year & got accepted pretty quickly, but then nearly did a poo in my pants at the joining fee. After that I did a lot of research & asked a lot of people about them. Got mixed reviews, but the negatives were generally from people who sold low priced items or from people who hadn't taken the percentages into account before selling.

I think if you can afford the joining fee, understand how much you will actually make after NOTHS take their share, and your don't sell anything at low prices, it's worth it.

I can't afford it myself but I'd apply if I could, and I'd just stick to selling things with a good mark-up.

[ButterscotchBeesting]

Elena! I'm so sorry for the extra X.

Good luck with your application. Just shout if you need any more advice or help. I hope it all goes well. I'd love to hear what happens both with your application and sales if you do decide to join.

Xamilla (Gave myself an extra X there too to make up for it)

[Former_Member]

I have thought about applying, but don't see my shop to be fully ready for it, just yet. But we're all growing.

Can anyone give some examples of the joining fees? It seems as if the website doesn't give any information, sadly.

[Former_Member]

The pack they sent me quoted two options:

1: Joining fee of £575+VAT with 25%+VAT on all sales.
2: Joining fee of £450+VAT with 30%+VAT on all sales.

That's why I nearly pooped my pants.

[Former_Member]

oh my oh my!
ehm,
i'm out of words.

[DreamyMeisme]

Yeep, that's quite a lot.

I think they vary their fees. Not sure depending on what. But yes all I've heard was around 500.

The thing is, as Tony Ross said once when asked if an illustrator should hire an agent or not: "It's better to get a 75% of something than a 100% of nothing"

Since Christmas I am on a 100% of nothing with my Etsy shop and I am determined to change that.

I love Etsy but I want to try other possibilities too. Etsy is going too slowly for me.

[DreamyMeisme]

I love your prints btw Tim.

And your shop Alexandra, beautiful!

Lots of talent in this team.

[Former_Member]

Thanks Elena!

Those rates seem the same for everyone I asked, although they do have a special student rate which is slightly cheaper, but only slightly! Also I think they have another rate for people who only sell lower priced items like cards, but not sure how much it is.

You can also pay in "installments" but the only option they gave me was 2 installments over 2 months, and they don't activate your account until it's all paid up so that seems pointless.

I decided against saving the money to join since for me personally it worked out that I'd have to sell 150 ish items before I made my joining fee back, which seems like a huge amount. The percentage they take includes shipping costs, so your profit is lower than you might first imagine.

Another bad point I heard about them is that you can't adjust your prices if you also sell elsewhere. For example, if you're selling something for £20 + £5 shipping on Etsy, you'll pay a fee of 3.5% on the £20, plus the PayPal fee. If you're using NOTHS, you also have to sell it for £20, but you'll be charged 25%-30% +VAT on the full £25 transaction. You're not allowed to put it up for say £25 instead of £20 to help cover fees. I heard from a lot of sellers that they regrettably had to put up their prices on all platforms just so they didn't lose out too much on NOTHS. It may not apply to everyone but it's something to think about.

[ohmyclumsyheart]

I had a bit of a negative experience with them..
I found them quite pushy, which put me off
(I received A LOT of emails asking me to join)

I have heard people do REALLY well on there, and I guess for exposure it could be potentially really beneficial. But a large sign-up fee AND a percentage of the sales going to them seems really excessive to me.

[ShopMissElla]

I got turned down twice now but it's good to hear they are taking on some really great work looking at the designers on this thread that have been accepted!

I might rethink my approach and consider personalising items. I was surprised to notice a lot of shops I see in the high street are on not on the high street too and are resellers. It sounds like you need to be able to really take a cut on your prices too. It has become a challenge to get accepted now though!