U-handblog

Crafting Heroes interview with Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching

Here you go folks; you asked for it and here it is!  I think you'll like interview, it's a great one to start 2008 with.
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Here is one of Jenny's WIPs it's called Sublime stitching for a very good reason; it's gorgeous!  If you can, leave a comment for her on her interview for when she sees it later today, thanks  :)  Check out the interview here.

Phew! A New Craft Business Blog by me, please check it out!

This should help explain why I haven't been posting on this blog as much as usual.  Newborn babies are always a bit more demanding than toddlers, but I think my little family has begun to find a bit of a routine, and I'll return to posting  more regularly.  Thanks for bearing with me!  Toddlers?  Newborn babies?  What is she gabbing on about?  Well, I have been commissioned by Wendy Piersall owner of the EXCELLENT eMoms at Home business blog to write a blog about running a Craft Business.

Wendy is passionate about women and men going onto business for themselves and on her terrificly popular blog she provides LOADS of information on how run this business from home.  Recently she commissioned 6 folks (of which I am one) to write their own business specialty in their own blogs, under the umbrella of the eMoms blog. 

I will now write most of my Bag Selling Tips and Advice post on my new blog, but each time I do I'll include a link to it on my post in this here blog.  I hope that works out, we'll find out soon enough.  I want this new blog to be inclusive, so very soon I will be inviting folks who already run their own craft business to show case their work, talk about their own business, share any business knowledge, and run interviews (it will be a great way to promote yourselves.  Please don't think I'm abandoning U-Handblog for pastures new.  This blog is my first love and it always will be :)

That's me!  I now also write Craft Boom a blog about marketing and running art & craft businesses.  Today's post is: How to market your business (for free).


So for anyone who is (or isn't yet, go on you can do it) running their own craft business skip over to my new blog and please comment on my new blog and let me know what you think.  I do have first date jitters and some first words of encouragement from you good folks would really help calm them down! :)

I'll introduce the 5 other folks who are writing about their own home business specialties in my next post. 

Pricing your bags or other crafts to sell.

Thanks to everyone who asked Craft Businessey Questions for the Dotty Sunglasses Case draw.  Your questions are very helpful because when I come to write future craft Business Type Posts I can refer to your comments and I can hopefully tackle issues that you want looking at :)

There were 43 entrants, (1 being a repeat) and the Random Number Picker decided upon the number 17.  Which means that Concha has won the Dotty Eyeglasses Case and I have to try and tackle the 'How long is a piece of string' question of Pricing....

So will Concha who wrote:

"Pricing, pricing... If you want to have fun but earn some money as well, how do you make up for all the fabrics and notions and hours of work spent on a single bag? Thanks so much :)"

Please step forward and give me your postal address so I can send you your Eyeglasses Case?

Before I start I'm just going to write myself a little disclaimer which includes things like; I don't have MBa from Harvard;  I'm no Alan Sugar; the following tips are taken from my own observations as a bag seller, a bit of Psychology (from my Uni days), books, and resources on the net (which I'll include at the end of this post).  What I mean to say is, I hope the info is nothing but helpful...

Get the price right, and your till will sing (or something!)

Pricing your craft to sell is a slippery fish of thing to get right.  I can't suggest what you should actually charge for a particular bag.  Unfortunately there is no neat formula to apply when pricing your bags, but I can suggest things that should be considered when pricing your bags).   To my mind, (and the minds of experts) it isn't a simple case of charging for your time and materials, there are other factors to consider (which I'll go into in a minute).  The price of a bag doesn't just serve as a charge for your handmade bag, it serves as a marketing tool, and it also serves as a refection (real & perceived) of the value of your handmade bag.  So for the purposes of this here post about pricing your bags (and other crafts too, but as you might have guessed, bags are my thing so I'll talk about them) I am going to :

• Things to consider when pricing your bags that don't include the physical cost of making your bags.
• Get a little bit psychological (just a little bit, don't worry!) about pricing

Things to consider when pricing your bags that don't include the physical cost (materials and time) of making your bags.

1. are you only just starting out?
2. what is your method of selling (craft fairs, word of mouth, web)
3. who are you trying to sell your bags to?
4. is this your only source of income?
5. who is your (and how much) competition?

1.  Are you only just starting out?

If you have only just started started selling your bags (congratulations!) it's not only important to get a first few sales under your belt, you NEED to get yourself a bit of a reputation.  Nothing beats word of mouth recommendations from happy customers, and new customers always feel more confident buying from you if they know that you have had quite a few customers in the past.

