How to Earn Money by Selling Handmade Items

Ivan Dimitrijevic
4 min readJul 12, 2015

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You have probably heard of the website called Etsy.com. It sells homemade products like jewellery, ornaments, accessories, furniture, clothing etc. — things that are unique in their own way, and for that reason, appreciated. In other words, if you are good at making something, Etsy.com is most certainly a place to turn to if you want to earn money online. However, even Etsy has a vast community, and simply putting your product on the website won’t be enough to be noticed and appreciated. Here are a couple of creative tips on how to be noticed and sell your merchandise on Etsy and similar websites.

High quality photography

Photography is a powerful tool for building a professional image, and inspiring trust in potential buyers. The most professional way to go around this problem is to buy a white poster board, place your products there and take pictures of them. The next thing to do is to transfer the photo to your PC and you can use the Microsoft Photo Editor, or any better solution you know of, to enhance the color of the photography. You can also tweak some of the details here and there by using the brightness and contrast option, crop the photos to give a better impression of the angle and there you have it. Once again, make more than one photograph, in order for potential buyers to envision the item more accurately.

Know the value of your product

Now to tackle this issue with more efficiency. Apprising your product is not a complex philosophy, and basically all you need to do is combine the price of the materials with the time spent to create the product and multiply the number by two. This is a valid equation for your retail price, and almost everyone will agree that you are not overcharging.

This, of course, poses a different question “How should I calculate the time spent part of the equation?” The answer is again quite simple, charging $10 per hour is quite a fair price, just make sure you are calculating it accurately. When we are doing something, we have tendency to wander off, in other words we are not fully productive all the time. So, for one item that deserves your undivided attention, just make sure to measure how long it took for you to craft it. Use that timing when deciding on a price. You can also use apps, or software, to help you with retail price optimization.

Finally, if someone sells the same product, made out of the same materials but he or she is charging significantly less for it, then you are probably still slow when it comes to crafting. Hone you skills, to be more productive and do not allow your competition to trample you.

Work on your brand name

Having a brand name will make you stand out from the crowd, so you should find a strategy on how to build a good brand name. Since you are only competing with the Etsy community to start with, you will not have as much of a challenge as you would if focused generally to start your own business. Think of a name that hints or is relevant to your profession, and come up with a catchy slogan, to be more memorable. Lastly, to solidify your name, add a carefully designed logo.

Use Facebook and Pinterest

Since these two social networks allow you to upload photos, and a lot activity on them is connected to the photos (especially on Pinterest), you should have your own page or board there. Upload the photos of your product and place the link that leads to your Etsy profile. You can also pay some money to Facebook, to buzz your page and post which will eventually result in more engagement, and help you increase the online authority of the page. Another thing you should do is be responsive on these networks since, many people may contact you about the purchase, and if you are quick to respond it will be noted.

I hope you found these tips insightful, and I wish you the best of luck on your online money making crusade.

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Ivan Dimitrijevic
Ivan Dimitrijevic

Written by Ivan Dimitrijevic

I help B2B companies in creating high-quality content that drives traffic, engagement, and conversions.

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