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

Hardup_Hester

Hi Suzy_g, Yes I did miss the g of the word dog, I was as usual in a rush, lol.

Princesspoppypop, to get a stall at a school fayre, write to or phone your local schools & ask if they are having a school fayre & if so can you have the contact details of whoever is responsible for organising it (it is usually the PTA) Contact that person, explain what you sell & ask if you can have a stall.
Some are craft fayres & you can only sell items you have made some will let you sell whatever you like, excluding alcohol. It can depend on what you are selling, obviously they don't want 14 stalls all selling cards, so they will limit it to 2 card stalls. If you make an assortment of items tell them this, as you are more likely to get a stall if you can add variety. The cost of stalling out is usually much cheaper than the larger fayres, which can run to hundreds of pounds. In my area it is mainly the infant & junior schools that hold the fayres.
On the subject of how some people make a profit, I think the answer is that they don't. They sell their cards etc, purely to fund their crafting.

princesspoppypop

Hardup_Hester wrote: »

Hi Suzy_g, Yes I did miss the g of the word dog, I was as usual in a rush, lol.

Princesspoppypop, to get a stall at a school fayre, write to or phone your local schools & ask if they are having a school fayre & if so can you have the contact details of whoever is responsible for organising it (it is usually the PTA) Contact that person, explain what you sell & ask if you can have a stall.
Some are craft fayres & you can only sell items you have made some will let you sell whatever you like, excluding alcohol. It can depend on what you are selling, obviously they don't want 14 stalls all selling cards, so they will limit it to 2 card stalls. If you make an assortment of items tell them this, as you are more likely to get a stall if you can add variety. The cost of stalling out is usually much cheaper than the larger fayres, which can run to hundreds of pounds. In my area it is mainly the infant & junior schools that hold the fayres.
On the subject of how some people make a profit, I think the answer is that they don't. They sell their cards etc, purely to fund their crafting.

Thanks for the info... I`m working on many new projects so reckon I could have quite a variety of items for a stall.

My local market hosts a craft fayre, I went along to browse and was annoyed to see lots of cheaply bought in products. The council charge £20 per pitch for the day which isnt too bad though.

Luna69

nykmedia wrote: »

Luna, have you tried setting up a website and then linkin g it directly to your eBay store so you can include the details on your stationery and leaflets etc? Mine's nowe linked to my free listings on eBid because the URL on them never changes if it's a straightforward relisting.

Copyright issues, yes, well... we have been duped several times by unscrupulous sellers on eBay using OUR images and would have pirsued it further had eBay been a little more helpful. I also found one of our copyrighted images on Wikipedia! It's a minefield getting into copyright law and best bet is to always use your own images - get a cheap digital camera and make sure what you are photographing is yours to profit from. No offence meant with reference to the OP's previous bad experience but I see it from the other angle

Good luck with your businesses - I wouldn't bother registering it seperately if you are already self-employed, just count it through your existing accounts, that's what I'm doing and it makes it a lot simpler

Hi
I will be linking when my website is done properly.. as my partner is doing it I have to wait! Paid customers come first so to speak.
I have a home page that he started last year and never got finished, but that linked to another shop I had, until they shut down, so I have been trying to get him to link that to ebay instead.. but so far he hasn't! :rolleyes:

Hopefully soon

Luna69

princesspoppypop wrote: »

Yeah tend to agree with the Dawn Bibby comment :rotfl:

If you look at her stuff on Ebay its selling for peanuts! Id never buy it from QVC!

To send a hamper safely the best way is to use a courier, then this becomes expensive around £10.50. People on Ebay are looking for a bargain or a niche item and arent going to pay the carriage charge.

If you add up the costs of the baskets, wrappings, and contents, then add on your own personal costs- ie time to make, profit, if using Ebay you also have selling fees and final value fee, then selling on the internet isnt really worth it at all. :mad: :mad:

Where I work we often have people coming in selling handmade bits and pieces, last year, there was Fudge( I have a great recipe to make my own) Soap ( some fab fruit and cake shaped soaps but was expensive) Cards ( the woman way over- charges) and jewellery sellers( who also way over-charge for wholesale rubbish you can but for pennies!)

I cant sell my cards at work cos there is a man there who`s wife makes cards for charity due to losing their son from illness and I dont want to step on anyones toes! ( This is in addition to "Mrs Rip Off Cards" who only appears for Valentines Day and Christmas)

I think making one off personal items is much nicer than some mass produced so called handmade rubbish.

Also just wanted to say my Mum got me some lovely card blanks and envelopes in the pound shop. There was twenty in the pack and will make some fab bright party invites etc.

Poppypops :j

Yeah it does make you wonder whether it is worth it sometimes, but then when you have someone appreciate your work or make nice comments on it then it spurs you on.

