Selling Crafts on eBay

  by Staff Editor

I've heard nothing but good reports from crafters who are selling on eBay, and this kind of Web marketing may be perfect for you. "I think that developing and maintaining a Web site would be a waste of time for the average crafter unless they can truly do all the work themselves, are willing to take orders, pack and ship," says Susan Young. "And even then, unless they've got a product no one has seen before or can offer a service no one is offering, they’re going to become just one more fish in a big lake. I believe their time might be better spent learning how to market on eBay." I agree, so let's take a look at what three happv eBay sellers are offering and how they work.

Rubber stamps, stationery, recipe cards and other printed materials

Sue Krei sells these items on her web site and also through eBay, which she says is a great way to move excess inventory. "eBay sales help our cash flow and also send people to our Web site," she says. "Each auction that we list on eBay has a direct link to our site. Also, when I send out notices to the winning bidders, there is information on the notice about current sales, etc. As a result, we get a lot of add-on orders from the auctions."

Fabric items (handmade tablecloths, napkins, throws, scarves, etc.)

Susan Gearing sells almost 1OO percent on eBay under the name of "Susiecraft." Although Susan's daughter could set her up with a Web site, she has resisted getting one because she has all the business she can handle just on eBay alone. "I'm an eBay Powerseller," she says, “Which means that I make at least $2,000/month in auction sales.

"eBay appealed to me because here I would be making only things that were already sold. I could make up a prototype of something, then keep listing it and only make more when I had the payment in hand. What a deal! But the demands of running so many auctions meant that I ultimately had to turn to selling more goods and fewer handmades to make the kind of income I wanted to make on eBay. I am primarily in mail order right now, running well over 200 auctions at all times, and really working at full capacity, shipping over 100 packages a week. Everything I sell is flat and easy to ship.

"The mix I have right now is working well for me," she adds. "My profits are quite good-much more than keystone on everything, usually three to four times cost and sometimes much more than that. With the bulk of what I sell, there is no labor other than cutting and packaging. For example, I might buy some clearance fabric for $2 a yard and sell it for $7.95 to $8.95. Things that sell very slowly or not at all are put on 'Clearance Sale' after awhile, and then sell very quickly."

In addition to money from the auctions themselves, Susan says many customers then come back by e-mail to request extra fabric, more napkins or other products, which she sells direct to them. "So there are sales besides what is selling on eBay and. of course, no commissions are due on those. One thing about selling on eBay is that you are all 'out there' with your success or failure for the world to see. You can't fudge about sales being good if they're not because this is a very public venue. For a person in the business of arts/crafts/creativity, it is simply the best marketing method I have ever found!"

I haven't had time to mess with eBay yet, but Susan says it looks much easier than it is. Like everything else related to the Web, there is a learning curve. "To be successful on eBay," she says, "you need a really good eye and feel for what will sell, plus marketing ability and good copywriting skills. I can't emphasize enough that, while eBay is simple in concept, successful execution takes talent, a lot of different skills, organization and determination."

Susan uses Andale (www.andale.com) to manage her auctions and hold her pictures. "This is my secret for doing the kind of volume I do," she says.

Glass Bead and Related Items

Jacqui Collins-Parker has also had great success in selling on eBay. Her monthly income from her Web site and eBay has been as high as $1,200, though it does fluctuate through the year. She sells glass vessels priced at $75, and sets of ten beads that she offers with an opening bid of $17.00. "Sometimes I've had bidding wars for these sets that have ended at $95," she says. "Other eBay buyers include folks who simply collect art glass beads. I don't know what they do with them, but I always encourage buyers to e-mail me a picture of their finished items so I can see what they did with what I created. This helps me to bond with my customers, whom I really care about.

"On eBay, customer service is everything! Ship when and how you say you will, and bend over backwards to accommodate your customers and answer any questions they may have. Internet buyers can be very, very picky. If they want to return an item for a refund, don't argue, but see if there is any way you can help them want to keep the item."

Selling a Stash of Goodies

Jacqui's glass beads have a good market, but she can't sell them consistently throughout the year, so when sales start to slump in early fall, she starts selling items from her mother's and grandmother's craft stashes. "My mom and grandmother were pack-rats," she says, "and I have craft supplies, mohair from England, blank sweatshirts, craft and sewing books, jewelry, ribbon and lace and a lot of other things I will never use, so I sell it on eBay as 'More Great Stuff!' I scan the individual items during the summer and list them in mid October. Although these are smaller ticket items usually starting at less than $5, I have found that folks will bid on them and sometimes have small bidding wars over them.

Selling Tip

To create an illustration, lay whatever you need to scan right on the scanning bed. For example, I scan iron-ons and beads, then tweak the size, crop, lighten and adjust contrast using my graphics software. (Since beads are so small, it's hard to get a good photo of them with a lot of clarity and detail. I tried an inexpensive digital which was loaned to me and an expensive 35mm camera, and neither of them did as good a job as the scanner.)

"When selling your stash, pay particular attention to pricing," Jacqui emphasizes. "Although some collectors will pay more for certain items, the majority of folks on eBay are looking for bargains similar to those found at a flea market. Let the buyers set the price initially, and you will be able to adjust them up or down as time goes by and you establish yourself. An item priced too low may cause buyers to think it's junk: too high, and they’ll go to another seller whose prices are more within reason. Explore categories of like items to determine the 'going starting bid price' and try to stay within the market prices on eBay. For example, if someone is selling four yards of ribbon for $4, can you sell it for less and be satisfied? If it belonged to great-aunt Sarah in 1897, adjust your opening bid price accordingly."