You have made some craft items and filled your house with them.
You have given them away as gifts to friends and family.
Now you are asking yourself, can I sell my handmade items and make money working from home? Yes you can.
This article gives you ideas on how to create and grow a home-based craft business.
One of the easiest ways to get started selling your crafts is through home parties.
Find a friend or relative who will sponsor a home event.
Offer them 10 percent or more of your sales for the evening.
Have them invite their friends over for an evening of refreshments and to see your work.
After everyone arrives, give a fifteen minute talk or demonstration of how your craft is made.
Then let everyone relax and socialize.
Before everyone leaves, ask each person if she would be interested in hosting a home party too.
This way you keep the events going through the power of referrals.
When you feel you've mastered home parties, try selling your items at local craft shows.
Try an event that doesn't cost too much but one where there will be good attendance.
Set up your display at home before you get to the event and try different arrangements to see what's most attractive.
Craft shows are typically held over a weekend so there's not a big commitment to make.
Keep track of everything you sell so you can know which items to make more of.
Selling crafts online from home is another marketing possibility.
Sales of handmade items are booming on sites like Etsy and Artfire.
Setting up a store on these sites is usually free.
A listing fee might apply plus you pay a small percentage of each sale.
If you decide to sell online, be sure to get the best images of your craft items you can.
When shoppers can only view photos online, those images become the most important tipping point.
Some crafters have done well selling through mail order catalogs like the Sundance Catalog which carries many kinds of handmade art and crafts.
Catalogs usually have a very high standard and require you apply to be accepted.
If your items are welcomed, be ready to fulfill any orders.
An overlooked form of making money from art or craft is called licensing.
Licensing is where you come to an agreement with another company that licenses the use of your designs onto their products.
You've probably seen baseball caps with popular brand names; these brand names were licensed by the cap maker.
However you choose to sell your crafts, keep a list of your customers and their contact information.
It is so much easier to sell to those who have bought from you in the past than to try to find new customers.
Follow up with customers through a newsletter or through postal mailings.
Consider sending postcards out several times a year.
Feature your newest item and offer a discount to preferred customers.
There are many ways to sell your crafts from home.
Keep track of all your marketing venues so you can make intelligent choices about where to focus your efforts.
If shows do better for your craft than home parties, do more shows.
If Etsy is a good market for you, try some other craft selling websites.
By measuring your results, you can shape your business decisions wisely and grow your craft business from home at the pace you choose.