Plea for advice
I would also be very grateful for any tips on selling you may have. I have not got enough stuff to set up a stall of my own at a craft fair and I know that the rental for space can be very high. I am thinking of an Etsy or Folksy shop. But I am not self employed and a pensioner, so I am not sure of the UK tax implication, even though selling at a reasonable price would be unlikely to yield a profit when I consider all the 'stuff' I have bought. The other possibility is to set up a separate blog, but the only publicity would be through this blog page. The reason I want to sell is that I enjoy making things and there is great satisfaction in thinking that someone is willing to part with their money to own something you have created. It is also a great incentive to create. I have sold paintings and drawings in the past, but this has been through exhibitions. If you have any experiences you are willing to share I will be very grateful. You can e mail me via my profile page if you prefer.
The Give Away
I am giving away the following items in the rough order at which I value them. I will draw names randomly after a week or when I have 25 entries, which ever comes first.To enter the draw you must be a follower of my blog (new followers welcome) as I feel my regular contributers deserve to have priority. I also ask that if you do receive one of the items you are willing to e mail me with a few comments about the item. I will include a few very straightforward questions. I hope this is not too big an ask and hopefully you will think it is worth a punt. The item I send may not be exactly the same as the ones photographed.
So here is what I am offering -
Number one: A crazy patchwork purse
Number two: A scented crazy patchwork heart
Number three: A tatty-chic flower brooch
Number four: A lotus flower moth book
Number five: Two packs of gift tags
(One with two large tags and one with three small ones)
I am willing to post overseas.
GOOD LUCK
PS Mr T is making an excellent recovery - thank you to all those who asked.
Jill
26 comments:
Oohh - am I the first to comment?!! This is really kind of you to do this Giveaway! I have been a follower of your blog for a while now, and I Love looking at your new projects. I have gained quite a bit of inspiration as well, and have even tried my own version of your tatty-chic flowers! I would be thrilled to receive any one of your prizes!
I have been thinking about an Etsy or Folksy shop too, so if I ever take the plunge I will let you know! I know how hard it can be with craft fairs and/or market stalls, I am doing one in September, but they don't come up very often!
Thanks again!
http://charlottescraftcreations.blogspot.com
Wow that's some giveaway Jill! I love all the items although I did make one of the flowers having seen your post about yours. I have no experience of selling stuff nor about any tax implications though I would think that if you kept proper records of expenditure and income you could always ask at the tax office about whether you need to declare the income you might make.
Good luck with your venture.
Glad Mr T is continuing to make a good recovery.
Jane x
PS - a thought has just occured to me having read Charlotte's comment would it be a possibility to have a Bloggers Etsy shop in which any crafty bloggers could sell their stuff and if so how would that help?! Just a thought.
J
All beautiful creations, I love your work
Anne x
Love following your blog - hope I get to be the proud owner of one of your giveaways!
Jill,
I am happy to give any sales and marketing advice if it helps you. I did earn my living from it for a long time and it's good to stretch the little grey cells every now and again. As a previous recipient of one of your give-aways I am happy not to go on the new list as I suspect it will be a long one - but still give you my two pennyworth if you want it. Just let me know. Does Mr T know he's living with a creative entrepreneur? Lesley x
OOOOh what a very generous give-away, count me in please :-) And I have been a follower for a-g-e-s!
I make a bit of extra money from craft workshops, magazine articles etc and in the past I have sold stuff to shops. I just have to fill in a dreaded tax return, so I keep accounts of everything I spend and earn, and I have receipts stuffed everywhere LOL! I do not have a head for figures and fill my tax return in at the last minute and get my husband to check it!! Good luck, I'm sure you will have lots of success selling your beautiful things.
Glad to know Mr T is doing well :-)
Hi Jill .... lovely giveaway and as for selling at craft fairs I am sure a mix of your art work and fabric makes would sell like hotcakes at craft markets .... it's not too expensive for a table in Beds/Herts(anything from £10-35). As for the tax implication you would still be allowed to earn up to the single persons allowance before IR wanted their cut. Etsy & Folksy are OK but there is nothing like letting the public actually touch and see your makes in the flesh for them to be fully appreciated. Good luck in your new venture however you decide to proceed x
Ooh lovely giveaway! Northampton have a monthly art market in the summer. Stalls are just £10. I was thinking of having one. If you google Northampton market you should find it. Might be worth a go!
Glad Mr T is doing well. Count me in for your very generous giveaway!
It's obvious of course but go to a few good fairs & do an in depth recce for display, volume & pricing - the last is the hardest but just because there's a recession you don't want to give it away...!
So pleased to hear Mr T is coming along well. I've been in the process of setting up an Etsy shop - though it's taking me longer than I thought (not because it's difficult but because I keep getting diverted by life in general). You would probably need to declare the income, but I would have thought if you keep good records of sales (and expenses too), it's easy to fill in an online return - we already do for a private tutoring partnership and it saves worrying about whether you're suddenly going to find that the Taxman cometh (and you might get a rebate!). Really, the local tax offices are very helpful, just give them a ring.
A lovely variety there, all of which illustrates your wide range of skills. This sounds like the ideal way to "test the water" re sales. It's the purses that "leap" off the page for me.......
:O)
To be in with a chance of owning something YOU made...woohoo...YES PLEASE!
I do think offering your work for sale is really the next step for you Jill, you've had some great advice here, so I hope that as you follow this new (exciting!) venture you have great success - you deserve it!
