Handmade for sale. Ideas

Handmade items produced for sale allow you to use your hobby as a source of income. Making something by hand allows you not only to realize your creative potential, but also to become the owner of your own unique business.

Nowadays, the possibilities for commerce have evolved – new forms with the latest sales methods have appeared. Now anyone can start selling any product, using the World Wide Web as a huge sales market.

What is this?

Making things from scratch and making a living by selling and exchanging them are commercial transactions that have been known since ancient times. Trade has been actively developing throughout human history, but the greatest changes in its forms and capabilities coincided with the development of the ability to quickly travel and mail around the world and the Internet.

Nowadays, handmade items are sold at various craft shows, as well as through social media and online stores around the world. Trading online gives them more opportunities, and various specialized resources and applications help their business run more efficiently, allowing them to focus on what they do best: their craft.

The biggest plus is that many of these business ideas can be started from home with minimal initial investment.

Handmade items for sale are a good way to earn extra income and at the same time an opportunity to demonstrate your capabilities to the general public and get your creativity appreciated by many people. In addition to creating the goods themselves, you will have to learn to solve administrative issues related to sales.

It is best to plan in advance how to keep track of expenses and income, find buyers and carry out sales and delivery, and also decide in advance on paying taxes. The most common handmade items sold around the world include the following product groups.

Bijouterie

Well-made handmade jewelry is very popular, as each of them is most often unique. Another advantage of costume jewelry is the small size of the products, which allows you to easily pack them to take to a fair or send by mail (if sold online).

Various materials are used to create jewelry, including various stones and non-ferrous metals, beads and hand-made figures from polymer clay, crystal, natural and artificial leather, and so on.

Decorative items

Most people like original decorative elements that can be used in apartments, houses and offices. This category of things includes paintings, photo collages, fabric wall hangings, stickers and more. In addition, not all decorative elements are intended for walls. Other decorative elements intended for floors or bookshelves are also popular.

Soaps and bath products

Handmade soaps and various homemade products for washing and bathing are very popular products, especially if they are intended for sensitive skin and consist of natural products. You can create regular bars of soap or buy decorative molds and color pigments to create unique products of various shapes and shades.

Most often, products are richly flavored with natural extracts and essential oils. In addition to soap, you can make bath bombs, foam, and lotions. Selling such products allows you to attract regular customers, since they are used up quite quickly.

Candles

As with soap making, candles of various shapes, shades and scents are easy to make at home. You can also use unique items to pour homemade candles, such as shaped cups, stone and ceramic pots and shells.

Sewn products

Those who enjoy sewing can make a variety of items to sell, such as fabric purses, coin bags, bedding, bags, aprons, potholders, and more.

Some also make themed or unique clothing (including costumes for themed parties, evening dresses, or clothes for dolls).

Organizers

Storing and organizing items in living spaces and offices is a necessity for many. Although boxes and glasses are suitable for this, most people like to buy original organizers. Wooden or glass containers with painting for dishes, stands for office supplies, decorated boxes for storing documents or photos, and so on are popular.

Decorative tableware, cups and glasses

Painted tableware, especially glasses and mugs, is very popular. Some even decorate beer mugs and glass jars. Decoupage is usually used instead of etching or painting to decorate kitchen items by hand.

Decorative tableware is a great gift and is always in demand.

Pet Products

People love to pamper their 4-legged friends, which is why selling homemade accessories for pets is a good business idea. These are beds and beds, clothes and collars for pets. In addition, you can produce decorative items - photo frames and medallions for placing a photo of the animal.

Pros and cons

Handmade for sale can become a full-fledged craft business if you make efforts to attract customers and increase sales. However, such an activity has both pros and cons.

Advantages of selling handmade products:

• the opportunity to make money from your hobby;
• realization of creative potential;
• the opportunity to work according to your own convenient schedule;
  
• you can change the subject matter and direction of your work based on customer requests or your own wishes;
• the ability to sell products worldwide using the Internet.

Flaws:

• the manufacturing of products and the process of finding and preparing materials can take a significant amount of time;
• sales profit may not be enough to cover all time and overhead costs (materials, packaging, etc.);
• when turning periodic sales into a full-fledged business, it is necessary to pay taxes, so prices for products will have to be increased;
• Creating the same items over and over can become monotonous and tedious.

Where to buy materials

Handmade for sale requires regular purchase of materials in significant quantities. Many consumables are available in specialized Russian online stores (Nitka-igolka, Mir bead, etc.), which provide fast delivery and discounts for regular purchases. However, their assortment may not change for years.

To purchase less common original materials, you should use international trading platforms. However, it should be taken into account that delivery can take a very long time, sometimes several months.