I used to blush with embarrassment when doing it but I almost always asked customers to write in my pretty guest book any comments they had (or at least which bag they bought).  This book was left on the stall for everyone else to read.

So you need to sell more bags  quickly so that more happy folks will spread the word (and hopefully will be happy to buy more from you in the future).   This means that you should consider pricing lower (not too low, more about that later) rather than higher in the beginning.   Be prepared (if you can) to just recoup your costs in the beginning (or settle for a smaller profit); I haven't heard too many stories of folks cleaning up at their first sale.

In the beginning I chose not to charge for my time.  I chose to charge only for the materials and the market stall rent.

2.  What is your method of selling (craft fairs, word of mouth, web).

You can sell your bags in crafts market; word of mouth at work, amongst friends and family etc; the internet on your own website, or on Ebay or Etsy; or at bag selling parties.  Each individual method will incur it's own different costs and these should factored into the price of your bag.  This means that you may want to charge two different prices for the same item...

I used to sell most of my bags a weekly craft market and others I sold to some of the girls (and in turn their friends) at my BORING day job.   A stall at my craft market used to cost £35-£50 me day, compare that with selling bags to my work colleagues which cost  me nothing.  I used to knock off a few pounds off the price of the bag if I was selling to colleagues.

3. Who are you trying to sell your bags to?

Most everyone who teaches business studies will tell you that it is important to identify your target market, in other words, know who you want to sell you bags to.  Your bags won't appeal to everyone, far better to aim to please a group of people rather than everyone (which is impossible).  This way  you can make and price your bag with a 'type' of customer in mind.  For instance, do you want to make  young and funky bags, or do you prefer to make more luxurious bags with more extravagant trims?  A customer who prefers young and funky fashion is going to have a different budget to spend on bags to someone who prefers luxury items.

In this way you can make a cohesive collection of bags and charge for them according to who you are trying to attract.  This cohesion is good strategy because this prevents 'collection confusion', in as much as customers are put off by an untidy market stall or messy shop, they are put off by ranges that don't seem to fit together.  That's why lots of shops clearly define their luxury ranges from their value ranges.

My very first bags were cute reversible tote bags, each with their own matching coin purses.  I made all of these bags from home furnishing weight silk and velvet and I charged the same price for all of them (£18.50), with a discount for two or more bags.  This worked really well because passing customers could see that everything cost the same, it was just a matter of choosing the fabric that they liked best.  I had a good idea of who the visitors of my local craft market where (tourists, well heeled locals, and young professionals, and a few students) and roughly how much they would be willing to spend so I tried to make my bags with them in mind.

4. Is this your only source of income?

I have had more than one email asking me is it right to charge for something that you love doing anyway!  I also know of a fair few customers who choose not to charge for their time, because they are happy to just to make enough money to buy more materials.  This is obviously fine if this is not your only source of income, or your are just starting out and you want to grow your customer base.  However, if you want to earn a profit than you need to at least start charging for your time, before you add a percentage on top for profit.

As soon as I was able, I wanted to make a profit from my bags because I dreamt of leaving my day job.  In general, I used to charge for my time in two different ways.  I chose charge two different rates one rate for simple-could-make-it-with-my-eyes-closed bags, and higher rate for trickier, lots of swearing involved bags.  Nowadays I still do sell my bags but selling bags is no longer my main income (as you know) so I'm not too worried about making a profit from my bags.  I choose to only charge for the materials and my time.

5. Who is your (and how much) competition?

To get a bit of an edge in the market it's important to be distinct from your competitors.  You can be different from the competition in various ways, sell bags which are unique to you, sell them at different prices to the competition (usually lower), provide tip-top and or fast customer service, or sell them using different methods (see no.2).  It's always a good idea to keep abreast of trends, to know what the IN things are, and it's good to know what other people are selling, (not so you can copy them!) so you can try to offer something that is different to them.  It's best to do this research before you go whipping up a squillion bags, but it's also important to keep up this research as your business grows to keep yourself competitive and ultimately it makes you life easier if you aren't trying to compete with everyone and their granny!  If you offer something different to the competition you are less likely to have to lower your prices to compete!

In the beginning my competition was other bag sellers in my local craft market (though they were lovely people, in fact I was surprised to find that almost all of the other traders were really friendly and helpful).  Before I sewed a single bag I wandered around the market to check out what other bag sellers where offering, and I made point of offering something different.  In the end my best sellers where my reversible totes (made from looky-likey Kath Kidson linen fabric) and Basket Style Bags neither of which where being sold by anyone else.

Getting a little bit psychological (just a little bit; don't worry!) about pricing .

