Selling crafts online – beyond Etsy

Etsy is a very successful site if you want to sell your hand-made crafts.  It is very well-known, gets tons of traffic, is relatively easy for sellers to set-up, pretty cheap for the seller, and unfortunately, has a HUGE number of sellers.  It can be easy for your store to get lost amidst all of the other online sellers, and oftentimes, in order to maintain competitive prices you wont be making as many dollars of a profit as you deserve.  So, what about selling online beyond Etsy?

Craftsy: Any patterns and tutorials can be sold via craftsy.  I sell several of my crochet patterns through here, but you can also sell sewing patterns, or really any crafting tutorial.  Easy to start up, no selling cost.  Listing new products is a bit involved and slightly confusing, and the traffic isn’t as massive as Etsy, but those are pretty small drawbacks.  Albeit, not everyone can design patterns and tutorials…but if you can, I definitely recommend Craftsy.com

Ravelry is a knit and crochet based community.  If you have yarn-based patterns or tutorials, you can sell them here (or for free!).  I like how it is connected to paypal, and also has a pretty small (or non existent, I can’t remember right now) commissioner fee.  The listing process can be confusing and involved, but once you figure it out, isn’t difficult.

Amazon:  I have attempted to sell on Amazon before, and got so bogged down by the process and my confusion, that I gave up.  The selling commission is a bit more, but there is also a pretty large customer basis.  If you have figured it out, you definitely CAN have success here.

Ebay: Another popular site that can bring some success.  If you are unknowledgable about ebay, it is an auction-based site.  I have not ever used Ebay for my hand-made crafts, simply because of the possibility that I would make less than what I want/deserve as far as profit is concerned.  However, there is also the chance that you could make *more* than you thought.

These are just the site’s that I have personally tried out.  I am hoping to try out some more in the near future (depending on the costs, of course!), so stay tuned for my reviews on a few other sites 🙂  Madeitmyself.com is on my list, along with artfire.com and

10 Tips to surviving a craft business start-up

Starting up your own business, regardless of what you are choosing to do, can be very difficult and challenging. There are certain time-consuming elements, and a slight loss of funds may result. My simple word of advice is to just keep swimming. Especially with the ever growing demand for hand-crafted goods, and the working mother is realizing “Hey, I can do something fun, make money, and not leave my kids all day!” Don’t worry, I do have a bunch of more complicated tips to help you get through that initial start-up.

English: Woman selling wood crafts in Tequisquiapan, Queretaro, Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over a year ago, I decided to start selling my own crafts. I was 36 weeks pregnant with my third child, my son had just turned two, my daughter had just turned one. I don’t have any help available for consumption (closest family is an 8 hour drive away, all of my friends are either old, busy with their own lives, or have a houseful of children themselves). So, you can rest assured that my tips work, and are still pretty recent in my memory! Selling crochet, for me, is a simple way that I can help out my husband without feeling like I have neglected my other duties as a mother at the same time. (Disclaimer: If you are able to work outside of the home, I say “more power to you!”, but seriously, the cost of childcare for three children…well…I would have to work 60+ hours a week to just break even) However, I not only survived my first year of business, but even managed to thrive! So, without further ado, my tips to pass on to you.

1. Go slowly. This one can be really hard. You just decided to start selling your crafts and you are doing the research and getting TONS of ideas. The excitement and adrenalin is running high. I urge you, do try to practice self control. It is so easy to get going too fast and end up with more work than you can handle. Add new products one at a time over the course of several days, weeks, or even months. If you give in to that “new idea” zeal and post ten new products, and you have just three interested customers for each product, that’s 30 products that you now have to crank out! To ensure that you will be able to keep up with the demand, go slowly and increase as you see fit. Use your best, logical judgment.
2. Discover your niche. Again, the excitement and ideas are pumping through your veins! Pinterest is absolutely terrible about giving you too many ideas. Narrow it down and pick one craft. It is great to be able to paint, and glue, and crochet, and sew, and jewelry make, but throwing all of those into your shop is not going to give you a broader customer basis. Pick one craft, and establish yourself as an expert in that craft. Go even further and narrow it down to one product. Especially when you are just starting off, choose one and run with it in as many directions as you can. If you sew, maybe make little girls dresses. It will profit you little to have a little knowledge about a lot. Instead, opt for a lot of knowledge about a few products.

3. 

