Whether you knit or crochet, make jewelry, quilt, scrapbook, etc., you may have thought about doing those things to bring in extra money working from home. Here’s how!
The basics of making money from home doing simple crafts are pretty easy, but the time required to devote to your crafting may not be feasible for everyone. Check out these common ways of making money from your crafts to find out if full-time crafting is something you’d like to pursue!
Stock Up
It’s hard to sell crafts from home that you don’t actually have on hand, so be sure to stock up on inventory ahead of time. If you are going to offer custom colors, designs, or sizes, then you will still want to have sample crafted items made up to show prospective buyers so they can touch and see what they are thinking of purchasing from you.
Online Sites
With the explosion of online purchasing in recent years, so has there been an explosion in selling crafts online. Sites like eBay have been the main source for those wanting to purchase handmade items. Craft only sites like Etsy have given those wanting to sell and purchase handmade items a specific place to go to find these types of items. Make sure to search for items similar to what you will be selling to see what they are being sold for, so you know how to price your own items. Being competitive in pricing will help you to make more money in the long-run when selling online.
Local Stores and Shows
Depending on the items you will be selling, some local shops may be willing to sell your products. Some may want to sell them on consignment and will take a percentage of the sale price as a fee for selling it for you. Other stores may want to purchase your items in bulk to keep them in their inventory. Either way, make sure that your items are branded or have your name as the designer/creator on them so that those who would like to purchase more like it know where and how to find you. Craft fairs and farmers markets in your area may be great places to get your name out there, sell some products, and meet people that you may be able to sell your products through in other areas.
Personal Catalog
If you sell a wide variety of products, like jewelry, having a catalog to hand out to stores that may be willing to sell your products will help to show off just how diverse your product line is. It will also encourage your customers to purchase more, and in higher quantities.
Personal Website
If sites like eBay or Etsy are too competitive or not catered to your specific craft styles, you might want to think about your own website. Whether you create the website yourself or have a site designer build it for you, you can perfectly market your inventory. You can promote your website through online forums, on the product you sell, and even though search engines like Yahoo or Google.
Warnings
Selling your crafts to make money may be a great source of income in theory, but it is also a fragile market. You may not make enough money one month but have so much work the next month that you can’t keep up with it on your own. Until you use your crafting as a sole source of income, you should make sure that you will be able to make the amount of money required and be able to handle the amount of work required.
You should also make sure that you have the proper business licenses to sell your products at the venues that you’ve chosen. For tax purposes, keeping track of your income and expenses throughout the year will make sure that you are keeping with all local and federal tax laws.