This is a whole huge area in itself (and if you wanted to you could go very deeply into it (like all of the big chain stores do.  Believe me, they all spend millions on research into understanding the mind of the consumer, yerk!) but for the purposes of this post we are only going to touch on a few things:

• Value your work.  It's important to value your work, or how else will others?   Don't be panicked into dropping your prices of your bags (so you end up making a loss) if things are slow.  Have a look at how you can market your bags, or try other ways of selling your bags, before you go selling them for a song.  There is a 'right price' for everyone and if you price an item (that obviously took lots of work) too low you'll have folk thinking all sorts like 'is this really handmade?' 'what's wrong with it, why is it so cheap?'  The same obviously goes for charging high, I personally don't think think that the 'reassuringly expensive' strategy helps in this  day and age of  competition (it might work for luxury cars and designer clothing).  You want to encourage more customers to buy, not to scare them off with inflated prices.  Price fairly, because as consumers we are very savvy these days and we have a good idea of what things ought to cost...   
• Actual Value Vs Perceived Value.  There's a difference between actual value (the cost of what it takes to make and sell the item), and Perceived Value (the value that the customer thinks the item is worth).  You could take two identical purses and end up charging two different prices for them.  For example  purse 1. is sold (as is) on a plain looking serviceable market stall for price X, whereas identical purse 2. is sold for more on a prettily decorated market stall, the purse has a cute label of the maker, your service is warm and friendly, and the purse is wrapped in tissue paper...OK, perhaps it costs a bit more to sort out labels, a pretty stall, and some tissue paper, but customers DO appreciate these finishing touches and this can be reflected in the price.  It's about creating a pleasant buying experience for the customer as well as making them feel important (without them, everything is pretty much lost!) in addition to creating pretty bags for them to buy. 
• Psychology of Discounting.  Discounting isn't just for reducing the price of your items, you can also use it to encourage more sales of your bags.  You can encourage customers to buy more items by offering various discounts.  Such as discounting on multiple purchases, or bundling (buy the bag and get the matching purse at a discount), or buy X, and get Y free.  The idea is NOT to appear as a bargain basement (far from it),  but to make the customer feel rewarded for spending more money with you.  On my old market stall I noticed that most of my customers were buying bags initially as presents for others (fair enough, I'm the same!) this meant that customers weren't looking to treat themselves.  So to encourage more sales I wrote up a cute sign for customers suggesting that on certain bags they could treat themselves too, especially as I was offering a discount on a matching coin purse that they could either give as presents or keep for themselves.  I found that this worked very well...

Right I think that's a lot to be going on with!  For those who are still with us, and they have reached the end of this post there's further reading on the subject (of course you can apply as many, or as little (or none!) of these tips as you like, but I'd just like to say (that for me at least) mugging up in a few books and keeping an eye on craft trends etc. has helped me give me some focus and helped me organise myself, and hopefully run a shop that other people like, (and would buy from again), so I think the time spent on research (might not be the fun part, but) is well worth it :)

Further Reading (all free and downloadable guides):

• Pricing - a huge in-depth guide.
• Getting organised to work at  home -   you can't do this from the family dining table!
• WAHM - Guide for working Mothers At Home to successfully building business from home.
• My 'Business Resources' links on the left hand side of this blog.

Like, phew!  That took me AGES to write, I hope it's of some use to you!

Ask that Bag Lady...you might win a Eye/Sun Glasses case!

I get lots of lovely emails from you telling me that your new found hobby (that being bag making, of course!) has begun to get a bit out of control and that your partners are beginning to moan about all of those pretty bags that are filling up various cupboards...  Lots of you have begun to sell your handiwork through bag parties, Etsy, your own website, Ebay, craft fairs and/or amongst friends and family.

I really enjoy these emails because I really am all for women (and men too, but especially women) going into some sort of business for themselves if they can.  I think back to a couple of years ago when my working life was in a rut and I was feeling pretty crap because of it.  I would sew in the evenings and weekends to relax until I had made way too many things to store in the house.  I then began to sell in Greenwich Craft Market which eventually led to U-Handbag being born.  The buzz I got from selling my first bag was addictive, and I'd love for other people to experience that too (if that's their thing!).  These days, besides being able to help put food on the table, running a business has given me some sort inner pride, and this gives me a confidence that I have never experienced in any of my other jobs (which are too numerous (and some too embarrassing) to mention!)

I haven't written a Bag Selling Advice & Tips post for quite a while, so I thought why not ask you if you have any Bag/Craft selling questions that I could try and answer.  I'm no business guru, but I'm not hiding out from my bank manager, and I don't owe either of my kidneys to loan sharks :)

Ask the (ditzy) bag expert your business related question!  I found this image (isn't it great?) and loads of kitschy Americana pin up prints here.

