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| No one wants to buy this little MyTie... really?? |
When I started sewing again, it was my "plan" that I would be able to sell some of my creations to generate enough money for me to keep up with the expenses of the hobby. Considering that I had access to someone who regularly sold at various craft markets, I figured — apparently mistakenly — that it would be a breeze to sell the occasional project.
I think it was around the late summer of 2013 when I gave my market friend two bags to sell. After a year (and apparently some interest), I took them "off the market" and brought them back home.
Just before the holiday season last year, I gave my friend three of my MyTie bags (one of which is shown above), which I thought for sure would sell. But unfortunately, a combination of factors — from fierce winter storms to poor product placement — led to nothing happening on that front, either.
I was discouraged to say the least. In the grand scheme of things, I had found sufficient success elsewhere that funding my hobby through physical sales was no longer a requirement, but it bugged me a little that nothing was selling. Then I discovered that I wasn't alone in finding it difficult to sell handmade "stuff". (The reasons are varied and many and I will not bother to enumerate them again.)
Not being one to give up, however, when I made my Bodaciously Basic Bucket Bag testers, I knew that I would try to sell one of them.
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| Promo sheet for my BBB bag... |
Third time's the charm as the saying goes? This bag was officially sold on May 23, ten days after I turned it over to my market friend. But in essence, it really took two years for me to make one sale. Not exactly inspiring, if you know what I mean. (But on the other hand, I can now check sell something that I've made off my "designer wish list".)
In the end, when you're trying to sell only one or two items, it's really a matter of the right person seeing it at the right time. Whether on eBay or in your local market, you need to attract the attention of the person searching for just what you're selling. And when you look at it that way, the whole process is really is a bit of a crapshoot.
Maybe my blue MyTie bag is just waiting for the right person.
Selling is definitely a crap shoot Rochelle. Sometimes it's the wrong style, the wrong color, the wrong size, the wrong price, etc... You never know what will sell and when. I sell a few things at a gift shop where I have 3 months to try an sell them. Some things sell, some things get returned to me. I can bring the stuff that didn't sell back in a few months and try again with a new lower price if I think it's the price, but I price my stuff low enough as it is. I haven't tried bringing back the non-selling stuff yet, because I keep trying to sell other things. Stuff that sold well last year isn't selling at all or not very well this year. I mainly try to sell for the same reasons you mentioned to make my hobby pay for itself a bit. I am not trying to get rich or anything, just earn a few dollars to buy supplies when I need them. I have only had luck selling at the gift shop, but it's slow going and so hit and miss.
ReplyDeleteCraft shows are too expensive for tables for one day. Most people look at craft shows and don't buy. Plus if you bring everything to sell your table looks like a mess and if you only bring a few items, it's always the ones you don't bring that might have sold from what people ask for. It's impossible to please everyone and to know what might sell.
Selling at craft markets or online is HARD. At craft markets, the right person has to come along on the right day when you are selling the right thing. And online it's hard to become noticed - it takes a lot of marketing and networking, neither of which I am good at.
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