🧺 Guide · For Farmers

How to Sell at a Farmers Market Online

Take pre-orders, offer pickup and delivery, accept SNAP/EBT — and keep more of every sale. Here's how to move your farm stand online without handing 20–30% to a middleman.

Why sell online at all?

Selling only at the stand means your income is capped by foot traffic and the weather. Moving part of your sales online doesn't replace the market — it protects it. Customers who can't make it Saturday can still order. Regulars can reserve the good stuff before it sells out. And you spend less of market morning making change and more of it talking to buyers.

The goal isn't to become an e-commerce company. It's to give the people who already love your food an easy way to buy more of it, more often.

5 steps to your online storefront

  1. Claim your farm listing

    Create a free vendor profile with your farm name, location, and story. If your farm already appears in a local-food directory, claim the existing listing so you inherit any traffic it's already getting.

  2. Add your products

    List what you sell with a clear photo, price, and unit (bunch, pint, dozen, lb). Mark items in-season or open for pre-order. A few good photos do more selling than a paragraph of description.

  3. Choose how customers get their food

    Offer market-day pickup, local delivery, or shipping — pick whatever fits your operation. Many farms start with pickup only and add delivery once they see demand.

  4. Turn on payments (and SNAP/EBT)

    Connect a payout account so customers can pay by card and the money lands in your bank. If you have USDA FNS authorization, enable SNAP/EBT so benefit shoppers can find and buy from you.

  5. Share your storefront

    Put your storefront link on a sign at your stand, in your social bios, and in your email or text list. The farms that do best online are the ones that tell their existing customers, "you can order ahead now."

On Farmooly, all five steps are free to set up. You get a shareable storefront, pre-orders, pickup/delivery/shipping, secure card payments, and SNAP/EBT support — plus market-day tools to plan what to bring. Get started →

Pre-orders: harvest to real demand

Pre-orders are the single biggest advantage of selling online. Instead of guessing how many dozen eggs or bunches of kale to bring, you harvest and pack against orders that are already paid for. That means:

  • Less waste — you pick what's sold, not what you hope will sell.
  • Better cash flow — money comes in before you load the truck.
  • Less market-day stress — bagged orders are ready for a quick handoff.

Pre-orders pair naturally with a CSA or a weekly "market box," letting loyal customers subscribe instead of deciding from scratch every week.

What it should cost (and what to avoid)

This is where farmers get burned. Some online farmers-market platforms handle marketing and logistics for you — but take 20–30% of every sale in return. On thin farm margins, that can be the difference between a profitable season and a break-even one.

Before you sign up anywhere, ask three questions:

  • What percentage of each sale do you keep?
  • Are there monthly fees, and what do they unlock?
  • Do you own the relationship with your customer, or does the platform?

Farmooly is free to list on, so you keep far more of what you earn — standard card-processing fees still apply to transactions, the same as any card reader. The customer is yours.

Accepting SNAP/EBT online

Accepting SNAP/EBT widens your customer base and supports food access in your community. To accept SNAP, a vendor needs USDA FNS retailer authorization. Once you're authorized, your Farmooly listing shows a SNAP badge so benefit shoppers can find you — and many markets pair SNAP with incentive programs like Double Up Food Bucks that match a shopper's spend on fresh produce.

New to this? Read our companion guide: SNAP / EBT at Farmers Markets — how it works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to sell at a farmers market online?
The best setup lets customers pre-order before market day, choose pickup or delivery, pay securely, and use SNAP/EBT where accepted — while letting you keep as much of each sale as possible. Farmooly gives farms a free online storefront with pre-orders, pickup, delivery, shipping, and SNAP/EBT support, so you aren't handing 20–30% of every sale to a platform.
Do I need my own website?
No. A storefront on a local-food platform gives you a shareable page, product catalog, checkout, and pickup/delivery scheduling without building or paying for your own website. You can still link to it from any site or social profile you already have.
How much does it cost to sell online as a farmer?
It varies a lot. Some platforms take 20–30% of every sale. Farmooly is free to list on, so you keep far more of what you earn; standard payment processing still applies to card transactions.
Can I take pre-orders for market day?
Yes. Pre-orders let customers reserve and pay for items before the market, so you harvest and pack to real demand, cut waste, and spend less time on cash at the stand.
Can I accept SNAP/EBT when selling online?
Farmers with USDA FNS retailer authorization can accept SNAP/EBT. On Farmooly, an authorized vendor's SNAP badge appears on their listing so shoppers using benefits can find them.

Ready to move your stand online? Set up a free Farmooly storefront and start taking pre-orders this week. Get the app → · See vendor features →