So if you sell your handmade crafts, or you are planning to and you have a Bag/craft selling question that you think I might be able to help with comment on this post with your question.  It could be website related, craft stall related,  photography related, what-things-to-sell related, or marketing related etc. etc.

I will randomly pick one question (and try my best) to answer.  The person who asked that question will also win this dotty eyeglasses case (but not my groovy sun glasses) cool eh? 

I'll draw a winner in a weeks time 7th August.  Good Luck!

PS.  Sorry, I can't reply to contest/draw comments, but I do love reading every single one :)

Mums and Moms are the business.

Amy Butler interview will appear here tomorrow, Hurray!!  Tomorrow.  Hurray!!

I was on the phone with Denise today who was inquiring about the size of some metal rings, and we ended up talking for the best part of an hour about our love of craft and going into business  to sell our handiwork.  In the time I have been running my shop I have had lots of phone and email conversations just like this one with folks just like Denise.  These chats give me the warm fuzzies because it's sooo wonderful when women (and men - Hi Ryan) decide to take the plunge and unleash their creativity on the world. 

The best thing about wanting to go into business in this day and age, is we that have the wonderful Internet, and the trend for craft fairs and market selling.  These two avenues enable people to be in business without spending huge amounts of money and without chucking in the day job (perhaps prematurely!).

I have already written quite a few posts on Bag Selling & Business Advice (which I will keep writing more of), but I haven't really touched upon 'making the decision to go for it'.  So Denise (who already has decided to go for it, with a website and all) this post is for you!

Emotion as a deciding factor (to go for it!):

• So, you made quite a few bag, vases, clothes etc. and they've been really welcome presents to your friends and family,   You've even sold some to neighbors and colleagues at work for a reasonable (e.g. not dirt cheap) price...that's really good because that means that people DO admire your work and other people will pay for it too.   So don't put yourself down and think silly dum dum thoughts like 'oh, they're just being nice'.
• You HAVE to be confident in your skills as a craft-isian, you know yourself that you made the items with love and care; you have to believe that other people will see this too, and it would make that same person happy to buy it. 
• You also have to really enthusiastic about this, it's gonna be a long hard slog if you don't love what you do.  Even if I hadn't told you how much I love my work (which I know I do go on about!), dontcha you think it shows in my shop, and my blog anyway?

Research as a deciding factor:

• The best way to start is not making loads of things to sell.  Start the process by researching.   Do research before, and during running your business and this will help you to save time, save money, and make money YAY!  Check out these great business articles about business start ups for mums (in the UK)  or moms (in the US) (cos that's where most of my readers come from!)
• Do have a look through the Business Resource links in the left hand menu bar (and there are also  lots more sites available on the web, and some which are likely to run by the local authority in which you live).
• Don't forget to research your market, who is your competion?   How is your offering different to what is already available? 
• Who would you like your customers to be, can they afford your prices, will they be attracted to your offering, if not (yet) how can you convince your audience that your offering is going to benefit them?
• Check out websites and magazines to see what's hot in your chosen craft.
• I know, I know, questions questions (and that is only some of the questions you need ask!)  But the more you can answer (or begin to answer) before you start (and continually ask as your business evolves) the easier, more successful, and haappeeee you'll be!  Just jot these questions and all of your other research findings in the one book (rather than paper napkins, old menus, post-it notes etc!).  My research for U-Handbag filled up a thick A4 refill pad, I still have it because the info is dead handy, and it's sentimental :)

Funding as a deciding factor:

• I would advise folks to start off small - rather than go bonkers and buy a shop, pretty rope carrier bags, and have glossy catalogues (I can dream, can't I?)  I think it's wisest (and I was also advised by Steve) to make money from what you sell and use that money to buy more things, (to make) so you have more things to sell, and so on.  This is exactly what I did with my shop.  I had a much smaller product range when I first started; I've grown organically.  This way I had more control over things and my mistakes (and there always will be mistakes to make!) haven't hurt as much as they would've done had I spent loads starting up my business.
• If you can, get start-up funding in the form of a business grant, look at the business links (in the left hand menu bar) that I just told you about, and check out what grants are available to you.  Honestly, you'd be surprised at just what is there for the taking, you may well be eligible!  To start hunting for business start up funding in the UK click here, for the US click here, and here.  If you don't want to do the grant thing, try asking friends and family for a loan.  The thing is to avoid getting a bank loan if you can, they are expensive!

