Any ideas how to promote my hand crocheted items? I've been doing craft shows and I have a site on Etsy.com. It's notjusthats.etsy.com. I've put a lot of time and money into this, but I'm not seeing the rewards. Maybe I'm being a bit impatient, but it's been about 3 months now. Any suggestions how to get my name out there?
By sheila from Burlington, NJ
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I was an eBay seller for several years, and I could sell yard sale finds, small collectibles, clothing items,etc. but had no luck whatsoever in selling my crafts. If you sell them on eBay, you have to be willing to sell them at about 1/3 the price that you can get at a craft show. As a matter of fact, the last craft item that I advertised on eBay was Panoramic Sugar Eggs for Easter. They are large hollow eggs molded from sugar with a peephole in the end and a small figure inside. I started the bid at $4.00 and never got a bid. Craft shows, in my opinion, are the best outlet. And it is a good idea to visit the show and see what kind of attendance they have, take notice of how many people are carrying packages, speak with some of the vendors and ask a few questions before you reserve a space. Another outlet is some areas would be the Farmer's Markets. They primarily sell fresh vegetables, but many also invite you to sell handicraft items.
Hi Sandy; Have you tried visiting small shops (ie. florists, spas, boutiques) any store that would compliment your craft and ask to display them on consignment? They have nothing to lose and everything to gain if they sell. You can also make a brochure with pictures of your crafts with contact information; and then of course there are the craft fairs and ebay. Good Luck to you!
Have you tried selling them in a yard sale or have a stand at a local flea market?
I don't know if it is a matter of getting your name out there or not. I always figure with things like that, it is a matter of whether or not people want your product, and whether or not they think the prices are too high.
How about taking your handmade items to a craft fair like at a school, church, or firehall?
The hat is and the little girl are adorable. It is soooo hard to sell on Etsy, just the right person has to happen across your site. I had jewelry on there for a few months and sold one piece. There are so many others out there doing the same thing on Etsy that the competition is staggering. I think you are on the right track trying to sell them yourself, no one can sell them like you can.
Having said that I am setting up a site currently to sell my crafts and photographs. I will have to work at getting the search engines to find me but I figure it was free to set up the site so what do I have to lose? You might think about setting up a site with a few others, if you have someone computer savy(I'm not but it's a pretty easy site to work with) even better. I used wordpress.com for mine; here is the address if you want to take a look, remember it is still in the fledgling stages. http://ramblinannie.wordpress.com Good luck.
Well, the hat is adorable. If you made hats for a local girl scout, brownie or daisy troop to wear to a big event (a field trip or jamborie), I would bet other troops would ask where they got them and maybe order hats for their girls. You might ask to have a small display in a local boutique, on a trial basis to see if your products sell.
Well, ya just did! Your name is "out there" on thriftyfun! Wasn't that easy? Now, try facebook or any of the other social networking sites; get your profile up and invite friends and family to join you. That way, everyone who is a friend on facebook etc. will be linked to you remotely as friends of friends or family. Have them all spread the word from their profiles as well. You have a lovely little model by the way! Good luck and God bless
Packaging is the key. Even if going to the craft shows, are you letting your wares exposes to handling or are they in packages ready to sell as 1 is displayed in front? Are they are hangers? Are they in proper containers? You've got to make them sell-ready because even if you have a great product, it won't sell if the package isn't there to make the difference.
-experience in marketing.
Your crocheted hats look gorgeous. Other options for selling crafts online include eBay and artfire.com
Good Luck
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