How to Make Money at Home - Sell Crafts

Craft Business at Home

Do you have a talent to make art crafts? Do you want to start a home based business? Make money at home selling crafts is a possibility and can become very lucrative.

Instructions

1. Craft Business Start Up

   To become a legitimate home based business you will need to get some 'legal items' taken care of. Go to www.irs.gov and register your new craft business and get a tax identification number. This will provide you with the necessary documentation to purchase your art supplies as a business and be able to sell your art crafts on the Internet, at craft shows, or directly from your home.

   The start up costs for your new home based business depends on the materials needed for your finished art work and how you plan on marketing your small business. Items needed to market your craft business include business cards, brochures showcasing your finished craft, classified ads in the newspaper, and getting information on to Internet classified ad sites such as www.craiglist.com. You may also want to set up a store front on www.etsy.com. This is a website like Ebay but geared directly towards hand finished arts and crafts.

2. Craft Business Pricing

   Attend some craft shows and see what other crafters are charging for items that are similar to what your craft business will be making. Then create a spreadsheet of how much your supplies are, an hourly wage for you to make the craft art, and add in your overhead costs such as advertising, insurance, transportation, etc. Add up these numbers and divide by how many items you can make with the material. Take this number and set a 5 - 10% markup and this will be your pricing for your craft item.

3. Craft Shows

   Craft shows are the best way to show your talent and sell your crafts. There will be an auditorium full of other crafters showing their crafts, also. Here are a few tactics to stand out in the crowd at craft shows.
   • Location is essential. Book your booth early so you can be by the entrance of the craft show.
   • Try to make eye contact with the shoppers and greet them. Never just stand behind the table and hope to get a lot of traffic.
   • Use lights, colors, and a unique way to display your items to create a visual appeal. Show how to use or where to place your craft item.
   • Have an interactive activity with prizes to attract visitors to your booth. A raffle, spinning a wheel for prizes, a golf putting game, or any type of free prize.

4. Getting a Craft Business On the Internet

   The Internet is an essential tool for any business. For a craft business it is a showcase for you to have for individuals interested in your type of craft who does not live near you. This is called your 'landing page'. All your marketing should have your website listed. Use your website to show off your crafts but also to be an informative source for how to make a simple item within your craft, articles about your type of craft, and anything that would be of interest to someone who comes to your web page to see your craft items. The longer you can keep them on your web page the better chance of making a sale.

5. Internet Information - Crafter to Crafter Forums

   There are several websites on the Internet, two in particular, where you can get more information about starting a craft business. One is www.craftster.org and the other is www.artsandcrafts.about.com. These two sites are full of any and everything related to starting and marketing a craft business and both have Forums where you can get your specific questions answered.

Tips & Warnings

• Take what you love to do and turn it in to a business. Sewing, wood work, flower arranging, ceramics, stained glass, and on and on. Start a home based craft business and make money at home selling crafts.

Resources

• Craft Fairs and Festivals Vendor Calendar
• Small Business - Dream to Reality