I know many of my readers have already gone into business themselves; and you are selling through Etsy, Ebay, various craft fairs, your own websites, and, or your own blogs.  WELL DONE!!!

I love to hear about your experiences of going into your own craft business.  What advice would you give to others?  What things would you do differently?  What are your proudest (or lowest) moments?  How do you market yourself?  etc.  Why not share your craft business stories with us?  Send me an email (see top left corner of this blog for email add.) with your business gems (and if you like, some pics of your fave stuff for sale), and I'll feature you on my blog. 

In return, you'll get that warm fuzzy feeling from helping others out, some free exposure, and a permanent link to your shop on the side bar of this here blog (which I'm happy to say has it's own fair share of readers...who are fabulous, each and very one of you!).   The Emoms and Make It blogs have this Guest Post Feature on their blogs, and it works well, perhaps it will take off here too :)

 

All the fun of the (craft) fair. Dressing your table.

Here is my favourite bag making pic of the year.  It was very kindly sent to me my by Joanne in London.  It's her cute kitty having a nap in Joanne's parcel of U-Handbag bag making bits.  I've actually had this photo for a little while and I re-discovered it whilst giving all my pics a much needed tidy up.  Thanks Jo, it's sooooo cute!


Shhh! I'm just having a sneaky ol' nap on my Mum's brand new fabric, heh! heh!

I've received some lovely emails from customers who (are bursting with pride - and I should think so too!) had a great time selling their bags at Xmas markets.    A big WELL DONE! to you.  It's been really nice to hear your stories of the compliments you have been receiving about your handi-work, your first sale (YAAAAY!!), and really touching to hear that you are enjoying yourselves making bags.  It's wonderful that people preferred to pay for your (yes, YOUR!) handmade loveliness than to pay for soulless, mass produced High St offerings.  Thank you so much for sending the emails and the pictures girls (keep 'em coming!).

This post is for those of you who have gotten the bag selling bug, and who have asked me how I would go about dressing a table for a craft fair or craft market.  Space is usually limited when renting a table at a craft fair, and sometimes there are  other limitations such as not being allowing to use floor standing items (such as rails, baskets or shelves) to display your work.  So, a little thought has to go into getting the most out of the space that you're given.

Here are some table dressing tricks I have used in the past:

• Try to group bags according to their function or size.  Some sort of organization on your table will make things less confusing for the customer and make it easier for them to quickly find what they are looking for.  A chaotic table is a turn-off.
• Ensure that you fill your bags with tissue paper so they look proud/filled. 
  
• Try hanging your bags on some garden trellis, paint the trellis white or another pale colour t o set your bags off.  Place the trellis to the side of your table or behind it.  If there is enough room on the trellis you can decorate it with flowers, cherubs, chiffon fabric, your company name, or whatever else is appropriate.  Don't overload though, or it will look too busy.
• Create ‘steps’ on your table by using some same sized boxes and covering those boxes with some nice plain unpatterned cloth so you can display your bags in a step formation.  Place your super-duper bag/s in a prominent position toward the centre on the top step.  This will serve as eye-catching draw to your table. 
• Ensure your table has plenty of light.  Many fairs do not supply spot lighting (or any lighting).  It's worth bringing your own if you can because the brighter the light is, the more colourful your handiwork is (things like beading, shiny buttons, and metal accessories will sparkle) and that really does make a difference.  Also, the shine of a light from a spotlight (or a pretty lamp) will be noticed from afar by approaching customers.
• Put your more special bags on the higher steps and the less expensive bags within easier reach – don’t be too fixed about this, you still need to mix things up a bit so your arranging doesn’t look too obvious.  Apparently, whilst in a shop we judge items at eye level to be of mid quality; items higher levels to be of higher quality, and lower items to be...(you guessed it).  That said, items at eye level tend sell faster because we feel more comfortable buying the mid quality item that is not too expensive, and not too cheap.  Next time you are in the supermarket check this out for yourself.  For more consumer psychology click here, (this site is a bit dry, and it's pretty in-depth but there are some interesting tid-bits).  It's not something to get yourself tied up in knots about, just something else to consider...
• A few props like a jug of flowers, a candelabra, some jewelry, vintage gloves (etc.) and some information signs is a good idea.
• If you can, make up a sign for yourself with your comany name/and or your name, and contact info.  You can also say things like 'All lovingly handmade';  'Gorgeous purses made from fine French silk with hand beading' (or whatever is appropriate); 'All original designs'; 'Commissions are welcome'.  Make up your sign using software like photoshop (or get a friend to do it).  Don't make up a sign using paints and crayons unless you (or a friend) can make it look really professional - an unprofessional sign will look pants and will cheapen the look of your handiwork.  Make your sign A3 size or lager so customers don't have to squint, and laminate it.

