Selling Crafts

Determining the best places for selling homemade crafts can be a creative process in itself. There are many options and opportunities available, and if you do some creative brainstorming, you'll there are plenty of good venues for selling crafts.

While there are many places for selling homemade crafts, it will be important to think through different possibilities to make sure they are a good fit for your home crafts business and your target market.

One thing I learned early in the development of my own home crafts business is that just because an opportunity or venue exists, doesn't mean it makes sense to pursue that opportunity. Some venues won't present the right image for your home crafts business, and others may not appeal to your target audience. When determining how to go about selling your crafts, it helps to have an understanding of your target customer and your long term goals for your business.

Many people dive into any sales venue available, selling their crafts anywhere they can rent a table. There's nothing wrong with a little trial and error, but keep in mind, if your target market does not frequent a particular sales venue, or if the venue does not project an image that's in line with your own home crafts business image, then your time and resources would likely be better spent on other opportunities.

Below are several tips and options for selling your crafts as well as some pros and cons related to these options.

Start slowly. Focus on one or two sales venues at a time so you can focus enough time on each opportunity in order to make it a success.

Discover Great Venues for Selling Crafts to Make Money

Juried Art and Craft Shows
Juried art and craft shows can provide good opportunities for you. This page contains links to several articles about selling crafts at art and craft shows.

Sell Art Online
There's actually a huge amount of information out there to help you start to sell your crafts online. The challenge is not so much in finding tips on the subject, but rather in weeding out the useful information from the hype. Here you'll find an entire section with plenty of articles and information about selling crafts online.

Artist Studio Tours
Are you thinking about joining some artist studio tours to sell your art? These tips will help you make the most of that experience."

Flea Markets or Farmers' Markets
These venues that may provide a profitable place for making money with crafts. You'll find an article on selling crafts to make moneyat weekend markets in the February 2008 Inspiri newsletter. Just scroll about half way down the page to find it.

Small Venue Shows
Selling at smaller show venues has its pros and cons. Weigh out your needs and expectations to determine if this type of venue is a good fit for your home crafts business.

Consignment Selling
Consignment selling can be a great facet of a successful home crafts business. My own experience with craft consignment has been completely positive and a profitable part of my business.

Home Craft Business Alternatives
Guest author Shasta McLaughlin describes several alternatives beyond traditional ways to build your home craft business. Consider her suggestions for building additional streams of income for your business.

Wholesale
Securing wholesale customers can be a lucrative way of making money with crafts if you are in a position to handle the volume of work. Wholesale prices are typically 50% of retail prices, but because your wholesale customer is buying a larger volume, as long as you have priced your work appropriately you can still make a profit at these prices because you won?t incur the same time and expense involved in retailing crafts yourself.

It will be important for you to determine your company's wholesale policies. Requiring a minimum purchase amount and a business number from your wholesale customer will ensure that you are not taken advantage of by someone who should really be a retail customer asking for wholesale prices. Some artists who sell crafts wholesale list their wholesale terms right on their websites. Try checking websites of competitors who make work that is comparable in price and target market to your own work to get a sense of what wholesale terms are typical in your niche. This information will help you to determine your own wholesale policies.

Wear Your Art
This option, of course, applies primarily to people who make some kind of clothing, purses, jewelry or other accessories. If your art or craft is wearable, wear it wherever it's appropriate.

When I was in a transition period with my own jewelry line and drastically changing the type of jewelry I made, I went through a period of a couple of months when I had very little inventory and no samples of my new jewelry style. I wasn't wearing my jewelry at the time because I didn?t have much of the old style, and I didn't have any of the new style. I can't tell you how many people, from my dental hygienist to my friends to my business mentor who expressed disappointment when I showed up not wearing any of my jewelry. They were all keenly interested in my business and were looking to see what new creation I would be wearing.

Wearing your art is free, and can be an effective strategy for making money with crafts.

Selling crafts to make money can provide a good supplemental, and maybe even eventually full time income. Consider what sales venues are most appropriate for your own art or home crafts business and you will be focused and use your time well.