   English: Selling crafts just outside the entrance to the Church and ex monastery of San Francisco in Tzintzuntzan, Michoacan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   What can you sell? Just because your friend has been uber successful selling hair bows doesn’t mean that you will be, too. Even if you are in the same marketplace, selling the exact same wares, using the exact same strategy, you definitely won’t be able to sell the exact same amount. For starters, your friend probably already has a following with faithful and returning customers. They don’t want to leave her even if you are her friend. And she’s already meeting their need for hair bows. Figure out where your talent is, and decide who you are selling to. This will determine what you are going to be able to make and sell.
4. Have a plan. I got really lucky in that I was successful without having a long term plan. To ensure your success, create short term and long term goals and deadlines for yourself. Write them down and tell someone else about it to keep you accountable. Some people might aim for a specific monthly income, or a certain number of finished products. I like to be able to release a new product every month. Whatever your goals are for this business, brainstorm the steps of action you will have to take to get there.
5. DO NOT research. Alright, doing a little bit of research is ok and most beneficial. Doing too much research will leave you feeling overwhelmed and confused about where to start. Keep It Simple Sweetheart. You don’t need to know everything before you even get started. This business is very understanding and will allow for some on-job-education.
6. Pick your market place. Just choose one to start off with. And there are tons to choose from too. I like etsy.com, but a lot of people will find it too competitive and get boggled down. There is also Artfire, and eBay, and a ton of other online venues to choose from.  Those are just the online venues.  You can also sell wholesale or consignment or craft shows.  Just pick one to get started on.  If you discover that it isn’t working for you, maybe move on to another one.  Or, if you find that you totally ROCK at selling crafts, then expand to include more!
7. Ready-to-ship vs. made-to-order. This one is purely gonna be your preferences based off of how much available time you have. If your time allows you to create dozens of product in one weekend, but then you can’t create anything else for another month, then ready-to-ship is probably your best option. However, working in a hand-craft market, there are going to be people who ask about custom orders. Have a plan for handling those before they come up.

8. 

   English: Store selling pottery and other crafts in Tlayacapan, Morelos, Mexico (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   Have policies already in line. Before you even open your shop, know how you are going to handle shipping, returns, lost packages (they will happen), a failure to pay…etc. And then, make sure that they are readily available to your customers. You do NOT want the headache of dealing with an unhappy customer. Especially when it could have been avoided had they known your policies concerning the matter.
9. Just start. It may take a leap of courage, but the best way to figure out what you are doing is to learn as you go. There will be pitfalls and mountains to climb. There will be milestones to celebrate and return customers to praise. My business seems to be continually changing as I learn what’s going to work best for me and how to most efficiently manage my time.
10. Don’t get discouraged.  There are people who wont support you, and wont really care about what you are doing.  It is going to take *time*.  Keep in mind that you don’t have a following, there is no one who can say “oh yeah, I got something from her, she does amazing work!”  I say give it 6 months before making a final decision, some people might say longer.  If you do discover that selling crafts just isn’t for you, there isn’t no shame in that either.  Some people are super crafty, and out of that some, just a few are super business-y (yeah, I made that word up).  Selling crafts isn’t for everyone.

The last thing to do in this post is to share this picture with you guys today! My sweet little ladybug decided it would be great fun to get into my yarn. She couldn’t just settle for pulling it all down. Oh, no! This little trouble maker had to roll in it and tangle it all up. Seriously, could *you* be angry at all of that joy?

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• How to sell your clutches with an in-home crafts fair. (clutch-me.com)
• You might be a craft fiend if… (u-handbag.typepad.com)
• 5 Best Blogs for Crafting Resources and Tips (apartmentguide.com)
• Utilizing Pinterest for your craft selling in 5 simple steps (familybugs.wordpress.com)

 

How to earn an income from a crafting hobby

Did you wake up this morning dreading going to work? Does your situation make it impossible to work outside the home? Maybe it is time for you to consider changing your hobby of crafting into an income.

First of all, there are thousands of different craft related products that you could sell. There are patterns and tutorials, novelty supply products (like special yarn, unique scissors, maybe pouches to keep everything organized), the products themselves.

Secondly, there are dozen different venues you can choose from. Online sites like Etsy or Artfire, Amazon, or EBay, blogging or your own website. Brick and mortar shops like consignment or thrift. Some can be very successful selling whole sale to boutiques, or with craft fairs and indie shows.

Thirdly, and last of all, you are the boss. You control how many hours you work, when you take off days, and how you spend your time. The flexibility itself might be enough to convince you.

