Start a 'cottage industry'... official MoneySavingExpert.com discussion

mumzyof2

ahhh i get you now...

dreams_R_free

nykmedia
How does eBid compare to eBay? I have to confess I've never heard of it although I've been an eBayer since 1999:o . I don't suppose eBid gets anything like the 'traffic' that eBay does, but is it worth listing on there in your experience?

A nice thing to make and sell is decoupaged items. I decorated quite a lot of small boxes and other containers a couple of years ago with decoupage, mainly as gifts for family and friends as I was seriously skint at the time! They really loved them and I know they still use them or have them on show. They were relatively cheap to do but quite time-consuming to make so I'm not sure whether they'd sell for much profit as it's hard to make them in any quantity.

It's a good way to 'do up' old and tatty bits and pieces though so I might give this some more thought. I saw a mag article years ago about someone who decorated really big pieces of furniture using decoupage(such as chests and wardrobes for baby nurseries etc,) and she also did this remarkable bedhead for herself using a wooden bedhead salvaged from a skip. The finished piece was an absolute work of art and I'm sure that sort of thing would command a good price at a craft fair or similar. But the hours of work that go into something like that might make the whole enterprise making big items to sell a non-starter. People want things but are often only prepared to pay peanuts:eek: .Must have a think!

Another idea is making rag rugs (sometimes called snip rugs, peg rugs etc depending on which area you live), loosly based on the type of thing our great-grandparents made. I've made a couple recently and it's very therapeutic and something that makes progress fairly quickly. It's a great way to use up bits and pieces of old fabrics and garments, although if I made them to sell I'd probably need to use 'new' fabric as opposed to my old worn-out clothes:rotfl: . I saw some at a craft fair recently, they were amazing and very arty, nothing like the old rugs of yesteryear. They were asking huge prices for them and the maker actually sold one whilst I was looking. That might be a possibility too as people like something unusual and different to put the stamp of individuality on their homes.

I feel quite fired up over this cottage industry thread. Thanks for starting it:A . Now all I need to do is make a start:rolleyes: . I WILL make some money from my 'skills' this year. All I need is a bit of inspiration and some TIME!

Good luck to you with your projects:beer:
Imp

kw03cd

Anyone looking for cheap wool in Glasgow area should go to Watt Bros in Sauchiehall St. They are selling wool that is good for scarfs at 3 balls for £1.00. The Works book store in East Kilbride (Glasgow is sold out) is selling the same type of wool but softer to touch at 2 balls for 99p. The wool from Watt bros seems to have shorter yardage and you are better with the 3 balls to knit a scarf but 2 form the Works seems to be enough.

Frugaldom

Impomdasp
I joined eBid years ago before I had even heard of eBay. I never usually had much to sell, but set up an online bookstore for someone, who now uses both sites and does quite well. On eBid, I believe, basic membership lets you list free and relist free, so there are no fees until you sell the item. Then it's low final value percentage of about 2% or 3% Don't quote me on these figures as I am no longer a free member there. They did a special offer that allowed existing members to upgrade to storeholder status FREE, and I jumped at the chance! Now all I need is to get myself in gear and start making stuff to sell. I've done alright from the site, raised over £400 for charity last year plus turned over about £1000 in ordinary sales. I still use eBay sometimes because, like you say, it's a ready made market if you are offering popular items. eBid, however, allows me to concentrate on building my own stock up without the pressure of monthly fees or listing/relisting fees. I sell OK on eBid, but I think it's because there's such an active promotions forum for people like us who want to make a go of it. I'm hopng to put a lot of work into this cottage industry challenge with as little outlay as possible, so eBid is really my only option unless I want to pay fees.

Framer friend dropped me off a whole bag of 'stuff' last week and my discounted glue gun arrived on Christmas Eve, so no guesses what I'll be doiung this week! Haven't a clue what will be coming out of this little lot but there are still 3 balloons left and plenty of scrap paper :rotfl:

UKroseblue

Hi there, I've been checking out MSE and the threads here for a while now and i must say how inspiring you all are - so much so that it got me thinking how i could earn some extra cash to help clear my debts and start saving.

I love cooking (and eating-lol!!) and thought about starting a small catering biz - aiming at the cheaper end of the market as I live in a part of the UK, while beautiful, has a very low average wage. I'm worried though about all the red tape that goes with cooking food for others to eat and don't have any money behind me to rent/purchase alternative premises etc, so i moved on to thinking about selling dog biscuits!

My dog has epilepsy and i'm always cooking biscuits for him to eat as i prefer to know what goes in his food - he loves them and i've also given them to friends for their dogs and they say they love them too! I know this won't earn me a fortune but i'd appreciate some input as to where to sell them, is it worth doing car boot sales for this sort of thing, what's the best and least expensive way to market them and best of all, does anyone else do it out there and is it even worth it?

