So you’ve worked hard making your own unique jewelry, clothing or craft designs, but have no idea how to go about selling them? Here are some tips to help you sell your designs online:

WebsitesCreating your own website is one of the better ways to sell your designs online. You will have full control over the design, layout, content, payment method and everything else. You’ll also be able to supplement your site with eBay listings or listings on other sites. With your own website, you can offer a more personalized service and let your customers get to know you, the designer. One disadvantage to selling on a website is that it is more difficult to promote and get a steady flow of traffic and sales. You may need to spend time and money to get your website off the ground and get noticed, whereas with an eBay store, for example, eBay does the promoting for you.

EtsyIf you make unique, handcrafted items and apparel, you owe it to yourself to check out Etsy. It’s THE place online to sell items that you’ve made yourself. Etsy caters specifically to an audience looking for unique items to purchase. Sellers list their items in a format quite similar to eBay, except that it’s not an auction, but more of a store format. Etsy is a great option if you want to get attention and sales from buyers already interested in unique, handmade items.

eBayEveryone knows eBay and that name recognition counts for plenty. eBay still gets a massive amount of traffic and no other auction site has come even close to getting near it, yet. eBay is a good place to offer your designs. Sellers can offer many items in an eBay store, which is an economical choice for designers with lots of items. One disadvantage of eBay is that the fees can add up pretty quickly and people expect a bargain on eBay, so you may get less profit than when selling on Etsy or in your own store. However, few can argue with the fact that eBay gets much more traffic than many other shopping sites, so you might make up the fees with volume.

CafePressCafePress may be an option for those who have designed their own logos or graphical designs. With CafePress, you upload a high resolution image of your design and it can then be printed on a huge range of products like t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats and bags. They then let you choose the price you sell at, and you get a percentage of profit.

For many designers, the best way to turn your designs into cash is to combine all of these methods together, making use of the advantages of each.

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Having an Internet Presence For Your Crafts

It is extremely important for every craft business big or small to have an internet presence. In today’s market having your craft business online means having your store open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  For the crafter who operates from home it is a perfect outlet for your crafts, you now have a place to send your regular customers to view your new products without them having to wait for the next craft show. Read the rest of this entry »»