Selling Crafts Online Is All About Selling Yourself

by Rebecca
(Pennsylvania)

One of the secrets I have found to selling handmade items is that people love to know the seller, they love to know the story of the items and they love to know the story of the origins of supplies. Even if your items come from the craft store, it pays if you are able to come up with a narrative about how you came to choose your materials, how you came to choose your craft, etc.

For instance, I sell handspun wool yarn online. One of the key things I have found is that I make it seem like the wool from each sheep has a story and was happy to give the wool as a gift to the person who is buying the yarn.

People love to buy handmade things because they have a more interesting story than the mass-produced things that can be purchased in a store. Filling in the details of that story for your customers makes them feel more connected to you and makes them feel that they have a relationship with the product and the labor itself.

The other primary thing that makes or breaks an online seller is photography. The lighting of a photo is key. I have found that a homemade light box has made the difference between making the photos from my point and shoot camera look like a snapshot and a professional photoshoot.

Building on the idea of creating a narrative around your product, setting a scene or a mood in which to photograph your products is key. Photographing your handmade items on your worktable verses photographing it (in good light!) on a stone wall with creeping ivy can make all of the difference in the way someone perceives your product.