How things work

Finding things

How do I browse products?

Products shows everything currently available, and you can narrow it by category or by craft. There’s also a search box in the header if you already know what you’re after.

How do I find makers?

Explore makers lists every maker on the marketplace and shows where they work on a map. You can search by name, craft, city or state, or filter to a particular state. Selecting a maker opens their storefront — their story, their craft, and everything they currently have for sale.

Can I get from a product to the person who made it?

Always. The maker’s name and portrait appear on every product card and product page, and both lead straight to their storefront.

Ordering

Do I need an account to buy?

Yes. Your cart and checkout are tied to your account, so you’ll need to register or sign in before adding anything to your cart.

Why am I checking out with each maker separately?

Because you’re buying from each maker directly rather than from a single warehouse. If your cart contains work by more than one maker, you’ll complete a separate checkout for each — each with that maker’s own shipping.

How do payments work?

Payment is handled by Stripe on their own secure checkout page. Maker & Story never sees or stores your card number. See the Privacy policy for exactly what is and isn’t kept.

Where do I find my orders?

Under your account. Each order shows what you bought, what you paid, the address it’s going to, and tracking information once the maker has added it.

Who handles shipping?

The maker does. Each maker sets their own shipping cost and dispatch times, shown on their storefront and at checkout, and posts the parcel themselves. Makers currently ship to addresses in the 50 states and Washington, DC.

Something’s wrong with my order.

Contact the maker first — they made it and they posted it, so they can usually sort it out fastest. There’s a contact option on the order itself and on the product page.

Your account

I’ve forgotten my password.

Use password reset and we’ll email you a link. The link expires, so request a fresh one if it’s been sitting a while.

Can I sign in with Google?

Yes. You can sign in with Google or with an email address and password, and you can connect Google to an existing account from Account security.

Can I add extra security?

Yes. From Account security you can turn on two-factor authentication using an authenticator app or emailed codes, generate recovery codes, and see which devices you’ve chosen to trust.

Where are my saved things?

Products you’ve saved are under Favorites, and your delivery addresses are under Addresses.

Reviews and reporting

Why can’t I leave a review?

Reviews are limited to people who actually bought the product, so the ratings mean something. Once an order qualifies, the review form appears on that product’s page.

Something here doesn’t look right.

Product and maker pages have a report option. It goes to the Maker & Story review team.

Selling your work

How do I become a maker?

Create an account, then set up your shop from your account area: your story, your branding, your products, and your shipping. When it’s ready you submit it for review, and it goes live once approved.

Do I need to set up payments before publishing?

No. You can publish and be discovered before connecting Stripe — being findable and being able to take payment are deliberately separate. You’ll need Stripe connected before customers can actually check out with you.

Still stuck?

The Contact page explains the quickest route depending on whether your question is about a specific order, a maker, or the marketplace itself.