Buying from the maker is the best version of this and it asks a little more of you. Mostly patience, and asking one good question.
How to tell you are actually buying from the maker
The description knows things a catalogue would not. Why this glaze came out darker, which part takes longest, what the material does over time. Specific knowledge reads differently from specification.
They answer about the process without being asked twice. A maker enjoys the question. A reseller answers it vaguely because it is not their knowledge.
The photographs are of that object, not of a representative one. Look for the particular — the variation, the join, the one corner that is not perfect.
They say when they do not know. "I am not sure which year this design is from" is the most trustworthy sentence a seller can write.
Both makers and resellers are welcome here, and a reseller who knows their trade is a good seller. What matters is that the listing does not claim to be the other thing.
What to ask
How long does one take? This tells you the price makes sense, and it tells you whether a repeat is weeks or months away.
Is this the only one, or one of a batch?
What is it made of, exactly? Especially for anything worn, used with food, or kept for a long time.
Can it be repaired, and by whom? Rarely asked and often the most useful answer, because a repairable object is a different purchase.
Will it change? Wood moves, silver tarnishes, natural dye softens, leather darkens. A maker will tell you honestly; it is usually part of why they like the material.
What is reasonable to expect
That it matches the description, which is a right rather than a hope — faulty, damaged, wrong or not as described is returnable for 7 days whatever the store's own policy says.
That it arrives well packed.
That questions are answered within a day or so.
What is not reasonable
Same-week dispatch on something not yet made. If it is made to order, the time is the product.
A factory price. The hours do not fall with volume, which is the whole arithmetic of handmade work.
Perfect uniformity. If you need two identical, say so before buying and let the maker tell you whether that is possible.
A reply at midnight. One person, one working day.
The thing most worth doing
Say what it was for, if it is a gift or it is going somewhere particular. Makers will often choose which of several they send, or mention that a different piece suits better. That conversation is the whole advantage of buying from a person, and it only happens if you start it.
Questions people ask
Is it cheaper to buy direct?
Not reliably, and that is not the reason to. The reason is knowing what you are getting and being able to ask.
What if I want a change made?
Ask before bidding. Some makers will, some will not, and an auction is not the moment to negotiate it.
Is there more risk in a one-person store?
Not to the transaction — the money is held until it arrives. The variability is in timing.
More: buying handmade work, the case for buying from one person, why handmade costs more, finding a seller you can trust.