17. Sell Handmade Items and Crafts

Are you a talented artist or craftsman? Is your work an expression of your creativity that you do just
for fun? Or are you interested in selling your handmade arts and crafts as a source of income?
If you are interested in turning your passion into a business or even if you want to make some money
to help pay for your supplies, here are some steps you can take:
● The first step you need to take is to evaluate your craft - To sell your crafts online, you must have
something that is different from all the other arts and crafts that are being offered online.
● Include lots of pictures - Consumers rarely buy items without first seeing pictures. Increase your
chances of making a sale by taking a few pictures of the item you are selling from different angles.
Accompany that picture with a detailed description.
● Fair selling price - It is tricky to sell arts and crafts. Your goal is to make money, but a low selling price
virtually guarantees a sale. Unfortunately, you aren't a mass production line, meaning your supplies
and time cost more. That is why a fair selling price is important. It ensures you make money but is low
enough to generate consumer interest. When setting your price, consider the cost of supplies and the
time spend to make each item.
● Customization - Since you make your arts and craft projects by hand, you have a unique opportunity
to offer an additional service to your buyers. That is customization.
Whether an interested buyer would like a different colored wind chime or their name painted on it,
you can do it. In fact, state in your listing description that customization and personalization are
available for either no extra charge or a small fee.
● Research what you are going to sell - Hand embroidered dish towels are not going to sell as well to
men as they will to women, but intricately tooled leather sheaths for hunting knives would be more
likely to sell to men.
Identifying your potential customers will help you decide on a venue to utilize for selling your
handmade crafts.
● Add up all the costs involved in making your handmade craft. In addition to supplies, include a
reasonable estimate of the time you will spend on it. Stop at that point and ask yourself if people will
be likely to pay at least that much for your handmade craft. If not, consider a different item. Otherwise,
add in profit for yourself and ask yourself the question again. If you still feel that many customers
would find the item an attractive purchase, repeat the process with your next item.
● Estimate how long it will take you to make each item. This will give you an idea of how many items
you will be able to produce in a week's time. Assuming you can sell everything you produce this tells
you the maximum you could earn.
● Sell your items on sites such as eBay, Etsy and Craigslist.
How much can I make from selling homemade items and crafts online?
It really depends on what you are creating and how much time it takes to create as well as the quality.
Smaller items, like bracelets, charms etc. can sell for anything from $5 upwards, while paintings,
carvings and objects that take many time to create can sell for $100's or more.