Where to sell works

Once the items have been created, they need to be prepared for sale.

In this case, the following recommendations must be taken into account:

• You need to price your products correctly to make a profit. You shouldn't overprice them, but they should cover not only the cost of materials, but also the time spent.
• It is recommended to find a way to include your name, company name, website address or other contact information on the products. This can be a sticker or business card included with the product. If customers are satisfied, they will be more likely to make a repeat purchase if they have the seller's contact information.
• Consider creating products for specific groups of customers. For example, many pet owners are interested in purchasing unique items featuring a specific breed of dog or cat. You could offer custom-made items for a small additional fee.
• Tying your product range to the season helps increase profits. For example, Christmas-themed items are always in high demand in December. You can also offer themed items to order (wedding favors and birthday gifts).

Selling handmade items that you create with your own hands requires some effort in finding a good trading platform. Setting up your own store is associated with high costs and is not suitable for beginner sellers.

More suitable options might be:

• trading in markets and stalls;
• agreements with stores to sell their goods;
• craft fairs and exhibitions.

However, the best way to sell is to use the Internet. This allows you to attract buyers with virtually no restrictions from any corner of the world. At the same time, you will not need to invest significant funds in advertising and spend significant time preparing a trading place.

Offline trading		Online Trading
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
no problems with postal delivery and packaging	the circle of buyers is very limited	the ability to put products up for sale with minimal or no costs	high competition
the opportunity to personally consult a potential buyer and tell them about the benefits of the product	most often, a significant initial investment will be required	products become available to customers all over the world	the need to take into account the specifics of delivery and its cost
			It is necessary to make a detailed description of the product and take a high-quality photo of it so that the buyer can get a complete idea

It is best to sell handmade goods on the Internet through specialized platforms - this will help to avoid advertising costs and attract more buyers.

For sales in Russia, the following resources exist:

• Crafts Fair — the most famous and popular, with a large number of visitors (more than 3 million every month). Seller registration on the site is carried out without any restrictions, and allows you to put 3 products up for sale for free. To conduct active trading, you need to purchase a club card, the monthly cost of which starts from 90 rubles. In all cases, there are no commission fees for sales.
  
• Skafos — a platform for selling handmade goods like an online store. Allows you to put up for sale any amount of products for free, and charges the seller a commission of 8% of the price + 250 rubles for each completed transaction. At the same time, the buyer is given 3 days to dispute the purchase in case of receiving a low-quality product. If no complaints are received during this time, the seller receives the payment and can withdraw it.
• Lambada Market — a site for selling handmade goods with very high requirements for products and quality of photos in ads. It allows you to list 3 products for free, but for more active trading it requires a subscription for 500 rubles (up to 14 products) or 2800 rubles (up to 500 products) for 3 months. The site does not charge a commission for sales.

But the most attractive are considered to be international platforms that allow selling products all over the world. Some of them allow you to register and create ads from any country.

The most popular among them are:

• Etsy;
• Amazon Handmade;
• Artfire;
• eBay.

Etsy

Etsy is a marketplace for millions of makers of handmade, vintage, and craft supplies. The platform offers sellers a suite of tools to grow their following, increase visibility, attract new customers, manage inventory, and connect with buyers. Each listing costs $0.20, and each transaction takes a 5% commission.

It's free to sign up as a seller, but there's an Etsy Plus subscription for $10 a month that offers additional features.

Etsy has a great reputation and is very popular all over the world. Today, there are more than 2.7 million sellers on the platform, so the competition is very high, and you will have to put in a lot of effort to attract attention to your products.

Amazon Handmade

Amazon has a marketplace dedicated exclusively to selling handmade items. To register for it, you must apply and be approved, even if you have an existing account on the general marketplace. Amazon Handmade is selective about who it sells, so it can be difficult to gain access to listings.

The site allows you to sell a variety of handmade products, including jewelry, home goods, cosmetics, personal care items, accessories, and more. Unlike regular Amazon members, there is no monthly fee for handmade sellers. However, the commission for selling is higher than on some other similar sites - 15%.

That said, getting your products noticed can be tricky. Amazon Handmade is a separate category on the platform, so handmade products are displayed alongside similar items from other sellers. So it’s important to write ads and product descriptions that quickly grab buyers’ attention.

Artfire

ArtFire is an online marketplace and community for sellers of handmade items, art, craft supplies, and DIY materials. Registration on the site provides access to a marketplace, its own customizable online store, a chat room for communicating with buyers, and marketing tools.