I am not going to lie, it will be very difficult and require a lot of hard work to get things started and to maintain your own little business. But if you are stuck in a dead end job that you hate, then maybe just maybe it is time to consider getting paid for your favorite hobby instead!

How to go from Hobbyist to Professional in 10 easy steps

The Etsy office’s community workspace area. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

CRAFT – Vintage Doily Easter Basket (Photo credit: Mrs. Jenny Ryan)

 

According to the Hobby Industry Association’s (HIA), there is at least one crafter in four out of five U.S. households, or about 70 million crafters total.  Their research says that about 14% of these 70 million crafters sell their wares, which is about 12 million people (Stats taken from A Brief History of the Crafts Industry). That is an awful lot of people who craft, and that’s just concerning the United States!  Most of these 12 million craft sellers started off as hobbyists…someone who just started crafting because they enjoyed doing it, they liked the outcome, the process calmed their spirits.  So, how did these crafters become professionals?

 

 

 

While they each have their own special and unique stories about how they sold their first product, the basic idea stays the same, and I want to share with you the 10 steps (in no particular order) that they each followed to go from a hobbyist to a professional.

 

 

 

1. Have a craft.  Duh, right?  Well, you might think, but have you ever seen someone who has tried to sell on the idea of “I can make whatever you want”? The person who *can* make scrap book pages, but hasn’t put forth the time and effort to provide any proof of that concept.  It’s nice to offer your customers a chance to buy personalized products, to make sure that they get exactly what they want.  However, there is such a thing as offering too many options.  Letting people get an idea of the kinds of things that you can make, with examples and maybe one or two options is always the better road to travel.  As people start getting an idea of what is available as far as your personal skill-set, then they might, just maybe, possibly, start coming to you for special and unique requests.
2. Pick a niche.  While this might seem a bit of a drag to limit your crafting abilities, it really is a must for becoming a professional.  Knowing a little about a lot does not make you the expert that you need to be.  Pick one craft, maybe even one product, and eradicate every option, explore ever direction, know everything about that one thing.

3. 

   Image via CrunchBase

   Discover your marketplace.  Maybe you hit your stride by selling online, either through Etsy, Ebay, or the hundreds of other artisan selling venues.  Craft fairs can offer great opportunities, and I’ve heard of some people selling exclusively through these.  Get in touch with a boutique or a thrift store and offer your wares for wholesale.  There are lots of different options, and not all of them are going to work for every seller.  Figure out which marketplace is going to work best for you.

4. Know your audience.  Often called the target audience, this is who you are selling to.  If you are making baby products, realize that you are selling to the parents of these babies, your audience is parents.  You have to know who you are selling to, so that you can know *how* to sell, and more importantly *what* to sell.  For instance, if your target audience is older people, you probably wont have a lot of luck selling on any online venue.  Likewise, if you are selling to high school students, I doubt you would find success with Backstreet Boys paraphernalia.  Know who you are selling to, figure out the best way to reach them, and then make sure that you are trying to sell the appropriate products.
5. Create a marketing plan.  Again, look back at who your target audience is.  Have a plan, with a set goal, on where you want your business to be in x amount of time.  Set forth a strategy to get there.  Look back every now and then to judge where you’ve come from, and re-adjust your goal as necessary.  Having a plan is definitely a must for the professional crafter.  It means that you aren’t just “look, I’m selling my hand-made crafts because I can, and if I’m still doing it in 3 months, then awesome!” Set long term, and short term goals, and re-evaluate on a regular basis.

6. 

   Street vendors at the Feast of San Gennaro in Manhattan’s Little Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   Present yourself in a professional manner.  Whether this is customer relations, or a public appearance, if you conduct yourself as a professional you will be treated and considered a professional.  Be polite, have manners, say yes sir, and no ma’am, no thank you, and please.  Dress the part, don’t be a slob, clean-cut, groomed, brush your teeth, and put on deodorant.  Not necessarily black-tie, but dress like you care about your appearance.  Stick with the deadlines.  Whether set by you or your customer, if *you* say a product is going to be done at a certain time, make sure that it is done!

