Selling Crafts – Wholesale Vs. Retail Sales
When you are selling crafts, you’ll need to determine whether you plan on selling crafts primarily on a wholesale basis, or directly to retail customers. There are pros and cons inherent in each type of craft business, so it will be important to think through your options and decide which approach works best for your work preferences and fits best with your vision for your business. Continue reading
Tips for Selling Crafts
There are plenty of good methods for selling crafts. Here are a few tried and true methods and some things to consider about each method.
Selling Crafts Online
If you plan to take your craft business online, you may do so either through a third party site (that is, a site that is not your own, like Etsy or eBay) or through your own site. Some of the benefits of using a third party site are that it’s usually easy to set up your own store; you won’t need to learn about designing your own site. Also, popular third party sites like eBay or Etsy already have traffic coming to the site, so there are potential customers already on the site.
Keep in mind though, if you sell your crafts online at a third party site, there will be plenty of competition on the site. You will need to work to direct customers to your store; therefore, selling crafts online on a third party site does not eliminate the need to work at bringing traffic to your online craft store. Also, when you sell your crafts on a third party site, you are subject to rules of that site. If rules change, it could have a massive impact on your business. Continue reading
It's not enough to love what you do…
I sound like a big downer, don’t I? But I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the downfall of making your living at your craft. For many professional crafters it’s the perfect life. They get to spend their day doing what they love and making a living with it. However, for some it ruins what was once a wonderful hobby. Continue reading
