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Start a 'cottage industry'... official MoneySavingExpert.com discussion
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Catwoman_Kent wrote: »I'm a very good knitter and have managed my Xmas presents for the price of wool. Thinking of knitting a load of babies/children's clothes, jumpers, hats mitts etc and having a stall at a boot fair in the summer.
As with all of these things, the problem is finding the people who want them.0 -
Loads more people are starting to buy hand made/knitted things as the credit cruch means people are buying less but want more original things when they do buy.0
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Bear in mind that as retailers, and by that I don't just mean the big ones, there are a lot of independants going out of business, it could mean that those of us that make things could start picking up customers. We don't have huge outlays for the items, (as had been proved countless times by how inventive people are), so we are not generally over pricing for things, and people are starting to realise that hand made isn;t as naff as they first thought.0
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Does anyone weave baskets? I know that gift baskets are hugely popular and I am a fan of willow for various things - hedging, fencing, carbon neutral fuel if I had enough space for growing that amount. I did start planting mine last year but have, since, moved house and need to start again. I'd like to eventually have assorted types/colours growing so I could try basket weaving. Any helpful advice appreciated, as I'm just in the process of planning out my new garden.I reserve the right not to spend.
The less I spend, the more I can afford.
Frugal living challenge - living on little in 2025 while frugalling towards retirement.0 -
RosaThorne wrote: »I'm a bit reluctant to become self-employed in the current market as I'd need to find premises - The landlord has said no to the idea of my running even the smallest of businesses from home - I know in the long-term I could make a nice living from all my little ideas bunched into one business, but it's the start-up costs that stop it from happening, and the costs for the next year.
Have you considered approaching a local business where you could rent an address and store/display your finished products? I used to 'rent out' window, counter and shelf space in a shop to several crafters and then we shared the costs of advertising/marketing/website because it was all under the same premises name. If they didn't want to rent their own space, I'd stock their items on a sale or return basis and deduct a commission on any sales I made on their behalf, or else they would come and do a few hours 'on duty' in the shop to let me get other jobs done. It was all great fun, although none of us made our fortunes.I reserve the right not to spend.
The less I spend, the more I can afford.
Frugal living challenge - living on little in 2025 while frugalling towards retirement.0 -
I pm'd debtmustgo about this but have yet to get a reply, so maybe somone else can help me, I was wondering how I find a card agent?0
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I haven't read all through: has anyone put a list on here of craft-sellers' sites? etsy, dawanda, artfire etc? can't think of all the rest off-hand but there's tons...
I believe artfire is free to list for the first ten items.0 -
Folksy is a fairly new craft sellers site, but seems to be fairly good.0
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Just a note to the hand-knitted things: I've seen quite a lot on ebay, believe it or not. It doesn't go for a lot, but it does seem to go.2023: the year I get to buy a car0
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Karmacat - Some handknitted items can sell for a fortune on eBay, depending on what it is. Baby things tend to be a bit cheaper, knitted in DK etc.
Is it just me or have etsy ground to a halt? My sales are good everywhere, except for on etsy!
Happy New Year everyone (I haven't been on much this year, so far!)0
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