Thinking about selling your crafts?
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 10:30AM 
As some of you know, my current writing project is a book about getting started selling what you make. It's a beginner-level guide for the crafter who wants to experiment by starting out low-key--rather than quitting her day job and becoming a craft entrepreneur superhero overnight. (Yes, it's very possible to start out small!)
If you're thinking about dabbling in selling in person or online, I'd like to hear from you!
What are your biggest questions about getting started?
What aspects of selling are you most concerned about?
What are you most excited about?
If you'd rather not leave a public comment, you can contact me privately here.
Above: A gorgeous jewelry display by Elisa Shere Jewelry; photo by tigerlillyshop on Flickr. (LOVE the simple green and white with the modern graphic table cover.)
Below: An overhead shot of the 23rd annual Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, DC, by rpongsaj on Flickr. (Kinda inspirational, isn't it?)
books, business, craft selling in Books, Business, Getting Started
Reader Comments (4)
Yes, I am getting ready to sell my jewelry. These are good questions.
About getting started, How do I get my jewlery noticed - by purchasers? How do I price my jewelry? What are the best internet venues for selling jewelry?
What I am most concerned about: having enough time to keep beading. And how to you find out about selling jewelry without spending all your beading time surfing? Selling seems like ti could be more time consuming that making jewelry, so I don't want selling to take over.
I like making jewelry, but I don't wear jewelry. So I am most excited about finding good homes for these things, and also having enough revenue to keep myself in supplies. Maybe I should just sell my stash LOL.
Hi JonniVA, and thanks for commenting!
Let me say that first of all, you're already on the right track. That's because you realize that selling will take up time in your schedule and require extra energy - which it definitely will. But there are two ways to keep things reasonable, both of which I'll be focusing on in my book.
First, I believe it's absolutely fine to start out small, especially when you just want to make a little money to help offset your cost of supplies. And it's easier to do that than ever before with the online venues (like Etsy, Artfire, and 1000Markets) that we now have available. Second, even if you start out selling very casually, you should do everything you can to get and stay organized. That will be the key to balancing your time between making jewelry and selling it. (And once you get going, I don't think you'll need to spend lots of time surfing for selling tips--just subscribe to a couple of good newsletters.)
There's one thing that my book won't tell you, though, and that's which online venue is best. That depends on the style of your jewelry, your target market, and how much time and money you want to invest. However, in the book I will help you decide which venue, or venues, are right for you. I'm even briefly covering the topic of selling your extra supplies - which you definitely *can* do.
I wish my book was finished so that I could send you a copy--but it's not scheduled for release until next year, most likely in spring. (Feel free to send me a note with your address then if you'd still like a copy!) In the meantime, I recommend Rena Klingenberg's site for some useful jewelry-selling tips. I'll also be starting a new blog soon devoted just to craft selling. Sign up for my updates (upper right on this page) to be notified of its start.
Best of luck in your journey into selling! :)
~Chris
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Selling Your Crafts (2010)
Hi Chris, I hope you are having a great day. So I have spent the past few hours just searching online for tools and instructional aids. I saw your book on amazon and it had a link to your website. Well I have a few questions about jewelery making and I would greatly appreciate it if you can take a few minutes to answer them. I am looking for the tools and books for my wife as a birthday surprise, her birthday is in august so I still have some time. My wife is a very creative person and would have loved to go to fashion school but circumstances didn't allow it and she did go to school but for something else. A week ago we passed a garage sale and there was this bead set for $2 and we picked it up for our four year old. It had no tools just the beads and a couple of spools of wire. Both the mom and the daughter had a fantastic time making bracelets and earrings. I really want to provide my wife with a creative outlet and I am very sure she would love to create jewelery and perhaps would want to sell it as well. I am not really concerned about the selling aspect but I would definitely like your book when it comes out. I myself am an accountant by professional and I did double major in accounting and marketing at the university. So I do have a bit of know how in sales management and pricing and such but it would be good to know the venues online that are available that one can seel their jewelery through. What I really need your expert opinion on is tools and things I need to get her started. I saw some beadsmith jewelery pliers tool kit on amazon but I am not sure which one would be best. According to my understanding I need a plier tool kit, beads kit, a mat and an instructional book. Would you please recommend tools that are available on amazon or ebay as I am in Canada and might not have the same store you do in States. I wait for your answer with anticipation. Hope to hear from you soon. -M.B.
Thanks for your comment, M.B.! I've posted my response in a new post.