Can I Sell My Crochet?
By Caissa "Cami" McClinton – 21 CommentsCrochet Spot fans, we can talk honestly, can’t we? I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve got a LOT of crochet. Why? Because (like you) I love to crochet! Sometimes I crochet something I don’t even WANT to keep because I just want to try the pattern.
Sometimes I crochet the same thing over and over again because I like the pattern and maybe want to change it up a little. I wonder what it would look like in one yarn or another. I may add stripes or a border. Then, before I know it, I have a dozen of something and I don’t know what to do with them. (Hello, Rachel’s Credit Card Holder!)
Sure, I could give them away, but I really want to make sure it goes to someone who would love it. Even if the recipient would love it, I want to make sure they would take care of it properly. For instance, if I’m crocheting in feltable yarn, I don’t want to someday realize that a beautiful hat I crocheted is now a sad little mess. I worked on that!! And the yarn probably either
A) cost a fortune
B) was a special colorway
C) is now discontinued
D) all of the above.
Therefore, the giving option does not please me. As such, I have become a crochet hoarder. And, yes, this is a tiny problem for me because I would like to clear out my space for 2014! Since gifting is not an option in all cases, that leaves me with the option to
A) donate
B) burn
C) sell my crocheted items.
Option A is noble for sure, but I want to make sure the charity really can use my donation. If appropriate, I will donate, as I have done in the past. Since option B is possibly illegal, I am thinking of selling my crocheted items!
My question to you is – what is the BEST way to sell crochet? If you’re a seller, how and what do you sell? To whom do you sell, and where do you sell? I have thought of the following options:
A) sell to friends/random people informally
B) bring to a consignment shop
C) local craft fairs
D) online platforms like ArtFire.com.
So… What do you think? Please leave your comments below. I am really looking forward to your input! We can all benefit from the input of this wonderful community!
Love your site and projects! I made a few infinity scarves and gifted them at Christmas.I get the feeling that non-crafters don’t know how much of ourselves we put into each project but I give them away and hope they’ll be enjoyed. Someone who saw my daughter wearing a cowl I made ask me to make one for them and paid me. That was nice. I’m thinking of including business cards in with my gifts hoping that will get me referrals.
I also have them for sale on my web page. I include a link to the free pattern so they can make it themselves. I think a website like artfire.com is probably the best idea. Maybe eBay if you’re item is a hot trend right now like boot cuffs or scarves. The problem with that is China sells crocheted scarves for peanuts on ebay.
Oh well, if you find a good venue, let us know, Good Luck.
Business cards are a good idea and they have enough space on them to include care instructions to keep your items looking good in the hands of the new owners. If you can encourage the correct care of your sold items, they will keep looking good and indirectly advertise your skills.
Terry, thank you very much for your thoughtful response. I think that business cards are a great idea for you and they will be easy to print from a home computer or at a copy center. Thank you for your kind wishes and be well!
If you have lap afghans or fullsize afghans, I would suggest to donate these to troops overseas or to veterans in VA centers.
Hi Cami, check the pattern you’ve used. If it’s your own design, then no problem, but many commercial patterns specify that you cannot make the item then sell it as part of their copyright.
I tend to gift most of the things that I make to friends and family. In answer to your question about selling: my answer is a) & b) although I am interested in d).
a) I will sell some items informally through word of mouth.
b) I like working with luxury fibres and I have created my own designs which I now sell through a local artisan gallery and that helps to fund my fibre habit.
c) Participation in local fairs etc. is physically impossible for me which is a shame because it would be a great way to meet more people.
d)Friends keep telling me I should sell my items online but I am not sure whether eBay, Etsy or some other site is the best since those two are based in the USA and I am in Australia. I am intimidated by the need to learn how the technology works etc. I am interested in other people’s experiences in establishing an online business.
This is a great post and I am certain many crafters face the same situation. That is how I started my online Etsy store a few years back now. I donate where possible or gift but I find the best is to go to craft fairs and sell my finished items. The only drawback to this type of venue is that the pricing must be low otherwise nothing will sell. But being as you try to clean out items that might be ok. For me eBay is a dismal failure, etsy is ok as it’s known for handmade items. I have not tried art.fire yet but either way you go about it I do wish you luck and fun selling your items.
This summer we are planning to have a yard sale. My husband suggested that I put up another table with all of my crochet work on it. I think that this is a great idea as well.
Good idea if you have small items to sell that didn’t take long to make. Anything else will not fetch anywhere near as much money as you’d hope because yard sale buyers are bargain hunters – they don’t want to pay much.