I hope that helps folks, please do keep me posted on how you get on in the markets.  I love reading your stories.  If I missed anything, just let me know!

Selling your bags in markets. Part 2

Things are already hotting up at the Xmas Craft Markets.  Big congratulations to those (you know who you are) who (up to now had never made a bag before) are setting up their first ever stalls and are now making their first sales - WELL DONE!  That's so great - I remember that feeling very well.

Here are a few more things I wish I knew before I started selling bag at markets.  Things like; what things to sell, pricing, and a bit of 'cheeky chappette' sales patter...

What To Sell

As I mentioned before, it is a very good idea to have a 'widish price range' of items to sell on your stall.  This way you are more likely to have items to that will tempt more people (and suit more budgets).  If you sell cheap items alongside your mid-price and more expensive items you will sell more.  For instance a woman buying a nice handbag for her friend will often pick up a little purse/wallet to treat herself too (and why not?) - but only if a little purse/wallet is available to buy.

Super cute zippered pouch by Nico

Handbag stall stuff:

• simple zippered pouches (easy & cheap to make & handy for using up scraps)
• bi-fold wallets with magnetic snap/cute button closures (lovely for using up nice fabrics as the leather versions can be sooo boring).
• wash bags (make them fun and girly. Line the inside with plastic or make from oil cloth)
• shoe bags (also make these fun)
• handbags which could have: pleats, zippered closure, flap closure, applique, quilted, felted etc, woven, beaded handles sequins, tapestry, big buttons, silk screen print, recycled wool clothing, corsages...I could go on... 
• knitting needle/tool rolls (easy to make, have fun with colour combinations)
• Plastic bag holder/dispensers (you wouldn't believe how many of these things I used to sell!) (very easy to make - just a tube with both ends elasticated and a handle on one end - make patchwork ones to use up your scraps)
• The bag that was the most popular item on my stall was this (find the ingredients for this bag on the Free Instructions section).  No joke! that's why I chose this design for a tute on   my main site because I used to sell heaps of these bags.  It was cute, mid priced, and I could whip them up in under 1.5 hrs.
• Clutch bags,  wristlets, and night club essentials 'baglets'

More handmade (wristlet) gorgeousness by Nico

Pricing

With a range of items (from pouches to handbags) it makes it easier to sell items ranging from £6/7.00 all the way up to £?.?? 

When pricing your items up try:

• Looking in Etsy, your local craft market, Crafster for help, for advice and price comparison with other sellers similar-ish items (copy-cats who don't give due credit are a big pain in the ass!)
• Think about what you would be willing to pay for your items, and ask others (try not to just ask friends!) what they would be willing to pay?
• I know this sounds a bit 'wishy-washy' but in as much as you shouldn't charge too much; don't charge too little because this can have the affect of putting people off (for instance people could think that you don't value your work - therefore it can't be that good; also you want   to take home enough beans to be able to feed yourself and buy more supplies so you can come back to the market!)

'Cheeky Chappette' Sales Patter

Of course the way that you will interact with folks who come to your stall will be individual to you, but if you're interested in my tuppence's worth of advice I suggest this:

• It's obvious, but soo important; look pretty cheerful (I don't mean look psychotically happy in a 'PLEASE BUY SOMETHING' kind of way but look kinda friendly and easy going).
• Bring some craft work to do whilst at the stall; it will keep you busy during quiet periods, and people love to see the artist at work because it strengthens the hand-crafted aspect of your goods.  Also shyer people will find it easier to approach your stall when you aren't staring at them as they approach!
• If someone is lingering a little and looking like they are trying to decide, ask them if you can help; 'Is the present for a friend?'  ' What colours does she like to wear?'  'What occasion is the bag going to be for?'  What size bag does she usually use?
• Price is sometimes the deciding factor.  Sometimes a couple looking at your stall will discuss amongst themselves buying a present for a friend but the woman might want to treat herself too (I used to get this a lot on my old stall).  Suggest to them that you will knock off a little money if they buy 2 or more items.  Better to make the sale and lose a little money than not make a sale at all.
• There's no harm in mentioning to interested buyers that the item that they are inspecting is the last one you have available as long as it's the truth!  You don't want the same people to walk around again and see another ------ on your stall!
• If a bag has a special history, say so; 'this fabric comes from my holidays in Outer Mongolia' or 'this bag was once my great great aunt's winter coat' or something like that! It adds to the specialness of your bag.

Best of luck folks and have fun!

