From promoting your work at local garage sales and flea markets, to listing your wares at online directories, the potential for selling your crafts never looked better. Even if you don't need to pay the rent with your craft sales, a little savvy self-promotion and a cagey selection of goods to sell can at least help defray the cost of your supplies. Let's take a look at how to start.
Etsy Handmade Goods
This website has made selling crafts, supplies, and vintage items online easy. All you have to do is register and pay a small fee to list an item. The current rate is $.20 for a four-month listing. When your item sells, you pay a 3.5% fee to the site. There is no programming involved, and the process can be fun. You become part of an active community of buyers and sellers, and being a seller on Etsy can help establish your street creds too. From sculpture to handmade jewelry, you'll find a niche at Etsy.
Garage Sales, Flea Markets and other Local Outlets
If you don't have the money or time to rent a booth at a major craft venue, you can still find a paying outlet for your goods. Check the papers for garage sales near you. Early on the morning of the sale, visit the location and ask to display your goods. Offer a finder's fee for anything that's sold. You'll make friends and sell merchandise. To increase your exposure, donate some of your pieces to popular charities in your area. Many charities hold auctions and promotions to make money. Having your pieces on display helps to spread the word about you and your work.
Don't forget local schools, libraries, and other public locations. Donating a quilt, painting, sculpture, basket or other craft for display helps to get you free publicity and a reputation for contributing to the local community. Many of these locations are crying out for a little creative decoration, and harried public servants are grateful for an easy way to make their spaces less impersonal.
Sell Crafts Via a Blog or Twitter About Your Art
Create an online presence through a blog or on Twitter. Using blogging and social media helps you structure your ideas about art, gain insights from others, and provide potential associates with a glimpse of what makes you unique and special.
If you're a little intimidated, you're not alone. One of the biggest hurtles is in just getting started. Believing your work is worth someone's money can be a challenge, but everyone, from Michelangelo to Andy Warhol, started out with a first, second, and third sale. Don't be shy. You have little to lose and everything to gain.
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