I am at last back to normal, although now my other half has decided to decorate the lounge so many a day will be spent helping. However I have managed to buy while laid up and most have now arrived.
Why is it that items from England sometimes take longer to arrive than those from China.
I have purchased a lot of small dies from China and all have arrived in reasonable time and work well
And yet I purchased some stamps that were sale items ( so assumed they would be in stock and they took 3 weeks to despatch the items with them arriving today).
Another shop I used locally has closed recently leaving only the major stores like the Range in 30 mile radius. A shame but honestly when you can get so much on line and from English outlets selling all your favourite designers, it is not surprising the small stores have gone.
Alas what goes with the stores, are the lovely workshops and craft days, as many put on some really good craft days. I do workshops myself but the opportunities to publicise the days are limited.
In order to put on workshops the buying of craft supplies dramatically changes as you need many more of the items. You could of course say this is what we are making and you will need xxx
Many of the fabric workshops work like this.
But whether you are buying for yourself or for a group it certainly pays to shop around.
Now to selling your crafts
If you want to sell for yourself or for fundraising this is the most difficult part of crafting.
Here are 10 Things to consider when selling your goods
1. What are you looking to make to sell
2. Is there a market for the items you are making
You can check out selling sites like Etsy and Ebay. Look at similar items and see if they are selling
3. Try to find something unique within what you are making.
This may be a particular style of greeting card or something you have designed yourself
Having a particular niche within the market will inevitably make you experienced at that item which will not only make for a more professional finish to the item but also make the display of your goods much tidier.
4. Pricing
I could write a whole piece just on pricing but I will just cover a couple of areas now.
How do you price your items. Based on cost to make or market levels.
If you are making for charity you may not wish to consider costs in which case look at the market to see what prices are out there and what you are likely to be able to command in your area
5. Costs to Produce your items
If you wish to sell at Craft Fairs or local shows. Take the cost of the materials and do not forget items like glue and tapes even if it is a few pence added to cover the cost. This can all add up, as a reel of extra strong double side tape will only make the spine of a small mini album and the average cost is £1, so not adding on for glue and tape can be a costly mistake. Then add a reasonable amount for your time. Remember that if you are selling your items in the open market you will be making them in production line techniques, so to look professional consider the amount of time needed if you were to make 10 at a time, and use this as an appropriate guide to labour costs.
Add the two together and then see if this makes a unit cost that will be acceptable to local buyers.
If not you can either consider making other items that are more likely to command the price needed or whether you are willing to give your time for nothing. This is fine if it is just a hobby and selling is a way to clear the cupboards but very different to setting up professionally.
6. If you are going to use Market levels to price your goods
Do plenty of research. Would you be better travelling 15 miles down the road to sell in a different town. Certainly where I live market prices are low, but if I travel 10 miles north or south I am in commuter belt where on average my goods will sell at a better price.
Make sure you still know the cost to produce your goods so that you know your profit or loss on each item
7. Take into account cost of sales
Again if you are selling for charity you may be selling among friends and family or Church or group members, and selling costs are low or none at all. However, if you are selling on Etsy, Ebay or at a Market, Fair etc there will be costs involved that need to be taken into account. How much does it cost to sell on Ebay. Well there is the cost of Final Value fees, then there is the cost of Paypal charges and packaging to take into account. So even if you are lucky enough to have no listing fee the cost for an item selling at £10, plus £2.90 p & p will be in the region of £1.30 FVF, 50-60p paypal fee and at least 20p packaging. So approximately £2.05 making your gross return £7.95
Etsy have a listing fee but it stays on longer and the cost to sell is reasonable.
If you take a stall at a fete this can average between £15-£30, so if your material costs are 50% of the selling cost (without the cost of your labour) you will need to take between £30 and £60 on the day to break even, and that is without taking into account you have given up another 5-7hrs of your time.
8. If you are still keen to sell in the market place
Start small. Make a few of the items you are looking to sell. Obviously if you are making greeting cards you have to have a variety of greetings and this is when it pays to pick one or two styles and perfect them. Whether you are making gift bags, boxes gifts or fabric items, jewellery etc make 5 or 6 of a style to start with and see what sells. YouTube has some great ideas for craft fayres so do some homework and make enough to make a display but not too many that you will have boxes of unsold items taking up cupboard space.
9. Have business cards with you at all times
Whether you are just showing friends and family your latest makes or at a craft fayre make sure you have a business card with you. That way if anyone wants an item you make but do not have (hopefully you have already sold out) you may be able to make to order. (Be careful both parties are aware of the conditions attached to any orders you take). Or you may be able to drum up trade for the next stall you have.
10. Be interested and knowledgeable about your craft
When selling at a craft show look interested in your stall. Every successful seller will tell you that it is better to be standing than sitting, talking to customers rather than on your phone to others, and a smile goes a long way. Look interested in what you are selling, engage with passers by and see how many of those passers-by you can make into customers. This is not always easy as not all shows are going to be good for you, but when things are not going well it is even more important to put on a smile. A gloomy outlook will never make a sell. Engaging with everyone that stops at your stall may not lead to a sell today, but smile, give them a ,and hope that in the future you will be the producer they come to when they want that item you make.
I hope this has been helpful. Even if you have picked up just one small tip it may be just the one needed to make that next sell.
Thank you for stopping by and please keep visiting my blog and leave a comment if you want more posts like this or if you want more crafty ideas posted.
Luv Dee
The latest style of mini album made in the last month
LARGE WALLET STYLE ALBUM WITH 15 SECTIONS
I love the clean look of this album
It is for sale in my Etsy shop
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