Selling your bags in markets. Part 1

Here are a few things I wish I knew before I started selling bag at markets...

Selling your bags in a market is a great place to start selling your creations.  It can be great fun, a fabulous way to meet other crafters, and lucrative (especially at Xmas!)   I would advise that you sell your bags in a craft market or fair NOT a normal market where the idea is to pile it high, don't ask where it came from, and sell it cheap!

The entrance to the market in London, UK where I used to sell my handmade stuff.

Before you decide to go ahead and apply for a stall bear in mind that you should have:

• the funds to pay the market stall/fair rent, they are usually reasonable but the more busy/successful the market is the more you tend to have to pay.
• a fair amount of energy for lugging your bags, stall decorations, a stool and a flask of tea around.
• suitable transport for the above, doing this on the bus isn't funny.
• plastic bags for your customers to carry their bags away.
• business cards or leaflets is a good idea especially if you don't have labels in your bags (but you really should have labels in your bags - at least so they have your contact details on them).
• I found that having A5 picture frames on my stall were really useful for making information like sales, company name, materials (i.e. hand embroidered)! really obvious.
• good spot lighting - not all markets provide their own.
• a lot of markets only provide a frame and a table with which to sell your goods on.  This means that you will need 'dress' your stall.  You might want to to have a back drop and sides to your stall so you will need to obtain large amounts of fabric to create 'walls and a ceiling' to your stall.  Try going to the craft market when it is in full-swing and walk around it to get inspired by how others have decorated their stalls.  It is worth going to the effort of making your stall look pretty and inviting because it will affect the way that people judge your handi-work and it's price (more about that later).

The refab market stall at Greenwich (London, UK). Isn't it happy and colourful?

A few things worth knowing about your craft market customer (most of us have been a craft market customers but to re-cap anyway:

• a lot of them are looking nice and pretty things for presents or treats for themselves, so they are generally not looking for ever day nomal-ness.
• wherever you are price is still important so you have to be able to cleverly balance the cost it took to create the bag, with the cost that you will sell the bag at.
• most people are more shy then more forward, so they are less likely to want to engage with you because they may feel obliged to buy (so they may avoid interaction with you in the first place).  It's not like a shop where you can pick up an item, inspect it and put it down if you don't want it.  In a market the customer and the seller are separated only by a table which doesn't leave a lot of personal space!  So I always felt that it was a good idea to clearly display price labels, have little A5 signs advertising various bits of information, and display items grouped by price.  I think that doing things like this makes it easier for the customer to feel more confident in approaching your stall and asking your questions about your bags.
• we are all attracted by bright shiny, and colourful things so your stall should reflect this.  Try to decorate your stall to reflect your bags.  If you tend to use sumptuous fabrics in your bags, try using luxurious looking fabrics and colours on your stall or, if your bags are very vintage chic decorate your stall using shabby chic fabrics and one or two 'vintagey' ornaments.  Remember to keep it reasonably simple though, if it all looks busy, it will look confusing and take the focus away from the all-important bags!
• we all have a short attention span, we all have a short atten...hang on...he! he!  Your stall should be able to grab the attention of passers-by long enough for them to stop in their tracks and have a closer look.   You can do this in several ways: make an absolutely show-stopping bag and display it prominently, have some cheap and cheerful designs available to buy, have a range of colours, sizes, prices and types of bag available to buy.   In this way  there is more likely to be something for everyone.

Next time more about what to sell at the market, and specifics on pricing, and a bit of sales patter...

Where to start selling your bags.

So... you've whipped up a good number of gorgeous handbags (and you're feeling rather chuffed with yourself because they all look so pretty together on their hangers or on the sewing table).  Just a couple of things to consider before we send the bags to good homes:

• Hopefully you have thought of a nice title for your new company or, you have chosen to put your own good name to your bags.  This is because it is a really good idea to sew a label onto your bags.  A label can communicate contact information (for when friends see the bag and say 'ohhh that's lovely, where did you get that?', it can also communicate that the bag is handmade  and will also serve as branding, both of which will make your bags just that bit more special...  I have used this company Cash's for bag labels in the past (way back when)...and they were fast,  inexpensive, and the labels were great for starting out with.  You can of course pay more to have labels custom made and there are plenty of companies on the Internet who offer this service.
• To price tag or not to price tag?  As I mentioned before in my post about pricing I always felt that displaying the price is better.  Not only can you display the price, you can also include other information such as fabric content and care instructions.  If you have nice hand-writing write this information down rather than typing it (if you don't have nice writing borrow somebody who does!), it adds to the handmade-ness of your bags. 

I found the cutest price tags whilst being distracted from work (again!)

