Do any of you sell your arts and crafts?

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jacks'thunder

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If I can't ask this could you mods please leave it up for a few but lock it? And can you all pm me?

I'd really like to know how to do this! Step by step!!

I have no business sense at all. i was just wondering how you go about it?

Do you go around town locally and ask business to sell your item?

On line?

Any certain sites that cater to your needs?

Did you make your own web site? Free? Does it work?

Do you do Art/Craft shows?

How do you make a profit?

(meaning how do you figure out how much to charge and still gain? or is that a thing of the past? lol!)

Break even? take a small loss?

Any good rules of thumb?

Thank you all very much!!!
 
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I try to sell some items but usually end up giving my items for gifts.

I don't sell locally as here, not sure it is everywhere, with consignments you have to sign that if the item is shoplifted they are not responsible. Although once in awhile, I do sell to friends.

I have thought about selling at our weekly farmer's market, but I don't think I really have enough stuff to make it worth my time. I may pursue this once we move to Virginia where they have a monthly market. (thinking I will have more things done then)

I have sold some quilted items online on (my website) The Little Horse Barn auction and have an eBarn (Noah's Bags) there. I buy a lot of things (like books, patterns, supplies) on etsy.com and get a feel for selling prices on there.

I buy material from Chanda online as she has a nice selection of fabric. I buy most of my material online or at our local quilt shop and get some ideas for projects there also.

I price items at what I would expect to pay for them were I the buyer. And I know the cost of the material i used and the time that it took me to make the item. It is not an easy thing to do. I do believe that pricing things too low is just as bad as pricing too high. I don't offer my items for sale at a loss or just to break even. I do lower my prices for friends if they see something they like and don't want to accept it for free.

I never regret giving gifts or giving to a good cause. I think I might regret a sale if I just broke even (let alone took a loss) on a made by me item.

Lois
 
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Very difficult topic and one that business pays a lot of money to find answers!

I've had a little craft business for 25+ years. Haven't done much about it lately as I got into the little horses more. I used to rely on it for all my "play money". I don't need it so much anymore, though my husband quit work last week so I may need to reconsider that motivation!!

Some things to consider:

find out what's hot. (Owls, industrial salvage and burlap are IN right now.)

It takes time to build up a clientel network. Sometimes several years. If you plan to sell on the internet, such as Etsy, you have to pay for being featured and you have to work your space. If your inventory gets stale, shoppers pass you by. Remove things from sale sometimes, then relist them later.

Do go around to local stores. It's hard, but many times local businesses are looking for local items to offer and will be glad to see your work.

Craft shows are good for exposure. Be sure to have business cards. Only one in a hundred will likely pay off, but that's okay.

Pricing is tricky. Business women I know want at least a 2/3% profit. They prefer 4 times the investment for profit. If you offer your handmade items to a business and expect them to pay you retail for it, that won't work. If you offer it on consignment, expect them to come down 10% to a potential buyer unless you specifically say NO to that. If you have something on consignment, check back often to make sure it isn't hidden under a pile of something, become shopworn, or damaged.

Lots of people are selling successfully through FB. If you are on FB, try that.

I no longer sell on ebay. Ebay treats its sellers bad. Buyers have everything their way, even when they are wrong and scammers are picking up on this.

I'm planning to do a craft show next month. Haven't done one in several years. It's a lot of work, lugging display pieces, pricing, getting inventory ready. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not. Be careful sharing booth space with a vender that isn't compatible either with yourself or your style. You won't compliment each other and you won't enjoy yourself.

Just a few thoughts...
 
Wow lots of great info ladies! Thank you! A lot to take in and think on....
 
I've heard a decent rule of thumb is to charge 3x your material costs for finished products, but you should also take into account how long or difficult a particular project is.

I've given away the majority of my quilts, but I have sold a few, mostly to friends, so mostly just charge a bit more than material costs, that way I can buy materials for the next project. NOt a way to make money, but if you at least cover materials, you can keep crafting without excessive out of pocket cost.

Do a google search for how to price hand crafted items, or your specific craft (for me that would be "how to price quilts") and see what comes up for you. I know I've see discussions on my quilt boards for it, but don't recall all the details.
 
Thank you Chanda
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Sometimes, depending on what your craft is, you can easily charge more than 3x the material cost and people will still buy the item. Other times, people aren't willing to spend 3x your material costs on items. At least, I've found the later to be true around here. I've tried a few craft shows, and they really weren't all that successful for me; probably because I live in an area full of older people and many of the women quilt, so lots out there. But, I still enjoy it, even if I mostly just give them away as gifts to friends or even charity.
 
