Getting started
How to Start Selling Baked Goods Online: 4 Steps
A clear path from cottage food rules to your first paid online order.
On this page
- Check your state cottage food rules first
- Compare home bakery and commercial bakery rules
- Pick one product and one pickup day
- Set up a shop that takes orders and payments
- Set your hourly rate before you price
- List every overhead cost for one batch
- Price every bake with three costs
- Avoid the mistakes that cost you money
- Take your first paid order
- What to do after your first paid order
- Keep your first month small
What to remember
- Check your state cottage food law and allowed foods list before you bake to sell.
- Pick one product and one pickup day so costs stay easy to track.
- Price with ingredients, labor, and overhead, not ingredients alone.
- Use a shop that takes card payments and keeps your sales.
The fastest way to learn how to start selling baked goods online is to work backward from one paid order. Pick one product, check that your state allows it, and set a price that covers every cost. Then open a simple shop and take orders for a set pickup day.
Check your state cottage food rules first
Your state decides which baked goods you can sell from home and what you must do before selling. According to Know Food Safety, you check your state cottage food law, confirm your products are on its allowed foods list, and complete any required registration or food safety training.
Food safety training may be required even for cottage foods. Check your state rules for the exact course and certificate. Keep a copy where you can find it before your first order.
A home bakery follows cottage food rules. A commercial bakery needs a food handler certification, a food service establishment permit, a health department inspection, and a business license, according to Start Permit. Do not assume one set of rules covers both.
Compare home bakery and commercial bakery rules
A home bakery follows cottage food rules, while a commercial bakery needs a food handler certification and a food service establishment permit. A commercial bakery also needs a health department inspection and a business license. Do not assume one set of rules covers both paths. If you plan to sell wholesale or to restaurants, check which path your state requires before you bake.
Pick one product and one pickup day
A narrow start is easier to price and easier to sell. Choose one item you can bake well in a batch, such as cookies or a simple cake, and offer it on one pickup day each week. That keeps your ingredient list short and your labor predictable. If you want a head start, read how to start selling cookies from home.
Write down what one batch makes and how long it takes you from mixing to packing. You will use those two numbers in every price you set. A product that takes all day for a small batch is hard to sell at a profit.
Before you offer a product, bake one batch and time it from mixing to packing. Write down how many items the batch makes and how long the work takes. That gives you a cost per item and a labor cost per item. If the numbers do not work at a price your buyers will pay, pick a different product.
Set up a shop that takes orders and payments
You need a place where customers can see your bakes, choose a pickup day, and pay. Brevl gives you a shop with your photos, your colors, and your own web address for one flat $20 a month. There is no cut of your sales, and you can take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. You can try it for 14 days free.
Your shop should take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account. It should also accept Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. That gives buyers more than one way to pay and keeps your money moving. Check that the shop does not take a percentage of each sale.
Set your hourly rate before you price
Your labor line needs a real number, so pick an hourly rate you would pay someone else to do the same work. Do not use zero, because your hours have value even if you are the only baker. Write the rate down and use the same number for every batch. That keeps your prices consistent and your margin honest.
List every overhead cost for one batch
Overhead is not just the $20 monthly Brevl fee, because it also includes packaging, labels, and power for the oven. Add those costs to the $20 fee and divide by the number of batches you sell in a month. That gives you an overhead cost per batch. Write it into your price before you take an order.
Price every bake with three costs
Before you take an order, list three costs for the batch: ingredients, your labor, and overhead. Ingredients come from your receipts, labor is your hours times the rate you pay yourself, and overhead includes the $20 monthly Brevl fee plus any packaging or power. Subtract all three from your sales price to find your margin.
Work the example in four lines: ingredient total from receipts, hours times your rate, overhead with the $20 monthly fee plus packaging or power, and your sales price. Subtract the first three lines from the fourth line to find your margin after all three costs. If the remainder is too thin, change the price or the batch size. The only fixed number in this page is the $20 monthly Brevl fee, and your ingredient and labor numbers come from your own kitchen.
Avoid the mistakes that cost you money
The first mistake is selling a product your state does not allow from home, and the second is pricing from ingredients alone without your labor. The third is choosing a shop that takes a percentage of every sale without checking the fee. Brevl charges one flat $20 a month and takes 0% of your sales, so the fee does not grow when you sell more. The fourth mistake is not keeping records, so save receipts, order dates, and fees to price the next batch and see which product pays you.
Check the fee before you list a single item. A small order can look profitable until a monthly fee or a sales cut lands on top. Write the fee into your overhead and price it into every bake. Use how to price baked goods to sell to build the full number.
Take your first paid order
Check your state rules
Confirm your product is on your state allowed foods list and complete any registration or food safety training.
Pick one product
Choose one bake you can make in a batch and sell on a set pickup day.
Set your price
Add ingredients, labor, and overhead, then check the margin.
Open your shop
Add your photos, pickup details, and payment methods.
Tell local buyers
Share your shop with people who already know your baking and ask for a pickup day order.
Take payment
Accept card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash.
Keep records
Save receipts, order dates, and fees so you can price the next batch.
Your first order does not need a full menu, because one product, one pickup day, and one payment method you trust is enough to learn what your buyers want. Tell people who already know your baking first and ask them for a pickup day order. A personal message works better than a public post, so ask them to share your shop with one friend who likes baked goods.
What to do after your first paid order
After the first order, save the receipt for every ingredient you bought and write down the hours you spent and the fees you paid. Compare your sales price to those three costs. If the margin is thin, adjust the price or the batch size before the next pickup day. Then ask the buyer what they liked and whether they would order again.
Keep your first month small
Do not open with ten products, because one product and one pickup day for your first month gives you time to check your costs and fix your labels. A simple home baking business plan can keep those first numbers in one place. Track every order in one place with the product, pickup day, price, and three costs. At the end of the month, compare your margin to your hours and drop any product that takes too long for the money.
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Common questions
Do I need a permit to sell baked goods online from home?
Your state cottage food law sets the answer. Confirm your product is on the allowed foods list and complete any registration or food safety training. A commercial bakery permit is a different path with a food service establishment permit, inspection, and business license.
What should I sell first online?
Pick one product on your state allowed foods list that you can bake in a batch and sell on a set pickup day. A short menu keeps ingredient and labor costs easy to track. Add a second product only after the first one sells and pays you.
How do I price an online order?
Add your ingredient receipts, your hours at the rate you pay yourself, and overhead such as the $20 monthly Brevl fee. Subtract all three from your sales. The remainder is your margin. If it is too thin, change the price or the batch size.
What does Brevl cost?
Brevl is one flat $20 a month with 0% commission and a 14 day free trial. You take card payments through your own Stripe or Square account, plus Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and cash. Your shop uses your photos, your colors, and your own web address.
Can I sell baked goods online without a commercial kitchen?
A home bakery follows cottage food rules. Check your state allowed foods list and any registration or food safety training. A commercial kitchen and a food service establishment permit are a different route. Do not assume a home kitchen is allowed until you check.
Sources
General information, not legal or tax advice.