Glad Mr T is picking up too :)
Please count me in altho I don't think I can help much on legal or sales issues in the UK. In the US, Jane would be right about keeping detail on expenses as a setoff against income. If there are small fairs where you could sell directly, you would probably enjoy that and it might be a good way to start - and save the shipping costs!
Good luck with it. I think people - other than your followers - would really like your work, too.
I would absolutely love to win anything from your giveaway, very generous of you. Love your blog, I have been following you for quite some time, just did not joint as a follower until today. I would think you would make a killing with your artisticly beautiful creations. I am also trying to get a business going on the side, one out of my home so I need a business license, something on Etsy possibily, but that's my goal for 2010 is to start my own business. I did the craft shows for a few years, but you never know what the public will feel like buying or spending their money on. Anyway, best of luck to you...
please include me in the giveaway - i just love the excitement that I might win 1 - I'm glad His progress is good!
Generous of you to offer so many of your pieces of work. Good luck with what ever you do decide to do. An option that I do not believe has been suggested is the local/county craft guild. They often have a small shop. W.I. markets. Though I have been following your blog for a while now I have only just added myself to your followers list.....hope that is o.k.
If the offer is still open I'd love to be added to your list Jill. I love your work and find it very inspiring. I'm going to do a small fair in late November and am currently buying up cheap frames and things in preparation. Look forward to hearing how you get on.
As other have said, you will need to declare the income although you may not have to pay any tax if there is no net profit. It should be a fairly straightforward process. Contact details for HMRC and other relevant info on this link.
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/report-changes/individual/income.htm
Please include me Jill....your artwork looks wonderful and very saleable. Good luck with the business venture; I shall watch with interest and may have to interrogate you when you become expert ;-)
My DIL went with etsy. Was cheaper than eBay and she already had a pay pal account. It's 20 cents an item for four months being posted and then whatever percentage pay pal takes out. I donate items and we both work on the shop--very part time and just because we love to make stuff--hehe! What money we make we just use to buy more crafting supplies. And you can post a link to your etsy shop right on your blog here.
You need to be able to take good pictures, have mailing supplies ready, and it does take time to do the actual posting and writing everything up. But you can do it at your own speed and only post things you have already made, so there's not a lot of pressure.
Both my DIL and I tried craft tables (I did years ago) and it was a lot of work for little return. The tables cost whether you sell or not--and you need to have displays, tablecloths, signs, a cash drawer, etc--and do a lot of hauling. We have loved the etsy shop. In the process of getting up new merchandise right now (we are very slow at posting, but fast at mailing--hehe!). I know some other people who swear by eBay. Can't tell you anything about them, tho. We just do it for fun and have been very happy with etsy. :)
Good luck with your etsy venture. You have great ideas. I liked the patchwork purses best. As others have said keep records. Look forward to seeing your next projects.
Hi, how did I miss this before, sorry, sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day,lol. Very happy to put my name in your hat, what a wonderful selection of goodies, you're very kind. Happy to comment should I be lucky enough to be a winner. Have a good day, love Sharon
Jill,
I definitely think you should jump in! I have a shop on ETSY and it's the biggest thrill to have someone you don't know purchase your work! I'm not necessarily trying to make money, but like you, I'm going to be creating whether I'm selling my work or not. ETSY seemed like a cost-effective solution and if I sell stuff, great and if not, more for me to wear or decorate my house with. *grin*
I'd suggest searching ETSY first for similar items. See how others are pricing their products and check if their products are selling. Then you have to decide what makes your work different and charge accordingly. I don't know about you, but I'm repeatedly told by family and friends that I'm not charging enough ... hard to put a price on something you've done yourself ... but what I'm charging is in line with most of the similar products that are selling.
I'd also suggest approaching galleries or consignment shops or even specialty card or gift stores. The split on the price is higher than ETSY ... usually 60% artist/40% store owner ... but it's a way to put your work in front of people. Again, do some research and find business that sell similar but not exactly the same products, check prices and then approach the owner. That's my next step and I'm busy trying to get brave enough to make some calls. I keep telling myself after the Punks are back in school I'll have more time to make some appointments.
Anyway, that's my 2¢ worth. Hope it helps. I think your work is very unique and creative and I definitely think you will do well, whatever you decide.
I think an Etsy shop is a good idea just because the commission is so low and you're not losing anything in giving it a try. But it's easy for your stuff to get 'lost' simply because there are so many items being listed all the time so before you know it your things are pushed several pages down the line. Therefore you need to do the whole Etsy Forum chat thing to constantly promote your shop and let people know who and where you are. What Karen says is very true, retailers do take a very big commission but getting your pieces out there is essential and once you've made some sales it will become easier to sell elsewhere. Also, if you start making sales, you may even be able to renegotiate the commission taken by the retailer. Go for it, really you should!
how kind to be giving away some of your beautiful stuff. I have enough friends who sell the things they make to appreciate what a nerve racking business it can be. Etsy seems to be the way to go rather than having to set up a stall - much better audience reach.
I have you on my goodle reader list - does that count as a follower?
Hi Jill, I missed the giveaway, as I was on holiday, but I just dropped in to "catch up" - noticed you've been considering an online shop.
I would definitely recommend Etsy. I have had an Etsy shop for about 18 months and it's beginning to do well now. It does need work, but I'm finding it fun and rewarding. Etsy is a great site, as there is masses of support available, in the way of articles full of advice and information, blogs, forums, groups (of people that do similar stuff to you) etc. The Etsy sellers all seem to be so supportive of each other and generous with their experience and advice. I would really recommend Etsy... it's good.
Post a Comment