Where do you sell most of your items?

[Blooming Felt]

Hiya

I'm just wondering how and where people sell most of their items? I've got a website and haven't had a single sale through it since it went live in December. I update it on a regular basis and am on page 1 of Google under the search terms Hand Stitched Pictures, Needle Felted Accessories, Stitchery Kits. I get over 100 hits a week on the website, but not a single sale !!

I tried selling through both ebay and etsy, but with no luck, although I did sell a couple of the felt brooches I make through ebay.

There are quite a few people I'm in touch with through various blogs and forums, all of whom seem to have regular orders to either retail customers or wholesale orderr. A friend of mind does knitted food and is completely inundated with orders, as is another friend who makes felt bits and bobs.

I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

I've got a number of my pictures displayed in a local village teashop and have sold one picture through them since February - I change the pictures there on a monthly basis. I also sell through Not on the High Street, and again have only had one sale since February.

I'm doing a craft fair next Monday and am hoping that this will generate some sales, but don't know whether I'll then get returning customers from it - I need to try and find a reasonably steady source of income (no matter how small) so that I don't feel like I'm completely wasting my time - which is how I'm feeling at the moment. :mad:

Any ideas and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[icecreamgirl]

Sorry to hear that sales are poor for you...:mad:
I just looked at your site and it's great to look around.
Particularly like the 'make your own' kits.
Definately take those to the craft fair as people usually buy pressies at craft fairs and those are a great pressie, or people who want to have a go themselves.
Also the supplies you sell, i think having a few baskets of crafting supplies get people over to your stall..
Am i right in thinking that your fair is at Jimmies Farm? It's only up the road from me but i'm away on a jolly at the weekend or i would have come along..
I'm sure it will be heaving, is it over two days?
Remember to make some flyers up with your web address on them for people to take..
Oh and to answer the question (!) i sell my stuff at private parties, but i don't do them that much at the moment, i just do them when i've made enough stock, then invite loads of people, it works well as you have a captive audience and no competition/table hire costs....
I'm not by any strtch of the imagination making a living out of it but it is financing itself which means for me it's a hobbie that isn't costing me anything!!
Hopefully one of these days i'll get the website done and then it will be all systems go hahahahahahah

[colourart]

How much of a chance did you give ebay and when did you sell on there, I ask this because I started to list on ebay after Christmas, and it was a slow start but after some patience, its starting to pay off. I think this might have been because after Christmas is one of the worst times to try and sell something. Do you have an ebay shop? I have one and sold a bit from there too as well as gaining some commissions.

I think you have a very nice product and 100 hits/week on your website is fab. Your prices are good too, perhaps Jimmys craft fair will pay off.

[Katianne]

Ebay! I tried it in March and had no luck, but gave it another go a month ago (opened a shop) and things have gone well. It is a bit touch and go - i.e I made 8 sales over 5 days the other week but since then haven't sold anything. BUT, have got a lot of watchers (hoping pay day will make them buy!) and today have had requests from two people to make mirrors in specific colours. So well worth a go in my opinion.

I think it also depends on your craft. i.e. my friend does jewellery - this sells very well at private parties but not on ebay. She started doing jewellery making kits and they have been very successful on ebay. Its very much try, try and try again!!!

[Blooming Felt]

Thanks Guys !

I'm going to see what happens at Jimmy's Farm. Fingers crossed it will be ok. I've got a lot of stock and I'm hoping that there won't be any other sellers there with the same sort of things. Also, demonstrating the needle-felting might inspire people and they'll buy the supplies to give it a go.

I'm off to Cornwall at the end of June and am planning on mailing out to some of the little gift shops in St Ives, Padstow etc before I go. I'll enclose a little catalogue of all my finished products and ask whether they might be interested in seeing some of the items when I'm down there.

Maybe I should give ebay another try - if only to get some more traffic through my website which will hopefully tempt people to buy.

And maybe parties are the way to go? A friend suggested this to me a while ago, but I'm never too sure about these sort of things because I personally always feel like I have to buy something when I go to a party like that - but then why should I worried ... a sale is a sale after all !! ;)

[naomi]

I'm in a pretty similar predicament, I reckon since January I must have spent well over £400 on my "hobby" and I've only made about £100 if that, it's frustrating.

I don't know if I'd have the guts to do a jewellery party, what if everyone hates what I've done?

[icecreamgirl]

Naomi, i've just looked at your jewellery, and they will not hate it!!!!!

If you are nervous, do it with a friend, do you know anyone who makes something else? Most people know a card maker, that would be good then you will have someone to do it with. (oooeeer)
You don't have to make it a big thing, just so it very informal, invite a few family members/friends around for the first one and tell them they are your guinnea pigs (haha just realised what i wrote there!!) offer them some wine etc then you can have a nice evening!! And sell some stuff hopefully!!:)

[Seahorse]

I was looking at your brooches, they are gorgeous especially the rosette type ones.
I was thinking maybe you could try a couple that had added embellishments, like a couple of sequins, or seed beads.Itl add an extra dimension to them and us gals love a bit of sparkle.

[SILKYJO]

:)From one crafter to another

100 hits a week - pretty good, should expect some sales,
100 hits a day - good! Thats when the orders come in!
Sounds like you need to do some SEO,
I've just had a look at you website actually and its quite nice, I liked the pictures in the slideshow, but i sense it still has room for improvement( as all our sites do). The about me page was a great read and a lovely story but I think you also need to show a more positive sales attitude in the text. People need to know that you're passionate about what you're doing, and a really good reason to want to buy then and there.

I've been running an online shop for over a year now and have learnt quite alot, feel free to ask any questions, paricularily concerning website/ecommerce

Persistance pays off!:)

[Diana24]

We have a good success with Ebay. But it require a good patience and studying well the market. Try to use it a little, or may be to buy some things in prior of selling, as sell with zero feedback is not nice. Try to use other categories, or even may be market of other countries, and so on. It all might make some money investment and time, but in some time it should return with a good result.