Craft
Marketer Newsletter
Craft Business Ideas
Issue Number
24, February 14, 2003
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Hi
I recently
received the question below and felt like it covers a lot of the
concerns of the craftsperson starting off. Here's what Ann
asked:
(Question:
) I am recently out of work as of December. I am
getting a little tired dealing with all the politics and guff of
working for others. I am rather "craftsy" and can do almost
anything by watching someone else do it. What can you tell me
about what projects could be best sellers. reasonable in
materials and easy to make. I can paint very well with acrylics,
sculpt,stained glass and sew. I just seem to be a little afraid
the stuff won't sell. Are there items that people can't seem to
get enough of??? Companies that I could do piecework for? I live
in Michigan and the winters are long and dismal, I might as well
keep busy doing something constructive! I'm not looking to make
a fortune, just supplement our income, I can always make more as
I learn. Thanks
(Answer:)
I understand your situation. Making and selling handmade crafts
is a great alternative if you have the characteristics of an
entrepreneur -- belief in yourself, persistence, patience,
commitment, ability to communicate, love of people.
As for best
sellers -- there's no one answer that's going to give you the
formula. If there was, everyone would simply start making those
items. My experience was that when I produced pieces that I put
my heart into, they seemed to jump into customers hands. I also
incorporated colors that were predicted to be 'in' within my own
designs and they sold well too.
In general,
people don't buy arts and crafts to get trendy products. They
are looking for unique, original, quality handmades. If you
attempt to get ahead of the curve by selling what's trendy, you
will experience challenges. The first is how much inventory do
you produce to capture the market for an item that is trendy?
How long will the trend last? What do you do with the leftover
inventory when the trend is over?
Having said
all that, you can read what 'experts' say about trends in the
craft world in The Crafts Report (www.craftsreport.com) and
Craftrends Magazine (www.craftrends.com)
The only way
you will know if a craft item will sell, is to make it and test
the waters. You can limit your investment by doing a 'trunk
show' or 'home party', where you have a friend invite neighbors
and friends to an evening get-together, serve refreshments and
show your stuff. Bring several types of craft items and see what
sells. Trunk shows are a fun way to get your feet wet before
diving into commitments like a large crafts show.
If you are
interested in doing piecework, you could run a classified ad and
put up notices on bulletin boards at craft supply stores, in The
Crafts Report and Sunshine Artist magazines and let other craft
artists know you are available to work. You probably won't make
big money but you might enjoy and learn from the experience.
P.S. http://www.artisanstreet.com offers a
super opportunity to sell your crafts online. Their site is
ecommerce ready and handles all the transactions. I recommend
them highly.
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