Because I can't physically sit at a craft fair or such all day, I do my business online.

Advertising, is going to bring in the most people. Free or paid for ad's.

Having a Blog and or Web site also helps.

Doing give away's once a year, can get more people sharing your info, so you have more folks looking.

Word of mouth...

Entering Art shows if you can...

leaving business cards, or free flat cards with your info on them....

There are many, many ways to get the word out. VBG
 
Thanks Shari! I'm trying but it's hard because I don't FB or blog, or anything like that. But my friends here are wonderful and extremely helpful!!!! So I opened an etsy store and I'm plugging away making some more things I can put on there. But gosh it's intimidating, alot of people on there that are amazing at what they do!
 
You are welcome.

Blogger, offers free, easy to use blogs. ;O)

Just take baby steps, getting your Etsy store up and running is a good start. Will take time but you will get there. VBG
 
Years ago I belonged to a group of women that sold crafts only in December in one members home, it was called Calico Christmas and the word was out locally and hundreds would come for one day only and sales were very good, handmade was in. I did sell stuff I made, mainly Christmas gift and ornament theme, priced low enough to appeal. It was very popular at the time, I moved and I don't know if it kept going.

Now I would like to sell some things, thinking about etsy but feel I need more stock ready to go, after viewing items online, it looks like one has to keep prices very reasonable, so is the effort profitable enough for you that have a store? My days are very full and I can't be super productive in new items. Some of you on this forum are so productive, I am impressed.
 
I don't think there is a lot of money to be made in handmade items. I've heard that on etsy the average store sells $750 of merchandise a YEAR or $62.50 a month before expenses. It takes a lot of your time to get traffic to your store for people to see your items. You have to do the promotion of your shop and keep at it to get buyers and you need to make items that are not like other peoples items. Just opening an online store and waiting for sales does not work.

When I buy handmade, I like to be able to look at the quality and feel the item, you can't do that buying online.

I think the selling of crafts like some did many years ago in someone's home in December could still work. But in our world today is no longer safe to bring strangers into your home.
 
I have to say that every crafted item I've bought online is even nicer in person. I am not afraid at all to buy online. That is the only place I can find the primitive things I love, as most local people think the things I love need to be in a landfill.

It is difficult to build up an online clientel; and most of the annual craft shows have faded away. Too much competition from the Chinese. There was a crafter/artist on an antique group of mine who leased her designs to a Chinese company about 10 years ago. Seemed like a lucrative thing at the time, but the market was flooded with inexpensive reproductions of her art and she was hardly able to sell anything original!

But we creative types HAVE to have an outlet. We can't keep creating and letting it pile up! What to do? Consignment is sometimes an answer, or renting space in a local antique mall. It's possible one could rent space at a local retail outlet, such as a salon or tanning place.

I have an etsy shop, but it's not very lucrative. And the downside of that, as opposed to ebay, is one can't let the market determine the price. One has to fix a price and hope it is correct for the item.

I still buy on ebay occasionally, but I don't sell there anymore. Ebay treats its sellers unfairly.
 
I posted earlier, but had to post again. I'm lousy at selling for money, but great at trading or giving away. Latest was a straight gift... To my equine dentist, just love her to bits and this is the first time I've had a horse quilt available when she's been here.

I gave her this one:

Horse quilt 1 - 2013 - in process.jpg

Its complete now, but I never did take a pic after I finished it. Its small lap size. She was thrilled with it.
 
I don't think there is a lot of money to be made in handmade items. I've heard that on etsy the average store sells $750 of merchandise a YEAR or $62.50 a month before expenses. It takes a lot of your time to get traffic to your store for people to see your items. You have to do the promotion of your shop and keep at it to get buyers and you need to make items that are not like other peoples items. Just opening an online store and waiting for sales does not work.
Well I guess I have to disagree a bit
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You do have to get traffic but that is true no matter what you are selling be it crafts, horses etc.

The only good thing about the economy going so bad is that people went back to wanting more simpler handmade items verses high tech items. Shoot last year from Sept through Feb we were so busy I thought I might lose it a couple times, but thats a good problem to have.

When I started my Etsy store a year ago my husband had lost his job for the 2nd time in 3 years due to the economy and he was diagnosed with severe RA. Anyway I opended an Etsy store followed by an Ebay store. This is now our full time job and income. This is what we live on!

If you know how to use SEO you are way ahead of the curve. I wrote a book about it that I sell on Amazon but if anyone here wants it I will email it free. Its SEO for Etsy, Ebay and blogs with strong emphasis on Etsy. Email [email protected]
 

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