I sell my Items in my etsy shop and on my website, and take Orders. I have a pre~printed tag that list all the different fibers I use to crochet with(Because I buy my yarn from Yarn shops, not the Craft Stores), different types of care instructions, etc. I always include one of these with the pertinent items circled about their purchased scarf. When donating, as I tend to create a pile after a couple years I donate to the Women’s Shelter in our County. These Women are very appreciative of something so nice and it really lifts their spirits. When it comes to Lap Blankets, I donate them directly to our local Senior Rehab center.
I hope some of this info helps~
I like the ideas mentioned here about donating to the troop and Womens Shelters etc. I hadn’t thought of that although I do crochet mittens for charity
Two years ago I crocheted beanie hats, scarves, and mittens, many of which I was able to make out of “leftover” yarns I had. Once I had a box full I shipped them to troops deployed to Afghanistan. They then would care them and give them to local kids they came in to contact with. I had made these items in my free time and my only financial investment was the shipping cost because I had used yarn leftovers I had on hand. Then a few months later I began receiving letters from soldiers thanking me and telling me about the kids they shared them with. I was blown away.
A blessing shared, come back to wrap around your heart.
This won’t get rid of a lot of things, and it won’t make you a lot of money, but I have a way of getting rid of my baby afghans. Like you, I crochet because I like to. Plus it’s a good traveling project, or to work on in the car (as a passenger!). So far I have sold three of my afghans to friends who want to give them as gifts. (I gave one to my daughter to give as a gift.) I sell them for $15, which is about the cost of the yarn. When I stockpile too many, I plan to give them to Project Linus. That’s just my modus operandi!
If it is your own pattern, Etsy and Ebay are places where a lot of crafters sell their wares. Also, if you have a Facebook page, some people start out on Facebook and branch out if their items are selling well. You could create a page for your creations separate from your personal page or you can sell from your personal page. If you have a personal page but you decide to start a shop later, be sure to put a link on your personal page so people can find you.
If the pattern is not your own, the designer may say on the pattern or the web site if you can sell items made with his or her design. If you can’t find the information then ask. Often it will be fine. Sometimes not. Either way you’ll know for sure.
Hello,
I’ve sold some of my items in the past. Direct buy is the best as you get full price and hopefully some additional orders. I’ve consigned in several locations. The downside of that is: You usually only are paid 1/2 the selling price, the items are often over-handled by lookers, they will pick up the smell of the store they are in. It was best for me when the store owner bought them upfront, but again, the price you get is low. It’s nice to know they were sold, but by the time you paid for the yarn and considered your time, it’s not really profitable. But for me, it is nice to know that someone is wearing it and like most of us, we just love to do it anyway!
I donated to a local Peace Shelter (domestic abuse housing). That was good as the people in the shelter were going through a tough time and I hope it was uplifting to see their little ones in an adorable baby sweater.
I post pics of everything I make on my personal Facebook page and usually get orders from them. I am swamped with orders at this time but people keep wanting things! They order what I’ve made or they ask if I can make so-and-so hat or scarf or gloves or whatever. When I wasn’t getting orders I would make random hats or other items and post them on Ebay. They sit for a while and eventually may sell.
I sell my designs at several vending events, fashion shows, craft fares, fairs, and local event. I have a traveling boutique.
I sell very little online.
I sell more designs when I am in front of people. I get many repeat customers and referrels that way.
I am on Etsy and have a Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/surprisedesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/lesdenae
I have business cards, shirts banners etc.
The business is fun and I make good money.
It is a lot of work. I suggest you are serious before jumping into selling.
I like the Facebook idea but I don’t know how to do it and also concerned if it is legal to do that. If anybody can give me advice I would really appreciate it.
I just opened an Etsy shop and a facebook page. Got my first sale last week. I’m still very new at this, so any tips from the rest of you are helpful! I also donate hats to our local hospital every month.
It would be great to see more people selling what they’ve designed themselves rather than stuff made to order hats based on trademarks (which is risking the attention of trademark owners!) or selling items made from published patterns, which is usually illegal in the UK because of copyright. I suspect the hardest part is finding a marketplace (whether actual or virtual) where customers are prepared to pay a reasonable price for handmade items. Face to face sales aren’t for the fainthearted. I spent a very cold day selling hats I had made for charity and while I sold quite a few there were plenty of comments like “This yarn is so cheap!” (I’m too good for this) or “Why are you charging so much for this?” (I want to own it but can’t afford it so I’ll make you feel bad about it). I had to put up with a lecture from a woman who only buys the best, ie. expensive high quality stuff. I haven’t sold crocheted items so far but in the past sold bead jewellery and had the most success with things that were on trend but still unusual. If you plan to sell online make an effort to use good clear daylight photos, make the background as plain as possible, don’t photograph things laid out on the floor. First impressions count. I used to literally draw everything for my small mail order catalogue and I think they just liked getting and looking through something pretty and handmade. The internet has changed life completely.