To Sell or Not

That is a question most crafters ask themselves when their hobby starts to produce a quantity of items. And there is no easy answer, one man’s treasure is not to everyone’s taste. There is also the fear that your work is not good enough, that no-one will want it. But what do you do when your craft room is overflowing?

Ive been crafting for more than 30 years and I like to think I’m quite good at it. Over the years I’ve switched between selling and not. I’ve gone to craft fairs, sold online, taken commissions, the lot. I still can’t decide whether its worth the blow to my self esteem if I don’t sell anything.

So, you’ve decided to give selling your crafts a go. The first thing you need to know is that unless you are producing a quantity of products that don’t take long to make, you are not going to make a lot of money, don’t do it to make your fortune. The second question is how are you going to sell. In person at a craft fair or put your goods into a craft shop? Online through a selling site, like Etsy. Or via social media, like Instagram or Facebook. Are you going to have a website? Lots of question you need to answer before you can even think about things like prices.

Now, I have done all of the above and never sold very much. The crafts I’m good at are very popular and everybody is selling them but that hasn’t been enough to put me off trying every now and then. I’ll get a good idea and think I might be able to sell it. I’m savvy enough to follow trends and adapt them to my crafts. So every now and then I resurrect my Etsy shop or book a table at a craft fair for my latest ideas. But the secret is now I’m not that bothered if something sells, I just try and enjoy the experience.

My crochet is my favourite and most long lasting craft. Lots of people make and sell crocheted items. Now, I make things as gifts or commissions for friends, things that please me, as I know I will never make back my time in the price of an item.

I’ve discovered that the way to make money ( and still not a lot) from a craft is to teach someone else how to do it. So I do and I love it! Social crafting is an amazingly good experience and to see other peoples pleasure as they learn something new almost makes me want to do it for free. I said almost!

And I still do the odd craft fair, for fun. In fact I’ve got one coming up at the end of May. You see, I had this idea to…but that would be telling.