Is a full-time, liveable income possible for wah crafters?

[Katey]

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering, from a wah crafters point of view, if you have all day to devote to crafting, is a liveable income possible? I come across some great companies who have some projects I feel I could do but then it always comes down to, "This is really a supplemental income." of "It takes me a week and a half to make one lot."

Are there any specific companies whose projects make crafting more "do-able" as far as earning a full-time income?

Thanks!!

Katey

[GG9909]

A living can be earned with your own crafts and will depend on commitment and time. People will make a 'quota', price it and attend craft fairs, flea market, art/craft exhibitions next to having a online presence. It's recommended to be able to accept credit card payments on site with 'square it' (??!) an attachment for mobile phones so payments can be processed. I've attended a craft fair and would also add that one should have smaller lower priced items next to your primary products for additional monies

[GG9909]

Yes, determining the cost of living would be key information to have, I agree. I know of one person, in the city, who made these small items and approached stores. They bought his items by boxes. He had repeat customers in that market and attended monthly craft fairs and one huge annual cultural event. He does quite well for himself, next to his f/t job.

[cwah_mom_ohio]

my daughter has just gotten into sewing. she did some research on etsy to see what had lots of sales. she made a few proto-types and took them to local shops and the mall. she was surprised at how much they liked them eventhough they are a bit pricey. she had to charge more than she originaly wanted because of the % commission she has to pay. don't know yet how the customers think because she just set up this past week. i hope she does really well at this.
and just like selling a house....location location location.....

[Katey]

GG9909 & cwah_mom_ohio,

Thank you for your helpful replies. Yes, I think coming up with your own craft and getting out there and selling them, or setting up a really good Etsy page, is the way to go with this. It would probably be more satisfying and enjoyable rather than spending a lot of time and money while trying to live up to a crafting company's exacting expectations.

cwah_mom_ohio, a big congratulations to your daughter! I wish I could sew that well. I hope she is able to make a good living doing something she is good at and that she enjoys.

Thanks again, take good care!

Katey

[StateLineBag]

Originally Posted by Katey

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering, from a wah crafters point of view, if you have all day to devote to crafting, is a liveable income possible? I come across some great companies who have some projects I feel I could do but then it always comes down to, "This is really a supplemental income." of "It takes me a week and a half to make one lot."

Are there any specific companies whose projects make crafting more "do-able" as far as earning a full-time income?

Thanks!!

Katey

I would say stamping our bags and selling them on-line or to retailers is a pretty strong craft you can sell.

Also, a lot of companies call us for custom packaging, and the only way to customize our bags cost-efficiently is to stamp them.

Kevin
State Line Bag Co.

[Katey]

Originally Posted by StateLineBag

I would say stamping our bags and selling them on-line or to retailers is a pretty strong craft you can sell.

Also, a lot of companies call us for custom packaging, and the only way to customize our bags cost-efficiently is to stamp them.

Kevin
State Line Bag Co.

Kevin,

Thanks so much for this post. I'll look into this further unless you want to PM me with specific information about how someone could get set up to do this.

Thanks again for the tip!

Katey

[AshleyWallace]

I started doing at home work to stay with our daughter. When I found American Consolidated Exchange I was extremely happy. I enjoy sewing not advanced or anything but have made her clothes before and little things like that. Sewing bears at home with them paying for all the materials including shipping and handling was just what I was looking for. The lady I spoke to was very pleasant and reassured me that the skills I needed to do this job was very minimal and they did have support if it was needed.
Being as eager as I was we chose to send in extra for speedy delivery. First off the initial payment didn’t pay for anything but the registration number and apparently the extra money for fast delivery was for that paper to get to us faster, which took 2 and a half weeks. Received it found out that there was a deposit fee for material which made sense, and it was refund guarantee 100% so we paid for one shipment which was $80. Each unit was $80 and upon them receiving the completed bears you could choose to rather get paid and get your deposit back, or could choose to put your earnings toward more bears and receive 2 units at once. The options were very nice so if I like it could do more faster and get more in return. The bear on the web-site looked a bit blurred but seemed to be like the ones you get at fairs not very hard to make. Waited longer for the bears to arrive called them the guy said that they always send out the shipment as soon as they receive the money. Well, took 23 days for me to get them.
The material stunk so bad first off and was crammed into this little USPS envelope (which remember was supposed to be sent back in same package.) The directions weren’t too hard to follow till the ears and the nose the copy I received didn’t clearly differentiate between the right side of fabric and inside on the ears at all. And the nose piece is so small it is extremely hard to maneuver. I called to see if they had any tips since they had told me on the very first call that they offered support. The guy answered again this time. He was extremely rude when I asked him and he insisted that no one would ever say that this project is for beginners. After trying to get to talk with someone who had some sewing experience he got upset and hung up with me. I’m not on to give up, so I went to my local Jo-Ann store to try and get some assistance there, bringing in one I made with scrap material of mine. The associate said with what I’d been given I’d done an excellent job and then tried to read them herself a bit more. She’d been sewing for 20 years and she was having difficulty with how the ear placement was supposed to go. We thought we’d figured it out and I went home and finished the bodies accordingly. The ties on the other hand were just flat hand ridiculous! Called back again same guy he did confess the ties had been an issue with some others and said that they used tooth picks to pull out the points. Okay, so I did this and no matter how gentle I was the fabric tore. And yes that conversation ended up with him hanging up on me as well.
At this point I was beyond frustrated. Not getting anywhere with the company I contacted the BBB to report their misdoings. Response from American Consolidated Exchange was that it was all imaginary, and if I wanted the deposit back I just had to return the material. Obviously couldn’t use the envelope that they came in, too small, so paid for it go back w/ confirmation of receipt. When I got it called them to see when I’d get my deposit back not really expecting to get paid for the work, their business practices were already showing their colors. Same guy answered, he said yes we received them none of them our up to our satisfaction and we sent you a letter in the mail. Okay, well all I want is my deposit back. He said no flat out no. you have to do the bears to our specifications in order to get the deposit back. I quoted what the paper was that I signed and he then started to use profanity. Then he said that everything I told the BBB were lies. Obviously I was too polite when reporting to the BBB…he followed up with more vulgarity and I asked if I could speak to his boss since he was unable to speak in a professional manner. He refused and refused to tell me his name. Then proceeded to call me extremely offensive terms for females (no,not female dog either) and hung up on me.
This is extremely wrong called him back and told him calling me names and swearing at me isn’t going to solve this situation. Seems like he got madder and madder when I wasn’t giving it back to him; the profanity continued he insisted he didn’t hang up on me that he put me on hold. He said that he was blocking my number and that was the end of it because….of course he hung up.
So to sum it up not getting my deposit or pay until the bears are fixed to their specs but they are only sending a letter to tell me that…how can I fix em even if I could figure out how if I don’t have them? My advice DON’T USE THEM PLEASE will save yourself a lot of headaches and finger pricks!

[Dugsmom]

I once met a woman (years ago) who was so successful with her craft business that she had to rent commercial space to store her crafts! I also have a friend who creates all kinds of beautiful things ( from gift baskets to wreaths) and is doing really well. Well enough to be able to stay home with her kids. She is always selling her stuff on FB and it's amazing how many people place orders on there.

[MiAve]

I definitely think it's doable, but it will take a lot of hard work and dedication as well as some luck. You have to think "why are my crafts different then anyone else's? Why should people buy them?"