Crafting is a therapeutic process that is extremely varied. Whether you knit, paint or make jewelry, it’s tempting to try and turn that hobby into a job. Although it might seem like a daunting prospect, transforming your crafting passion into a full-time career is much easier than it sounds. Here is a rundown of some of the best ways to sell your creations.
#1 Marketplaces
Online marketplaces like eBay and Etsy represent an easy and essentially risk-free way of selling crafts. Since you will only pay a cut of sales (and in some cases a negligible listing fee), you will not have to invest (or potentially lose) any capital. Better still, online marketplaces already enjoy massive traffic, meaning that you will have a ready-made customer base. Marketplaces are extremely user-friendly, too, so you can have items on sale within a matter of minutes. Beyond that, big names like Etsy assure customers of fund protection and secure transactions, increasing buyer confidence.
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How to Choose a Platform?
When it comes to selecting your platform, you could consider the possibility of selling on multiple ones to widen your reach. However, this could be very difficult to manage in the very beginning. Overtime it may be possible, but to start, only focus on one. Etsy could be the safer choice if this is your first time, and more people could trust you. It is also a great option if you want to turn this into a fully-fledged business. You would come across as more professional to many customers. Setting up a store here is easy. Click the option “Sell on Etsy” to bring you to the relevant page. To open your shop, select your language, currency, and country before choosing your shop name. You will need to have an Etsy account before doing any of this. Etsy will walk you through all the relevant steps.
#2 Via Your Own Website
Often considered the next step for people who want to start a business rather than sell one-off creations, building your own website gives you total control over how you sell. You will not need to rely on third-party infrastructure, nor will you have to give away your profits to pay for a listing. Some choose to design websites themselves, but this is a time-consuming process that is unlikely to yield a professional-looking result. Hiring a website design agency takes the stress out of site-building and ensures that you get a polished storefront. That is crucial in the crowded eCommerce environment, where competition is high. It would also give you more time to focus on your crafts. After all, the last thing you want to find happening is putting all this time into the technical side of selling your crafts and not having enough crafts ready to sell when the time comes. Let the professionals handle this while you let your own expertise work its magic on your crafts.
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#3 On Social Media
It is a fairly new innovation, but most of the major social media platforms now come with built-in eCommerce functionality. Facebook has its own marketplace, and Instagram allows users to tag products for sale. While these do not offer the same functionality level as those referenced in point one, they have a distinct advantage. A social media presence is crucial in the world of eCommerce. Instagram especially is a fantastic way to market and draw attention to your products. Allowing users to buy those items with just a few clicks is a massive advantage, so social media marketplaces are only likely to grow in popularity.
Even if you choose to go for your own website or marketplace platform, having social media accounts is going to be crucial for marketing your products. Without customers, you won’t have much of a business, so you need to be utilizing social media to reach your target audience and make them familiar with your brand. This could take some time and dedication, as well as a little bit of investment, to get your posts in front of the right people, but this will be worth it when you know that you are building up trust and making sales. Take high-quality pictures of your products and provide vivid descriptions of them.If you notice that people are flocking to your website from social media sites, you could decide to add the option of letting people buy straight from social media to ensure you get even more sales.
Your social media is also going to play a part in telling people where you will be selling your products if you like to sell face to face rather than online. For example, you might set up a stall in the local market. Although you might get a few people stopping by, you want to ensure that as many people know as possible where you are set up for the day. Regular customers won’t want to miss out on your latest stock, but if they don’t know where you are, this could cause problems.
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#4 Sell Local
Selling local used to mean garage and car boot sales, but all that is changed. Local artisans use social media for advertising their products to a local audience. Targeted ads allow you to market to just those in your geographic area. From there, some people will deliver their items by car or even van. This saves on postage and also has a personal touch. Others will ask that the buyer collect the items. The latter method is particularly useful if you are selling large items. Using social media to sell local is a new trend, but it is important. Many artisans use it as a springboard to launch their own local businesses on the high street.Even if you don’t make it to the high street straight away, it is still a good stepping stone for selling in markets. Markets hold a lot of value. Remember, particularly around the holidays, people look for unique crafts that they can gift to friends and family, and it could be a great way to introduce your brand to the locals and visitors in town for the market.
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