Craft fairs are a wonderful way to both market and sell your crafts—but some people simply do not have the time or the money to put up a booth at such fairs. More and more entrepreneurs are beginning to sell their items online. One website very popular among small businesses and hobbyists is Etsy.com.

Here are some reasons why, like other crafters, you too might want to sell your items on Etsy:

1) Etsy is a marketplace for all things handmade.

Unlike other online marketplaces, you won’t find mobile phones, DVDs or various retail items for sale on this website. Etsy.com is a website specifically for both buyers and sellers of handmade items, vintage items, and all sorts of craft supplies.

2) You are catering to your target market.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll make a sale on Etsy—but you can at least be assured that people who browse Etsy love crafts and all things handmade and vintage just as much as you do.

3) Buying and selling on Etsy is easy.

It only takes a few minutes to set up your Etsy shop. You can even choose to customize your online store with your profile and a banner image. Uploading your product descriptions and images are easy and will not take up a lot of time.

4) You are joining a community.

By choosing to sell your items on Etsy, you are not creating just another account, but are joining a community, as well. You can ask for feedback or suggestions from other knowledgeable sellers on the Etsy forums, or even collaborate with other people on Etsy whose style or products complement your style or items.

Similarly, purchasing items on Etsy is also easy. Prices of items appear in the buyer’s local currency, making shopping convenient, fun and quick. Thousands of people shop on Etsy on a daily basis because it is the go-to online marketplace for all things handmade. If you want to start selling your crafts on the Internet, Etsy is truly the best place to start.

If you’re a lover of all things craft-related, attending a craft fair is something you should definitely make time for. If you make crafts, however, then you may want to seriously consider selling your handmade works of art at craft fairs instead of just attending them.

These are just some of the many benefits of selling at craft fairs:

1) You can interact with your target market.

People who attend such fairs are genuinely interested in crafts. These fairs are a wonderful opportunity to chat with the people browsing through your products and get to know them a little better. Get feedback from them as to what they’d like to see you sell, and answer any questions that your customers may have. You’ll also be able to network with the other crafters at the fair and see what sells well for them.

2) You can create a customer database.

A craft fair is a wonderful way to get more information about your customers. Ask interested customers if they’d like to be on your mailing list.  Collect their home addresses, phone numbers or email addresses so you can send them product updates, catalogs or brochures in the future.

3) They are profitable.

At a craft fair, you are selling your items directly to the customer. This means there’s no need to pay any distributors or middlemen. Apart from overhead, fair fees and supplies, everything else is considered profit.

4) They require only a short-term commitment.

Craft fairs generally run for only one or a few days, and are usually held on weekends. Joining a craft fair will in no way take over your schedule! You can still hold a regular job on weekdays, or spend your time working on your hobbies.

5) You can learn from your previous craft fairs or shows.

Another benefit of selling at craft fairs is that you’ll be able to quickly assess your performance at the end of each fair. You can decide to increase your prices, fix up your displays and increase your inventory before deciding to commit to a larger and more expensive fair.

6) You can work on your crafts and sell them at the same time.

Take advantage of a fair’s slow hours to build up your inventory. Actually doing your craft work at the fair is a great way to get people to slow down, watch and ask questions. 

Craft fairs are not the only place that artists can sell their work however, these fairs are a wonderful way to build up one’s business. The next time you hear of a craft fair in your area—grab the opportunity and sign up!

Photo Credit: iClipart

Many people spend countless hours a day doing crafts for the sheer reason that they love it. Have you ever considered making money from your crafts? It’s very possible—and there are several ways to make a little income from your work.

One great way to do so is to sell your items on the extremely popular auction site, eBay. If you’re ready to take the plunge and make some cash from your labor of love, then here are some practical tips to get you started:

1) Create an account.

The first thing you need to do is to open an eBay account. You’ll find step-by-step instructions on the site to walk you through the registration process.

2) Do a little research.

You probably already have an idea of what items you’d like to sell on eBay. Take advantage of eBay’s ‘advanced search’ feature to see how sellers list their items in order to get a feel for how other people sell crafts on eBay. If, for example, you plan to sell handmade jewelry, check out the listings of similar items.

You can also choose to view only completed listings, so you can see how much items similar to yours have been sold for.

3) Take great photos of your item.

Although it is possible to list an item for auction or sale without a photo, it will greatly lower your chances of selling your item. Take one or more great photos of your item and show off your hard work. If you aren’t very good with a camera, ask a photographer friend to take photos for you. Presentation plays a big role when selling a product.

4) Think about your shipping requirements.

Aside from creating your product, you also have to think about how to ship it. As a seller, it is your duty to make sure that your item gets to your customer in good condition. If your item is fragile, will you need bubble wrap or other special packing materials? Be sure to charge accordingly.

It is also your job to find a reliable and reasonably priced shipping method. Will you use the postal service or will you use a courier service? These are things you need to think about.

5) Aim for good feedback.

