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Flea Markets Are for the Birds: More Advice on Craft Selling

Determine the Best Place to Sell Your Crafts

Better Craft Selling Venues

I paint ceramics, i.e., figurines, vases, villages, etc. I know what I have to charge to make a profit, but I just wasn't getting what I asked for.

My mistake: I sold my wares at flea markets. Large crowds pass through these flea markets, but the customers just weren't paying the price I needed to make a profit.

I'm still painting ceramics and have a collection of pieces now but nowhere to sell them. I'd like some ideas on how to sell my beautiful ceramics.

Any help would be appreciated.

So glad I found your site. This is just what I've been looking for.

Linda

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So glad you like our site. It sounds like you’ve read at least part of the For Profit section. Remember the Four M’s?

• 1. Meet your market;
• 2. Minimize your costs;
• 3. Maximize your selling price; and
• 4. Market the heck out of your product.

From what you say you have a clear idea of your costs and want to maximize your selling price. So you’ve got numbers 2 and 3 covered. That leaves us with the two marketing elements.

You’re absolutely right: flea markets are not a good venue for high-end crafters. People who frequent flea markets are looking for used and useful or pretty things that are to put it bluntly, cheap.

You, on the other hand, are selling new, beautiful and unique items. You need to identify the type of people who use and buy your type of wares and where these people do their shopping.

Then you need to promote yourself and your crafts to that target market. As I have said before, craft selling is more an art than science and it's worth the effort to find a marketplace than is filled with receptive buyers.

Avoid a shotgun approach; really try to focus in on your unique market.

I think the Craftmarketer series of books might be of help. The titles that would be of most help to you are

• The Basic Guide to Selling Arts & Crafts
• The Basic Guide to Pricing Your Craftwork
• Sell Your Crafts on eBay

These books contain tons of advice on craft selling online or off.

In the meantime (while you wade through your market research), your question comes at an excellent time. We’re heading into the holiday season when people loosen their purse strings and often are looking for the perfect thing for that someone special or even to decorate their own homes. It's probably the best craft selling season you'll find.

You didn’t say whether your ceramic villages include Christmas villages, but no matter – ceramic villages are soooooo popular now.

Check Arts & Craft Shows for high end craft fairs coming up in your area. Choose at least three.

Be sure you have proper marketing materials (signs, business cards, art cards describing the more elaborate pieces or groupings) and a nice display. Make it as pretty as you can. Put on a happy face and sell, sell, sell!

Participate in upcoming Christmas craft fairs. You should find a more receptive audience there.

Consider putting your crafts into consignment or holiday shops. Though the store will likely take half the retail price, think of all the time and effort you save by having someone do the craft selling for you.

As you progress, please read more on our site about getting into online auction sites or perhaps building your own website.

Do a little research at eBay and Yahoo auctions. See if anything like you make is for sale there. If nobody else is selling what you are, try an online auction or two.

These sites are generally price driven for commodity type products. But the unique and unusual can sell quite well. For more information, download the free e-book, Make Your Net Auction Sell.

The author, Sydney Johnston, is a recognized expert, who has been selling full time on eBay for years. Chapter 15 is of particular interest to crafters and goes into some detail on why online auctions are a good craft selling venue.

If you can e-mail me a couple photos of your work, I would be happy to put them on our pages and tell people where they can find you – perhaps that first craft fair!

Good luck. I hope to hear from you again soon.

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