Where would you recommend selling?

[sparksfly]

I've always been a very crafty person but always made my items for myself or family.[Mostly jewlery]

Recently I saw a few posts on the DIY section of pintrest on how to make wreaths and now I really want to attempt it and sell some since I won't possibly need all these wreaths.

I found a website( http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ ) that sells a bunch of wreath making supplies for really inexpensive[the twig wreath bases are like $14 for 6]

Where would you recommend I start selling them? I'd hate to spend the money/time making them and then not sell any.

[jungrrl]

Please read this stickied thread: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=2783.0

[Chris in VT]

Sparksfly, I don't know where you're located, but I just don't understand why everyone seems to think the only way to sell is online at these websites that, other than Etsy, the general public doesn't know exist.

I read posts from people who say they're on sellItNow.com and they've not sold anything in 6 months.  And they get replies that say s/he has to "work" at posting something on an almost daily basis. They're not selling anything because nobody knows about the site!

Is everybody afraid to leave their home today?

Sparksfly wants to make some wreathes and actually sell them. And if you want to make money, you must get out in front of the customer who has the cash! And that means craft fairs. Schools, churches, fire halls, American Legion, VFW, etc all have craft fairs as fund raisers at this time of year.  You spend $50 for a table and customers actually come in and buy things. No website, no daily posting of stuff, just take the cash right there and then.

I do craft shows for a living. And I do some pretty expensive shows. And I have no problem signing up for a show at any of the above venues if I have an open weekend. If I can make a quick $250 to $400 in one day I'm happy. How many crafters make that money in a year on some of these "free" sites?

[CraftyCathyJ]

I agree. Not everything has to be sold online.

There are a variety of ways to sell: farmer's markets, word of mouth, hosting craft parties, etc.

Make some flyers and hand them out, ask businesses if you can hang up a flyer or have your friends pass them out for you at their workplace. Not everyone knows where to find something when they look for it on the web.

I agree with the previous post that you should go out into your community to spread the word. You would get more immediate results than waiting to see who buys or views your item.

[CraftyChef]

Selling at craft shows means a whole different set of commitment and circumstances. It means you have to have inventory, and there's no guaranty you'll sell it all at a show. You need to set up credit, most likely will need to buy, then store display objects, and actually be able to commit to making inventory at a deadline and attend to a table for 1-3 days. Inexperienced folks will need a year or two to figure out what the good shows are and what they need to sell there. And that kind of learning will cost money in show fees unless they decide to become a researcher and simply observe other shows for a goodly amount of time.

Very simply, if you have time and space issues, online is the way to go. I would say wreaths are good fodder for craft shows, but not if the person making them feels squeezed for time and space. Online selling means you only have to make one of something as an example. A craft show means you have to make 10 and need to sell them all because you have nowhere to store the leftover inventory once the show is over.

[Chris in VT]

You bring up some points, but that's part of the craft show business. Making enough inventory, and possibly not selling has been part of retail since the beginning.

Here in Vermont there are a lot of crafters making wreathes, for all year round, not just Christmas. One woman friend of mine sells wreathes she gets from the local Christmas tree grower and decorates them and gets anywhere from $25 to $75 each. Then she signs up for a show in Saratoga, NY in January and sells winter wreathes.

Will a beginner do that? Probably not. But if somebody has the spirit and the desire to actually make money I truly believe shows/fairs are still the way to go.

Credit? Not at a small show. The exhibitor who takes plastic at a small show is the exception. And I've only had 2 checks I couldn't collect on.

Making a display for a small show isn't very difficult. Just a table and a nice coverning is all a beginner really needs. A solid colored bedsheet from WalMart is still pretty common. The three sided booth display walls and shelving etc are for the pros.

I'm not advocating one venue and not the other. Both are important. I do shows and also have a website. And I know an exhibitor who does shows to advertize her Etsy store. She found out it works quite well. The customers can actually see and feel the quality of her work. They buy at the show, but order from her store too.

Maybe it's because I love doing shows. You can interact with customers right there. You develop a network of friends with similar interests. Every time I do a small school show I meet many people who are doing their very first show. Usually they're there to make a few bucks and enjoy themselves. And when the day is over they made some new friends. Nothing wrong there. And they also made money. $250 in one day? That's a lot more than they would have made online.