Monthly payment for the services provided starts from $4.95 – in this case, you can put up to 250 products for sale at a time. The cost of each ad is $0.23, no commission is charged for sales. There are no ads on the pages of stores or product descriptions, which is a big plus.

eBay

Despite the fact that this is an international online auction, you can successfully sell handmade products on the site. Up to 50 products can be placed absolutely free of charge. The commission for each sale is 8%.

eBay is a popular platform worldwide and has a good reputation. However, it is very difficult to attract attention to your listings, as the competition is huge - more than 1.3 billion sellers.

Examples of products for sale (master classes)

Handmade for sale is a great opportunity to earn money on your hobby. Some products are very easy to make, and at the same time very attractive to many buyers. As an example, we can give several interesting and at the same time creative options that can be produced independently in large batches.

How to make watermelon soap

You can get creative with your soap by using different colors, shapes, and scents. One easy option is to shape it into a watermelon slice using the right colors and scents.

To do this you will need:

• soap molds (round or rectangular);
• white natural soap (for example, from goat's milk);
  
• clear glycerin soap (soap base);
• dyes (red or pink and green);
• chia seeds;
• watermelon essential oil or extract.

The creation process is very simple:

1. Use a knife to cut off several cubes of clear soap and place them in a microwave-safe container (such as a glass measuring cup).
2. Place the soap molds on a flat, stationary surface (keep in mind that it hardens very quickly).
3. Next, take a few chia seeds in your hand and carefully place them in the molds. They will imitate watermelon seeds, so just a few per product is enough to prevent them from sticking together.
4. Microwave the soap base in 30 second increments until melted, stirring between heatings. You will then need to work very quickly as it will harden quickly. If the soap hardens early, simply place it in the microwave and heat in 15 second increments until melted again.
5. Once the soap becomes liquid, add a few drops of red dye one at a time, mixing well until the desired shade is achieved. At this stage, you should also add watermelon flavors (if you don’t have any special products, you can use lime essential oil – it imitates the aroma of watermelon well).
6. Add a few more chia seeds, mix well and carefully pour the red mixture into the soap molds to about 60% of their height. You need to leave some space for the white and green layers, so do not overfill the molds.
   
7. If bubbles form while pouring the soap base, spray the surface with rubbing alcohol.
8. To harden, you need to set the soap aside for about 1 hour. It should become completely hard, and not gelatinous, so that other added layers do not mix.
9. After this time, melt the goat's milk soap and pour it in a thin layer over the hardened red, leave for 1 hour.
10. After this, melt some more goat's milk soap and add green food coloring drop by drop, stirring until the desired shade is achieved, and stir in the chosen fragrance.
11. Pour the green soap mass over the white layer and let it harden. The result will be a beautiful soap resembling pieces of ripe watermelon.

How to Make a Spice Scented Soy Candle

Paraffin candles emit soot and other harmful chemicals (such as benzene and toluene). Therefore, many people prefer to replace them with handmade products made from natural materials. These include soy candles, which are completely safe and burn longer.

To create a candle with the aroma of spices you will need:

• 2 tbsp soy wax flakes;
• 1 orange drawing crayon;
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice;
• 0.5 tsp. nutmeg;
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon;
• 1 candle wick with a weighted bottom;
• wooden spoon;
• wooden stick or pencil;
• a small glass jar (for example, from jam).

The manufacturing process looks like this:

1. Heat the soy wax flakes over low heat (be sure to use a non-stick pan), stirring constantly until they melt. Continuously stirring the liquid wax prevents it from sticking to the container.
   
2. To color the candle, crumble an orange crayon and add it to the melted wax in a saucepan, stir until completely dissolved and the color is uniform. You cannot replace the crayon with food coloring - it will not mix properly.
3. Then add pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon and stir. If the wax mixture becomes too dark after this, you can add a little more crushed crayon to bring back the brightness.
4. Wrap the top of the candle wick around a pencil or stick.
5. Place the stick on the surface of the jar (bridge) and lower the weighted lower part of the wick to the bottom.
6. Remove the wax mixture from the heat and slowly pour it into the jar. It is necessary to pour it in small layers and let each of them harden slightly so that the spices do not form a sediment and the wick remains in the center.
   
7. Place the filled container in a cool room and let the candle harden naturally. It may take up to 4 hours for it to harden completely. Its color may become lighter in solid form.
   
8. Once the wax has hardened and the wick is firmly in place, remove the top side of the wick from the pencil or stick and cut it to the desired length.

Such hand-made items are easy to make with your own hands in large quantities. For successful sales, it is recommended to use your imagination and create a large assortment of products without complicating your work (for example, using different colors and aromas).

Video about handmade crafts for sale

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