7. Create Policies.  While not necessarily the most enjoyable part of selling crafts, it is still a must for a professional.  It is important for your customers to know how to deal with returns, or shipping issues, custom orders, or payment methods.  The hobbyist will be making up these policies on the fly, as the issues arise, oftentimes changing their ideas based on the situation.  Having a policy set in place *before* the situation is brought up by a customer and making sure that the customer knows what is going to be done about it can save a lot of hassle, and is definitely very professional and “think a headedness”  (yes, I just made that up).
8. Change your attitude.  Don’t just scratch your head and skip over this one.  You have to consider yourself and your little business a profession(al) before anyone else will. Look at it as an actual job.  Most likely, your little crafting DID start off as a hobby, something that you did in your spare time to de-stress or because you enjoyed it.  OR, maybe you are having trouble wrapping your head around the idea that you are CRAFTING as a job!  Well, you are doing just that, a *job*, and you need to look at it as such.
9. Be Competitive.  This one is all about pricing your products which is a very tricksy aspect to get right.  Don’t price your products so low that they come across as cheap quality, but don’t price them so high that you can’t effectively compete with other sellers (I can present a 93.48% guarantee that there will be other sellers of your niche).  I have been told that I price my products too low, but I *feel* like I price them too high, and I consider myself very fair.  I fit on the lower end of the average price for products of my niche and I am perfectly comfortable with that.
10. Manage your time efficiently.  You are the manager, the creator, the seller, the bookkeeper, the packager, the errand-runner, and the coffee-getter.  Maybe you didn’t want to have all of those rolls when you first signed up for this craft selling job, but the professional crafter DOES have all of those rolls.  Figure out how much of your available time can be spent on each aspect of your little business and don’t get distracted.  Remember, it is a *job*, treat it like so.

 

There are a ton of crafts that you can make and sell.  Do the research.  Find out what people will buy.  Sometimes you sell some items that you don’t necessarily like, but your customers do.  Take the time to figure everything out, know how you are going to sell, know who you are selling to, and know what you are going to sell to them.  Treat your crafting as an actual office-job, and be the professional that I know you can be!

 

 

 

Did I forget to mention something that you think is important about being a professional?  Please, leave a comment below!

 

 

 

Related articles

 

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Creativity is… – (7) UBC Oct 2012

I’m not a craft supply hoarder, I’m a craft supply enthusiast

Creativity is Intelligence having fun – Albert Einstein

When people ask me “how did you get to be so creative?” I tell them it’s because I ate paste as a child

Creative clutter is better than idle neatness

Creativity is Inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun – Mary Lou Cook

Being creative is not a hobby, it is a way of life

The “earth” without “art” is just “eh”

Creative minds are rarely tidy

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong – Joseph Chilton Pearce

Creativity sets me free

I craft therefore I have no thumbprints

Given enough glue sticks, I could rule the world!!

Creativity takes courage – Henri Matisse

Go and see what’s for sale right now in my shop! (Hint: Click the picture)

http://www.familybugs.net

Join up with me on facebook for great deals, sneak peaks, and exclusive offers!

http://www.fb.com/familybugs

And don’t forget to *LEAVE A COMMENT* share this post, and follow this blog for more great tips, advice, suggestions, and personal examples in the world of selling hand-made crafts (but especially crochet!).

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What to Include in your Etsy Description?

We are going to take this idea from the perspective of you, as the buyer.  For example purposes, you wiz off to Etsy (or any other online selling market) in search of…let’s say a purse.  You have in your head the idea of what size and shape you want, and of course it has to be cute and match with that darlin’ outfit you got the other day!  So, you type in the search engine – purse.  And you’ll come up with over 350,000 results.  Alright, so let’s type in a price range of…$0-20 (Personally, I wouldn’t ever spend more than 15 on a purse of any size, but let’s see where this gets us first).  We’ve narrowed it down to 160,000 results.  Maybe you narrow it down even more by adding descriptives like “Medium purse” (7,000) or “long strap purse”(260), or whatever.  Without even looking at the pictures, can you find the product that you are looking for?

I guess it would depend on the seller and the item you are searching for, but in my experience, sellers rely too heavily on their pictures to sell their products (don’t get me wrong, the photographs are SUPER DUPER important, but so are the words that you put with the photos).  Or maybe they just don’t know what to include in their descriptions in the first place.  Well, I’m here to take all the guess-work out of it.  The important thing to keep in mind is “describe”.

What to Include in your Etsy Description?