A few places to start selling your bags (that are not going to blow the budget);

• Markets, in particular Craft Markets.  I started selling my handi-crafts at a lovely Craft Market in Greenwich (London, UK).  It's an ages old market with a lovely busy atmosphere, and plenty of visitors in the weekends.   Craft markets have the benefit of attracting people who are looking for individual, well-made items.  Visitors to craft markets are more likely to understand that a handmade item will cost a bit more than something that came off a conveyor belt in China! 
• Local craft fairs at schools, town halls, parks, anywhere!  Depending on the popularity of these events the price of having a stand at a local craft fair is often very reasonable and they have the benefit of attracting a lot of visitors. I will be writing another post about selling in  craft markets and fairs because that is a whole experience in itself!
• Online. I would advise against selling your handmade loveliness on Ebay.  Ebay is great for selling off the contents your garden shed, attic or, stuff off the back of a lorry.  It's not  an ideal shop for the purse that you painstakingly hand beaded for hours simply because Ebayers are typically looking for 'blood-out-a-stone' bargain prices.  Try instead an online shop site which has been created especially for people who want to sell their hand made loveliness; it is called Etsy.   Etsy was created a little too late for me but I know people who do sell their items here and they report that it is easy to use, and reasonably priced.  You set the price of your items (it's not an auction site).  It's also a wonderful source of inspiration and you can begin to guage what you should charge for your items by comparing with other sellers.
• Boutiques.  If you have friend (or two) who owns a nice clothes shop then great!  Hopefully he/she won't charge you for displaying your bags to sell.  If not try approaching shops with some of your bags.  Bear in mind that the boutique owner will want to save money (just like you do) so they may not give you the best price for your items.  Then again if they like your items they are likely to buy more than an individual would which would be great!  There are also boutiques on the web that specialise in selling handmade bags by different designers.  The Bag Boutique is an example of such a shop; a search on Google will come up with many more.

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Starting out in handbag selling...?

Ok, it's gotten past the stage where you've made a gorgeous bag for yourself, your friends have all put in orders for their own handbags, you've sold bags to your neighbors, and people are beginning to approach you for your bags because the word in the office/street is beginning to spread... Congratulations!  People admire your creativity and it's a great feeling!

Why not make some extra money from doing something that you already enjoy - a spot of sewing!  If you feel that you want to take bag selling a bit more seriously I would firstly recommend experimenting by sewing say 20ish bags and selling them to see what people's reactions are before you start investing sizable amounts of time and money to selling your handbags.  Do consider:

1. Starting small, and spend a little as you can in getting started - grow organically to stay out of debt as much as poss.  Try looking for cheap/free fabrics in charity shops, your mother's/grandmother's fabric stash, curtain makers often have nice off-cuts for free.  This way you when you've earnt money from selling your first few bags (which have cost you less to make)  you will have a bit more money to buy nicer materials for your next batch of bags, and so on.  No matter what you spend on making bags; make them with love so other women will love them too!  Remember to price your bags appropriately.
2. Don't worry about setting up websites to sell your bags at this stage (unless you are lucky enough to have the funds) - remember start small.  Great places to start selling are:

• Your place of work as it's free to sell (if you work in an office or shop or anywhere where you work with other women!).
• Does anybody you know have a shop, hotel or restaurant or anywhere where your bags could be displayed and subsequently bought?
• Can any of your friends/family sell your bags for you at their place of work?

Hey great! your 20ish bags sold like hot cakes. Make another 20 as many times as you need to gain confidence, funds, and sewing skill before taking this further.  Here are a few things that will make starting up bit easier:

• You'll have to get a bit organised in your home - are there regular times where you can sew in peace (like when the kids are at school or after they have gone to bed?)
• Clear the decks for your sewing machine and equipment.  Believe me, perching your bag making empire on the edge of the dinner table won't work.  Ideally you'll need an area where you can work and not have to clear up in the middle of projects.  You'll also need space to store your materials, finished bags, records of materials purchases - receipts, things like customer orders, and records.
• If you need any bag making inspiration or want a better idea of what is in fashion handmade handbags wise check out the Craftster completed bags section, or my own Inspiration pages!
• Now is the time to sew like the wind to get a good number of bags made before considering where to sell them.
• In the meantime do some general businessey research (I know, not very exciting but it will be very helpful in saving you money, and helping your business to grow) you'll learn things like marketing, where to find business grants, book keeping (yuk!) and stacks of very useful advice.  Good places to look are: Business Link,  Startups, and Flying Start Ups and will provide a wealth of information.

Coming next - Where to sell your 'post experiment' bags.