I was bugged one year though as I'd made my christmas cards for family ( I cut down how many I made once everyone started) and I gave one to my sister in laws mum.. no comments made, but didnt' bother me.. until... my mum gave her a card she'd made with all ideal world craft stuff, the cards pre embossed, a few peel offs and some bought embellishments and SIL's mum oohed and aahed over it, said it was beautiful and she always made lovely cards! :mad:
Not saying it wasn't nice, but the fact that I made something unique that wasn't just pre bought toppers or anything and it was personalised from what I can remember just made me see red a little.
I hardly made any this year and what I did, I put very little effort into.
I still liked them, but they were simple and mainly printed.

My cheeky younger brother turned around and said "so you never had time to finish this then? we'll get the finished version next year!!"

Never mind, I'm not ready to give up, I'll just make them for those who appreciate them and want them because they like them.. not in it to be a millionnaire (just as well:rotfl:)

Luna69

wigglebeena wrote: »

I regularly pay a fiver (or more) for beautiful handmade cards from the craft shop associated with our local art gallery. Have to say they are really gorgeous and more 'art' than craft, if I say I am looking for frames to hang the ones I have given my OH you will see what I mean. They are things to hang on to and cherish, well worth the extra. Depends how good you are and what outlets you're selling from.

This is the kind of cards I like to create, something that people will want to keep and possibly frame or hang on to. Thankfully a lot of people I've either made them for myself or who have bought them from me have said that they would do that, so to me that's what it's all about.
Cards are sent and end up recycled or in the bin, but if you have something you can hang onto, I'd pay a little more for it myself.

bunnyhop_2

I'm a student with absolutely no money and I was thinking of selling model essays for undergraduate or A-level coursework in history and english on ebay. The other thing was making and selling celebration cakes (I have had lessons in sugarcraft.) The only problem with the latter is that its hard to build a portfolio and so expensive to make things free just to take a phot of them. I thought I could have some kind of offer on ebay. What do people think is the best option? if you were e.g. buying a sugarcraft birthday cake, what would you expect to pay, want the seller to be able to show etc?Any ideas on the best way to advertise cheaply and effectively. I have almost no money for start-up!

Frugaldom

For homemade card enthusiasts who like the idea of having something worth framing, a friend used to decorate her cards 'Faberge-style' using half an eggshell on the inside with the front of the card cut out to close over it. I have the instructions somewhere for doing these 'Faberge-style' eggs, starting from the cleaning and blowing. She used duck and goose eggs mainly. Will go and search for the file just in case anyone is interested.

Sallys_Savings

bunnyhop could you make up a false cake and decorate to cut costs down a little?...or perhaps say for the first 10 customers only charge the ingredients and then start up a portfolia from those?
Perhaps this way you may be able to get friends and relatives to have them?

Frugaldom

bunnyhop wrote: »

I'm a student with absolutely no money and I was thinking of selling model essays for undergraduate or A-level coursework in history and english on ebay. The other thing was making and selling celebration cakes (I have had lessons in sugarcraft.) The only problem with the latter is that its hard to build a portfolio and so expensive to make things free just to take a phot of them. I thought I could have some kind of offer on ebay. What do people think is the best option? if you were e.g. buying a sugarcraft birthday cake, what would you expect to pay, want the seller to be able to show etc?Any ideas on the best way to advertise cheaply and effectively. I have almost no money for start-up!

Hi there, I really do wish you luck with your business but, to be perfectly honest, I wouldn't dream of buying perishable goods or home produced foodstuffs from somewhere like eBay, especially in wake of recent allegations involving sellers with unlicensed premises. Contact your local environmental health agency or even your local council to check all the rules and regulations governing preparation, manufacture, packaging, labelling and storage of foodstuffs - better safe than sorry.

With regards to promoting your products once started, try some press releases to your local newspapers and see if you can post adverts/leave leaflets/business cards in local florists, gift shops, grocers, newsagents, hairdressers or basically anywhere that someone would go to buy a greetings card, book catering services or arrange for a party. Have you considered just offering sugarcraft decorations or wedding favours?

Sorry, this ran on a little longer than I was expecting Good luck with your future plans

mary43

Princesspoppypop............ignore the lady on freecycle saying that..........it's not what the site is all about.
I see what you mean about folk being able to buy hand made cards quite cheaply........our local Sue Ryder shop has some in for £1 each, I think a lady makes them for the charity. Local craft shop that sells the card making materials also has some for sale...........really lovely ones but not so cheap.
I joined a card making group on one of the family tree sites I belong too and found them really helpful when I started. I couldn't afford a lot of the stuff from the craft shop -can work out expensive - and they were kind enough to send my bits and pieces they had surplus of and it got me off to a better start than I would have. I've built up a fair bit now -mostly from boot fairs and just cut-offs from what I've used and I send them to Mums care home so the staff can do the card making with the residents. They did have a lady go and do it and she sold cards as well (not cheap though) but she stopped going. It wasn't really viable for her to go so the staff now do it. My surplus bits and pieces helps them out a bit and its a way of saying thankyou to them.
I would never dare try and sell my cards, they're no way as good as some I've seen but I don't have the equipment. Just card, glue, scissors and whatever I can cut out of a magazine or find that will suit. I like them anyway and its quite a theraputic hobby.
Good luck with yours:T