How to Expand a Home-Based Greeting Cards Business
People can spend a lot of time and money creating beautiful, hand-crafted greeting cards. In order to make such endeavors profitable, one must have the knowledge and tools necessary to expand a home-based greeting card business. Equipped with this knowledge and these skills, a person can make a nice profit selling greeting cards.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Computer with online access
- Color printer
- Samples
- Addresses of gift stores
Instructions
-
-
1
Decide where you want to sell your cards. Start with any gift stores in your area that sell items in your greeting cards' genre. For example, if you are crafting unique cards one at a time, a high-end gift shop with other hand-crafted items is a good place to start. If you are printing your own designs, you might try selling to a high-end stationary store. Drop into the stores and ask for the business card of the appropriate buyer. The person may be available, so be prepared to chat and leave a sample. Otherwise, send a letter to the address on the business card, and be sure to include a sample.
-
2
Become a vendor at craft fairs or gift shows. Visit fairs and shows in your area and ask to speak to the promoter. The promoters are the people who organize the event. The promoters will give you a schedule of future shows, and an application.
-
-
3
To expand the retail end of your home-based greeting card business, consider opening an Ebay account, or even your own Ebay store. If you do not want to sell via auctions, you are welcome to sell via "Buy it Now" in which the price is set. The nice thing about selling on Ebay is once you have completed a few transactions, the positive feedback you receive from your customers will encourage more Ebay buyers to trust you and purchase from you.
-
4
If you are having success selling your greeting cards to the public and to shop owners in your area, then it is time to expand your home-based greeting card business with more wholesale accounts. Take photographs of some of your best cards, and design a flyer or brochure bragging about your wonderful greeting card business. The easiest way to do this is to create a document on the computer, download digital photos of your greeting cards and print using a color printer.
-
5
Find companies and gift stores that you think would be interested in selling your greeting cards using national phone books and online research. Mail a cover letter to each one, along with your flyer and a price list. Consider including an actual sample greeting card; while this may seem expensive, a sample increases your chances of landing the account.
-
1