On eBay, both buyers and sellers are able to leave feedback for each other after each transaction. Feedback is based on a transaction, and can be either positive or negative. While positive feedback will likely lure in more customers, negative feedback can just as easily steer them in another direction. Treat each customer with respect, and make sure to communicate with each person to the best of your ability.

Selling crafts on eBay may take a little getting used to if you aren’t familiar with how the site works. However, you just need to invest time in learning the ropes and you’ll quickly find yourself earning income from creating something that you love.

Last night, Wednesday 11/30, she had a very informative segment on “Made In America” — and how there is a very big PUSH now on folks buying American made items for Christmas gifts.  She made a comment that if EVERY family would just buy $64 worth of “Made In America” products for Christmas gifts, that alone would help put thousands of people back to work.  They showed a variety of “made in America” businesses – from hot sauce, to toys and games, to clothing items – indicating that if MORE Americans would buy American made products, how much benefit there would be to our economy!

Do YOU have signs that you can hang on your craft fair/bazaar booth that proudly state that your items are MADE IN AMERICA?  Put some signs in your customer waiting area indicating that you’re all about the “made in America” push!

All of our items that we sell, from coupon clutches, to Plus Size childrens patterns, to Full Figure men/women’s books and patterns,  to Sewing Machine Repair books are ALL made right HERE in America!!  Check your Christmas gift list to see if any of these “Made in America” products would be a great idea for you.

Let your customers know that what you offer are also “Made in America” products —then remember the final words on the segment by Diane Sawyer — “Are YOU in?”    We certainly are and we are doing our best to spend, not just $64, but all we can on made in America products for under our Christmas tree this year!!

The actual “sale” began today (Thursday) at 10:00 for those people who wanted to get in early and pay $1.00 entrance fee (the $1.00 was for a particular charity).  I was there at 9:30 just to see how many people were in line already waiting to get in —- here’s a picture of part of the line:

At 9:30 there were approximately 87 people already in line waiting for the doors to open at 10:00!  I’d driven by the fairgrounds a little after 9 heading for the Post Office, and there were already probably a dozen people standing around the door at that time.

Why would sewers and crafters go to a kids’ resale consignment affair?  This is where I get LOTS of great deals on clothing items that I can make into craft items for craft fairs, bazaars, etc.  You can find jeans for those jean purses for about a buck a pair, plus blouses, shorts and other items that can be made into craft items.  I also look for sheets and pillow cases, as the fabric from the sheets/pillow cases can be used for dozens of things.   At a previous kids consignment sale I found a really nice girls skort – had pink checked shorts under a khaki skirt, that I’m using for a project tutorial for this blog in a few days.  I’ve even found small bags of jewelry findings that I’ve re-used for various projects.

Check around in your local areas for consignment sales such as this – I guarantee that you’ll find many things CHEAP that you can use for your own sewing/crafting projects without spending big dollars at the fabric stores.  You’ll be helping the consignors make a few dollars in addition to saving yourself some money.

Subscribe to the FaveCrafts Quick and Crafty email newsletter for free and receive the Homemade Christmas Gift Guide eBook as a welcome gift.  Grab the Santa’s Guide to Easy Christmas Crafts for Kids ebook while you’re at it.

Get TWO FREE Halloween Crafts eBooks:

• Easy Halloween Crafts 2010 Edition 2010 eBook features 7 easy Halloween crafts to wear, decorate or give away, including the Pirate Pumpkin (pg. 5) and the DIY Spider Webs (pg. 17).
• Homemade Halloween Decorations 2010 Edition eBook features 7 homemade Halloween decorations to decorate the home without spending a bundle, including the Haunted Ghost Globes (pg. 11) and the Halloween Candy Dish (pg. 16).

I ran across a tutorial at AVeryRedKitchen.blogspot for making alphabet beanbags out of old t-shirts.  Check out this picture:

Katie has done a wonderful job of putting together a tutorial for these alphabet bean bags.  She has capital letters on one side and lower case letters on the other side.

After making a set of these bean bags, you can put a small basket in one corner and let the kids play!  I have tons of old t-shirts that have been “begging” to be recycled into something useful!  Looks like I can use the bodies of the t’s for a project and the sleeves for the alphabet bean bags.  Thanks a million, Katie for this great tutorial!

For additional ideas of projects to make for yourself, your customer waiting area, or for the next craft fair, visit PatternsThatFitYou for some free ideas, and Patterns2Go for tons of crafty ideas for men, women, children, neighbors, relatives — anybody you’d want to make something for!

Find crafts, fun and friends at the Craft Forum, and it’s FREE!  Check it out and sign up today.

March is National Craft Month and there is still plenty of time to get involved and use the event in your promotion activities!  There are 63 million households that craft as a hobby and this is a great opportunity to host in-store events, hold contests or other craft themed promotions.

The Craft & Hobby Association, sponsors of National Craft Month for sixteen years, has put together lots of free resources to help you maximize your public relations, tips on holding classes and demonstrations and new ideas on how to use National Craft Month to increase your business.