• Sizes.  Dimensions.  Lengths.  Measurements.  If your product is for an infant, what is the approximate size?  And because every brand runs sizes differently, what are the specific measurements?
• Texture.  Is it soft, like leather, or hard and plastic?  What does it FEEL like?
• Options.  Can the buyer choose ANYTHING about your product — colors, sizes, personalization?  How about add-ons?  Can that purse come with a matching wallet?
• Basic information about the product that cannot be seen in the pictures.  Is the listing for a pattern or the finished product?
• Examples of/for usage.  How are some ways that the buyer might be able to use your product?  For our example about the purse, what are some items that might fit inside, or different occasions that it can be carried to?
• Colors.  Computer screens can sometimes depict pretty funny colors.  Or, what about the color-blind person out there?  If she wants a purple bag, but the man buying for her sees blue…well…it might not go so well for him 😛

There have been times when I’m looking for something in particular, and I go down to read the description and there isn’t a single word about the actual product.  I don’t want to have to message a seller to get basic information about the product.  That’s what the description is for.  So, along with what TO include in your description, there is also a list of what needs to be left out.

What NOT to include in your Etsy Description?

• Shipping information.  There’s a place to put that, your item description is not the place.
• Personal tidbits that the buyer can’t relate to.  You may be as short and stout and as cool and neat as the next person, but I don’t know you, I don’t relate to that information.
• Testimonials about your product.  Again, there’s a place to put that.
• Competitive’s information.  Yeah, you might have a better deal, but it’s just not professional to put that information in your description.

The buyer doesn’t want to go down and read an essay about your policies.  They want to know about the product itself.  The photographs can only take your product so far.  I encourage you to utilize the space that has been given to you.  There are also a few more pieces of information that you *might* want to include.  These are not necessary, and can only enhance your product and the marketing aspect.

Optional tidbits that you may or may not want to include in your Etsy description

• Descriptive words.  Go ahead and use “cute” or “perfect”.  These descriptions also serve as a commercial for your product.  Go ahead and “sell it, girl!”
• Focus on an upcoming holiday.  Christmas is a big one, but did you also know that every month (except for August) has a big national holiday?  Use those to your advantage!
• Ongoing sales in your shop.  It’s a creative form of advertisement.
• Your facebook page, similar etsy listings, or your business’ website.  It is ok to take people off this site to facebook.  The idea being, if you can get their “like” they will come back and you have a potential return customer.

Not sure if you’ve heard of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), but that’s how the search engines (like google, yahoo, bing) find your website (etsy listing) when someone searches for something.  These search engines do not hone in on photographs, they read the words.  Your description is a great place to work on your SEO (after all, where else will you add in the words to bring in the searches?).  So, if your product is beach-glass jewelry, make sure that you type in those words in a few places “beach glass jewelry”.  And maybe add in some variations so that the search engines can pick up your listing.

So, go, right now, check out your descriptions.  Try to look at it from a “stranger’s” perspective.  Would you know what you are selling?  And come back and let us know how you’ve changed your words and how it’s helped your business!

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Reading List for those wanting to sell their crafts

Just like there are a ton of resources online about selling your crafts, there are quite a few hard-copies (and e-copies) available as well.  I have not ready any of these books, so I cannot speak on a personal level, but from the reviews they seem like good ideas.  I will definitely be considering some of these for the future, and would also LOVE any input that any of you might have on these books.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Selling Your Craft

This straightforward book walks you through the process of preparing your goods for sale, pricing and bookkeeping, finding venues, marketing and promoting your products, and working with customers both online and off — all without quitting your day job. Clear, concise instructions explain everything you need to know to sell crafts effectively in your spare time, and help you decide whether to take selling to the next level.

Learn how to:

*Find out whether you –and your crafts — are ready to start selling.

*Set prices to cover your costs and make a profit.

*Establish a bookkeeping system.

*Manage dual inventories of parts and finished goods.

*Discover the best places to sell your crafts in person or on the Internet.

*Identify the right people to market to.

*Accept credit cards and process other forms of payment.

*Start selling wholesale.

*Stay out of tax and legal trouble.

*And more helpful tips

Stop being intimidated by complex business jargon, and stop procrastinating. Let The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Selling Your Crafts help you share your handmade goods with the world.

Crafts and Craft Shows: How to Make Money

Craftspeople and hobbyists will welcome this new edition of a popular book. Comprehensive and indispensable, Crafts and Crafts Shows gives advice on everything needed to succeed in the craft-show marketplace. Easy-to-follow instructions make it a snap to select the best shows to attend, create an appealing booth, and offer good customer service. Each chapter in the top-selling guidebook has been completely updated to reflect recent changes in the craft world and the book includes new information on branding, creating products that can compete in today’s marketplace, selling on the Internet, and taking promotional photos, as well as creating new marketing strategies for pricing and moving merchandise.

