by Michelle Lynne Smith

Created on: March 31, 2009

If you love doing crafts and would like to make money for your efforts, there are plenty of ways to get this accomplished. Let me first start off by saying that if you are looking to quit your job and make this a full time home based business, then this article is not going to help much. There are other authors who wrote on this topic who have experience doing this and said everything better than I could. This is for those who cannot afford to turn their craft making into a full time career but still want to make money.

One place to start looking is at local craft fairs. You have to pay a fee for displaying your products, but it's usually small unless the event is extremely well established and popular. You can check online, on church or school bulletin boards, or at craft stores for any upcoming events. If you have business cards, these are great to take. Hand them out to customers, other vendors, or those who may not have bought anything, but looked interested. It's also helpful if you have pictures of work you were not able to display. Someone may see something you have made but did not bring to the show and ask for a special order.

There are also craft stores in which you can rent spaces if you want a more permanent way to sell your crafts. They usually charge rent and a commission, but if there are not many shows in your area, this can be a much better way for potential customers to see more of your work. If these stores have business cards, pass them out at shows. One major benefit of being a vendor in one of these stores is that there are a lot of other vendors selling items, and you have the chance of drawing many more potential customers. And unlike shows, where you are in charge of watching your table, the stores have their own employees, which means you don't have to physically be there to sell. My mom spends most of her free time making her crafts at home, takes them to the two stores she sells at, and is able to work full time and still sell her crafts.

If you are internet savvy, this opens a lot of doors for you in terms of selling power. Ebay has a large selection of crafts available, and draws millions of users a day. But there are plenty of other websites dedicated specifically to selling crafts. One is Etsy.com, where you can establish your own online store. They charge you 20 cents to list each item, which is a lot cheaper than paying for a table at a fair or a space at a store. You can post pictures and descriptions of your items and sell them without ever having to leave your home.

My mother has been doing this for as long as I can remember and loves it. If you truly want to start a craft business, there are plenty of opportunities for you to do so. It can take a while to see results sometimes, but once you have found a good base of customers, you may find yourself with a lot of repeat business and word of mouth advertising. This can all mean that you have the chance to make a small business out of your love for craft-making.

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