Dear Lifehacker,
I like to make things and sell them in my spare time. I heard Etsy's going to start letting big companies sell stuff on their site and I'm afraid I'll get muscled out. Where should I go? What sites should I sign up with? Should I just deal with regular retailers instead?
Sincerely,
Seller's Market
Dear Seller,
As you may have heard, the homemade market was dealt kind of a low blow from Etsy. The company clarified its terms of use that in the near future will allow sellers to outsource manufacturing. The question on every seller's mind then is, where should I take my homemade wares if not Etsy?
All is not lost if you want to make things yourself and earn a few extra bucks on the side. There are still plenty of ways you can sell your stuff without having to build a retail empire.
List Your Merchandise Online
The obvious choice is selling online. The downsides to this across the board are that you'll pay for shipping costs (and for small trinkets or fragile things like paintings, this can seriously eat into your margins), and you're at the mercy of the site's terms and conditions. That being said, here are a few of the front runners:
Etsy: Yes, I know, people are upset because Susie on the street might now be competing with mass-produced figurines, but that doesn't mean you can't use it at all. It might be harder to get your stuff seen on the site itself, but outside of Etsy search results, the site functions like normal. You can share your shop with friends, family, neighbors, and even promote it online without the changes affecting you. If you like Etsy and you do your own external promotion, there's no need to abandon ship just yet.
eBay: If Etsy's policy change will have any negative effect on small crafts sellers, it will be the same effect eBay has had for years: you'll drown in a flood of unrelated garbage. As with Etsy, though, it still gives you a platform to work with. Making a ton of money might be difficult—and if you want to sell as a business, there might be easier options—but for the casual seller, it's worth looking into. Just make sure you know how to avoid getting scammed.
Big Cartel: The big advantage to Etsy is that it has tools for sellers, but it's mostly focused on buyers. Big Cartel, on the other hand, is not. The main site has a directory of stores and that's about it. However, if you're going to be setting up a shop and promoting it yourself anyway, Big Cartel will offer a ton more in terms of customizing the look of your site. Think of it like a WordPress for online stores: they host it and maintain the back-end software, but you design it and promote it.
Ribbon: If you read that last paragraph and thought "Hey, wait, I already have a WordPress blog. Can't I just use that?" Ribbon has some good news: yes, you can! Ribbon goes for a more modular approach to selling, allowing you to embed a miniaturized digital storefront inside Twitter, YouTube, your own page, or most other places on the web. Buyers don't have to be directed to your site. If they find your item on, say Twitter, they can enter their payment information without leaving Twitter.
Advertise On a Shoestring Budget
Advertising seems like it's one of those things that you wouldn't want to bother with unless you have serious money to invest. However, you can actually get your products in front of more people without spending a ton of money. In fact, in some cases, you may actually be able to spend less on advertising than you will on transaction fees.
Project Wonderful: This service was created by Dinosaur Comics writer Ryan North and it allows you to choose which publishers your ads end up on, and you can bid on how much you'll pay per day. For insanely popular sites, it can get expensive, but there are smaller sites you can put an ad on for pennies. You choose where your ads appear, how often, and how much you spend. From a dime to hundreds of dollars, you can set the budget anywhere. While you won't build an empire scraping the bottom of the barrel, putting your ad in front of several thousand people will get you more bites than none.
BuySellAds: Project Wonderful caters to every budget around. BuySellAds can be a little harder to hit if you're not willing to sink a ton of money into your projects, but you can get the same sort of per-site choices and save a bit compared to other, larger advertising networks.
Talk to Local Stores
Big box retailers give us the general impression that if you want to sell your goods in a store, you have to be a big business. This isn't always the case, though. Local shops will often either buy up your inventory wholesale even if it's limited quantities. The alternative is selling at consignment stores. It's also important to note the difference:
Wholesale: This is the simplest option for you as a maker, but it can also be more difficult to land. Most towns have small shops that sell jewelry, paintings, trinkets, or other homemade goods. Get in touch with owners and you may be able to get them to buy up your inventory. You'll probably sell them at a lower price, but once the sale is done, it's done.
Consignment: If you'd prefer to sell directly and hold on to a bit more of the profits, you can try getting shelf space at a consignment store. These businesses will let you have shelf space in their store and do the selling for you. They'll take a portion of the price, but you can usually get a better percentage. However, when making deals with consignment stores, be sure to thoroughly hammer out details in regards to inventory. You technically own all your products until someone buys them, which means if you don't have specifics agreed upon before hand, a store could write off theft or damage as your loss.
Sell at Special Events
In most cases, everything we've covered so far should probably keep you way busier than you ever asked for your second job to be. However, if you want to go that extra mile on the weekend and walk the line between hobby and business—maybe to see how much you'd like turning the hobby into a job—you can get involved in selling at a few other places that specifically cater to homemade goods.
Trade fairs and conventions: You won't get a booth at Comic Con to sell your replica Batman masks unless you're willing to front some serious cash, but many smaller events may allow you to take set up a table of merchandise for a small fee. It will be hectic, but if you enjoy selling, it can be a fun way to spend a weekend.
Church or school gatherings: Sometimes, non-profit organizations will hold festivals that allow you to set up booths. Depending on the size of the event, you may be able to sell a bit of stuff while enjoying a community get together.
Fundraisers: Strictly speaking, you probably shouldn't contribute product to a charity fundraiser in the hopes of turning a profit. However, aside from the obvious benefits of contributing to your community, it can be a great way to get people excited about what you make.
Keep in mind that, even if you sell things as a hobby in your spare time or as a way to earn some spending money, you're always going to be competing with established companies that have way more resources than you do. That's just the nature of the business. The upside is that you can do it without quitting your day job. You can go as far as you're willing. If you want to make $5 a month putting together necklaces or work your way up to replacing your day job with your artwork, there are plenty of options out there for you.
Also, if you're just getting started, knowing where to sell yourself is only one piece of the puzzle. You should also be aware of the important information you should include in every listing, and how to take the best photos you can.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
Photos by Lin Mei and DieselDemon.