An online marketplace has hit a huge milestone.

BuyIndie, an online marketplace and the sister company to The British Craft House, has reached two years in business.

BuyIndie is an independent British online marketplace that allows small handmade businesses to sell their wares at an affordable price.

Unlike other online platforms, it does not charge the seller for their transaction, just a small monthly charge of £6 to run their shopfront.

One of the many items for sale on BuyIndie - a handmade recycled necklace by Gill Rose.

placeholder image — One of the many items for sale on BuyIndie - a handmade recycled necklace by Gill Rose.

Founder Susan Bonnar launched it two years after starting The British Craft House, a similar platform which carefully selects its artisans.

She founded it because she felt small businesses faced challenges when it came to selling online, with many either struggling to afford costly website hosting or finding social media a tough place to sell.

She said: "I wanted BuyIndie to be completely inclusive of all British handmakers, with no application process or commission per transaction like other sites do. If we’ve learnt anything post-pandemic it’s that we need to support small businesses and BuyIndie is me playing my part in helping people to do that.

"Nowadays a website will not only cost you a lot of money to run, but it’s very time expensive too. A lot of people sell from Instagram or Facebook but have found that the process of messaging to place an order can be off-putting to buyers. BuyIndie allows them to advertise on social media and then direct customers to a reputable website to place an order in a safe way for both parties."

BuyIndie has seen small businesses sell items to all over the world since its inception two years ago, with a range of items from children’s clothing to Christmas decorations.