The crafting industry is a great way to get started in a part time business. Everyone has hidden talents when it comes to craft making. The great thing about crafts is that there so many different ways to craft you are bound to find a place in this blossoming world. Turning your handiwork into income, and knowing what crafts are salable can help you start your own craft making business. There are some important things to consider on your journey though. Let’s take a closer look at how you can turn your handiwork into income.
The first step in selling your handiwork is finding one. What I mean by that is you need to know what you’re really good at. You don’t want your craft business built on something you don’t know anything about. The term handiwork refers to something you are handy at; a niche. Starting a business doing something you are unfamiliar with will take way too much time and money to get things off the ground. If you look at yourself and all the talents you have you’re bound to find something that you’re great at already.
The next thing you want to do before you can generate any kind of serious income is determine who you are making your crafts for; a target audience. You’re never going to be able to sell your craft to everyone and will have much more success if you have a target group in mind. For example if word working is your thing and you want to make some cool toys, your target audience would for the most part be kids and their parents (after all we are the ones who will be paying for the toy). You’re going to bring in much more income if you know your target audience and cater to them and to the places they will most likely shop and buy.
Turning your handiwork into income is easy if you can figure out what crafts are salable. Find something unique and practical that catches the customer’s eyes.
All crafts are salable, but there are certain ones that sell better than others, and ones that sell better during different season. Knowing what will sell and producing for that need is going to bring in way more income than if you decided to make something and hope it becomes popular. For some people that works, but for the majority of crafters, they look to see what people are buying and try to make it their own; unique. Here are some popular crafts that have sold well in the past:
Custom made crafts- You can offer a specific item to sell to your customers but then allow them to put their own personal touch on it; or even better create their own. This allows you to be creative and come up with a new product, but allows them to have a say in how the end result looks. Custom crafts are easy sales as long as you keep the price right.
Seasonal Crafts- You can focus your crafts around different times of the year like Halloween, or Valentines, or probably the most popular, Christmas. Anytime you can make your craft cater to the season you are increasing your chances at selling it when you want to. You can also focus your craft around specific themes. People love holidays and love finding holiday treasures.
Salable crafts are ones that are unique, practical, and good quality. Coming up with your own unique craft decreases your competition and brings in more income. Some practical that people can see a use for; whether it’s doing something with it, or just having a place for it in their home is practical. And if you’re going to start making crafts to sell make sure they are good quality. If you aren’t going to buy good quality materials then don’t bother making it. People hate cheap stuff and won’t buy it because they know if will break as soon as they get it home. And trust me, craft shoppers know what good quality is and what isn’t because they’ve been to so many craft shows.