Why Handmade Goods Don’t Sell Well Online
So you spent the entire month knitting a baby blanket. Or maybe you hand-beaded a gorgeous bracelet. Perhaps you’re the creative guy or girl who paints t-shirts with your own, original designs.
Whatever the case, your first thought was to try your luck at selling these one-of-a-kind goods at an online auction or trading site. The idea sounds good. Instead of a local crowd, you can attract buyers from all over the world. Another advantage is that you can usually charge a little more for your items than you could at a local trade show or store.
Many people have discovered – usually the hard way – that trying to sell handmade goods online doesn’t often work very well. Even though this venue sounds like a great place to market your items, there are a few problems that your unique, hand-crafted things face almost every time you list them on the Internet.
Most people search online auctions for commercial goods. They cannot be assured that your hand-crafted bracelet is as durable or as gorgeous as your pictures make it seem. You might be an honest and very talented person, but more than a few online shoppers have been burned – and badly – in the past by not so honest people. When Internet shoppers search for bracelets, they’re looking for brand names and industry standards: items that they already know and trust to be what they really want.
Unless you’ve spent some time building a good reputation (usually accomplished through positive buyer and seller feedback) on the site, buyers won’t often trust you – or your listings. A brand-new seller will eventually build trust, but this is a very difficult task when that seller immediately begins trying to move non-commercial goods. People instinctively look for some other listing, if they even give that person’s listings any attention in the first place.
In this society, instant gratification and low prices go hand in hand. Many of us want an affordable sweater – and now! As a whole, we don’t value handmade sweaters – or other goods - like our grandparents did. People will still buy the better quality things, but they often have to see the items in person before they make the purchase. Photographs posted on the Internet can’t quite replace a buyer’s touch.
Don’t let all of that discourage you, though! There are still great ways to market the things that you’ve made. You might have to work a little harder than the online auction seller who has a stack of video games to move, but you’ll reap your rewards in the end.
Make sure that you use high quality supplies when you create your items. Don’t skimp on paint, beads, fabric or any other thing that you’re using. The final outcome is mostly dependent on the quality of the laborer, but the materials have a lot to do with the results as well.
Sell locally, at least in the beginning. You don’t have to rent a storefront to generate interest in your work. Talk with somebody who already owns a store about consignment sales. Look for trade shows, flea markets and other places where things like yours are likely to be traded or sold. Another great way to sell your goods is word of mouth: your friends will tell their friends and coworkers, who will tell their friends and coworkers, so forth and so on.
Research your market and be open to the possibility of expanding. If you knit blankets for babies, maybe you could also sell your creations as cat or dog blankets.
Don’t give up. Persistence pays, especially when you maintain a positive attitude. Somewhere, somebody is looking for an item that you might have created a few months – or even years! – ago, so don’t quit.
Many people do well by selling locally. They never become one of the Internet celebrities who rake in thousands of bucks a month by selling their products on popular auction sites, but the local sellers do well anyway. You can find your niche in your community and become an instantly recognized celebrity in your own right – all without ever turning on your computer.