Thanks in advance of your input.:D :rotfl:

Frugaldom

UKroseblue wrote: »

Hi there, I've been checking out MSE and the threads here for a while now and i must say how inspiring you all are - so much so that it got me thinking how i could earn some extra cash to help clear my debts and start saving.

I love cooking (and eating-lol!!) and thought about starting a small catering biz - aiming at the cheaper end of the market as I live in a part of the UK, while beautiful, has a very low average wage. I'm worried though about all the red tape that goes with cooking food for others to eat and don't have any money behind me to rent/purchase alternative premises etc, so i moved on to thinking about selling dog biscuits!

My dog has epilepsy and i'm always cooking biscuits for him to eat as i prefer to know what goes in his food - he loves them and i've also given them to friends for their dogs and they say they love them too! I know this won't earn me a fortune but i'd appreciate some input as to where to sell them, is it worth doing car boot sales for this sort of thing, what's the best and least expensive way to market them and best of all, does anyone else do it out there and is it even worth it?

Thanks in advance of your input.:D :rotfl:

Specially handmade dog biscuits and sweets! I think that's a BRILLIANT IDEA! Not sure about any of the laws governing it, but from a business point of view, I'd contact the council and environmental health to ask their advice regarding any rules. Then ask your vet about dietary needs for other things like diabetes etc and find out about labelling.

If you decide to 'give it a go' and get the OK from the law side of things, then there's nothing to stop you setting up an online store and website for next to nothing. I'm almost sure the press would cover your story if you get around to doing press releases when you make an official start - Even the online auction sites have pet categories :T

NYK WACKY HINTS AND TIPS - A customer shouldn't just be for Christmas, a customer should be for life.

littlemissclumsy

Hi everyone!

I am really inspired by this thread. I am the type of person who is always thinking of moneymaking activities and never acting on them!

I work part time and have 6 children, so am looking to do something I could pick up and put down whenever i have time.

quite good at crafts. made themed gift baskets in the past and been offered money for them. may give this a shot. problem is, i cant afford to lay out much in advance.

any advice really welcome. hopefully i can return the favour:beer:

kbl

UKroseblue wrote: »

Hi there, I've been checking out MSE and the threads here for a while now and i must say how inspiring you all are - so much so that it got me thinking how i could earn some extra cash to help clear my debts and start saving.

I love cooking (and eating-lol!!) and thought about starting a small catering biz - aiming at the cheaper end of the market as I live in a part of the UK, while beautiful, has a very low average wage. I'm worried though about all the red tape that goes with cooking food for others to eat and don't have any money behind me to rent/purchase alternative premises etc, so i moved on to thinking about selling dog biscuits!

My dog has epilepsy and i'm always cooking biscuits for him to eat as i prefer to know what goes in his food - he loves them and i've also given them to friends for their dogs and they say they love them too! I know this won't earn me a fortune but i'd appreciate some input as to where to sell them, is it worth doing car boot sales for this sort of thing, what's the best and least expensive way to market them and best of all, does anyone else do it out there and is it even worth it?

Thanks in advance of your input.:D :rotfl:

Believe it or not, when in my local vets just before xmas, they were selling organic dog biscuits!! The receptionist said they were going very well, as customers could see by the list of ingredients just what was in them. So if you are going to do this, make sure your labels are eye catching and list all ingredients, and check out all your local vets in case they would consider selling them for you, good luck!!!

Frugaldom

littlemissclumsy wrote: »

Hi everyone!

I am really inspired by this thread. I am the type of person who is always thinking of moneymaking activities and never acting on them!

I work part time and have 6 children, so am looking to do something I could pick up and put down whenever i have time.

quite good at crafts. made themed gift baskets in the past and been offered money for them. may give this a shot. problem is, i cant afford to lay out much in advance.

any advice really welcome. hopefully i can return the favour:beer:

Hello and welcome and wow! 6 children! :eek: My youngest is almost 19, but that means the older one now brings her daughter to stay, so the numbers keep going up :rotfl: Isn't it fun when there are kids to amuse at the same time as trying to earn a few quid extra? Maybe you could do similar to what I plan - request offcuts and leftovers from local crafters & tradespeople and see what you can make with them. I'll let you know as soon as I get off the MSE forums long enough to make a proper start on mine.

I like the gift baskets idea and plan on doing these for gifts. If you did these with handmade stuff then it isn't such a big outlay. What about handmade pet gift baskets?

My entire start-up budget is £50 and so far, I have only spent about £12 on a glue gun and glue sticks :T

NYK WACKY HINTS & TIPS: When you meet someone (anyone, anywhere), think 'potential customer'. If they have their pet with them, think 'even better!'

littlemissclumsy

love the pet gift basket idea!!

and i know what you mean about the forums taking up lots of time. i might actually get round to some money making if they werent so addictive:rotfl:

i will have a think over the next couple of days and post back.

btw, Ikea have some lovely little silk tassels on sale. reduced to 20p for pack of 4. perfect for gift baskets, crafts etc. also twine for 50p and raffia. picked up lots ready for when i get round to this!