• Easy to read, full of practical wisdom and entertaining stories

• Up-to-the-minute information on internet marketing and branding

1. •Proven advice—14,000 copies of the first edition sold!

Sell Your Crafts Online

“Sell Your Crafts Online” provides a roadmap to the best Internet places for makers of handmade crafts to sell and promote from. Discover over 500 online marketing ideas.

Get ways to inspire trust on your site pages so more shoppers buy. Learn how to boost your craft site’s search engine traffic with 24 top Search Engine Optimization tips. Are your crafts for sale on Etsy and eBay but lost in the crowd? Find more than 80 other places to sell handmade crafts from. And learn where to sell your crafts to stores online from 10 wholesale sites.

Promote your indie designed art and crafts from more than 40 online communities. Get reviews of your craft products on 51 shopping community and blog sites that seek unique products to write about. Syndicate your handmade crafts images, blogs, videos, and articles from 36 networks and discover 16 ideas for getting free publicity in magazines and on TV.

Thought about starting your own t-shirt business? “Sell Crafts Online” reveals 16 sites like Cafepress that let you sell your art and designs via on-demand products like t-shirts, mugs, caps and hundreds of other products.

Save yourself weeks of research. Get ahead by accessing undiscovered but popular places for selling crafts online from.

Author and craft artist, James Dillehay has written nine books and operates more than fifty Web sites. “James was a guest speaker on our Guerrilla Marketing conference call and he blew me away with what he knows about selling on the Internet,” said Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the Guerrilla Marketing series, over 15 million copies sold.

“Sell Crafts Online” is a completely updated edition of Dillehay’s book “The Basic Guide to Selling Crafts on the Internet,” of which Lapidary Journal said “An astonishing amount of usable information, crammed into so few pages! James Dillehay has an amazing talent for getting right to the point, with a minimum of “geekese.” Of the entire list of computer instructional manuals I have read, this one would top the list. I would not hesitate to recommend it . . . even to my mom.”

How to Make Money Using Etsy: A Guide To the Online Marketplace for Crafts and Handmade Products

In a world where most products are manufactured by machines, Etsy offers an online platform for makers of handmade products and crafts to market and sell their goods to a vast network of buyers who demand unique, genuine products. To date, the site has attracted over 400,000 sellers who collectively have sold over 30 million items, generating more than $180.6 million in revenue. The only resource of its kind, How to Make Money Using Etsy–written by Tim Adam who has successfully been selling his products all over the world through his Etsy shop since 2007–guides readers step-by-step through the many stages of selling online. How-to topics include:

1. •Establish your Etsy shop
2. •Effectively photograph your products
3. •Post your products to optimize visibility and increase sales
4. •Brand your business
5. •Use social media like blogs, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with buyers and grow your business

Craft, Inc. Revised Edition: The Ultimate Guide in Turning Your Creative Hobby into a Successful Business

The growing legions of crafters looking to turn their hobby into a profession can rely on the tried and true advice in Craft, Inc. In this completely revised edition of the definitive crafter s business book, entrepreneur Meg Mateo Ilasco offers expanded and authoritative guidance on everything from developing products and sourcing materials to writing a business plan and paying taxes. With all-new sections on opening an online shop, using social media strategically, and more along with updated interviews from such craft luminaries as Jonathan Adler and Jill Bliss this comprehensive primer features the most current information on starting and running a successful creative business.

The Craft Business Handbook – The Essential Guide to Making Money from Your Crafts and Handmade Products

Wish you could turn your talent for making lovely things into cash? Bored of the 9 to 5 and dreaming of starting your own crafty business, but not sure where to start? Then this is the book for you !

The Craft Business Handbook has ALL the information you need to get started making money from your crafts – NOW !

From setting up as a proper business, producing and pricing your goods for maximum sales and profit, to the various options for selling online, at craft fairs, trade shows and getting your products into retailers, right through to gaining magazine coverage, promoting your business online and managing your business as it grows, this is THE essential guide for any would-be crafty entrepreneur!

Whether you’re just considering getting started with a crafty business idea, or already selling your wares and looking for ways to grow your business ( think sales reps, fulfillment houses and more!), this handy book – written by craft business expert Alison McNicol – shares tons of insider tips, practical information, and shows how you too can achieve Craft Business success!

PLUS – some of the most successful crafty business people around share their stories – how they started and grew their successful craft businesses – prepare to be inspired with in-depth interviews from some of your favorite crafty entrepreneurs around!