The Comfy Crafting Cafe Challenge

muxtonman

rufusdog youcould try stallfinder.com or co.uk they list craft fairs nationwide

rufusdog52

Thanks Muxtonman

simplydevine05

Just a quick visit from me tonight and I'll catch up on the comments tomorrow. I've just started a decent treatment for my pelvis and it makes you much worse at first, so I'm out of action for a bit. I do have a few new things to share through

Welcome to our newcomers. About insurance, I have crafters public and product liability plus stock and equipment cover including items in transit, from Direct Line for a little over £70 for the year so £43 for a one off public liability is ridiculous! I tried a local broker but they seemed to complicate things. Direct Line cover is as simple or complicated as you wish.

K x

fairyclicks

I have insurance too i am registered with the market traders federation which is useful for me as i also sell at some markets when i'm well enough (not my craft stuff). Covers public and product liability, stock etc as well - can't remember the price tbh about £80 i think for the year.

Technically as a business you are supposed to have insurance to cover any claims made against you should someone be injured from a product you have made. If someone takes an allergic reaction to something you have knitted for example. People can also claim for things like if paint rubs off onto something else! Sounds a bit silly at times but imagine if a baby choked on a button that came off something....it can get serious too and is well worth taking a serious look at potential issues that could crop up. Its also worth looking at what a policy does or doesn't cover.

Oh and there is also the risk of tripping over something at a fair - tablecloths is a common one!!

watermelon88

For anyone who's thinking of selling on Facebook in some ways you may get on better with a group rather than a fan page.

Fan pages require people to actually "like" them, whereas with groups when you add people to it, they are automatically added and stay that way unless they go and leave the group themselves.

It helps when there's people who are interested but don't really know how to "like" a group.

I run a couple of area specific selling pages, for people to sell or request pretty much anything and I have had more luck with groups than fan pages as if you add someone who isn't necessarily interested to begin with, after a while they might spot a post that catches their interest and then actually use it. Also, with timeline now all over facebook the fan pages are harder to get to grips with.

Groups are nice and simple for all users. You can do photo albums easier too.

I haven't done any craft in ages now. I still have some unfinished projects though. Just not in the mood for it lately for some reason.

I have a website that I planned on selling stuff on just to fund my hobby mainly. My plan is/was to make a load of stuff to stock it up, and then while waiting for it to sell I could make more and even take on custom orders.

Not sure what's going on with it now though as I can't commit to it lately lol.

Here's some of my projects (finished & unfinished)!

The Art Of Knitting Magazine Throw:


I gave the throw to my mum as I re-subscribed to the magazine so I could do the 2nd throw too. :-D

Alfie:


My first ever toy attempt. I got a kit from the book people that gave you the stuff to make him & patterns for other toys. I named him Alfie as I finished him the day my aunts dog alfie died .... im terrible at faces as you can see!

Eyelash Wool Scarves:


My current project:


Still a long way to go!

I have done a hat and scarf set too which i'm pleased with > I currently have two crochet blankets on the go, the one above and another in a different set of colours.

I'd love to learn cross stitch (again) and other types of craft. I like the look of the wooden letter things, and loads of other things.

Oh I cant remember who posted it but I LOVED the facebook cushion... I would so definitely buy one of those!!! lol

simplydevine05

Now I've sort of caught up (I have missed a lot)...

I run a crafty business full time. It is my main income. I sell on Ebay, Facebook and my own website. To those going into business, please be patient and do not expect immediate sales. It took me nearly two months to get my first sale and ten months in I'm mostly getting a sale a day. It isn't easy, the complete opposite. I work easily 14 hours a day, six days a week. You have to get a niche product or selling point or you end up in a price war with other sellers and you end up skint! Setting up a website does not mean instant sale either. I've had three sales from my website and I've had it up since March. The only tips I have are research your competitors ten fold, get your pictures and descriptions beyond perfect, make sure you are legally compliant (distance selling regulations), and be prepared to network. Business starts very very slowly if it is going to be a success. I would never encourage anyone to leave a job to start a business unless you have at least a years back up money. I ended up doing it after a fall last year left me disabled. As it stands I can't go out to work, so the flexibility of it suits me and my other half helps me a huge amount. To be honest, I am finally doing something I love and despite the hard graft, I get to see my son more and I answer to only me! Ooh, and don't forget to tell the taxman as there are punishments for those that don't, and keep a record of all outgoings and money coming in. Even if you think you're a hobby seller, if you are selling at a profit, no matter how small, you have to register as self employed. A "hobby seller" doesn't really exist.

I hope that helps those asking about businesses. I have been self employed on and off for nine years, so plenty of experience, which I'm happy to share. Xx

simplydevine05

muxtonman wrote: »

Ive just managed to pop the web page link on my profile so if anyone wants to comment would appreciate it, thanks in advance

Just had a quick look. A few tips for you, ditch the "-". Use commas or full stops. Make sure your items aren't mentioning out of season occasions like Fathers Day. Where are your terms of sale? It says they exist but where? You are not compliant with the distance selling regulations at all which is breaking the law. As a customer I like to know in advance what postage charges are so I don't have to mess around finding out. Look through some major websites and their terms, you are welcome to look at mine which is on my profile. I am in the process of sprucing up photos to look professional. You could also do with including more info about your products and check your site has been submitted to search engines or customers simply won't find you. A good web host will do this for you but the cheap and free ones generally don't. The last tip is your section called personalisation. I thought that was for a personal message to be made up and was a bit disappointed to see it meant frame choice. People won't think to look there before buying in order to pick a frame.
Aside from that, the colour scheme suits your craft, your products are lovely and I would check your prices against competitors as you may be under charging!
Good luck with your venture x

Kepp

Hi Muxtonman

I quite like the website as it is easy to navigate and isn't too cluttered, although defnitely agree with Devine's comments too.

On the products - they are lovely and look very professional. However, I would say perhaps they are priced a little too high. A quick search of Etsy etc shows similar products but for less.

Have you also thought about offering an option to buy unframed? I know you offer options on frames but it is limited (and of course it would be, there are far too many options out there for you to be able to offer them all!) and when I buy something I quite like being able to select my own frame. Also, the postage would be much cheaper if posting unframed and that may encourage people to buy.

Keep going - I think you have a great product there

muxtonman

Thanks both for your constructive comments

Froom2

Hi there!

I am getting a new bike next week (wooop!). It has a basket on the front, and judging by the weather we're getting lately, I have decided it would be wise to create a waterproof cover for it.

So I was wondering if anyone had done anything similar? Or if anyone has any suggestions of what to use for the fabric? I thought about an old raincoat, but the problem with that is that I don't have an old raincoat that I can cut up

Can you get pretty patterned waterproof fabric? Coz it also occurred to me that maybe others would like something like this. What do you guys think?

~Froom~