Can I tell if a product photo was made by AI?

Often. Look for hands, text and edges: AI images tend to smudge fingers, garble lettering and blur where objects meet. Real product photos usually come in a set taken in the same place. When in doubt, ask the maker for a photo of the piece in their hand.

Is print-on-demand handmade?

Not as ByHand counts it. The design may be original, but the product is printed and posted by a factory. ByHand lists work the maker, or a small team they work with, make themselves.

Does ByHand check every shop?

Yes. A person reviews the photos and videos of the making before any shop goes live, and live shops are checked again from time to time and whenever they're reported.

For shoppers · checked October 2026

How to tell if something is really handmade

Search for a handmade mug and half of what comes back was made in a factory and resold, or never existed at all: the photo was generated. Here are the signs to look for, and the questions that settle it.

Signs it was made by hand

Handmade work tends to show its maker. Look for:

Photos of the making: raw materials, half-finished pieces, a bench or a kiln. A reseller has none.
Small differences between pieces. "Each one is slightly different" is a good sign.
A person's name and story, and a place they work from.
Prices that make sense for the time it takes. A hand-thrown mug for the price of a coffee wasn't.
Making times. Made-to-order work takes days or weeks to go out.

Warning signs

Be wary when you see:

The same photo on lots of shops, or on a big discount site. A reverse image search finds these in seconds.
Photos that look too perfect: impossible lighting, smudged hands, text that doesn't read. These are often made by AI image tools.
Hundreds of near-identical listings in every colour and size, posted at once.
"Ships in 2 to 4 weeks from overseas" from a shop that says it's local.
Patterns or digital downloads with no photo of a finished, real piece.

Just ask

Makers love being asked how they work. Message the shop and ask to see the piece being made, or what it's made from. A real maker will usually answer with a photo from the bench. A reseller won't.

Shops that have already been checked

Every shop on ByHand shows photos of its making, and a person looked through them before it went up. Resold, drop-shipped, print-on-demand and AI-pictured work isn't allowed, and a live shop is looked at again if anyone reports it. Read how shops are checked.

Questions

Can I tell if a product photo was made by AI?: Often. Look for hands, text and edges: AI images tend to smudge fingers, garble lettering and blur where objects meet. Real product photos usually come in a set taken in the same place. When in doubt, ask the maker for a photo of the piece in their hand.
Is print-on-demand handmade?: Not as ByHand counts it. The design may be original, but the product is printed and posted by a factory. ByHand lists work the maker, or a small team they work with, make themselves.
Does ByHand check every shop?: Yes. A person reviews the photos and videos of the making before any shop goes live, and live shops are checked again from time to time and whenever they're reported.